Page 17 of Darn Knit All

I’m amazing. I’m awesome. I don’t have time to doubt myself.

Maeve took the phone, and I listened as she read it aloud to Yasmin, both of them squealing with excitement.

“Oh my God, Mai! This is incredible.” Yasmin clapped her hands together. “What an opportunity. I didn’t even know you applied.”

My stomach dipped, my mind disconnecting from my body. “I didn’t. Theo nominated me.”

“Who cares who did what—the important thing is you’rein.” Maeve shook the phone at me. “If you don’t say yes to this, Iwilldisown you. Erike Baretti will see your designs. Erike-freaking-Baretti!”

I couldn’t help but note a tiny part of me, buried deep under the panic, thrilled alongside her. Michelle Conliam, Minerva Devillian, Alison Louis, and Erike Baretti were legends in the fashion world, and to work on something they might see would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Holy shit. They might see my designs.

The little spark of excitement died under the weight of my anxiety, smothered by my fear of being seen. The idea of being judged, of having my designs laid bare terrified me. I’d rather walk down Main Street naked than be that vulnerable.

I swallowed, trying to draw moisture into the desert of my mouth. “I’m going to say no.”

They froze.

“What?” Yasmin reached out to place a hand on my knee. “Why?”

I gestured at her stomach. “I can’t leave the store.”

“Of course you fucking can,” she snapped. “Maeve is more than capable of running this place.”

Maeve nodded vigorously.

“It’s coming into wedding season,” I protested. “I know how busy this time of year gets.”

“We’ll organize to backfill you.” Yasmin waved her hand dismissively. “Right, Maeve?”

Maeve nodded vehemently. “You deserve this. Seriously, Mai, you have to.”

“But the baby?—”

“We have time to figure everything out before bubba arrives.” Yasmin caught my gaze. “Listen to me. Irefuseto allow you to squander what is a life-changing opportunity. This has the potential to set you up for life, Mai. You can conquer your dreams. Just think about the prize money, the recognition.”

The scrutiny, the self-doubt, the judgment.

My heart kicked into overdrive as sweat trickled down my back.

“What if I’m not good enough?” I whispered, giving voice to my greatest fear. “What if I fail?”

“And what if you succeed?” Maeve countered. She crouched beside me, placing her hand on my opposite knee. “What if you win the whole damn thing?”

“I wouldn’t know what to do with the money. All I’ve ever wanted is to create beautiful pieces of clothing.” I gestured at the dressing room. “And we do that every day.”

“So you buy into Bloom. Or you set up your own boutique. Or you keep working here part-time and I sell a line of your clothing. Or you do a million other things the prize money and recognition will afford you.” Yasmin squeezed my knee. “The choice is yours, my friend.”

“Buy into Bloom?” My heart stuttered, a near-overwhelming desire welling up in me.

She leaned back into her chair, groaning with the effort. “If you want. Maeve already did and”—she patted her stomach—“with this one and no doubt more kids on the way, I won’t have the time I once did to build the business. We’ve been talking about bringing on another partner to help out. You’re an incredible designer and wonderful colleague—not to mention good friend.” She shrugged. “Why not?”

A world of possibility began to open for me.

“Are you sure?” I asked Maeve.

“We already discussed it.” She flicked a grin at Yasmin. “We didn’t know that you were interested, but I agree with Yasmin. If this store is your dream, then let’s do it.”