Cute as a Button

by Chloe Taylor

  Mr. Webber nodded.

  “It does seem like you’ve discovered an unfulfilled niche,” he said. “I’ll help you set up the campaign and manage it, but before you put up anything, you have to work out your costs with Aunt Lulu.”

  “I know, Dad,” Zoey said. “ ’Cause I need profits to buy more fabric.”

  “Woof!” agreed Draper before resting his head on his paws.

  “Draper is a good business dog,” Marcus said, stroking the dog’s silky ears. “Aren’t you, old boy?”

  “As long as he gets paid in treats,” Zoey said.

  Draper stood up and waddled over to the treat tin.

  They all laughed.

  “He definitely knows that word,” Mr. Webber said, getting up to give Draper what he was so obviously expecting.

  After the market research, the family settled on the family room sofa to relax and watch a movie. Draper padded in and stood in front of the coffee table, looking from Zoey to Marcus to Dad, his eyebrows quirking as if to ask where he was supposed to sit.

  Zoey looked at her dad with pleading eyes.

  “Can Draper come up on the sofa, Dad? Pleeeease?”

  Draper wasn’t usually allowed on the furniture. But Mr. Webber had a hard time resisting the puppy dog eyes being cast at him by both Draper and Zoey.

  “Okay,” he said. “But just for tonight as a special . . . T-R-E-A-T.”

  “Why are you spelling ‘treat’?” Zoey asked.

  Draper ran straight back into the kitchen.

  “That’s why,” Marcus said, grinning. “Because Draper knows the T word.”

  “You better get up and give him one,” said Mr. Webber. “Otherwise he’s going to spend the entire movie whining under the treat tin.”

  Zoey went into the kitchen where, sure enough, Draper was sitting under the treat tin, gazing up at it worshipfully. As soon as Zoey had come in, his tail swept from side to side because he knew his prayer to the treat tin would soon be answered.

  “This is your last one for tonight,” Zoey said sternly as she gave him a treat. “Aunt Lulu said you’re not supposed to have too many you-know-whats, and you’ve already had a bazillion today.”

  Draper trotted back into the family room at Zoey’s heels, and Mr. Webber lifted him onto the sofa.

  “Just this once, Draper,” he said. “We’re not going to make a habit of this.”

  Draper replied by giving him a wet lick on his face. Then he curled up between Mr. Webber and Zoey with a low grumble and closed his eyes. He’d worked hard enough for one day.

  Chapter 3

  Chic on the Cheap

  Do you want a perfect example of why I need to make money to buy more fabric? So I can be chic on the cheap! I saw the most beautiful dress in Très Chic, and I wanted it so badly—until I saw how much it cost. I still wanted it after that, but I couldn’t afford it. So, I cut out the picture and stuck it in my sketchbook and I kept looking at it and wishing I had enough money to buy it. And then—*brain wave*—I realized I could make it instead! I had to go online and look in a store catalog to see what fabric it was made of, and then I asked Marcus if he could drive me to A Stitch in Time. The material turned out to be really expensive—to buy enough to make the dress would have used up practically my whole store credit—but Jan recommended a more reasonable substitute. That way, I had enough to buy notions to Zoeyfy it—I decided to add some extra colors to the trim and put in a bright blue zipper instead of a plain black one like the one in the magazine.

  Anyway, being able to afford to get fabrics so I can keep being chic on the cheap is why I’m so excited to get my designer dog outfits business idea off the ground. But more on that in a later blog post!

  No, not again! Zoey thought she’d finally gotten the zipper perfect on her version of the color-block dress she loved from Très Chic, but there was a little pucker right at the bottom. She’d have to do it over. She wanted the dress to be absolutely perfect, just the way it looked in the magazine, but she was getting tired. Her dad and Marcus had finished watching the movie and gone to sleep.

  Draper gave a soft doggie snore from under the worktable. At least he wasn’t frustrated. No, Draper seemed to be having a grand old time at the Webber Hotel, enjoying walkies, treats, and, of course, plenty of naps.

