by Amy DeMeritt
Asia bats her eyelashes and tilts her head with a seductive grin, making Lana and Elli laugh. Justin, however, stopped paying attention to the work conversation before their drinks were delivered. Asia glances at him for a moment, feeling his disconnect from the group and sees him staring off across the restaurant. She follows his gaze and rolls her eyes. The path of his eyes appears like he is staring at a table of women laughing and cutting up with each other – all fairly attractive and dressed a bit more casually than their own table.
Lana raises her eyebrows at Asia, silently questioning what Asia is thinking. Asia licks her lips and tilts her head a touch forward as she gives a very subtle shake of the head, letting Lana know she’s underwhelmed by Justin and his interactions with the group. Lana nods in understanding and takes a sip of her martini before clearing her throat.
“You know I wouldn’t purposefully leave you to the wolves. If Beverly asks you to do something that you’re unsure of how to tackle, just ask me. I can’t guarantee I’ll have a quick answer because they throw some doozies at me sometimes, but we’ll figure it out.”
“I know, honey. Okay, enough about me. Any fun plans for this weekend? You know, besides having dinner with me.”
Asia winks at Lana, making her smile. Both women have missed seeing each other every day this week. They love the way they can easily bounce between serious conversation, friendly banter, and non-intimate flirting.
“We have a dinner date with Elli’s parents’ tomorrow night at their house just outside of the city.” Lana grins at Elli with her bottom lip between her teeth. “Can I tell her?”
Elli releases a small laugh and nods as she places a hand on Lana’s thigh. “Aye, you can tell her.”
“Okay, you’re freaking me out now.”
Lana laughs at Asia and shakes her head. “It’s nothing like what you’re probably thinking.”
“What do you think I am thinking, Ms. Lana Scott?”
Asia quirks an eyebrow with a slight head tilt, suggesting something naughty is about to be shared, which makes Lana and Elli laugh. Asia allows her eyes to shift to the side for a moment, only to confirm her suspicion that Justin still is not paying attention to any of them. Asia clears her throat and gives Lana her full attention, raising both eyebrows expectantly.
For the next few minutes, Lana and Elli tell Asia about the shop’s stint as a popular speakeasy during prohibition, which thoroughly enthralls and charms Asia. Even Justin is drawn back to the table by the conversation, and while he does pay attention, he doesn’t offer any comments or ask any questions.
Asia notices their waitress making her way back to their table to take their order, but before she can arrive, Asia places a hand on Justin’s arm as she scoots her chair back, and quietly asks, “Will you come with me for a minute?”
She doesn’t wait for him to answer before she stands up and starts walking away from the table. Justin looks between Lana and Elli confused, hoping one of them will betray an expression of what Asia might want, but both of them look equally confused. Justin excuses himself and follows Asia towards the front of the restaurant till she stops in a small alcove near the bar section.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Asia crosses her arms over her chest and quirks an eyebrow with her lips pinched in agitation. “You tell me. Where are you tonight? You haven’t said one word since we sat down and you have spent half of the evening watching other tables.”
“You have spent half of the night talking about work. I don’t do what you do, so how I am supposed to contribute to the conversation? That nightclub story was cool, but what was I supposed to say? I don’t know them. I barely know you yet.”
“What is my job?”
“What?”
Asia shrugs her shoulders forward with raised eyebrows and cocks her hips to the side. “What is my job? What do I do?”
Justin’s chest expands with a deep frustrated breath and he looks around the restaurant, as if the answer is going to be written on a martini glass, a bar stool, or the wall art.
“You have no idea what my job is, even after three dates and a few phone conversations.”
“It has to do with numbers.”
“Right. Well, seeing as my body casts its own shadow and I don’t need another, I’d like for you to go.”
“What? Are you serious? What about…?”
“I’m serious.”
Without waiting for a response, Asia turns on her heels and walks away. Justin grunts something under his breath and quickly makes for the exit.
As Asia sits down in front of them, Lana and Elli look behind themselves, towards the front of the restaurant and then back at Asia, who is smiling while she takes a sip of her drink.
“Where is Justin?”
“I asked him to leave.” Lana’s eyes widen and before she can question her, Asia says, “If you don’t mind, I’ll need a ride home after dinner.”
“Yeah, of course, it’s no problem. Are you okay?”
“I’m much better now. I’m sure my mother will be very angry at me later, but I gave it an honest and fair try. Three dates – that’s what I promised.”
“What are you going to tell her?”
Asia rolls her eyes as she swirls the last couple of sips of her drink in the heavy bottom tumbler.
“It doesn’t matter what I tell her. She’ll think I’m just being ridiculous and allowing the past to poison all of my relationships. I have told her countless times that I’m not settling for a man just because he’s not abusive. If he can’t take interest in me, aside from my body, then why the hell would I want to be with him? Anyway, that’s enough about him. I want to enjoy the night.”
***
After Lana pulls along the curb outside of Asia’s place, a brownstone that was converted into three apartments, Asia asks Lana to walk her to her door.
As Asia gets out of the car, Lana places a hand on Elli’s thigh and kisses her lips. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, Sunshine.”
