Page 82 of Room Service
And then I see Chantel walking towards my table, like a ray of sunshine all in herself. She’s stunning in an off-the shoulder sundress, paired with wedges and a large hat.
I feel nervous all of a sudden, but I needn’t, because she walks straight up to me and leans down to give me a hug. We may not have had much time to get to know one another, but I know she’s a good one, a loyal one, which is why I’m unsure about her trying to get in touch with me for so long.
“You are a hard lady to get hold of,” she says as she takes a seat, the waiter quickly coming over and taking her drink order.
“Sorry, it’s been a crazy few months,” I reply shyly, dreading the moment she brings up Dorien.
“I’ll say. So, at risk of diving straight in, tell me what’s been going on with you.”
I blink at her for a moment. I was expecting to be grilled about why I left, but she’s just smiling at me, waiting for me to tell her what I’ve been doing the last four months. So, I do, omitting the part where I spent a week at the beginning wallowing in self-pity. The waiter brings her drink over and she continues to listen as I tell her about art college, my passion shining through.
And when I’m done, she asks, “Can I see some of your drawings?”
“Oh, um…”
“You don’t have to show me right now, Elise.” She chuckles. “I was thinking you could bring them to my studio, if you wanted to…”
“Yes, oh my god, yes,” I reply immediately, but then I mention the elephant in the room. “But isn’t it going to be weird because of…”
She sips her drink, and her eyes look at me with a sparkle in them. “No, it’s not weird, because you two will find your way to where you’re supposed to be.”
God I hope she’s right.
Chapter Sixty-One
ELISE
“These designs are gorgeous,” I comment as I look at what Chantel is working on, as well as nosing through her portfolio.
“I just love the lace trim on this one,” she says, pointing to an elegant evening dress.
“It’s stunning.” I can’t take my eyes off of the way she’s captured exactly what this dress shows—class and understated beauty. I am in awe of her work.
“And yours are fabulous,” she says, pulling a couple of my sketches out of the folder I left by the door. I abandoned it there the moment I walked in, totally focused on her stuff rather than mine.
“Oh.” I blush. No one has ever seen my work before, except for the people at the college, and my teacher.
“Wow,” she breathes as she looks at a sheer silk wedding dress I drew for an assignment. “Elise, this is perfect.” She takes the drawing to a table by the window and studies it whilst I feel proud and excited that she seems to like my work. “Look at the detail.” I designed it to look simple, whilst retaining a delicate pattern on the bottom half. “How much?” she says suddenly, and I look at her puzzled.
“Sorry?”
“How much to come work for me?”
I open my mouth a few times like a fish out of water. “Me? Work here? For you?”
“Yes, Elise. I want you to work here, with me. Hell, it doesn’t even have to be under my own fashion line, we could put these designs under a new brand name, market it, get it on the runways and watch as the world falls in love with your work.”
“Chantel, wait a minute… I haven’t even finished my college course yet, and I’m nowhere near your level of expertise.” She can’t possibly be serious.
“I know a brilliant designer when I see one, Elise. I am one. And your style is so on point right now.”
“Right now… what if that changes?” I question, hardly daring to believe that this isn’t some kind of dream that I’m about to wake up from.
“You’ll evolve over time anyway, and you can finish your course at the college and work for me part time.”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Not even a little bit,” she says adamantly.
