Page 220 of Falling for You
‘Really?’ he gabbles. ‘Do you work here?’
‘She might as well,’ Jade says, giving me a wink. ‘She’s a fantastic costume maker.’
I walk towards him and take the fabric from him. It’s an emerald-green, thick material with a slight give to it.
‘What’s it for?’ I ask.
‘The Wicked Witch of the West,’ he says. ‘But, obviously, in green. Elphaba style.’
For the first time in days, I feel a spark behind my chest. ‘Yeah,’ I say, ‘I can fix this for you.’
He almost collapses in relief. ‘Sorry, what’s your name, you fallen angel?’
I smile. ‘I’m Annie.’
He throws his arms around me. ‘Thank you, Annie.’
So, it turns out, if your body is filled with angry snakes that are carrying burning emotions that you don’t quite know what to do with, just go to your happy place and bathe in it. I left the shop with Stevie’s measurements, some extra fabric and the promise that I’d deliver the dress back to him by noon the next day. Most of all, I left with a fire in my belly, and guess what? It burnt the snakes. They left. I know they’ll come back, but while I’m hunched over my sewing machine, there isn’t any room for them. There is only happiness here.
I glance back over at my notebook and check my sketch.Stevie’s costume had a corset, and a billowing, flared skirt with panels of different green fabric with a huge slit up one of the sides. The stitching of the skirt had come undone, meaning it wasn’t fully attached to the corset. It’s a beautiful dress, but it doesn’t scream Wicked Witch of the West. It’s more like a ballgown, or a green wedding dress. I did say this, and asked Stevie if he minded if I embellished it slightly, and he said he didn’t. To be honest, I think he was so grateful to have me helping him that he would have agreed to anything.
I’m adding a cape with a high, jagged collar and a pair of glistening, evil eyes on the back shoulder. So, when he turns, it will look as if one of the flying monkeys is hidden behind the cape, ready to leap out and rip someone’s throat out at the slightest command.
I stretch the fabric under the machine and remove some of the pins holding it in place when I hear my bedroom door open.
‘Ohhhh, what are you making?’
It’s Tanya, who climbs onto my bed. She picks up my assortment of pillows and cushions and props them behind her, before curling her long legs under her body like a cat and turning to face me.
I furrow my brow as the slippery fabric twists out of place. ‘It’s … a … witch … costume,’ I say, in between pinning the fabric back together. ‘I’ve got to turn it around by tomorrow morning, though.’
‘Gosh!’ Tanya gasps. ‘That’s a tight deadline!’
‘It’s a different type of commission,’ I explain. ‘It’s someone I met in the fabric shop this afternoon.’
‘Have you not been at work today?’ Tanya frowns.
I shake my head, skimming the fabric under the machine. ‘Pam gave me the afternoon off.’
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah, fine,’ I mutter. ‘She wants me to be CEO while she goes travelling for a year.’
‘She …what?’ My eyes are still firmly glued to the fabric, but I can tell Tanya is gaping at me. ‘She …’ Tanya repeats. ‘She offered you CEO? What? I mean … PENNY!’ she yells. ‘Come here!’
A moment later I hear Penny stumble through the door, followed by a smell of rich tomato sauce. ‘What?’ she says. ‘I’m in the middle of dinner.’
‘Annie has been offered CEO!’ Tanya cries, pushing herself to sit up straight.
‘What?’ Penny says. ‘Annie, is that true?’
The skirt snaps back again and I throw my head back and groan. God, this fabric is a nightmare.
‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘Pam wants to take off for a year and she offered me the job this afternoon.’
‘Wow,’ Penny breathes, perching next to Tanya on the bed. ‘Congratulations, Annie. That’s huge.’
I shrug, suddenly feeling like I might burst into tears.
