The Allure of Julian Lefray

  “That was admittedly not one of my finest moments.”

  He nodded and stayed silent, clearly giving me the stage.

  “Okay, also, I’m really sorry that you had to take me back to my parent’s house after Lily ditched you. It’s hard enough to meet someone’s family for the first time, even under the best circumstances.”

  His brows perked up as he took a giant bite of donut. Good, let that sugary goodness sink in.

  “On the plus side, my mom really likes you. She said that most men wouldn’t have had the balls to bring me back home like that.”

  He laughed. “Did your mom actually say ‘balls’?”

  I smiled. “No. Not exactly.”

  He nodded and finished off his donut.

  “Okay, I apologized about the throw-up and my mom,” I said aloud, trying to think of what else I had subjected him to the night before. “Oh, and sorry for almost getting you shot by Mr. Jensen.”

  “Is that all?” he asked, tilting his head and watching me.

  “All that I have to apologize for?” I asked.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head.

  He stood from the bed and stepped closer to me. I watched him approach, curious what he was about to do. He leaned forward and dropped his coffee and donuts on the TV stand behind me. His chest brushed against mine as he moved and I pressed my lips together to stay quiet.

  He slipped his hand around the back of my forearm and then slowly dragged it up around my bicep.

  “All that you have to say.”

  I swallowed, recalling the declaration I’d made in the truck the night before. I’d been drunk and exhilarated by the fact that Julian had flown to Texas for me. Could I be blamed for telling him the truth about how I felt?

  Julian and I could go back to being friends, just the same as before. We could have amazing sex without the labels and responsibilities.

  This didn’t have to end just because I’d accidentally told him I loved him.

  I could take it back.

  He leaned forward and wrapped both hands around my arms, pulling me against his chest. His mouth found my ear and he whispered the next few words against my skin.

  “Tell me what you told me in the truck last night.”

  I closed my eyes and pictured two scenarios: one where Julian and I were together and happy, and one where I told him my true feelings and he pulled back, slowly at first, and then all at once. Gone.

  “Jo, tell me,” he said kissing the side of my cheek.

  I wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to throw myself at fate and live with the consequences if he decided he didn’t want me anymore.

  My voice shook as I spoke. “I think you and I should be more than friends.”

  My heart leapt in my chest. There. I said it.

  “Mhm,” he hummed.

  I smiled.

  “And I think you should take me on a date to a restaurant and we’ll order an appetizer and dessert. No, two desserts.”

  He laughed. “I agree, but why should we do that?”

  I kept my eyes closed, focusing on the feel of his lips against my cheek, the grip of his hands on my arm. I knew what game he was playing. I knew he was calling my bluff and I wasn’t ready to give in just yet.

  “Because you’re very funny,” I whispered.

  “And?” he asked, peeling away the layers of my resolve.

  “And you’re very nice for taking care of me while I was drunk.”

  “And?”

  “You’ve got a cute butt.”

  I could feel his smile against my cheek.

  “Jo…”

  “And I love you.”

  He leaned back and stared into my eyes. A triumphant smile coated his lips and I resisted the urge to kiss it off.

  “I love you too,” he said.

  Warmth spread through me as I held his gaze.

  “Is that why you came to Texas?” I asked.

  He glanced to the side, gathering his thoughts before catching my gaze once again.

  “It seems silly now, but Dean scared the shit out of me after you left. I thought you were pulling away, and then I got the call from Elizabeth about the Vogue position. I assumed you hadn’t told me about it because you wanted to let me down easy.”

  I flinched back. Vogue? He knew about Vogue?

  “Elizabeth contacted me for a reference,” he explained.

  “She did?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said, leaning back to get a better look at me. “I told her she would have to discuss your recommendation with Lorena, since I obviously might be biased, but I also told her that you’ve been a wonderful employee. Dependable, organized, and hardworking. I told her that she was crazy if she didn’t hire you.”

  My eyes widened in shock. “You didn’t. Did you?”

  He smiled and his gaze fell to my lips. “Of course I did. It’s the truth.”

  “What’d she say?” I asked, alarm bells ringing in my head.

  “She said that she’d notify you about the position first thing upon your return to New York, but that if I spoke with you first, I was allowed to congratulate you first.”

  I covered my mouth in shock. “Julian! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

  He laughed and shook his head. “It looks like I won’t be your boss anymore.”

  I stared down at his chest, contemplating his words. I’d landed the job at Vogue. I would be working at Vogue. Vogue would be my employer.

  No matter what way I spun it, it didn’t sound right.

  How was that possible?

  And why was I a tiny bit sad about it?

  I liked my job working for Lorena Lefray Designs. I loved being with Julian all day, every day.

  “Jo?”

  “Yes?” I asked, keeping my gaze on his chest.

  “This is a good thing.”

  I bit my bottom lip and collected my thoughts.

  “I know that. I do. I want the job, it’s just…the reason I didn’t tell you about the position earlier was because I wasn’t sure I wanted it. I really like working with you and if I leave…”

  “We’ll still see each other every day,” he said.

  I flicked my gaze up to him and smiled.

