AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We have the five designs you sent, mocked up for you to see. Everyone here is in love, and we can’t believe we didn’t think of this.” JoAnn’s face came into view as the computer went back to her. “Carter has been talking about the gowns nonstop, even your bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“I can’t see Carter talking non-stop. He’s so quiet here. He just follows and takes photos.”
“Oh, honey. Carter and I have known each other for so long. Between emails and phone calls, I know more than you. The gowns are phenomenal, so here’s what I’m thinking.” JoAnn shifted herself in her seat. “If we are going to do this, we really need to focus on that November opening. New Year’s weddings and into spring, peak wedding season. How many designs do you have?”
“How many do you need?”
“I’m thinking,” She wiggled her fingers around, tilting her head from time to time. While she concentrated, I pointed to my portfolio; silently asking Clay to grab it for me. I had brought every design with me. I knew I had something in there. Clay stood as quietly as he could and brought over my portfolio. All of this happened before JoAnn said, “Between twenty and thirty wedding gowns and maybe ten to fifteen bridesmaids and gown designs.”
I opened my portfolio and thumbed through. Each design had preferred fabrics, and I had close-up sketches on the details. “I have about twenty here. I can whip up a few more. My brain is always buzzing with ideas. As for bridesmaids, I’ll need to come up with a few more. I only had the few designs, and then, of course, I already have an evening gown line.”
“Oh, yes. That dress in Portland.” JoAnn lit up.
I pointed a finger. “My friend Madeline is actually going to be wearing that to a party I’ve been planning for her. I’ll make sure Carter is there to get plenty of photos of it while she’s acting like a million dollars.”
“Fantastic, I love it.” JoAnn clapped her hands once, keeping them close to her body. “Send me over those designs as fast as you can so we can begin to manufacture them. We will run everything by you. I’ll send over some photos of the store and what we’ve got going on here and a new contract—”
“A new contract?”
JoAnn nodded. “To reflect the change in the line. I bet you can imagine a store with thousands of dollars of wedding dresses in it is going to cost a lot more than a seasonal line.”
I nodded. “Oh, yeah, no. I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that part of it. I was never into numbers.”
Clay let out a small “ha” at my comment. He was my numbers guy. I never worried about my finances when he helped me manage them. He raised an eyebrow and looked over at me.
“Oh, no worries, Ophelia. That’s why we have accountants.”
Clay nodded, agreeing with her, both eyebrows raised.
“It goes without saying that your portion will be larger. Worth it, I promise you. I have a feeling you are going to be the next Vera Wang.”
Clay’s jaw dropped, forcing me to look up at him, completely unsure as to how to react to her comment.
I cleared my throat and shook my head. “That’s definitely a dream, and I will try my hardest to take us there.”
“I have no doubts. I’ll send that new contract with Carter for you to sign, and then he will fax it over to me. As soon as we get those designs, we will get to work.”
“Sounds perfect.”
We said our goodbyes, JoAnn lingering a little longer than I would have thought she would have wanted, asking all kinds of questions about Portland and Madeline, about how the wedding planning was going. JoAnn, I could tell, was going to be more than an investor and collaborator. It seemed like she genuinely cared. Once the screen went black, I closed the computer and looked at Clay.
His feet were up on the table, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair. His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it a few times, and his arm resting on the desk, his fingers drawing circles on the table.
“What?” I asked him, forcing my smile to stay simple and the heat from rising to my cheeks.
He nodded, gave me a sly smile and said, “The next Vera Wang. Now that’s the shit.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
-Clay-
You’re coming on too strong, Clay. ‘I only cater to Ophelia. That’s the shit?’
I needed to redirect my mind, to get those kisses out of my head.
Impossible.
She gave me a taste, and now I wanted—needed—more, but I had to be calm. I had to chill out.
