24. Every Right To Be Excited

Aweek later, the snowstorm mess was not only cleared but the weather also warmed up to above fifty for a few days melting the majority of it.

That was the kind of winter that Sage liked. Get a glimpse then go away.

Blaze and Mark were able to get flights out on Monday morning, Knox dropping them off before getting started on his day.

It was actually nice staying with him and the two younger men.

The power came back on in the middle of the night Saturday, but it hadn't mattered for them.

They'd watched movies, played poker and, unbeknownst to her, Knox had a video game system and the three guys spent hours doing that while she got some work done.

Tonight the two of them were going to the Blossoms" Christmas party, but she had a few hours left before they had to get ready and Knox would be picking her up.

When she was looking through her closet trying to figure out what to wear, she heard her phone ringing, but it was Facetime.

She ran to get it and saw it was Kate.

"Hey there, Kate. What are you doing calling me on a Saturday afternoon?"

"It's night here," Kate said. "I'm flying home tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, you're in Rome," she said. "You missed all the snow, but I don't think it was as bad in the City."

"I heard about it," Kate said. "Glad I missed it. But I'm calling with good news. I couldn't wait to share it."

"What?" she asked. "Are you going to start modeling again?"

"No way," Kate said, giving a mock shiver. "I'm too old for it. And I can barely handle the cutthroat shit I'm dealing with now."

"You love it," she said. "It feeds you to see what is up and coming."

"It does," Kate said. "And because I put in a huge order with a designer and there is a show coming up in the spring, they are always sweet to me."

"We like that when they are sweet. Guy or girl?" she asked, laughing.

"Guy. I had Francine with me. You know the looks I get from guys when they see two hot women together."

She was laughing when Kate crossed her eyes and wiggled her tongue out of her mouth.

"You've told me enough," she said.

"Well, let's get to my news," Kate said. "Mateo loved the Blossoms bag I had with me. One of Poppy's leather totes. They work out great because I'm carrying my laptop and other things."

"Oh boy," Sage said, bouncing on her toes.

With Kate's and Harmony's help, the Holly Bloom Foundation sales for the year were three times higher than their highest year ever. She'd been dancing every time Kate posted something with her wearing one of the items.

"Yeah," Kate said. "I used that time to say I knew the owners personally, showed Mateo the site and said that they'd love to custom make any piece for a runway."

"Get out!" she screamed and burst out in a little silly dance.

"You know me. I said I'd do it. He loved the idea. Seriously loved it. He said his spring and summer lines are based on floral prints. You can understand where this would be a huge fit."

She let out another scream and then covered her mouth. "Oops. Sorry. The neighbors might think I'm getting murdered. That wasn't nice of me."

"You have every right to be excited. But you know, things can happen. I believe in Mateo. We've had a good relationship for years. He's got a daughter that modeled with me and we got along well."

"Kate, I can't thank you enough. Even if nothing comes of it, it's still getting their name out there."

"I think something is going to come of it," Kate said earnestly. "Tell Poppy that I'll touch base with Mateo next week after the holidays. I'm not letting it slide. Then I'll put him right in contact with her directly."

"You're the best," she said. "I mean the best. Champagne on me at Christmas."

"You've got a deal. Is your man coming with you for Christmas?"

"Yes," she said. "I know he's a little out of sorts about it, but we're staying in a hotel. He won't stay at my parents' or Nonna's."

Not that Knox didn't want to go, but he didn't want to stay in the same bed with her under her parents' roof.

"I don't blame him. That could be awkward. When are you driving in?"

"I think we are going to go after work on Monday. I'll get out early. I've got Tuesday and Wednesday off. I took Thursday so we could come home that day. I don't want to drive back on Christmas Day, but with Christmas being in the middle of the week it's kind of a pain."

"It will be great," Kate said. "Just like when we were kids and spent all of Christmas Eve at Nonna's. Well, I didn't spend the whole day there. My parents made me come home in the afternoon."

That was when Kate lived by her parents. Sage's nonna wasn't that far away and would take Kate with them. She really was part of the family.

When Kate was older and out of school, she and her parents didn't talk as much and holidays were always spent with the Mancinis if Kate's grandparents weren't around.

"I'm not sure how Knox is going to be with it an all-day thing, but he'll warm up."

She'd seen the change in Blaze and Knox last weekend when the guys got to spend so much time together with nowhere to go.

There wasn't a lot of talk about their mother or their past. It was more about the present. Current events, sports, video games. Future plans.

She had to admit there were looks back and forth when Blaze might have made comments and then stopped and she wondered what it was all about but wouldn't ask.