Lana’s stomach flutters from the happy twinkle in Elli’s eyes and she darts forward and firmly kisses her again, making Elli laugh against her lips.
Lana hops out of her car and Asia immediately loops her arm with her and starts walking up the sidewalk.
“Thanks for inviting me to dinner. I had a great time. I missed you this week.”
“I missed you too. I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Justin.”
Asia waves a flippant hand and turns to face her when they reach the top of the stoop. “Seriously, honey, I’m not upset about it. I like Elli. She’s very sweet and fun to talk to. She’s beautiful too.” Asia winks and Lana releases a silly excited giggle and blushes, making Asia laugh. “You’re head over heels for this woman, no pun intended.”
“I’m in love with her. I’ve never fallen so hard and so fast for someone before. I don’t even think I’ve loved anyone as much as I love her.”
“She loves you too. I could tell. I’m so happy for you, honey. I guess I better let you go so we don’t make her self-conscious.” Asia leans in and gives Lana a tight lingering hug, and as she pulls away, she gives Lana a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, babe. Have fun.”
Asia winks with a meaningful grin, making Lana’s blush deepen and her happiness soars.
“Thanks for coming out with us. We had a great time. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay, goodnight.” Asia turns to open the door, but turns back and asks, “You think you can pull yourself away from your beautiful shoemaker and get lunch with me one day this week?”
“Yeah, of course. You have a certain day in mind?”
“How about Tuesday?”
“It’s a date.”
Chapter Nineteen
The bell above the shop door jingles, causing Elli to release a quiet exasperated groan of agitation. They didn’t have any pick-ups scheduled for today, so Elli was counting on a quiet day to be able to clear out a huge backlog of projects.
But the door and phone have been on a nearly constant rotation of interruptions with questions and drop-offs.
Before she can stand, Lana places her hands on Elli’s shoulders and kisses her cheek. “Let me see if I can handle this one. I’ll grab you if I can’t answer their questions.”
Elli squeezes her hand in gratitude for a moment before Lana walks to the front of the shop. Lana has been helping in the shop every day for over two weeks and has become very proficient in a number of tasks. She has been learning the pricing structure to be able to quote customers for some of the basic types of repairs Elli can do, but she’s still learning how to calculate the cost of the more complex projects. Lana has also become proficient with some minor repairs for shoes and some clothing repairs, like replacing buttons on shirts and pants. If Lana hadn’t been able to help as much as she has been, Elli would have needed her parents to help in the shop this week.
Lana greets the older gentleman with a friendly smile, saying, “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”
With a deep voice and a thick Italian accent, he bursts, “I sure hope so! The band on my lucky-hat broke and I need it tonight. I’ve got a big bocce ball tournament – no way those Georgetown boys are going to beat us. No ma’am!”
Lana releases a small laugh as she picks up the fedora to inspect the damage.
“Do you want to replace the band or try to salvage the original?”
“No, no, no! It has to be the original! A new band could destroy the magic!”
She bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and nods as she starts to walk out from behind the counter. “Okay, let me check with the boss and see if she can fix this before your tournament. Give me a couple of minutes.”
With the hat in hand, Lana walks back into the work studio, still trying not to burst with laughter from the man’s frantic desperation.
Elli sets her current project down and holds her hand out for the hat. Having heard the customer, she doesn’t need Lana to explain. She looks at the band and sees the original seam is unraveled. She takes the hat to another workstation that’s used for sewing, then carefully cuts the band off. After trimming the frayed ends, she heat-seals them, then wraps the band around the fedora to stitch it back on. The hat is so old that the band has stretched enough over the years that there is still enough length in it to fix without having to add a patch or change the placement of the band.
“There you go.”
Lana accepts the hat and smiles as she checks the work. “That was really fast. How much should I…?”
Elli shakes her head, and says, “No charge,” as she stands up.
“Okay. Thanks.”
Lana sets the repaired hat down on the counter and the man picks it up with a cheery laugh and slaps his thick hand down on the counter.
“Now that is what I call magic. See – it’s a lucky hat! What do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house. Good luck with your tournament tonight.”
“I’ve got my lucky-hat in tip-top shape! Luck is definitely on my side. Now, a service done is a service paid. I can’t go accepting work for nothing – it might kill the magic. How’s this?” The man slides a twenty-dollar bill forward on the counter and Lana quickly shakes her head and tries to insist that it’s not necessary, but he cuts her off, saying, “No debts. Always fair deals. That’s the way to keep the magic alive. Thanks for the quick fix.”
Before she can respond, the man dramatically puts his hat on and leaves the shop. Lana laughs a little as she punches in the hat repair in the register and puts the twenty-dollar bill in the drawer. She makes the necessary notes in the day planner so the service is properly recorded for taxes, then goes back to the work studio.
“He insisted on giving you twenty-dollars for the hat so the magic wouldn’t be lost. He was a funny character.”
Elli nods as she picks up the high heeled knee-high boot that she’s working on repairing. Lana grips her shoulders, massaging and kneading the muscles, causing Elli to release a quiet moan of relief.
“You look really tired.”
