Mason POV

I didn’t expect Nadia to turn me down. When I’d sketched out that Embern dress and laid it on the table in front of her, I thought, for sure, she’d be impressed. I mean, I watched how her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat when she saw it. She liked it. But then, she had that look, where she tries to act like she doesn’t need anyone’s help, especially mine.

“Thanks, Mason,” she said, her voice a little too cold, a ...