Chapter 3 - Designing a New Life
Six months post-divorce, my business had tripled its revenue. I hired two assistant designers and moved into a proper commercial office space. The betrayal that had shattered me just a year prior now felt like a bad movie I had watched a long time ago.
That was when I met Carter.
Carter Vance was a real estate developer who bought historic properties and converted them into luxury boutique hotels. He was thirty-eight, incredibly handsome with a sharp jawline and warm hazel eyes, and unlike James, he possessed a quiet, grounded confidence. He didn't need to brag to a room; his presence commanded it naturally.
He came into my office holding a magazine that featured a spread on my own downtown loft. "Lauren," he said, shaking my hand, his grip firm and warm. "I have a 1920s bank building downtown that I'm turning into a thirty-room boutique hotel. I need a lead designer who understands how to mix modern luxury with historic bones. I want you."
Working with Carter was a revelation. Where James had always diminished my career as a "cute little hobby that bought nice couches," Carter treated me like an absolute visionary. We spent late nights poring over blueprints, fabric swatches, and lighting schematics. We ordered takeout, drank black coffee, and argued playfully over whether the lobby bar should feature emerald green velvet or deep navy leather.
May you like
There was a magnetic pull between us. He listened when I spoke. He noticed the small details. One evening, when I was stressing over a delayed shipment of Italian marble, Carter gently took the phone from my hand, hung it up, and handed me a glass of scotch. "You're doing brilliant work, Lauren. The marble will get here. Take a breath."
When he looked at me, I didn't see the deceit I had grown accustomed to with my ex-husband. I saw genuine respect and brewing affection. We started going to dinners that were supposed to be "business," but lingered long after the dessert plates were cleared. For the first time in years, I felt wildly, authentically happy.
Related Stories
