“All right,” he said, “since no one seems able to take my hint, I’ll just tell you that I’m going to organize it all.”
“You mean the fashion show? For the kids?” Jecca asked. She was hand sewing the roses Jake had made onto the neckline of a dress.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Roan said. “Tris, you get lunch cleanup detail. I’ve got kids’ parents to call.”
When Jecca started to ask questions, Roan said she and Lucy weren’t allowed to see or hear about anything. They were to go back to sewing, but Addy was to help him.
“And give up bending over that machine?” Addy muttered. “How will I manage?”
While Lucy and Jecca went back upstairs to bury themselves in the final adjustments to the clothes for all the children, the others went in and out of the rooms downstairs as they participated in Roan’s top-secret plans.
Lucy didn’t ask questions, but Jecca did. Tris almost gave in and revealed everything a couple of times, but Nell kept him in line. “You’ll ruin it!” she warned her uncle. “We want Jecca to be surprised.” Tris refused to say anything about whatever Roan was doing.
Over the course of the afternoon, the children who were going to be in the show returned to Mrs. Wingate’s house with their mothers—and one divorced dad.
Jecca heard music, what sounded like stomping, and a couple of times, cheering. She wanted to know what was going on, but she had too much work to do to try to find out.
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, without a hint of a cloud in the sky.
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“How are you doing?” Tris asked Jecca as he pulled her into his arms. They were at his house, snuggled together in his bed.
“Fine,” Jecca said. “It’s just a little local kids’ show, that’s all. There’s no reason to be nervous.” She tossed the cover back, stepped out of the bed—and her legs collapsed.
Tris caught her before she hit the floor.
Jecca sat on the edge of the bed, Tris behind her, his long legs straddling hers as he pulled her back against him.
“It’ll be all right,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “You have a lot of help, and everyone knows what they’re to do.”
“I know,” she said. “It’s just that . . .”
“That what?”
“I just hope they’ll like my designs. If the audience doesn’t like them, they’ll laugh at those kids, and they’ve worked so hard and . . .”
Tris kissed her more, his hands on her arms. “I’ve seen all the clothes, and the kids look great. You should have seen them with Roan! They’re the outsiders of the school and they’ve never done anything like this before. Jecca, baby, you don’t know what this is doing for them. And wait until you see what Roan has planned!”
“Is it good?”
“Fabulous! And don’t even think of trying to get me to reveal the secrets.”
She rubbed her posterior against his manhood—which showed signs of growing. “Not even a hint?”
“Jecca . . .” Tris began. “We need to get dressed and—” He gave a moan when she moved some more. “Those kids have hidden talents, and Roan found them. There! That’s all I’m telling you and that’s more than I should.” He got off the bed. “Come on and let me make you a good breakfast. You’re going to need your strength when Savannah finds out what you’re doing to her fashion show.”
Jecca followed him into the kitchen. She was wearing one of his T-shirts and her undies. “You’re making a joke, right?”
“Not in the least. Think three eggs will hold you until eleven?”
“How much gin are you adding to the eggs?”
Tris chuckled. “I only put rum in the eggs, and then only when I’m trying to break your defenses down. Go get dressed or I’ll never be able to concentrate.”
She took a deep breath, and he could tell that she was deeply and truly nervous. He left the stove to put his hands on her shoulders, his forehead to hers. “Jecca, listen to me. You have nothing to worry about.” They both knew he’d said it all before, but she couldn’t hear it enough. “Your designs look great. More importantly, you are making some kids who have spent their lives in the background see themselves in a different light. You—”
“And Nell. These kids were her idea, not mine. She deserves the credit.”cre diffe