Something about Knox's business getting a boost. Then another about their mother still bitter over the money.

Things got quiet then.

She just assumed it was life insurance policies that were left to Knox that maybe Karla Bradford thought she should have gotten.

It wasn't her business either.

"He'll be fine," Kate said. "He was at Thanksgiving. This isn't much different."

"It totally is different," she said. "It's two full days with Nonna. Not just a few hours."

Kate laughed. "Nonna loved Knox. That is one huge obstacle right there and you know it."

Her head went back and forth. "She did. But I just hope Nonna doesn't bring up Henry. She gets on a roll and who knows what comes out of her mouth. She thinks she's helping."

"Why doesn't Knox know about Henry? You shouldn't be ashamed of any of that."

"He does know that I dated Henry and we worked together and that Henry didn't stand by me. Nothing more than that. But I am embarrassed," she said. "That is exactly what I'm feeling. I was the other woman. That goes beyond everything I stand for and believe in. I hate cheaters and liars and here I was in a serious relationship with one. He was living a double life and no one knew. How stupid could I have been? He had someone he was dating for a year long distance and me for like eight months. I never thought anything of the weekends he went out of town with friends or his work travel."

She'd never be that stupid again. Ever.

But she was trying not to let those thoughts creep into her mind, those feelings that maybe Knox was keeping something from her.

Whatever it was, it wasn't the fact that there was another woman.

"He was a dick," Kate said. "And you know how much I like dicks."

Sage burst out laughing. "Very true. But the bigger issue is Knox's background." She filled Kate in on Knox's mother. "So you see, he has a really bad taste in his mouth about cheating."

"You didn't cheat," Kate stressed.

"But, as I said, I was the other woman. In his mind it might not matter and I'd rather not put that to the test."

"If you say so," Kate said. "But I think you're nuts."

"It's been said to me before," she said.

"Enjoy what you've got while you can," Kate said. "Francine has two more weeks and then she's returning to Scotland."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Nothing," Kate said. "It's been fun and good, but I'm not ready to settle down. We both travel a lot and liked the time together. We'll keep in touch, but she didn't bring up anything about continuing long distance and neither have I."

"Maybe she's waiting for you to do it," she said. "If she did, would you?"

"No," Kate said. "I think she knows that."

"Can I ask why?" she asked.

"I guess I don't have a good history with relationships. I haven't had a lot of good examples either."

"Your parents are still married. Your grandparents were until they died. They had a great marriage. Don't think anything otherwise based on what happened."

"I know," Kate said. "But that is different. I'm different. I'm not sure I'm hardwired for it. I don't want kids. Nothing like that. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind. But with Trace and Violet's baby coming, I feel like I can get my fill there. Maybe you'll be next."

Sage laughed. "Let's not get carried away. Almost four months of dating doesn't mean much."

"Or it means everything," Kate said.

She didn't want to argue about that. "I'm going to my Christmas party tonight. Want to help me find something to wear?"

"Yes, I do," Kate said. "Bring me to your closet. I'm staying in tonight since I've got an early flight tomorrow."

"This is just like good old times when we went out," she said.

She held her phone up and started to flash her closet and pull things out. For the next thirty minutes the two of them talked and then she hung up and got ready.

Two hours later there was a knock at her door and she opened it to see Knox standing there. He was in black dress pants, a gray sweater and black shoes. Dressed up more than she'd seen before and her eyes had to take him all in from his attire to his dark hair combed and his light shadowy facial hair.

"Woozers," she said.

"It's just a sweater and pants," he said. "Not much different than you."

She did a little spin in her fitted black leather pants. She had a sparkly gold sweater on. Her black ankle boots would cover her feet with the remaining snow on the ground and not have her falling on her butt either.

"I'd like to think I was smoking right now," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Kate picked out my outfit. She talked me into buying these pants last year and I haven't worn them once."

"Jesus," he said, looking closer. "Turn again."

She did and wiggled her ass at him. "You should wear them all the time. I mean like every night before bed or something. Do you have anything on under them?"

"You'll have to find out later," she said, winking at him. This was a side she'd never seen. A playful one she was enjoying.

"Can't wait," he said. "Was Kate here?"

"Facetime," she said. "She called to give me some really good news and then to kill some time we picked my outfit out for tonight. She bought this sweater for me too last year for Christmas. I've worn it a few times but not since I've been here. It seems like the time for it."'

"You look beautiful," he said softly. "Nice and festive."

"That was the plan," she said. "It's more of a New Year Eve's outfit. I wore the sweater for a party last year when I went out with her."

