Kenzie Russell wanted to pound her laptop with her fists. The software she’d commissioned for the boutiques refused to work and Nina, perched on a stool with one leg crossed over the other, grinned at her frustration. The big flashy diamond on Nina’s left hand winked as the morning sun streamed through the open patio doors. Splashing and laughter drifted up from the pool far below.
“Explain to me how this software works,” Nina said, taking a sip of her iced tea.
Kenzie wasn’t certain how it worked, but she knew how she wanted it to work. “A customer enters the boutique and doesn’t find anything. This software will allow a clerk to take a photo of the customer, input the photo and the body measurements and then allow them to try on clothes in a virtual environment. The clothes would expand or contract depending on the body type. I’ve lined up a dozen designers who are ready to try this and I can’t make it work.” She tried not to give in to the urge to unleash her frustration out on the counter. She scowled at the screen.
“Sounds complicated.”
Her best friend wasn’t helping. “I’m sure the software engineer I dealt with understood my instructions.” She knew she’d been explicit enough; she’d even written down what she’d wanted so he wouldn’t misunderstand.
“I’m sure he did,” Nina replied.
Kenzie glared at her best friend. They’d been friends since college when they’d roomed together. “It has to work.”
“Maybe you need a hammer.”
“You’re not helping.” A hammer sounded good, but she didn’t think the laptop would survive. Kenzie turned back to the screen. “Let’s try again.”
Nina obediently stood and Kenzie activated the laptop’s photo function. She pushed a button and the photo embedded itself into the viewer with the background stripped out. She’d already added Nina’s dimensions. She tapped keys and once again the laptop froze. Kenzie ground her teeth in frustration. She’d thought her idea was brilliant, but the execution wasn’t turning out the way she’d envisioned it.
“I think it’s a great idea, but you have a few bugs to work out.” Nina hopped back on her stool and reached for a muffin.
“Bugs? I have pterodactyls to work out.”
“Why don’t you ask Reed?”
“Number one, we haven’t met. And how’s that going to sound? ‘Hi, I’m Kenzie, can you fix the bugs in my software?’” That sounded so crass. He’d just arrived in Reno after months of dealing with family issues and here she was demanding help.
Nina chuckled. “He’s very nice. I’m sure he’d be willing to help someone as lovely as you.”
Kenzie growled. “You’re responsible for this. You didn’t want to try on wedding dresses.”
“I’d love to try on wedding dresses, but I have no time.” Nina sipped her coffee, unconcerned.
“I thought virtual wedding dresses were the answer.” Kenzie had arranged with Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Claire Pettibone and Carolina Herrera to take photos of wedding dresses so Nina could try them on in the virtual environment Kenzie developed for her. And once the idea took hold, Kenzie thought, it would work for other women. But the reality was turning out far different than she thought.
“It’s a terrific idea,” Nina said, “and I could spin this into a huge campaign, making the Casa de Mariposa a wedding destination.”
“And you’re envisioning...”
“We could have them try on their virtual wedding gowns in their home and have the gown waiting for them when they arrive as part of the whole package. And we could do this with the groom and the bridesmaids and the groomsmen. And if the bride doesn’t want to buy a gown, we’ll rent it to her. There are so many variations on the idea that I can’t stop thinking about it.” Nina picked up her iPad and started typing.
“Give you a bit of rope and you become a cowgirl.”
“I’d rather have glass slippers and be Cinderella. You know how I feel about nature.” Nina licked muffin crumbs off her fingers and took a long sip of her iced tea.
“Your idea of camping is a suite at the Waldorf Astoria.”
Nina simply grinned, pointing at her face. “This is my, ‘Oh, I’m so ashamed’ look. Your brother had the audacity to suggest we honeymoon on the Alaskan tundra.”
“Doing what?” Kenzie asked curiously.
“Nature crap,” Nina replied with a rich laugh.
“I assume you set him straight.”
“I told him there would be no boom boom without a room. I would never be in the ‘mood’ in the outdoors.”
Kenzie burst out laughing. The last person in the world she would have expected her brother, Scott, to hook up with was Nina. Yet she was thrilled. Nina got to be her legit sister, and life didn’t get better than that.
Nina paused to admire the rock on her finger. Scott had terrific taste. The diamond was marquise-cut with emeralds along the sides.
Kenzie went back to her computer. She had Nina’s photo on the screen and the pictures of wedding gowns on the side bar. She chose a gown to drag over to Nina’s photo and then it happened. The screen pixelated and started to go wonky. Lines appeared, scrolling from side to side and Kenzie half screamed. “No. No. No. Stop. Stop. Stop.”
The screen went blank.
“You hurt it,” Nina said.
“I didn’t do anything. Really.” Kenzie frantically pushed keys, but the screen stayed stubbornly blank. She rubbed her forehead. This wasn’t happening. Not now, when she so needed it to work.
“Can we hit it with a hammer now?” Nina asked, curiously. She bit into her muffin and smiled.
Kenzie didn’t reply. If she’d had a hammer she would.
“Call Reed,” Nina suggested. “Tell him to send someone here right away to save us. You can pull the granddaughter card.” She slid off the stool and headed to the door with a wave. “Got to go. Catch you later.”
“All right,” Kenzie said, reaching for the in-house phone.
* * *
Reed Watson knocked on the door to the suite. From the other side of the door he could hear the menacing sound of someone muttering and snarling. That didn’t sound good.
The door opened and Kenzie Russell stood there in all her beauty, wearing a red wrap dress that hugged her slender body like a glove. She was tall with curves in all the right places. Her brown hair was short and sort of spikey. His heart started racing and a bolt of heat hit him in the gut. And when she smiled at him her whole face lit up and he couldn’t stop staring at her. She was that beautiful.
“Hi,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Kenzie, and you are...?”
“Reed Watson.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to meet you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her suite.
He looked down at her elegant hand in his, liking the way her silky cinnamon-colored skin looked against his whiteness. Please don’t let my palm start sweating. He was reluctant to let her go. He took a deep breath to steady himself and inhaled the subtle scent of vanilla, spiced fig and orchid. She smelled delicious and exotic. He just wanted to bury his nose in her neck. A heated flush crept up his face and he forced himself to turn away and pretend to examine the decor.
The suite itself mirrored his with a living room, dining room and entry on one side and two bedrooms and a galley kitchen on