“Aye, I’m very. I’m going to call…”
The bell above the door jingles and Elli’s head droops in dread. Lana squeezes her shoulders and kisses her cheek.
“I got it, babe.”
Lana walks to the front of the shop and a beautiful woman with flat shiny golden blonde hair just past her shoulders and wearing an expensive designer cream skirt suit takes her sunglasses off and flashes Lana a forced thin lip smile.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“Not you. Where is Elli?”
“Oh, she’s in the back. Can I try to…?”
The woman waves a flippant hand, as if dismissing Lana. “No, I don’t think so. I need to see Elli.”
As Lana turns to walk into the studio, Elli walks out to stand behind the counter next to her.
“Ah, Ms. Whitmore, lovely to see you. What can I do for you?”
“Elli, dear, you look dreadful. Been busy or are you sick? Please tell me you’re not sick. I take it you’re training a new shop hand?”
“Very busy. This is Lana, my girlfriend. She’s been graciously helping me out.”
“How sweet. Pleasure, I’m sure.” Ms. Whitmore gives Lana another forced smile, then turns her gaze on Elli again. “Now, business. The annual Dalewood Country Club Debutante Ball is in two months. We have fifty-five girls making their entry into society, most of whom will need their gowns altered. Of course, as in years past, I expect at least half of their mothers and fathers will also need alterations to their formal wear. So, we’ll say, around a hundred assignments. Can I count on you again this year?”
“Have all of the young women already purchased their gowns? Are they ready to schedule fitting appointments?”
“Most of them have, but as always, there’s about a dozen girls who have missed the deadline and haven’t brought their dresses in for inspection and approval yet.” Elli nods as she pulls a box of business cards out from under the cabinet. She wraps a rubber band around a thick stack, then hands it over to Ms. Whitmore. “Fabulous. I’ll pass these out and have the girls call to schedule appointments. We’ll, of course, need you to attend the ball, as in years past, for any final adjustments or wardrobe mishaps.” She pulls a black folder out of her purse and sets it down on the counter. “The passes for entry to the ball, the contract for the night of the ball, and your booking advance. I’ll pay the remaining fifty percent at the end of the evening. I also need to schedule a fitting with you. How does tomorrow look for you?”
Elli internally deflates, but she keeps her back straight and her face polite. She pulls her date planner over and flips to tomorrow’s schedule, which is already very packed.
“Tomorrow is tight. I could see you first thing in the morning at eight, eleven, or at two.”
“I have a busy day tomorrow as well. Write me in for eight. Elli, dear, it was lovely seeing you again. Please,” she places a hand on Elli’s cheek giving her a look of pity, “get some rest. This batch of girls have some real nasty cocktails for brains. I swear, I’m going to need a vacation after this ball. I’ll see you bright and early.”
She turns on her heels and puts her sunglasses on her face. As she’s walking out, she waves at Elli with a genuine smile, but as her eyes glide over Lana, her smile pinches in a forced way. After she walks out, Elli leans forward with her elbows on the counter and her cellphone in her hands. She exhales hard and pushes the dial button.
“Hello, Buttercup. How’s your day going?”
“Hey, Mum. Ms. Whitmore just dropped in.”
“That’s wonderful, darling. That’s three years in a row. I think that might actually be a record for Ms. Whitmore. That woman is very hard to please.”
“Aye, she is. The pressure is even greater this year – fifty-five girls, who, according to Ms. Whitmore, are real nasty beasties.”
Hearing her mom’s sweet laugh makes Elli smile, despite feeling very overwhelm
ed.
“What can we do for you, darling? Do you need us to come help keep up with the shop till after the ball?”
“If you don’t have plans tomorrow, we could use the help. Lana has been a lifesaver this week, but we’re experiencing a bit of a tidal wave of new orders today and my backlog is growing substantially. Ms. Whitmore estimates at least a hundred individual alterations before the ball, so I’m nearly quite literally drowning here.”
“We’ll be there first thing in the morning. It warms my heart that Lana has been there to learn the family trade and to help you. How is she doing?”
Elli smiles as she glances at Lana, who is trying to appear busy and not like she’s listening in on Elli’s conversation. Elli tugs on her apron and pulls her in close, making Lana smile and wrap her arms around Elli’s waist.
“She’s doing great. She has been handling most of the pick-ups and drop-offs and she’s getting her feet wet, so to speak, with some basic shoe and clothing repairs. She’s been practicing some come complex techniques on scrap fabrics and she’s doing fairly well so far. She naturally struggled a bit with the slippery fabrics, like satin and silk, but we all do in the beginning.” Elli caresses Lana’s blushing cheek, then adds, “But I’m quite proud of the progress my apprentice is making,” then winks at Lana, earning her a beautiful smile and a kiss on the lips.
“Sounds like she’s really taking to the trade. Will she be there tomorrow?”
Elli leans in and whispers in Lana’s ear, “Mum wants to know if you’ll be here tomorrow.” Lana nods and kisses Elli’s lips again. “Aye, she’ll be here.”
“Wonderful! We’ll bring pastries and coffees.”
“Thanks, Mum. I love you.”