She hadn't felt like celebrating between the truth of Henry coming out and the mess unfolding at her job. But Kate said she needed to party to put the year behind her and start over.

Guess her friend was right.

"Did you want to do something for New Year's Eve this year?" he asked.

"Nope. I've got to work that day. I'm not big into it. Did you want to?"

"Not really," he said. "We can go to dinner if you want though."

"We can talk about it. It's a week away still. You ready?"

"I am," he said.

She picked up her jacket and put it on, then grabbed her purse to get ready to go to Mona's. All of Blossoms" parties were held there.

"I can't wait to tell you why Kate called me," she said.

"You look almost like a kid waiting for Santa," he said. "Tell me."

They got in his truck and she told him about Mateo and how she couldn't wait to tell the sisters tonight. "I was so nervous and excited at the same time."

"See, Kate did a good thing and it sounds like she wanted to."

"She did. She wouldn't have if it wasn't the right time, but it seemed like it all but fell into her lap when she was talking to him and he mentioned how he liked her tote bag."

"You're doing great things," he said. "Anyone who thought you weren't destined for it was crazy."

Sage felt her eyes start to fill up a little. "I don't want to ruin my makeup," she said, lifting her head and blotting her eyes. "But thank you. I needed to hear that. It's just been a great year, but the one before was horrible."

"Are you going to tell me why it was so bad?" he asked. "I know you said work wasn't great. That you had a boyfriend too and he didn't support you there or stand up for you."

"It's mainly that," she said. "I told you that I never felt I could get my jobs myself and then the failure of everything at once just hit me."

It was more than she wanted to say and he seemed to be content with it.

"No reason to let it keep you down," he said. "Go strut into that party and tell your bosses the good news." She let out a giggle and was thrilled that he'd said that.

They got to the party and it was the first thing she did.

She saw Poppy and Lily together and took off, forgetting Knox was with her. Oh well, he'd find Trace as she'd seen Violet on her mad dash to her bosses.

"Damn, girl," Poppy said. "You're lighting up the place tonight. You're shining."

"I feel that way," she said. "I screamed so loud in my building earlier I thought there'd be people knocking on my door to see if I was getting attacked."

"What's going on?" Lily asked.

"Is it Knox? No ring on your finger," Poppy said.

"God no," she said. "Not even on my radar." Which was a lie, but she'd never say otherwise. "Kate called me. She was at a fashion show yesterday and a designer that she's close with commented on one of your bags."

"Oh, let me dance," Poppy said. "Baby won't care."

She laughed when Poppy started to wiggle her hips. In her second trimester she wasn't that big, but you knew she was pregnant.

"Holly's brother might not like the shake up in there," she said. Poppy had found out she was having a boy too. Lots of boys coming. She couldn't wait to see what Violet was going to have. The ultrasound was in early January.

"He'll be fine," Poppy said. "This is too big not to move."

"It's going to get bigger," Sage said. "Mateo loved the idea of having custom bags or accessories for his next fashion show. Kate is going to touch base with him again next week and push the one of a kind thing. That would appeal to Mateo. Are you fine with that?"

Poppy let out a screech turning a ton of heads and then grabbed her hands and started to jump up and down. "I'm totally fine with that. Oh my God, Sage. You're a miracle worker. First the Foundation and now this. Between Kate and Harmony, we never expected to raise the money we did."

Lily ran her hand on Sage's arm. "I echo what Poppy said. That's wonderful news."

"What's going on?" Rose asked, coming over.

They filled Rose in who smiled. She didn't get as excited but was happy.

It seemed Rose was coming around to Kate more.

"Maybe Mateo would want some one of a kind jewelry too," Sage said. "Who knows? Kate will really sell everything."

"That's great news," Rose said.

"Might be the night for it," Lily said, winking.

She didn't know what that was about, but suddenly realized she'd left Knox alone. "Oh crap. I have to find Knox."

"He's with Trace and Violet," Lily said.

She turned her head and saw Knox sitting with them. "Maybe you should introduce your man around," Poppy said.

"Guess I should," she said. "I'll be back."

She went to the table. "You told them the news," Knox said. "I filled Trace in because he wanted to know what was going on. Not that I said much more than Kate called regarding some designer and a product."

"That's all I need to know," Trace said. "The rest goes over my head."

"You only say that about the things that don't interest you," she said. "It doesn't matter. Knox, it's your turn to be put on display." She grabbed his arm. "I'll make it up to you later. I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to it," he said, leaning down to whisper those words in her ear.

Kate was right—it'd been a great year.