Fashion Approvals From The Man Who Would Prefer You Naked
Day 193 of The Andie Chronicles
"What is this t-shirt?"
Cooper pawed at my clothing, looking at the design and fingering the edge of the cut sleeves.
"I really like how it doesn't sit like a normal tee. You know, it's different."
Cooper might have been a wrestler, a seemingly undignified and unaccepted profession in society. Still, he knew a thing or two about culture.
You can't become a near household name without being able to speak to the people. Nor can you sell out merchandise every single week on your own website, something I learned tonight when I found him working away in his home office when I came straight from work.
"It's mine. I designed it and had a sample made. It arrived the other day."
Cooper looked surprised. "This is yours? Are you kidding me?" I smiled.
I had hoped Douglas would have this kind of reception when I showed him what I could do. Not James having to take me out to show me someone else's creations instead, showing me things I needed to do instead of embracing what I could do.
"Yeah, it's not perfect, but you get the idea."
"I more than get the idea. Is this what you're going to sell?"
"It's what I want to sell." I looked down at the fabric, admiring the colours against the black cloth. "If I can find a way to take back my business, this would be the sort of design I would do. You know, unisex without being masculine or feminine or anything."
Cooper nodded. "I get it. I see the vision. You have to keep going."
"I want to keep going. It's not about wanting to or not. I don't know how to make it a reality." I felt myself pause. I could feel the emotions start to bubble inside me. If I kept talking about the impossible task before me, I might give up at the sheer scale of it.
"What's the stopping point, if you don't mind me asking?"
I didn't want to tell Cooper the truth because I didn't want him to help me. Not that I could assume he would try and help me, but in my experience with men and money, they're so quick to offer a financial fix to an ailing woman. I didn't need that. I didn't want that. But there was no way I wanted to lie to him either. He didn't deserve that.
"It's fucked up. I hate saying this." I haltered. "Money. I don't have the investors anymore."
"Yeah, I get it." Cooper continued to nod his head. "The money is always the hardest part. I used to get paid twenty dollars per show. I lived off rice and beans. I feel your pain."
I couldn't imagine the man sitting in this Toorak mansion ever having lived off scraps.
But we all have to start somewhere. I should've been more grateful that I had a roof over my head, a job, and an idea I was passionate about. It was better than nothing at all.
"Thank you for feeling my pain. It's more than other people can do."
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.
Or the day after that.
Or the day after that, too.
Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?
Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx
