Knox nodded and started packing up the laptop while Jack said, “Let’s get to work.”
“Um,” I said, lifting a finger. All three men stopped what they were doing and looked at me again. I gave them a tense smile. “Can I make a suggestion with where you should start?”
After two daysof being holed up in Gideon’s apartment, he finally reluctantly allowed me to go out as long as he was right there beside me. He and his brothers had looped Bennett into the traitor-in-their-midst hypothesis, and they’d been busy gathering evidence.
I was pretty sure I knew what they would find.
We went for coffee—I’d missed my matcha lattes when shit had hit the fan—and then wandered up Main Street to the seamstress’s shop. Despite everything, I’d made progress on Lola’s dress and was ready to get her in for a first fitting.
The muslin draft hung on a dress form. The main goal of the fitting was to get the bodice nailed down. It was a strapless sweetheart neckline with quite a bit of boning in it that flared out into a full skirt. The muslin fabric didn’t fall like the silk would, but the draft would allow me to cut the fabric withconfidence.
I waited in the shop, working on sketches of another dress that had popped into my head. Finally, around noon, Lola walked in. Her blond hair had been slicked back in a low bun, and she wore dark sunglasses and a black tank top tucked into her loose jeans. She gave me a blazing smile. “Hi, Sadie!”
I smiled in response, then squeaked when she came up and hugged me. Her mom, Jennifer, entered behind her and greeted me with a smile. I’d spoken to her for a while at last week’s family dinner, and had learned that she and her husband were both accountants who were born and raised in the area. I was vehemently informed that Lola was absolutely not going to follow in their footsteps.
“So, this is what I’ve come up with so far,” I said, leading her to the dress form.
Lola frowned. “Okay…”
“The muslin is stiffer than the silk, so the skirt drapes differently. But I really just want to make sure it fits you, and then I’ll deconstruct this and use it as a pattern to make your actual dress.”
Lola tilted her head, interested. Her mom drifted closer and touched the silk fabric I’d folded on top of the work table. Lola went behind the curtains at the back to change into the dress.
“Lola’s so excited about this,” Jennifer told me. She was about fifteen years older than me, with thick-rimmed glasses and a calm demeanor. It was hard to believe her exuberant daughter came from the same stock.
I smiled. “I have to say, I’m pretty excited about it too. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve looked forward to creating a dress.”
“You don’t like doing wedding dresses?”
I chewed my lip. “I’m not sure anymore.”
She hummed, nodding. “It’s a lot of pressure.”
We both turned as Lola walked out. The bottom of the dress dragged a bit, and she’d gathered it up to reveal her white sneakers. She marched up to us and stood in front of the floor-length mirror, then let her hands slide down her waist as she considered the dress.
“We’ll take this in a bit,” I said, repinning the waist. “And I’ll make sure to get a lot of volume in the skirt so there’s drama when you walk. Your inspo photos all had a thigh slit. How’s this height?”
“Too much leg,” Jennifer cut in, and Lola let out an exaggerated huff.
I nodded, pinning the slit a little lower to make the dress more modest. Lola clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes at her mother.
As I pinned, my eyes darted to movement outside. Someone was crouching near Jennifer’s car. I looked away again and smiled as Lola said she loved the dress. She beamed at me in the mirror and did a twirl. “Omigod! I can’t wait to see the final dress!”
“We haven’t talked about payment,” Jennifer said when Lola had gone to change back into her own clothes.
I shook my head. “There’s no payment necessary. I didn’t even have to buy the fabric.”
“But—your time. Your expertise!”
“Trust me,” I said. “It’s been my pleasure.”
“I’ll make you some cookies,” Lola announced when she came back out and handed me the bundle of muslin. “I makereally good chocolate chip cookies.” She beamed at me, then threw her arms around me for a tight hug.
My heart twinged. She really did seem like a good kid. That’s why it hurt so much when Gideon walked in, looking grim. Jennifer and Lola turned at the sound of his footsteps, and Lola made a strangled gasp when she saw what he held.
“That’s my backpack!”
“Gideon,” Jennifer said, putting herself between my husband and her daughter. “What the hell is going on? Did you break into my car to get my daughter’s stuff?”
