Page 216 of Face Off

“I told you to handle them.”

“That’s what I was doing.”

Charm laughs, and the remaining tension in her shoulders begins to leave.

I look at Bliss. “The dress is extraordinary.”

Her expression softens. “You haven’t seen it.”

“I’ve seen Charm’s work.”

Charm turns toward me.

“She’s brilliant, vibrant, and classier than every motherfucker at this table combined.” I pause long enough to look at Briggs. “Low bar on the last one.”

He raises his glass. “I accept the recognition.”

“You own a suit covered in flamingos,” Lyric says.

“It’s resort formal.”

Charm’s smile remains when she looks down at her plate. Color moves across her cheeks while my hand returns to her waist.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Statement of fact.”

Behind us, Lance releases a quiet laugh. “Charmagne has always been capable of creating beautiful things. Following through has traditionally presented more difficulty.”

Charm stiffens again.

Cade’s glass stops halfway to his mouth. Bliss looks over my shoulder toward Lance, and Aura’s expression sharpens enough to draw blood.

I keep my attention on Charm. “She built a business from the ground up. She runs the boutique, designs custom work, manages employees, handles online orders, and apparently prevented an entire bridal party from looking ridiculous despite their best efforts.”

“Excuse me,” Bliss says.

“You approved mint-green shirts.”

“They were whimsical.”

“They were criminal.”

Charm’s mouth twitches. “I had help with the business.”

“Everyone who builds something has help. You still did the work.”

“The building belonged to my family.”

“It doesn’t matter where you bought it. You’re the one who made something out of it.”

She looks at me. “How do you know that?”

“Briggs talks.”

“I was proud,” Briggs says.

“You were invasive.”