Lattes & Lace

by Annora Green

  Instead, Ari’s presence in her life eased her mind in a way that she had not known was possible. She found herself scheduling her days at work better, more thoughtfully, knowing that at the end of the day, she could spend time with Ari, or spend some time with Percy, or sometimes both. Often she would meet Percy at The Little Cafe, and Ari would sit down with them, and the three of them would have a light dinner made from things left over from the day. A few extra salads, Ari’s gourmet grilled cheese, the leftover soup from lunch (which had recently been added to the menu to try to attract a lunchtime crowd) or - if they felt it was time for a special treat - some of the leftover pastries. If there even were any. Those tended to sell out quickly.

  One day, Sophia brought over the photos from her marketing photoshoot that had incorporated Ari’s artwork. She spread them all out on a larger rectangular table in the cafe around closing time, and then she, Ari and Percy walked around the table, studying them one by one.

  “I can’t believe I’m seeing this. I’m like a real artist,” Ari said, sounding a little in awe.

  Sophia laughed. “Not ‘like.’ You are one.”

  “It’s pretty cool, Ari,” Percy said.

  “Have you ever considered putting some of your paintings up on the walls in here? Perhaps you would even sell some. At the very least, they’d be a more personalized decoration than the black and white photographs you have hanging up currently,” Sophia said.

  “I never thought of that, no.”

  “Mom’s right. The walls would be more interesting with them up,” Percy chimed in.

  “If you don’t want it all to be your own work, you could maybe display or sell other artists’ work on consignment,” Sophia added. “The artwork itself wouldn’t make a huge difference in revenue flow for you, but it could be a way to draw extra people in, and maybe even garner a little more buzz if you make this space into an art gallery of sorts. It could be a niche for you.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Ari said, clearly thinking about it, staring at the bland photographs on the walls. “I could use something more original in here. If displaying art was successful in drawing more people in... well, sure beats having Rachel stand outside and hand out coupons.”

  “And it’s not against town code,” Sophia said playfully. “Win-win.”

  Other nights, Sophia lent a hand to Ari with sorting out a few of her spreadsheets. They were finally becoming less scattered and more accurate than they had been before, and Ari was starting to realize the financial benefits of having a more organized financial record keeping and tracking system.

  After Sophia thoroughly reviewed Ari’s files - spreadsheets where she kept track of her expenses, payroll documents, lists of the items that she purchased each week, even her insurance documents and lease - Sophia had found some major issues that needed attention right away. Over coffee one evening, seated at the counter as Rachel was closing up, she pointed them out to Ari.

  “Could you look over my expenses, too?” Rachel asked, overhearing them talk as she refilled Ari’s coffee mug. “I desperately need an expert opinion on how to even get business in the first place.”

  “I thought party planning was going well?” Sophia asked.

  “It was okay at first. I keep busy with enough jobs here and there, mostly for birthday parties or bridal showers or little things. But it’s not exactly a full-on business yet,” Rachel sighed.

  “Which is good for me,” Ari said. “Because I get to keep you here longer. But it’s also bad, ‘cause I want you to be successful.”

  “Slow at first is normal. There’s no reason it won’t pick up in the future. Just keep promoting whenever and wherever you can,” Sophia suggested.

  “I’m trying,” Rachel said. “I’ve advertised everywhere I can think around town, I promote on every social media platform I can think of, all of my friends are well aware of my business, but it’s still not enough.”

  “Word of mouth - referrals after you’ve done a few successful parties - can go a long way,” Sophia suggested. “Speaking of which, I’m hosting a cocktail party in about two weeks for some of my VIP customers. I could use someone to make the arrangements. I was going to have my associate Seth deal with it, but it’s actually too important of an event to simply hand over to him. Would you be interested?”

  “I’d be happy to,” Rachel said, brightening up at the suggestion.

  Sophia laughed. “Let’s discuss it tomorrow. For now, though, I’ve got to focus on Ari.”

  “I thought it would be really liberating to own my own business, but these past few weeks I’ve longed for the perks of working for someone else. Perks like direct deposit,” Ari admitted later on, as their session over the spreadsheets wore on and Rachel had long since gone home. “It’s hard to be responsible for every little detail, every day.”

  “I love being in control of it all,” Sophia confessed. “Although it does consume your life. I sometimes think I would have been a better mother if I had just had a normal job, one that allowed me the luxury to go home and get away from my phone and email in the evening. Percy has been all the worse for it, I’m afraid.”

  Ari gave her a look. “Don’t say that. Percy has turned into a bright young kid, so you’re doing something right.”

  “I sometimes wish I felt as competent being a mother as I am running a business,” Sophia sighed.

  “Couldn’t you delegate more at work? Get someone else to manage it, or part of it? Even sell it... you’re not exactly void of options here,” Ari said.

  Sophia nodded. “I know. But I love getting up and doing what I do every day. There’s no chance I’ll leave it behind.”

