Taking The Wins When You Can Get Them; Runaway Girl
Day 152 of The Andie Chronicles
I held the designs in my hand, my exquisitely coloured sketches held close to my side in a neat stack.
After Douglas chastised me for pursuing the unisex line, you would have thought I would've revised the sketches. And gave my boss what he wanted.
But considering I didn’t see him as my boss, but as the person ruining my life and overtaking my business instead, I decided not to listen to him.
It was going against this private motto I was harbouring.
Don't rock the boat.
Go along with everything until I could find a way to reclaim my business. Even though Douglas seemed to think I was doing the opposite.
But for some reason, I felt too dear about what I had created, I had to push a little.
Perhaps it was the conversation from last night, too. James seemed to marvel at my perception of GG’s experiences and why she seemed to coddle most of the people in her life.
He kept linking his own observations to what I said. And in a rare moment between us, he praised me again.
First the new dining room table and now this.
I felt like his child, not a friend or a business partner or roommate. Considering how hard things had been, though, I took the compliments when I could get them.
Hoping James would make it three in a row, I thought I would show everyone what I had done. Or, more to the point, what I insisted our brand look and feel like.
I even slipped in one of my secret designs; a pleated skirt to fit the male and female body with an adjustable waistline. I designed a belt buckle that made the conversion seamless. The drawings took me forever. That and the engineering, too.
Standing in front of the copier, I placed the designs down and began to copy. It was an impatient wait, but as the stack reached halfway, one of the assistants joined me.
It was Olivia, the only one to say more than four words to me in a single sentence.
At first, she hesitated, nearly dropping the mountain of papers she was holding. But when she saw that I had seen her, she stopped and started to wait.
“I won’t be long,” I quipped, holding the already copied papers and flicking through them. I knew she was uncomfortable, I could feel it. There was no point in making it worse for her.
“Wow,” quipped Olivia, glancing over my shoulder. “Did you draw this?”
She stepped toward me and looked at the page. It happened to be the skirt. “Yeah, I did. You like it?”
“I do.”
Ok, I mused, this is a good step. For my drawing, for the fact someone either than my friends or my ex had initiated a conversation with me in the office, too.
“And, more importantly, would you wear it?”
Olivia furiously nodded. “For sure I would. With some boots, maybe. Calf length.”
“You have an eye for fashion.”
Olivia smiled. I finished making the copies, stapled them together and then handed them to Angela to give to my colleagues.
“Tell them I’m out for the rest of the afternoon,” I demanded of Douglas’ aging assistant. “An appointment.”
I didn’t have an appointment.
I didn’t want to stick around for the feedback, though.
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… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Just a moment! 1 Lovelock Drive is a reader-supported publication (I can’t do this without you!). If you love what you read, and want to receive the next instalment and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!