“They’re on a cruise, I think. Somewhere in the Caribbean.”
“Seriously? And they didn’t want you to come along?”
“I’ve heard the childcare on cruises is available something like twenty-four hours a day. I guess they figured if the boat is providing it for free, why pay to bring me along?” Paige said.
“Yeah, because the Hoffmans are definitely hurting for cash.”
She scoffed. “Ha. True. Whatever their reason, I’m not complaining. I haven’t spent two nights in a row with Reese in months. The next few days are going to be bliss.”
“You’re not with him now, though. Is that my fault?”
“No, he’s working. But he finishes his shift in an hour, so, you know, don’t dawdle back there.” She looked over her shoulder, angling her head to try and see what I was doing.
“Stop moving!” I tugged on the dress. “Unless you plan on walking down the aisle leaning sideways. I just need this hem to hang evenly.”
She sighed a dramatic sigh. “What if the Hoffmans took a different nanny on the cruise?”
I stood up straight. “What? Why would they do that?”
“Because I’m getting married. And they need to replace me, and maybe this is like a trial run.”
“So you’re for sure quitting after the wedding then?”
“Yeah, I have to,” she said. “It’s hard to give up the pay, but the commute from Reese’s place would kill me.”
“So what then, you’ll teach?” I dropped my pin cushion onto my sewing table. “You’re done,” I told her. “It’s perfect.”
“Probably. I mean, it’s about time I use the degree I paid for, right?”
I sank onto the arm of the couch. “The Hoffmans have been good to you. But I’m excited that you’re moving on. It’s fun to imagine you in your own classroom somewhere.”
My phone rang, interrupting our conversation. I looked around. “Do you see my phone anywhere?”
Paige picked it up from the sewing table. “It’s Sasha. You want it?”
“Really? What on earth does she need?” As demanding as my boss was during business hours, she wasn’t one to typically take her work home. For her to reach out to me this late was weird.
I stood and quickly crossed the room, answering the phone before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”
“Oh, Dani, darling, I’m so glad I caught you.”
Dani darling? “What can I do for you?”
“Actually, I’m in the neighborhood. Well, I think I’m in your neighborhood. You live above the pet shop, right? The one with the red awning?”
My eyes went wide. Sasha was outside my apartment. Why was Sasha outside my apartment? “It’s a clothing store for pets,” I said. Not particularly relevant, but it was the best my brain could come up with.
“Oh. How charming. You’re the red door? Can I come up?”
“Um, is everything all right?”
“Of course. I just have a quick question, and since I was walking by, I figured I might as well drop in and ask you in person. Besides, it’s past time I see the place where my favorite assistant spends her time away from the office.”
My brain kicked into hyperdrive. Sasha in my apartment. Sasha seeing my workspace, my designs. It wasn’t terrible, necessarily. And yet, it still felt like an incredible invasion of my privacy. “Actually, my roommate isn’t feeling great right now. I can come down to you if that’s okay. Are you here right now, as in, right outside?”
I crossed to the window and peeked down at the street, not wanting her to see me. “Oh, actually your neighbor just let me in—thank you, yes,” I heard her say to whoever had opened the door for her. “I’m on the phone with her right now, so I’ll just go on up. Okay,” she said back to me. “I’m coming up. See you in a minute.”
I dropped my phone onto the couch. And then proceeded to full-on panic.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Paige asked.
“Sasha’s here.”
“As in coming up the stairs here here?”
I froze and looked at Paige. “You’ve got to get out of that dress.”
“What, right now? Who cares if she sees the dress?”
I cared, but for a reason I couldn’t quite define. Sasha had been nosier than normal the past few days. When I’d returned from lunch earlier in the week, my sketchbook had been out and open on my desk, flipped to the drawings of Paige’s dress, even though I distinctly remembered putting it away before leaving. And Sasha’s questions had been pointed and unusually wedding dress themed. I’d rebuffed her inquiries as best I could. Ultimately, she had no reason to care if I was designing a wedding dress in my apartment. But obviously, she did care. Why else would she have shown up unannounced?
“Paige, please. I don’t want Sasha to see the dress.”
“You’re being paranoid. I do want her to see it. Because once she does, she’s going to give you that internship.”
“I just have a weird feeling about it.” Alex’s warning snaked through my brain. “I’m not sure I can trust her.”
A knock sounded at the door. “It’s just nerves, Dani. Trust me.” Before I could stop her, Paige swung the apartment door wide open, head held high. Sasha stepped into the apartment, her eyes glued to the dress. She didn’t even look up, not at me, not at Paige. “Turn around,” she said softly, motioning with her fingers for Paige to spin.
Paige smiled, and shot me a knowing look, then turned, showing Sasha the back of the dress. It was my favorite part, the sheer back, save a tiny line of lace-covered buttons.
Sasha gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh, it’s perfect.” Finally, she looked up, her eyes scanning the room. When they landed on me, she smiled. “I knew you were hiding something from me.” She walked toward me. “But I’ve seen the sketches in that little book of yours. The one you keep tucked away in your purse?” She held up her fingers like she was ticking off all the evidence she’d collected against me. “Then the bag of lace you left on your desk. Do you remember? You went to Mood on your lunch break and came back with all this gorgeous lace. I knew you were working on a dress. I knew it!” She presented evidence, but I still couldn’t figure out my crime.
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say,” I said, my words careful, deliberate.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this dress?”
I raised my eyebrows. “It didn’t have anything to do with work. My best friend is getting married, so I made her a dress.”
Paige waved. “Hi. That’s me,” she said with a goofy grin. “I’m the best friend.”
Sasha turned back around and looked at Paige. “You don’t understand. This is more than a dress, Dani. It’s exquisite. It’s magazine-worthy.”
My heart started pounding in my chest. “Thank you.”
“Now, I came over here hoping to discover that my suspicions were, in fact, founded in truth. Since they are, I have a proposition for you.” She steepled her hands in front of her, her fingers tapping together.