  “Because you and I are dating,” he said. “Together. In love.”

  I smiled and let his words sink in.

  “You know what that means?” I asked. “We’re going to go out on dates, and I’m going to leave a toothbrush at your house, and we’re going to bicker about dumb stuff like where we want to eat, and then we’ll throw in the towel, order pizza, and have sex on the couch.”

  He smirked. “I have to say that sounds pretty nice actually.”

  “You know what else it means?” I said.

  “What?”

  “You definitely have to share half of that donut with me now.”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Josephine

  I lugged my backpack through my parents’ house, confused about how I was somehow leaving Texas with fifty extra pounds of luggage. I’d taken a trip to Sally’s Thrift Shop the day before and had left with a pair of kickass cowboy boots for $5, but they weren’t that heavy. It was probably the five boxes of homemade cookies my mom had insisted I take back to New York with me. Twist my arm, why don’t you?

  “Josie? Are you headed out?” my mom asked, popping her head out of the kitchen.

  I glanced up from my bag to see her scanning over me, worry clouding her gaze. We’d had a long chat about my choice to get plastered the other night. I’d assured her that I wasn’t a crazy alcoholic, and she’d forced me to promise that I would be honest with her if I ever did have a problem. I’d all but promised to provide her with weekly blood screenings just to ensure her that I was okay. Even still, I knew she wasn’t wholeheartedly convinced that I should be going back to New York.

  “Julian is going to swing by and pick me up after he gets Lily.”

  She nodded and gripped a tea towel between her hands, staring hard at my to
rso.

  I leaned my bag against the wall and stepped forward to give her a hug. I’d already said my goodbyes to my dad the night before. He couldn’t stand to see me driving away. It was easier for him to pretend I was just going off to a sleepover or something like I was still in high school. Big softie.

  My mom gripped the back of my shirt and I pressed my face into the crook of her neck. I leaned my cheek on her shoulder and inhaled her scent.

  “Take care of yourself, okay?” she said.

  I nodded and stepped back, trying to keep my feelings at bay.

  “It’ll be better now that Lily is coming with me. We’ll have a little family in New York.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I knew she was putting on a brave face.

  “I’ll try to visit more often too. Maybe I can come back down for Christmas?”

  She sniffed and glanced away. “That’d be great.”

  I heard a car pull up onto the gravel drive outside and I glanced through the front door to see Julian’s rental car. I reached down for my bag and gave my mom another quick hug.

  “I’ll call you when we get to New York,” I promised, starting to head for the door.

  “Jos—”

  I turned back over my shoulder.

  She wrung the tea towel through her hands and swallowed hard.

  “I want you to know that your dad and I are really proud of you. Not many people around here are willing to go after their dreams the way you have.” She met my gaze and smiled. “I think at first we took it a little personal—the fact that you wanted to leave this town so badly. It was all you used to talk about, but now I finally understand that this place has never been big enough for you.”

  My fingers loosened their hold on my bag and it clanked to the floor.

  “Just promise me that you’ll keep your head on straight. We raised you as a Texas girl.” She pointed at her chest. “Make sure you always keep that in your heart.”

  I bit down on my lower lip, confused by the tears clouding the corners of my eyes. I clenched my teeth and blinked, considering how profoundly her words had hit me. In the back of my mind, I’d been holding out for her acceptance and blessing for the last few years. I’d known I was taking the path less traveled, but I’d still held out for the day when my mom would finally understand.

  “I just want you to be happy,” she said as I stepped forward and wrapped her up in another hug.

  “I know that. I promise I won’t let you down,” I whispered against her chest as tears slid down my cheeks.

  The doorbell rang three times in quick succession and then I heard Lily’s voice on the other side of the door.

  “Let’s go, Jos! The plane leaves in four hours and it’s going to take us at least two hours just to get to the airport.”

  Her shouting was punctuated by more pounding and when I turned around I saw her face squashed up against the glass, trying to see inside. Such a scoundrel.

  My mom laughed and held me back at arm’s length.

  “You’d better get going,” she said.

  I nodded and tried to compose myself as best as possible. I hadn’t been expecting that speech from my mom. I’d prepared myself to leave without my parents’ blessing once again, but it felt so much better walking through the front door knowing that I was making them proud.

  I walked to the edge of the porch and squinted to block the sun shining overhead. The jasmine around the perimeter fence of my parents’ house was swaying in the breeze, filling the air with a sweet aroma. Lily ran to the car, opened up the passenger door for me, and then popped the trunk. Julian stepped out of the car and held his hand up to his brow to shield his face from the sun. When our eyes locked, he grinned and shook his head. The message was clear: Your best friend is a maniac.

  Lily ran toward the porch, cursed me for being so slow, and grabbed the bag out of my hand so she could take it to the car.

  “Don’t you realize how close I am to finally moving to New York City?!” she asked. “Hurry your ass up!”

  I laughed as she tossed my luggage into the trunk.

  Julian rounded the back of the car and dipped down to give me a quick kiss. The scent of his body wash momentarily masked the jasmine as he wrapped his arm around my back. I wrapped my arm around his neck and held myself against him for a moment, immersed in the feel of him.

