Free Deceived 5 - New Beginnings by Eve Carter Page B

As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice the lipstick was one of the more expensive name brands on the market. I supposed that it was due to the success of her other stores that allowed her to pay top dollar for make-up. Although Patrick and I made plenty of money, I was still in the habit of reaching for the bargain bin when it came to simple things.
     
    I watched as she finished touching up her make-up and noted that everything about Nina screamed money. Her hair was always perfectly done like she went to a beauty shop just to have it washed and styled, and, of course, the cut and color were such that you could tell she kept regular appointments to keep it looking fresh at all times. Her clothes and her shoes were also noticeably of high quality, although I wasn’t surprised at that since she owned clothing stores. It wouldn’t be very good for business if she didn’t dress well. Then there were her accessories. Nina always carried expensive, designer purses, the kind that cost not hundreds, but thousands of dollars. The kind you find in exclusive stores on Fifth Avenue that don’t even bother putting price tags on their merchandise, because if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it. The jewelry was even more. Like off the charts expensive. And not just a solitary piece, but all of it, and she wore a lot. I wasn’t an expert, but I was fairly confident that everything was real. On several of our little outings to get coffee or a pedicure, she would window shop, stopping to admire a necklace or some other bobble, and only the expensive jewelry stores caused her to break her stride.
     
    I often wondered if she was old money, or if she was really a retail genius and had made her own fortune. It didn’t matter, really, and it was too rude to ask; it just made me curious. I was just glad to have a new friend who was of my caliber when it came to the business world. Elyse was sweet and a dear friend, but Nina had a sharp business mind and I liked that. We could have intellectual conversations about current marketing trends and structuring business plans, not just talk about dating. Speaking of business...
     
    “Let me take you to see the space I’ve rented for my new store.”
     
    “Right now?” I wondered if she’d forgotten I was on my lunch break. It wasn’t like Patrick was going to fire me for being late, but that was why I tried to never take advantage of my situation.
     
    “It’ll be fun,” Nina said. “I want you to see it and have a true feeling for what the store will look like. It’ll help with the marketing strategies.”
     
    “Hold on a second.” I pulled out my phone. I was pretty sure I had something this afternoon.
     
    “Come on, Chloe. You can spare a few more minutes to hang out with me,” Nina pressed.
     
    “Let me just check my schedule,” I said. “And I’ll need to let Patrick know. We were going to go over the Brooders files this afternoon.”
     
    She rolled her eyes and exhaled, sounding a little annoyed. “Patrick can handle it by himself. I want to spend a little more time with you and this is for your account with me, so it’s really business, after all.”
     
    I looked up from the screen. She had a point. If I was checking out any other business who wanted to hire us, I wouldn’t have thought twice. It just so happened that this one was owned by someone I wanted to spend time with. “You’re right,” I said. “Let’s go.”
     
    She popped up out of her chair and grabbed me by the hand. “Great. You can text Patrick from the cab.”
     
    One of the best things about being pregnant was how relatively easy it was to get a cab. After a short drive of only a few city blocks, we stepped out of the taxi and stood in front of an empty store. Nina had called the real estate agent from the cab, saying she needed to do some measuring, so we waited on the sidewalk for a few minutes, enjoying the sunny day and taking in the neighborhood. It was a good