  It took another half hour to redo the zipper, but it was worth the effort. Finally, after all her hard work, the dress looked almost exactly like the one in the picture she’d cut out of Très Chic. In fact, as she tried it on and stood in front of the mirror, Zoey thought she liked it even better, because of the little extra touches of color.

  She really needed to start on her dog outfits business. Otherwise, what would happen if she saw another amazing dress she couldn’t afford in Très Chic? She’d be totally stuck!

  It was time to call in her team of advisers. Zoey sent a text to Kate and her other two friends, Priti Holbrooke and Libby Flynn: Need your advice about a project. Can we meet up?

  Priti was the first to respond. Yes! Let’s meet at the mall tomorrow. Then we can talk AND shop!

  Sounds like a plan, Zoey texted. Who can drive?

  My mom can, Libby volunteered. We’ll pick you up first, then Kate, then Priti. What time?

  12? Then we can get there right after the mall opens, Kate suggested.

  See you then! Zoey texted.

  Draper lifted his nose and looked up at Zoey expectantly as soon as she put down her phone.

  “Yes, Draper. I’ve finished my dress and made plans for tomorrow. You’re right. It’s time for walkies.”

  The next day Zoey put on the color-block dress to wear to the mall. It made her feel good to be “put together” when she went shopping. Just after twelve, Mrs. Flynn arrived with Libby.

  “Hi, Zoey,” Mrs. Flynn said as Zoey got into the car. “Well, look at you—the two of you look like twins!”

  Zoey couldn’t believe her eyes—Libby was wearing the exact same dress as she was. Well, not exactly the same—because Libby’s didn’t have the extra touches of color Zoey had added to hers.

  “That’s the same dress that was in Très Chic this month, right?” Zoey asked.

  “I can’t remember,” Libby said. She read Très Chic but not as avidly as Zoey. “Aunt Lexie sent it in her latest fashion care package from H. Cashin’s.”

  “You’re so lucky to have an aunt who works there.” Zoey sighed. “I love that dress, but there was no way I could afford it. I made this one.”

  “You should be very proud of yourself,” Libby’s mom said. “You did a fantastic job. In fact, get out of the car, both of you. I want to take a picture of you together to send to Lexie.”

  “But, Mom—” Libby protested.

  “Come on, it’ll only take a minute,” Mrs. Flynn said. “Hop to it!”

  Libby slid out of the car, and she and Zoey stood side by side with their arms across each other’s shoulders while Libby’s mom took a few pictures with her cell phone.

  “Come on, Mom. We’re late to pick up Kate and Priti,” Libby said.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Mrs. Flynn said as she got back into the car after texting one of the pictures to her sister. “Lexie will get such a kick out of this.”

  As she backed out of the Webbers’ driveway, she said, “I’m so glad you and Libby have become such good friends, Zoey. You’re like two peas in a pod.”

  Libby glanced at Zoey. “Ignore all vegetable comparisons,” she whispered.

  Zoey giggled.

  “I’m glad we’re friends too,” she told Mrs. Flynn. “Vegetable or no vegetable,” she whispered to Libby, who smiled.

  “How long do you think it’ll take Kate and Priti to notice we’re matching?” Libby asked.

  “Twenty seconds?” Zoey guessed.

  “I bet you it takes Kate at least ten seconds longer than Priti,” Libby said.

  When Kate opened the car door, Libby and Zoey started counting silently in their heads . . . One Mississippi, two Mississippi . . . Z
oey was up to “thirty Mississippis” by the time Kate asked, “Wait, isn’t Spirit Week over? No one told me it was a repeat of Twin Day.”

  “It’s not,” Zoey explained. “I just loved this dress when I saw it in Très Chic, but I couldn’t afford it, so I made it instead.”

  “And my aunt who works at H. Cashin’s sent it to me in one of her fashion care packages,” Libby said.

  “Wow,” Kate said. “Did you know you were both going to wear them?”

  “No!” Libby and Zoey said at the same time. “Jinx!” they said at the same time again. And they both laughed.

  “You guys must be fashion psychics,” Kate said.

  “They both have good taste in dresses,” said Mrs. Flynn.

  “Now we have to see how long it takes Priti to notice,” Zoey said. “It took you thirty seconds.”

