“Do you have more pictures?”
“Is Pippa’s dress available in a smaller size? I’d love to buy it. No? Shucks.”
I chat with them for what feels like hours, and my anxiety decreases bit by bit. These women seem to genuinely like my dresses. Not only the ones in sight tonight, but also those from the portfolio I have on my phone. A few times, I catch Logan’s eyes. He stares at me with a smile from across the room. A proud smile. Butterflies roam around inside my belly.
Toward the end of the evening, the bloggers leave, promising to send me links to their posts in the coming week. Two even promise to post during the weekend. I’m ecstatic, but the moment they leave, tiredness hits me, almost giving me whiplash. I find Logan, but he’s talking to Summer, and I decide to wait until they finish. Summer confided in me that her expos don’t get easier, even though she’s done many, and her family is her rock for each one.
“Ms. Hawthorne, is it?” a man’s voice sounds from behind me as I admire a painting. I swirl around.
“Yes.” I size him up and down.
“Archer Daring. Nice to meet you.” We shake hands. “I happened to notice that you’re in the garment
industry,” he says.
“I am.”
“So am I. I have a chain of boutique stores in Europe: Paris, London, Milan, and Barcelona. Why don’t you tell me a bit about you? Judging by what I see here tonight, your style fits ours. I’m always on the lookout for up-and-coming designers.”
The words up-and-coming fill me with pride. Exuberant, I tell him about my store, and he inquires more about my designs. Just like I did with the bloggers, I also show him the pictures on my phone. At the end of the conversation, we exchange business cards. When he tells me, he’ll contact me about the possibility of selling my designs in his stores, I nearly faint.
“Also, I’d love to get to know you better, on a personal level. Maybe we can grab a coffee sometime?”
Wow, that was smooth. I hope his offer of collaboration wasn’t just a way to get in my pants, but if it was, he can shove it up his ass.
“I’m dating someone,” I reply, “but let me know if you’re interested in my designs.”
He presses his lips together. “Of course. You’ll hear from me soon.” Then he leaves.
***
“Can I kidnap you now?” Logan whispers in my ear a while later.
“I barely had time to admire the paintings.” I’m standing in front of one right now.
“I can sum them up for you: My sister’s a genius, they are great.”
“Won’t she miss you if we leave?”
“The place is swarming with Bennetts: siblings, cousins, adopted Bennetts. One less won’t matter.”
“I disagree, I think you matter the most.”
“Mmm. . . You’re biased, though.”
“A bit.” I hold my thumb and forefinger together, smiling. “Let’s do a small round so I can at least say I’ve seen all the paintings, and then we can go.”
“You can never straight-out agree with me, can you?” He shakes his head, smiling.
“Where would be the fun in that?”
“Indeed. Okay, let’s stay for a while.” Pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear, he gives me a quick peck on my lips. “At any rate, I can finally show off my girlfriend at my arm. I spent the evening admiring you from afar. You were very professional.” There’s an edge to his voice, and I know what’s causing it. “Who was the guy you talked to forever?”
I smile. Bingo. “Are you ready?”
He raises an eyebrow.
“I might have my first partner. That guy has a chain of boutiques in Europe, and he’d like to showcase my designs too.”