  ¨°¨

  Sophia second-guessed her decision to hire Rachel for a formal work event a few days later when she considered the fact that she was only familiar with Rachel’s portfolio of bachelorette parties. Luckily, her doubts were unfounded, as Rachel ended up managing the evening event like a true pro. She arranged a caterer who made fresh sushi, hired an amazing bartender who made artisanal cocktails and served fine beers and delicious local wine, and insisted on bringing in an edgy live musician who ended up setting the tone perfectly for the evening. Rachel created an event that Sophia felt was on-brand with her business, yet she would have never managed to dream, or coordinate, it on her own.

  “You’re a visionary, Rachel,” Sophia said to her halfway through the evening. “From bachelorette parties to elegant corporate affairs, you can do it all.”

  Rachel beamed with pride. “I’m glad you liked it. But I can’t chat now, we’re running low on maki.”

  Sophia waved her off. “Go. Don’t let me distract you.”

  Although the cocktail party was intended for her most loyal customers and featured special purchase discounts and gift baskets for all of the guests, Sophia also used the party as an excuse to invite members of the media.

  After Rachel’s cousin had given FORBIDDEN a shout out to his social media followers a few months ago, some of her pieces had gotten more attention from a younger crowd than they had before. She was not sure if Rachel’s cousin’s shout-out was why more media showed up to the event than ever before, but Sophia was pleasantly surprised when she saw that an assistant editor fromCorset - a trendy, edgy fashion publication - had accepted her invite and was at the party.

  “This was quite a change from planning a Vegas bachelorette,” Sophia said to Rachel after the evening was over. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “I loved every second of it,” Rachel said. “Although I have got to get some nicer shoes. I just got these at the mall on sale. Does everyone in the fashion world own $1000 French designer heels?”

  “Just the types that came to this party,” Sophia said. “But I can give you a pair.”

  “Wait... give me a pair of the shoes? Are you serious?”

  “I have an extra pair that I never wore. They didn’t fit me well, nor were they really my style, but I think they’ll suit a party - or should I say,event - planner who
has impeccable taste.”

  “Thank you,” Rachel said, “But it’s too generous. I can’t.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll send them to you. Consider them my investment into your future.”

  Later that night, after everything had been cleaned up and Rachel left, Sophia went back upstairs to pack up a few things before heading home for the night.

  “Don’t let me scare you,” a voice said from inside her dark office before Sophia had a chance to turn on the light.

  “Arianna?” Sophia asked, recognizing the voice, her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark.

  She peered inside. A single, small candle was flickering on a bookshelf, and her favorite blonde in the world was sitting at her desk.

  “I snuck in earlier, but the party wasn’t quite over. I didn’t want to disturb anything, so I came up here to wait for you.”

  “You must have waited a long time,” Sophia said, stepping inside, and clicking the door shut behind her, even though nobody else was left in the store other than the two of them. She left the lights off.

  “For you, I’d wait even longer,” Ari said, standing up and walking towards Sophia.

  Sophia made a sound in the back of her throat. She kicked off her shoes and stepped out of them, dropping in height by about four inches. Ari noticed Sophia’s eyeshadow - usually so dark - was a bit smudged, and her sleek hair was frizzing just slightly. She was no longer the picture of perfectly polished as she must have been hours before.

  “I like you like this,” Ari found herself saying, gently raising a thumb to brush Sophia’s cheek, helping remove the smudge.

  “Like this...?” Sophia questioned, her eyes fixed on Ari.

  “Like yourself. After a long day, when you’ve put in your hours and everyone you had to please or put on a little act for is gone. When you are ready to go home, and just be you,” Ari tried to explain.

  “Arianna,” Sophia sighed, reaching out, wrapping her arms around the blonde, burying her face in her feathery-soft sheet of hair as she pulled the woman closer.

  I did not want to fall in love with you, Sophia thought to herself.But I did anyway.

  She could not bring herself to say the words out loud, but in her heart, she knew them to be true.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” Sophia said sleepily, feeling heavy and drowsy after a long day, but the scent and touch of the woman bringing her slowly back to life.

  “You are probably ready to go home,” Ari said hesitantly.

  “Yes. And no,” Sophia admitted, taking one of Ari’s hands. “Since you’re here, I think I could stay a bit longer.”

  Ari kissed her. “We don’t have to. It’s been a long day.”

  “We never have to,” Sophia said, kissing her back. “But I always want to.”

  She steered her onto a large, armless, plush chair, the one sitting in the corner of her office, and they stayed until much later.

  ¨°¨

  The next day, Corset magazine’s blog and social media accounts featured a mention of the event and even talked about Sophia’s latest lingerie collection. Sophia was pleased by the additional exposure that the cocktail party had brought her work.

  Sophia also received two emails from attendees asking who had planned the event, and would her event planner be interested in working on any upcoming projects with them? Sophia gladly passed along Rachel’s information.

  Things were going very well.Too well. As the season changed to fall and the days became crisper and the apples ripened on the trees, Sophia was starting to wonder why she had ever doubted her ability to make things work with Ari in the first place, when the past few weeks had been so fulfilling professionally, and personally.

  And then she received a call.

  13. France

  “Is this Sophia Black?”

