Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)

“Now start at the beginning.”


Isabel repeated the phone call, then sucked in a breath. “It’s so unfair. I’ve been calling her for a few weeks now and I never heard back. I should have guessed something was up. But Sonia would often get busy and disappear. She was posting on Facebook, so I knew she was okay. I thought it was a creative thing. I didn’t get that she was screwing me the whole time.”

She felt her eyes start to burn. “I was so sure we were going to make something brilliant together. Start our business and take the fashion world by storm. Maybe not hurricane strength, but at least a decent wind event.”

She tried to smile, but her mouth refused to cooperate. “I feel like an idiot.”

Patience moved closer and touched her arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That’s what Ford said.”

“He’s right. You trusted a friend and she betrayed you. If she was having second thoughts, she should have said something.”

The water started to boil. Isabel poured it into the two mugs. Patience dropped in the tea bags.

“It’s the second half of a one-two punch,” Isabel admitted. “There’s also the humiliation factor. My husband leaves me for another man, and my business partner dumps me for someone with more money. I’m the common denominator, so I must be doing something wrong.”

“You’re not,” Patience insisted. “You’re trusting people you love. If they betray you, the fault is theirs. You and Sonia had a deal. She broke it. I know it sounds harsh, but maybe it’s better to find this out before you put your money on the line. She sounds like the kind of person who would run off at any point in the deal. What if you’d opened the store and then she’d left?”

Isabel hadn’t thought of that. “I would have been left with a store and no designer.”

“Exactly. That would suck more.”

They walked back into the living room and sat down.

“I’m so confused,” Isabel admitted. “About what I’m supposed to do now. How am I going to trust anybody? But I also know not trusting isn’t a good thing, either. I don’t want to live my life in a cave, bitter and scared of how someone might hurt me.”

“Good, because the only caves I know of are on Heidi’s ranch, and she ages her goat cheese in them. I don’t think you’d enjoy that. I would guess the smell would be difficult to take, day after day.”

Isabel managed a slight smile. “Thanks for putting my cave-living dreams in perspective.”

“You’re welcome.” Patience squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry this happened. But at the risk of being annoyingly cheerful, you have options.”

“Options that will lead to more disappointment,” Isabel grumbled. Right now she felt as if she would never figure out how to make a decent decision ever again.

“That’s my little ray of sunshine,” her friend said with a gentle smile. “Okay, you’re not going to open a store with Sonia in New York. There are hundreds of other places you could do it. Pick a city.”

“I don’t have another designer to work with.” Isabel leaned her head back against the sofa and sighed. Nothing was ever going to be right again.

“I didn’t realize there was just the one.”

Isabel straightened. “One what?”

“Designer. Sonia’s the only one?”

“Very funny.”

“I have a charming sense of humor.” Her friend shifted toward her. “I’ve seen Project Runway. Season after season they bring us brilliant designers. There are hundreds or thousands out there. You just have to find one. Or maybe five. Maybe it’s better not to have a partner right now. You could start with Dellina’s friend. Her clothes are great. They’re selling.”

Isabel saw her point. “That’s an option, except Sonia was kicking in cash, too. I don’t have enough money to start a boutique on my own.” She paused, wondering if she could stand to risk another partner. Between Eric and Sonia, she was feeling extremely unliked.

“What about Paper Moon?” Patience asked.

Isabel stared at her. “I don’t want to sell wedding gowns for the rest of my life.”

“I know that. But you don’t have to. It’s successful and there’s an income stream. That would help. You could add to the business. Bring in a few designers. Expand the business. The space next door is for lease. So lease it, open a wall and sell wedding gowns and designer clothes. I’m sure your parents would be thrilled to keep the business in the family, and you can probably trust them not to break your heart.”

Isabel stood up and walked away from the sofa. When she reached the fireplace, she turned back.

“I never thought of staying,” she admitted. “Fool’s Gold isn’t exactly the fashion capital of the world. My parents would be thrilled.”