Avoiding Intimacy (Avoiding #2.5)(41)

The crowd applauded at the castle-like building’s completion. The gold Marco’s sign overhead was the perfect finishing touch on the classic design. Everything at eye-level rested on mahogany shelves.

Plush red pillows with gold tassels and antique-looking clothing racks completed the display, portraying an overall feel of lavish royalty.

Chyna caught the eye of the young Italian designer once more before he turned away from the crowd, pushing the front doors open for the first time. A chill ran up her spine from his earlier gaze, and her mind traveled far away again. She needed to reel it in.

She had plans later, and she couldn’t let this interfere. It was just an opening for a boutique. She wanted to go shopping, say she was one of the first to get a Marco design off Madison, and then leave. She wasn’t afraid to drag Frederick out of there, if need be.

Following the surge of people moving forward into the store, Frederick grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the crowd.

They wandered the perimeter of the store.

She was almost as interested in the amazing craftsmanship of the interior design, admiring its difference from the modern stores she was used to. Frederick kept a continual conversation going, yammering in her ear about the layout, the state of the furniture, the cost of the upholstery, and on and on.

She couldn’t deny the exquisite taste of Marco’s designs. His lines were even, colors perfectly integrated, and style replete with both unique pieces and mix- and-match options. She didn’t even know him, but she could feel his touch on every item, which was a hard thing to manage.

As she fingered a turquoise silk button-up, she felt a presence behind her.

All she wanted to do was turn around and confront whoever was having such a profound effect on her. Instead, she continued to stare down at the beautiful piece of work, ignoring the person now hovering behind her.

“I think you would look better in something like this,” Marco said, holding out a purple shirt with gold accents in a similar style. “Matches your skin tone and complements your green eyes.”

“My best friend wears a lot of purple,”

she said with a shrug. “It’s alright.” She tried to sound indifferent. She had never needed fashion advice before. But, this wasn’t advice. This was the designer.

He smiled, seeing through her attitude.

“Hardly,” he said, turning her around to face a mirror. He placed the shirt in front of her body. “See.”

Chyna stared at her reflection in the mirror. The colors really did work for her in just the way he had said they would.

She should have trusted him, but sometimes she just liked what she liked.

“You’re right. It’s better,” she told him.

“I know,” he said, taking a step back.

“Marco Moretti.”

He offered her his hand, and she placed hers in his gently. He leaned forward and kissed both of her cheeks softly. She knew it was just a greeting, but her heart leapt at the contact.

“Chyna Van der Wal,” she said, licking her lips when he pulled back.

“You have a very impressive store.”

“Thank you. I like it.” He smiled at her and drew her away from some of the other customers. “These. This and this,” he said, grabbing a pair of dark skinny denim pants, a gold tank, and light brown boots.

“Go!” he commanded, pushing her off into the dressing room.

She barely had time to process before she was following his order. She took the outfit out of his hands and quickly stripped down behind the dark wooden dressing room door. When she reemerged in the outfit he had picked, she could hardly believe the man’s taste. Honestly, he was almost too good.

“Perfetto! ” he said, examining her outfit. “You’ll wear it out.”

“Mr. Moretti, would you like me to ring that up for her?” a gorgeous woman with slick blonde hair hanging down to her waist asked. She was dressed in black from head to toe with some faint gold accents in between.

“That won’t be necessary, Lydia,” he said with a smile. “I believe Giselle might need some more help up front.” The woman nodded curtly and left the dressing room, understanding his need for privacy.

Chyna wondered where Frederick was at that moment. Had he noticed her leaving with Mr. Moretti…with, the owner of Marco’s fashion line? Why did she even care right now? He was gorgeous and alone with her in a dressing room . Oh, the possibilities!

This was much better than thinking about her meeting later. She had been putting it off for far too long already. She didn’t know what to think about everything that had happened. All week, Alexa had been convincing her, convincing both of them, to just talk it out, but Adam hadn’t relented, and it had hardened her fortitude.

At this point, she would rather be alone with a fashion designer in his dressing room while a crowd waited outside. Who was she to care if anyone heard her?

Alright! Alright! She cared. A little. A lot. She needed to figure out what she was doing anyway. At least she could enjoy her time with this handsome Italian designer.

“So, Miss Van der Wal—” he said with a charming smile.

“Please, call me Chyna,”

she corrected.

“Chyna,” he said as if he were tasting her name on his tongue. “That outfit looks better on you than any of my models.”

“Thank you,” she said with a self- satisfied smile.