The first snow of the season fell in fluffy snowflakes that melted on the ground, creating a slippery sludge. This was not exactly a beautiful postcard Christmas scene. The city looked dirty, and the people exhausted from shopping for gifts.Having been too busy with her work, Emily didn't even have time to fly back east to see her parents. Following the fashion competition, her products were much more in demand, and she could barely keep up, even when she hired more people.Emily was glad that the Christmas season was almost over as she joined Byron's family at his mother's house. Nick decided to stay on the coast too and was spending Christmas with Katie's family.The gathering at Sylvia's was noisy and filled with various cousins and aunts and their children. Sylvia was busy giving orders to her cook and maid, while Emily didn't know anyone very well so she stuck close to Byron."Would you like to see my old room?" Byron said."Sure." Emily was glad for an excuse to be alone wi
Emily didn't want Byron to get too upset on her behalf, and she waited until the next day to show him the message.However, contrary to her expectations, he didn't get upset. He was furious."That little sh*t! If he thinks he can write to you, he's got another thing coming."He was pacing his home office, and Emily almost feared he was going to throw something."Even after being taken to court, he didn't seem to get the message," Emily complained."You've got the protection order," Byron said, "You could show this message to the police.""What would be the point?" Emily sighed, "They can't make him any less deluded.""They certainly can't make him any more deluded," Byron muttered. "Maybe I should have kept a low profile," Emily said, "Being a highly publicized designer and having a stalker doesn't go hand in hand.""No, you can't think like that," Byron said, his forehead furrowing, "You can't blame yourself for being famous. You can't hide away your whole life. He's the one
Emily had a feeling it was going to be a good vacation when she met the pilot, whose name was Darla. Darla was a wrinkled middle-aged lady, not exactly Byron's type. And as with all his employees, he was respectful and kind with her, but never improper. Emily felt slightly bad about rejoicing that a woman wasn't very attractive, but she had grown possessive of her man.After a few hours' flight over the Pacific, they landed on the island. It really did seem like a special place. The smells of many different flowers reached her, enchanting her senses as soon as she stepped off the plane. The sun beamed down gently through a haze of clouds. It was the kind of place she had only dreamed of."Thanks, Darla," Byron said as he bid the pilot goodbye, "See you in a couple of days.""A couple of days?" Emily asked as they got into the car that awaited them."Don't worry, we're not leaving so soon," Byron said, "Darla is going to bring a special surprise for you.""A special surprise? This
"So, when is Quinn arriving?" Emily asked the next day over breakfast.They sat on the patio drinking a mix of orange and guava juice. Byron had also prepared a yogurt parfait topped with strawberries."He'll arrive this afternoon and may be ready to sing for us tomorrow," Byron said."I can't wait!" "But you have to promise you won't run away with him," Byron admonished. "I'm a fan of Quinn myself, so think of how terrible it would be for me to lose both my girlfriend and my country music idol all in one go."He was mostly joking, but perhaps there was a bit of jealousy involved on his part just like it was for Emily when she was faced with all of Byron's pretty assistants and employees."I promise," Emily said, trying to keep a serious expression, "I will not run away with a man who is old enough to be my father.""Never underestimate the seductive abilities of an older man," Byron advised, "He may be getting on in years, but he's got a wealth of experience.""And I believe
Byron had something even more special planned for the next day. A small jewelery case tucked away in his suitcase held the diamond ring that he was going to use to propose to the woman he loved. While Emily was in the shower, he opened the case and took another glimpse at the princess cut diamond ring. It was beautiful, but even its lustrous glitter couldn't begin to express the love that he felt. He put the case in his pocket, preparing for later in the evening when he would take Emily for a walk on the beach and propose to her.When Emily came out of the shower wrapped in a big towel she had a serious look that made him forget his glorious dreams for a moment."What is it?" he asked."I didn't want to tell you last night because you were already asleep, but I got a troubling email from Katie. I think my brother might have dropped out of school.""Sh*t! Do your parents know?"Emily sighed, too despondent to imagine how her parents would react. "Probably not. He usually does wha
Finally the limo arrived at Emily's apartment. She was on edge the whole time, and unsure of how to approach Nick without coming across as too much of an authority figure."Sometimes our dad can be a little overbearing," she said to Byron as they got out of the limo, "Nick and I turned out more like our mom, calm and sensitive.""Calm and sensitive?" Byron laughed. "That's a good one.""What?" Emily asked."I see you more as a firebrand," he explained."Well, I may have gotten more feisty over the years. But Nick is very sensitive. That's why he tends to retreat into himself. If I say the wrong thing, he'll just not want to talk to me at all.""Let's talk to him together," Byron suggested. "Okay." Emily felt reassured by the idea that she wouldn't be alone.When they entered the apartment, Emily expected to find a mess, but things were much the same as she left them. Nick was there, playing a video game on his computer."Oh hey, aren't you back early?" he said. "Is everything
Emily returned to her art classes as more and more students came back from the Christmas holidays. She was looking forward to seeing Katie despite the drama with her brother. She was worried Katie wouldn't show up, but she did even though it was a few minutes late. The teen was shy and awkward when she first walked in."I'm really sorry about what happened," Katie said, looking down."Katie, it's not your fault." Emily came towards her and gave her a strong, reassuring hug. "If there's anyone who understands that my brother can drive someone crazy, it's me.""I feel bad about breaking up with him when he seems to be so troubled." Katie finally looked up, her perfectly groomed eyebrows drawn together in a frown."There's never a good time to break up with someone," Emily said. "You did what you had to do. I'm never going to hold it against you. I think we've got too much going for us as friends, don't you?"Emily had always liked Katie's passion and drive. The teen might have had s
Right after Byron found out what happened, he got on the phone with his lawyer. Emily listened intently, trying to tell by the expressions on his face and what he was saying whether there was any hope for Nick. Byron seemed to be frowning a lot, but it was hard to tell whether he was just concentrating or something discouraging was being revealed."The bad news is he's eighteen, so he'll be tried as an adult," Byron said after he got off the phone, "But maybe it could be possible for him to avoid serious jail time since he's not a violent offender, at least I hope he's not.""I don't see him ever being violent," Emily said, rubbing her temples, "Although he's deceived me before so who knows? But no, it's really unlikely.""Well, I guess dinner is cancelled," Byron said, "let's go get the kid. Don't worry, I'll put up the money for his bail, whatever it may be." Byron was already putting on his jacket and getting ready to go."Byron, you don't need to do that. It's not your proble