  Priti’s eyes widened as soon as she saw Zoey and Libby.

  “Those dresses are fab! And you’re so adorably twinish! I want one too!” she said. “Can you make me one, Zo?”

  “Three seconds!” Libby said. “I win!”

  Kate gave her a high five. Priti looked confused.

  “Never mind. We were just trying to guess how long it would take for you to notice,” Zoey told Priti. “You know, I’d love to make a dress for you, but it took me a long time to get this one right. And I have to get started on the project.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Priti said. “The mystery project!”

  “It won’t be a mystery for long,” Zoey said.

  When Mrs. Flynn dropped off the girls at the mall, they headed straight up to the food court to get some snacks and settle down to business.

  “When I walked Draper yesterday, people asked me if I could make outfits for their dogs,” Zoey explained, showing them a photo of Draper in the outfit she had made for him. “It was actually Kate’s idea to start a business.”

  “Not really,” said Kate, who never liked to take credit for anything unless it was on the sports field.

  “It was,” said Zoey firmly. “But I couldn’t figure out how to do it until I heard Marcus talking at dinner about this website called Myfundmaker.”

  “Oh, I’ve heard of that site!” Priti exclaimed. “Sashi pledged to some music project. She got a free download of the CD when it was done.”

  “You can pledge at different levels,” Zoey explained. “Because maybe not everyone has a dog, or even if they do, maybe they aren’t the kind of people who like to dress up their dogs in cute outfits—”

  “People like that exist?!” Libby exclaimed.

  “Well, yeah,” Kate said. “Can you imagine some tough Rottweiler guard dog in Draper’s cute outfit?”

  The girls all giggled at the thought of a group of guard dogs in Draper’s outfit.

  “Anyway,” Zoey said, trying to steer the discussion back to the project, “what do you think?”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Libby said. “Count me in as a funder—I want an outfit for Chester!”

  “I want to pledge, but we don’t have a dog,” Kate said.

  “We did have a goldfish named Cheeto for a while, but no dogs.” Priti sighed. “Maybe I can get my grandparents to buy one for their Basset Hound.”

  “That’s why I need some cute rewards for people who want to contribute but don’t have a dog,” Zoey said. “Any brain waves?”

  “What if we made cards with Draper’s paw print on them?” Priti suggested, pointing her french fry for emphasis. “We could dip his paw in ink and get him to press on the card.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a little cruel to Draper?” Libby asked. “It might hurt his paw.”

  “What if we just did one and then you drew the rest?” Kate suggested to Zoey.

  “That could work,” Zoey said. “It would be quicker, too!”

  “But you need more swag for people who give bigger pledges,” Priti pointed out. “How about for the next level they get a signed sketch of one of your designs?”

  “And the next level could be the outfit in their dog’s size—that’s the one I want to do—and then you could have, like, a super-duper pledge reward for people who give a lot of money,” Libby suggested. “They’d get everything—the Draper paw print, the signed sketch, and the dog outfit. Plus, you list their name as an official project sponsor on Sew Zoey.”

  “Ooh! I like that idea,” Zoey said. “That might get my blog readers to pledge. And listing people as sponsors on Sew Zoey won’t cost anything extra.”

  She smiled at her friends.

  “You guys are the best brainstormers ever,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re as excited about this as I am.”

  “We want to help you keep making your awesome designs,” Priti said, “because then you can keep making cool things for us! Wink, wink.”

  “Let’s have some frozen yogurt to celebrate!” Libby said.

  “I wish I had room,” Zoey said. “I’m too full.”

  “Me too,” Priti said. “I can’t eat another bite.”

  “I can!” Kate declared. “Come on, Libby!”

  When the other two were gone, Zoey asked Priti how things were going at home. A little while back, Priti had confided to Zoey that her parents were fighting a lot and were going to see a counselor. She’d been freaking out about the possibility of them getting divorced.

  “Things are a bit better now that they’ve started seeing the counselor,” Priti said, but the smile faded from her face and her eyes. “At least you can tell they’re really trying to be nicer to each other, even though they still end up bickering.”

