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“Then I’m good.” I nearly hold my breath as she opens the folder I brought and starts thumbing through the designs I copied since I don’t give anyone my personal sketchbook.

She doesn’t say anything for a long time. She looks at the one we’re doing for Peachy Keene and seems to study it. Then she flips to one I drew just before I left Atlanta and makes a face I can’t quite decipher.

“Okay, my overall opinion,” she says slowly, “is that these have a lot of promise but they need work.”

Whew.

She doesn’t completely hate them.

That’s a relief.

“Tell me what I can improve,” I say.

She nods. “I think you need more style. I understand the point is comfort, but if you want comfort and sexy, you leaned too far to the comfort side.”

I wrinkle my nose. “I know but…” My voice trails because I know she’s only trying to help.

“Go on, give me your pitch.”

“You can buy sexy anywhere, but we know how they feel—tight and confining unless you’re lucky enough to have a perfect body. You can buy comfortable clothes anywhere too. It’s the combination that makes mine special. At least, that’s the goal.”

“And you’re almost there.” She studies a couple of the sketches again. “The silk/bamboo blend is going to be amazing. I wish I’d thought of it. But I honestly feel that the designs themselves need some tweaking.” She goes into some details, and I nod, appreciating both her experience and her perspective.

“Oh, I never thought of that,” I say when she mentions adjustable straps.

“Why don’t you give my suggestions some thought, work on some options and email them to me. Then we can talk again.”

“I really appreciate this,” I say sincerely. I’m bummed that she thinks they need work, but I’m okay with that. That’s why I’ve been reluctant to invest a lot of money in them.

Hopefully, by the time lunch is over, I’ll have lots of food for thought.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cash

We’re 7-0-1 for the season and it feels good to be on a winning streak. The team has been playing a tight, cohesive game, and Coach Teller has us running drills unlike anything I’ve ever had to do before. He’s just as focused on athleticism as he is the game itself, and we had one practice at a bowling alley with a former pro teaching us about strength, control, and aim. I never would have thought hockey and bowling had anything in common, but it appears that they do.

Tonight is the first of a nice stretch of home games that will take us right up to Halloween. Afterward, there’s a party at West and Serena’s place. I have to remember to ask Maya if she wants to go and if she wants to wear some matching costume thing. I always rolled my eyes when Shandy suggested it, but with Maya being an actual costume and clothing designer, my gut tells me Halloween is her jam.

“Are you guys all dressing up for the Halloween party?” I ask in the locker room as we’re gearing up.

“Well, duh.” West gives me the side eye. “It’s a Halloween party.”

“What are you wearing?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Whatever Serena tells me to wear.”

Everyone laughs.

“You should talk to Maya,” Reid says. “Halloween is her favorite holiday, her favorite day of the year. She’s pretty laid back about everything else, but Halloween? She’s dumped guys for saying it’s not a real holiday.”

There’s another round of chuckles.

“Good to know,” I say, nodding. “She’s not going to make me wear something dumb, is she?”

Reid arches his brows. “Dumb is relative. If she’s in the mood to be Cinderella, you’re going to need to be prepared to be the prince, the pumpkin, or the fairy godmother. You never know with Maya.”

I wince. “Oh, boy.”