  “I can’t believe I let you buy us plane tickets,” I whispered before stepping back.

  “Consider it a going away present from Lorena Lefray Designs. Besides, I bought them with points. It’s not a big deal.”

  Our original plan had been to ride the Greyhound back to New York, but Julian had quickly put the kibosh on that idea. (Telling him about Gladys might have had something to do with that.)

  A loud honk pulled me out of my moment with Julian. When I turned toward the car, Lily was leaning across the front seat with her hand poised over the center of the steering wheel.

  “Let’s go you love birds. I’m about to leave you both behind!”

  She slammed her hand down on the horn again, this time for a solid ten seconds.

  “Stop it! We’re coming,” I shouted.

  Before she could honk again, I rounded the front of the car and pushed her into the backseat, far away from the horn. She had the audacity to give me a cheeky smile.

  Julian slipped into the driver’s seat and pulled back out of the gravel drive. I saw my mom standing in the kitchen window, watching us back up. I waved as we hit the end of the drive and she waved back, offering a final goodbye.

  “Do you have to buy a pass for the subway or do you carry quarters around all the time?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “You get a reloadable card. Definitely don’t carry quarters around with you,” I said, visualizing a weighed down Lily pulling mountains of quarters out of her pockets every time we took the subway together.

  “Oh okay. That makes sense.”

  “What are you planning on doing for work?” Julian asked, peering back at her in the rearview mirror.

  She picked at her thumbnail as she stared out the window with narrowed eyes.

  “Eventually I want my blog to be able to support me, but I know that I’ll have to get a full-time job for the time being.”

  Julian glanced toward me. “Blog?”

  I smiled. “Yes, Lily has a blog too, but it’s all about food.”

  She beamed in the back seat. “It’s an ‘everyman’ food review blog. I post lists like ‘Where to Get the Best Burger in Texas’ and stuff like that, but I want to switch gears when I get to New York and really start to review more restaurants.”

  “Have you told her about Dean?” Julian asked.

  Lily leaned forward. “Who’s Dean?”

  “One of my friends from college. He’s a restaurateur in New York and I’m sure he’d have room for you at one of his restaurants if you don’t mind serving.”

  Lily pinched the back of my arm. “How could you have kept this information from me.”

  “Ow!” I yanked my arm away and flashed her a death stare. “To be honest, I did it on purpose. You and Dean are going to be like oil and water. I already know it’d be a disaster if you worked for him.”

  Julian laughed. “Can’t say I don’t agree. Dean’s pretty headstrong.”

  “Yeah? So what? I am too.”

  Julian and I exchanged a knowing glance. We both knew the facts: Dean and Lily were both annoyingly good-looking and annoyingly stubborn. The chances of them getting along were slim at best. The chances of them tearing each other’s clothes off at first sight were much more likely.

  “Honestly, it sounds like fate that you have a friend in the restaurant industry. Promise me you’ll put in a good word for me?” Lily asked.

  Julian nodded. “I’ll see what I can do, but you should know that Dean’s a smug bastard.”

  I peered back at Lily out of the corner of my eye.

  She wasn’t the least bit deterred by Julian’s warnings.
On the contrary. She was leaning against the back seat with her arms crossed and a confident smile across her lips. She looked like she was plotting something diabolical and I didn’t want any part of it.

  “I’m sure I’ll be able to handle him,” she said. “Besides, most guys are all bark and no bite.”

  VOGUE BLOGS

  Seasoned Designer Returns to the Spotlight

  June 28, 2015

  By Josephine Keller of What Jo Wore

  Comments: 3,008 Likes: 55,434

  Forget everything you thought you knew about Lorena Lefray Designs. In the past, she’s been known for dark, grungy styles best worn with crimson lipstick and paired with a serious gothic attitude. Next season, she’s taking her collection—and her brand—in a whole new direction.

  I’ve been honored with a sneak peek of the designs that will hit runways in September. Three words: tribal, colorful, daring. This collection will not be for the faint of heart. There are no neutrals. She wants her clothes to speak volumes, and THEY DO.

  In sync with her first runway debut in two years, she’ll be opening up her very first storefront in Chelsea this fall. I was a part of the beginning stages of this project and I have to say, you have never seen a store like this. Imagine walking into Chanel and having Karl Lagerfeld handpick a dress just for you. Now imagine that you’re listening to hip music and sipping on some amazing (complimentary) champagne while he does it.

  It’s going to be EPIC.

  I’ll be sitting down with the designer for a one-on-one interview closer to the opening of her store, but for now, I’ll leave you with a first look at the Lorena Lefray Designs 2015 Fall Collection. (I’d recommend you start saving up for it now!)

  Until tomorrow,

  XOJO

  Acknowledgements

  To my readers. I write these books to make you smile. I hope that they’re a light spot at the end of a long day. Whether this is the first book you’ve picked up from me or the sixth, I appreciate all of your support.

  To Lance, who has become quite a writing partner. Thank you for taking my words and making them funnier than I could ever imagine. We make quite a good tag team!