  “Well, it hasn’t been that long, right?” Zoey observed. “Dad says that problems only get solved overnight on TV.”

  “I guess,” Priti said. “But I try not to think about it too much—because when I do, I start worrying and sometimes it’s hard to stop.”

  “Hard to stop what?” Kate asked, sitting down with her frozen yogurt cone.

  “Oh, nothing,” Priti said.

  Kate glanced from Zoey to Priti. “Is everything all right?”

  Priti saw Libby walking toward them with her cup of frozen yogurt.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it now, okay?” she said.

  “Okay, fine,” Kate said, and the three friends slipped into silence just as Libby got back to the table.

  “What’s going on?” Libby asked.

  Silence.

  “Um, well . . . ,” Zoey started to speak.

  “Nothing,” Priti said. “Ready to shop till we drop?”

  Zoey noticed Libby was a little quieter after lunch than she was before. But her head was so filled with all the ideas that her friends had given her for her project, it was hard to think about anything else. She was even having a hard time staying focused on shopping, and that was very unusual!

  It was almost a relief when it was time to meet Mrs. Flynn for the ride home.

  “So when should we wear our dresses to school together?” Libby asked. “I can’t wait to be twinsies!”

  “Me too! But I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to wash it,” Zoey said. “I’ll let you know soon.”

  “Okay!” Libby said.

  Zoey thanked Mrs. Flynn for the ride and then burst through the front door of her house to a waggy-tailed, licky welcome from Draper.

  “Come on, boy. We’ve got work to do!” she said, racing up the stairs to her room. “It’s time to get this project page set up, so we can start selling your outfits!”

  Chapter 4

  Swirly Girls

  My friends and I had a business brainstorming session in the food court at the mall last weekend. I think food helps you brainstorm better, don’t you? I thought their fro-yo swirls were really pretty and figured it would be awesome to have a swirly dress, too. My friends had great ideas for the rewards for the different levels of pledges to my dogwear design project, which I’m going to set up on Myfundmaker. I’ve started creating the project page, but it isn’t live yet because I need Aunt L
ulu’s help to finish working out the financial details and she’s still away at her conference. But that means I still have my business partner, Draper, here with me, which I love. He’s curled up, sleeping at my feet as I write this, his warm chin heavy on my toes. How could he sleep at a time like this? I don’t think Draper is nearly as excited about this project as I am!

  “So have you thought about what you’re going to do for your Myfundmaker video yet?” Marcus asked.

  Zoey was making herself an after-school snack of apple slices and peanut butter. Draper was sitting by her feet, looking up at the counter hopefully. Zoey knew what he wanted. She looked to make sure her dad wasn’t around and then let Draper lick the peanut-butter-covered knife.

  “What video?” she asked.

  “The one for your project page,” Marcus said. “All the best-funded ones have a video that explains what the project is about to get people interested. Some are so awesome, you want to invest in the project just because of the video.”

  “Oh nooooo.” Zoey groaned. “I didn’t realize I had to do a video.”

  “Don’t worry,” Marcus said. “I can shoot it on my phone and edit it on my laptop. I haz the software.”

  “Really? You’re the best!” Zoey said, her face brightening. “Super Brother to the rescue!”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know.” Marcus grinned. “So what do you have in mind?”

  Zoey munched on her apple slice. “How about I dress Draper in his outfit, and then we take a video of him out in the yard,” she suggested. “I can encourage him to perform with some T-R-E-A-T-S.”

  She was careful to spell the word “treats,” so Draper didn’t make a beeline for the treat tin. Again.

  “Good idea,” Marcus said. “And then you can take him for W-A-L-K-I-E-S, and I can film you around the neighborhood.”

  “Sounds like a P-L-A-N!” Zoey said. “Oh, wait. Draper doesn’t know that word! Meet back here in five?”

  “Perfecto!”

  Zoey finished the last of her apple slices and headed upstairs to get Draper’s outfit. Draper followed close behind, his tail wagging wildly. When they returned to the kitchen, Marcus was already there, putting Zoey’s dish in the dishwasher. “Wow! You’re doing my dishes?” Zoey asked.