Page 8 of Love Redesigned
I looked over his shoulder at the closed sample room door. It wasn’t likely anyone would walk in and hear us, but the door wasn’t locked, which made me nervous. Chase was the only person at LeFranc who knew just how much involvement I had with Sasha’s designs.
“Do you remember the navy dress she pulled out of the collection last week?”
“Yours, right? Except, she wanted to do it in teal charmeuse?” He rolled his eyes.
“Isabelle couldn’t do it,” I said with a grin. “She called Sasha this morning and said she can’t make the fabric work.”
“Of course she couldn’t. Alicio himself couldn’t make box pleats work with charmeuse. Does that mean we’re doing it in the navy?”
“Yep.”
He held up his hand for a high five. “Look at you, getting a dress into a premiere LeFranc collection.”
I raised my hands in mock victory. “And look at me not getting credit for it.”
His face fell. “I hate that woman.”
“Don’t hate her. She’s good to me.”
“She’s good to you so she can keep using you.”
“It’s not like that,” I said. Even as I said it, I knew my words weren’t true.
“It’s exactly like that,” Chase said. “And it’s about time you wake up and see it.”
My shoulders slumped. “Please don’t, Chase.”
“Don’t what? Tell you you’re better than this? That she doesn’t deserve your loyalty?”
“Don’t stomp all over my hope,” I said.
“No.” He waved a finger in front of my face. “I’m not letting you pin your hopes on her. How many times has she told you she’s going to talk to Alicio about your designs? How many times has she promised she’ll introduce you, let him know”—he held up his fingers in air quotes and pitched his voice high in a remarkably accurate impression of Sasha—“just what you’re capable of? You don’t need that woman,” he continued. “You’ve got more talent in the end of your nose than she has in her entire surgically enhanced body. And that’s why I don’t think she’s ever going to tell Alicio about you. You’re a threat. Right now, she’s got you where she can control you. You do the work, she gets the credit. As long as you’re willing to do her bidding, I don’t see her screwing that up. At least not on purpose.”
My jaw tensed. “It’s easy for you to be critical because you already have your dream job. What else am I supposed to do?”
There was more he wanted to say. I could tell by the way the corner of his mouth kept twitching. But he was too good a friend to push me further. “Just don’t rely on her alone, okay? Watch the job board. If anything in the design room opens up, tell me and I’ll submit a recommendation for you.”
He’d made the offer before. But odds were against anything opening up. Internships, sure. But not the real deal. Working at LeFranc was a dream job foranydesigner, not just me. Turnover was rare.
“You know I’ll stand by your work, Dani.” He reached over and squeezed my arm. “You deserve it.”
I pulled my still-coffee-sticky hair into a messy bun on top of my head, pulling a few strands loose around my face. “What do you think?” I asked Chase. “Passable?”
He looked up from the tray of jewelry he’d been sorting through. “Perfect. You just need this.” He held up a strand of chunky turquoise pearls, motioning for me to turn around so he could secure the clasp around my neck.
“Seriously? Can I keep?”
“Like I said, no one will miss anything from in here.” He turned me around, hands on either shoulder. “There. Now you really are perfect.”
I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
Chase grabbed the coffee-stained dress before turning toward the door. “I’m getting this cleaned for you.”
“You don’t have to do that.” I reached for it. “I’ll drop it off on my way home.”
He waved my hand away. “Whatever. I want to. Plus, I know a guy. It’ll look as good as the day you made it.”
“You’re too good to me.”
