Isaac leaned on the counter across from where Darius and I sat. “There are two sides to every coin, man. I was here those first few months after you left. You can’t tell me she didn’t do any damage to you. Any other employer would have fired you for all the moping around you did.”
I shook my head. “I was a coward.”
“And she had tunnel vision,” Darius said. “We all saw it.”
Isaac scoffed. “What? Dani focused? Driven to the point of madness? Narrow-minded and determined to reach her goal? Never.”
“Like I said,” Darius said, reaching out and placing his arm across my back. “You’ve both changed in the past year. Never say never, you know?”
After dinner, I stood in the kitchen alone doing dishes, happy to have something to focus on outside of my earlier conversation with Isaac and Darius. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t considered the possibility of Dani and me getting back together before. But I’d worked really hard not to let myself dwell on the possibility. Not when she was still committed to her LeFranc dream job. And not when I was positive that even if that one obstacle were out of the way, she likely still wouldn’t forgive me.
I wanted to believe I had changed, that we both had. But I wasn’t sure it was enough.
“Hey Alex, you got a minute?”
Dani appeared beside me, her eyes wide with excitement. She slipped a hand over my forearm. “Come here. I need to show you something.”
I turned off the water and dried my hands, tossing a dish towel over my shoulder as I followed her into Isaac’s music room. She pulled out her cell phone and tapped on the screen a few times before handing it over. I stared at the screen, noting a New York number at the top, no contact name attached.
Band said yes, the text read. But jackets needed for each of us, not just me.
I looked up at Dani. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s a text from Reggie Fletcher. Red Renegade will play at the Compassion Experiment.”
“You’re serious? I thought Darius said he wouldn’t do it.”
“He did, but I had to try. And I mean, it did take a little convincing, but he agreed. He’s going to do it.”
“What’s this part about needing jackets?” I asked.
“That was part of the convincing I had to do. You remember that time we were over at Reggie’s with Darius, when he and Chase were pet sitting?”
“Right. The weird miniature poodle dogs, right?”
“Right. And then Reggie came home early and we were all sort of lounging around in his living room like we lived there?”
“He loved your jacket,” I said, picking up the story. “The leather one. With the red stripe down the sleeve.”
She nodded. “He wants one. And I guess now he wants them all to have one.”
“Matching jackets? That feels a little more nineties boy band than it does Red Renegade.”
“Who cares? If they’re willing to appear, I’ll make them matching tutus if they want them.”
“It’s amazing that they’re willing, but that jacket took you a long time. You handstitched most of it, didn’t you? Also, don’t celebrities have access to designers? Surely someone would want to put their name on a band like Red Renegade, even if just for one YouTube performance.”
A flit of something passed over Dani’s face. Was it disappointment? “Maybe I’m the designer who wants to put her name on a band like Red Renegade.”
“Oh. Of course. Dani, that isn’t, I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t. I know what you meant. But Red Renegade hasn’t had a hit in twenty-five years. They aren’t really on the map for anyone else, at least not any other designers looking for publicity. I’m probably the best they can do. Aside from that, I want to do this.” She shrugged. “For Isaac.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dani
I hauled the heaviest bin of fabric into the back of the SUV Paige borrowed from her Mom, then scooted it to the side, making room for Paige to slide the smaller bin in beside it. Paige and I had a mile-long list of wedding stuff to tackle, but first, a design boutique on King Street had agreed to look at my stash and purchase the lot of it if they liked what they saw. Hopefully, that would give me more than enough cash to special order the leather I would need for Red Renegade’s jackets, and still have some left over to catch up on some overdue bills.
“I have no idea how you’re saying goodbye to all this fabric,” Chase said, coming up behind us, a certain solemnity to his voice.
“Please don’t make me talk about it,” I said. I pushed my hands into my back pockets.
“I still don’t understand why you won’t let Alex pay for the leather. He could even write it off as a business expense,” Paige said.
“But this isn’t Alex’s thing. I need to do this for Isaac. He’s been good to me the past couple of months. I need to do this on my own.”
Paige nodded, but Chase shook his head. “Honey, I doubt Alex would ever tell Isaac who actually paid for the leather. Isaac might not even realize the band is wearing jackets. He’s going to be so completely mind-blown that you got Reggie Fletcher into the building in the first place, I’m not sure anything else will matter.”
“Maybe not. But it matters to me.”
Chase pulled me into a hug. “You really are too good for LeFranc, you know that, right?”
I laughed softly into his shoulder. “It’s funny,” I said, pulling away. “I feel so different about LeFranc now. The dream isn’t quite so shiny anymore. I mean, except for you. I loved everything about working with you.”
Chase placed his hand on my cheek. “I know, darling. I know.”
Darius walked down the drive toward the car, his and Chase’s bags slung over his shoulder.
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” I said, giving Chase another hug. “The week has gone by too fast.”
“Stupid adult responsibilities,” Chase said. “I’m glad we got most of that horrid dress made while I was here.”
I smiled. “All I need to do is sew the sequins on. Now I just hope something actually comes of it.”
“Trust Alex,” Chase said. “He’s working hard. I’m sure he’ll find what he’s looking for.”
Darius draped his arms around us both. “Let’s hope what he finds doesn’t put you out of a job, too,” he said, looking pointedly at Chase.
I froze. “Oh my gosh. I hadn’t even thought of that. Do you think it could?”
Chase shot Darius a warning look. “I think it doesn’t matter even if it does. I’ll be fine. I’m resilient. And hello, have you seen me? New York fashion will never not love this.”
I smiled, but Chase’s reassurance did little to settle my uneasiness. There really was so much on the line.
“If Sasha really is a crook,” Chase said, clearly sensing I wasn’t convinced, “I don’t want to work with her either. You’re doing the right thing. Trust that. It’ll all work out.”
I nodded. “You guys are good to me.”
“Have you thought about what happens next?” Darius asked. “After the wedding? Will you come back to New York?”