  “Yes,” Sophia said, half-distracted that morning. Her coffee was almost gone; she supposed she would have to run over to The Little Cafe soon for a refill. She would go as soon as she got off this call.

  “Sophia, this is Christophe, with the Gaulle-Boisvert Group,” said a heavily French-accented voice on the other end.

  “Hello,” Sophia said, perking up.

  She recognized the name. She had met a few people from that company in Paris months ago about the possibility of her line being carried in their retail stores throughout Europe.

  “Ms. Black, our Executive Vice President would like to speak with you concerning FORBIDDEN. Would you be available for a conference call tomorrow or Wednesday?”

  “Of course,” she said, scrambling to open up her calendar.

  Sophia booked the appointment, and immediately focused all of her attention and energy on preparing for the call. She knew that they would want to see her collection, especially the newest pieces she had made, and possibly hear the story of her label, her sales forecasts for the future, that sort of thing.

  They might be interested in carrying her line in their stores.

  She kept repeating that, over and over, in her mind. She could barely believe it. If her lingerie was carried in their stores - they were one of the most extensive networks of retailers in Europe - it would be a huge boost for her business. The Gaulle-Boisvert group owned department stores and boutiques under a few different names in countries throughout Europe. She had shopped in their large, beautiful old flagship department store many years ago when she was studying in Paris.

  That prospect alone was enough to make her crave all of the coffee in The Little Cafe and left her on edge with nerves and anticipation.

  The next few days flew by and before she knew it, it was Wednesday and time for her call. She sat alone in her office, in front of her large computer screen, wearing one of her sharpest blazers and an elegant silk blouse, a table full of men in smart suits and ties on the other side of the camera.

  Now the executives at the retail company that she had admired so much a decade ago were speaking with her, listening intently to her as she gave a brief history of FORBIDDEN, explained the concept behind it, then she gave a roadmap for its future. They asked about the line’s target market, its performance in the past few months and how she managed to grow a viable, loyal base of customers despite a volatile industry.

  She did what she was best at: giving a good, strong story about her business. She stayed positive, talking about everything that was going well, focusing on all of the merits of her work and how the lingerie was unique from anything else of its kind.

  She told them a story. It was the fantasy she had crafted through her work. Her pieces, after all, were more than just lingerie: it was a story of love, she told them. Her labor of love, but the love that a woman felt when she touched a delicate piece of lace, or satin, that rush when she found the perfect piece to wear for a special evening, an anniversary, a holiday. The boost of confidence it gave her, the connection a woman felt to the meticulously crafted fabric and lace as the piece wove itself into a little piece of the wearer’s life.

  The executives loved it.

  In return, they gave her a presentation about themselves. About their company, its illustrious and storied history. Its continued success. Their large network of retail stores, their hopes for growth and expansion while continuing to improve their reputation and the range of products they offered their customers.

  As she sat and listened to them, she felt more and more confident that this meeting had been a success. She half-expected them to immediately offer her a contract, discuss selling FORBIDDEN in their stores. She was eager to see her work in front of a more international audience, and in the back of her mind, she wondered how many additional employees she might have to hire now, to keep up with what would undoubtedly be increased demand.

  She waited for the offer to come at the end of the meeting.

  But it did not.

  Instead, they proposed something entirely different.

  ¨°¨

  “They want to acquire FORBIDDEN?” Elle asked, her eyes wide.

  In h
er haze following the end of the call, Sophia had gone downstairs and found Elle. There were no customers in the shop at the time, and so she had taken her aside to share the news.

  Which had not been a good call on her part.

  As soon as she explained the outcome of the meeting, she realized she would be worrying Elle, her loyal, long-time employee.

  “They want to purchase the rights to the entire line, but as a part of the negotiations, I would keep this boutique and run it separately,” Sophia quickly assured her. “I already said as much to them and they seemed to not have a problem with that. I don’t mean to scare you. I have no intention of allowing this boutique to close.”

  “What else did they say?” Elle said, although she still looked concerned.

  “I went into the call thinking they were going to negotiate a contract to carry my pieces in their stores in Europe. Instead, the Gaulle-Boisvert Group extended an offer to buy the entire company. The online store. The rights to the name and the line. The designs. All of my work. They would manage its creation, the manufacturing of the pieces, oversee collections, manage it, market it, sell it. Everything.”

  “What about you?”

  “It would appear I am a part of the deal. They went on and on, and I took notes, but I think they wanted me to work for them. They told me they would like to keep me on as a consultant for at least two years - perhaps permanently - as a part of the acquisition, so I could oversee the direction of the line and work in even greater capacities within their organization. I think they intend to offer me a fairly good title. And salary.”

  “That is wonderful,” Elle said, and she smiled sincerely, although still seemed nervous.

  “I am concerned about everyone here,” Sophia said, going back to the topic that had seemed to cause unease on Elle’s part. “That’s why I asked if this shop could be left out of the acquisition, if I could still run it separately, and at least have the right to carry the line here. They agreed. I didn’t want anyone who has worked here to be negatively impacted.”