“Have you got something else lined up? You never mentioned that you were looking,” Xera accuses.
“Does this mean you’re moving to LA? The guest room is yours,” Blaise adds.
Polly makes a wordless sound of protest. “I’m literally staying in it right now!”
“You’re leaving Tuesday,” Jordan points out, “and even if you do come back for a visit between now and Spring Training, you can crash with Calla or, I don’t know, pay for a hotel with part of your million-dollar salary. Can we get back to the part where Harold was telling us about his new job?”
“Don’t have one.” Seemingly unconcerned, Harold takes a bite of his snack.
Calla’s eyes narrow. “I think we need the whole story.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PHIL
“There isn’tanything new to tell,” Harold informs us. “Boss was mad for some dumb reason, and while he was lecturing me and I wasn’t listening, I realized I can find a boss who’ll lecture me closer to you guys. So, I quit. Now I just have to find a job in LA, and I can hang with you all the time.” His grin is decidedly evil. “I can’t wait.”
“We need to hire, but you hate sewing, and that’s basically the whole job,” Calla says.
“Unless you’re willing to make the sacrifice?” I add. Harold’s not the best machinist, but Heidi would know how best to use him.
“Fuck no,” he answers immediately, making us all laugh. “I don’t mind tailoring my own clothes, but I’d be lucky to last a week if I’m only sewing. Besides, I’d get mouthy at some point, and you’d need to reprimand me to avoid setting a bad example for the rest of the staff, and eventually our friendship would be ruined. I’d rather starve in a gutter.”
“Pretty sure we can avoid that,” Xera says dryly. “You forget, I oversee your investment portfolio.”
“So you’re looking for another interior design job?” Blaise asks. “How do you feel about set design? I could ask around….”
Harold purses his lips with mild interest. “Maybe. I don’t know if I’d cope without my wealthy housewives to bitch with, though.”
Griff leans down to whisper in my ear, “What?” and I snort.
“Most of Harold’s clients are bored rich women who supply him with constant gossip from the country club. Every time they want to bitch about their friends, they call him to come and redecorate something, or find new art.”
My boyfriend—fuck, I love thinking of him that way—blinks a few times, then grins. “They pay him just so they can whine about their friends?”
“Yep.”
A thoughtful expression crosses his face, and he raises his voice. “Have you considered fashion styling?”
My mouth drops open. I can’t believe that didn’t occur to me. “That would be perfect. The only thing you’re better at than choosing furniture is choosing clothes.”
“You could even keep your wealthy housewives,” Butch muses. “They’d just be paying for you to find them clothes instead of furniture and tchotchkes.”
“This is intriguing,” Harold agrees, looking at Griff. “How would I start? Reach out to upscale department stores? Will my lack of experience in the field be a problem?”
Griff shakes his head. “You’ve got the education, experience in styling, and you clearly know how to put an outfit together.” He gestures to Harold’s clothes, and my friend preens. “Most important, you have an existing clientele. A department store would take you based on that alone, but I was actually thinking you should talk to Damian. Everyone at Style Me has a full roster right now, and usually that means he looks at bringing on someone new to take on all the wannabe new clients.”
“Not that I don’t have complete faith in Harold—” I blow him a kiss. “—but Style Me could have a thousand experienced fashion stylists apply if Damian let people know he was looking. Would he really consider someone who’s never worked in fashion before?”
“If I didn’t agree, I’d totally be offended by that,” Harold informs me, then turns back to Griff and points at me. “What he said.”
Shrugging, Griff says, “I can’t make promises, but Damian prioritizes aptitude, personality, and cultural fit over experience. Plus, like I said, it’s not going to hurt that you’ve got an existing client list. New stylists take on whichever client makes an enquiry, and sometimes they’ll stick, sometimes not. As you build your list, you’ll start getting referrals and you’ll be able to be pickier about who you take. Having clients already means you can start bringing in income from the get-go. I think it’s worth a conversation, at least.” He glances down at me. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I have hit the fucking jackpot. “Do I mind that you want to help my friend get a job? Nah, I think I’m okay with it.” I give his hand a little squeeze, then ask Harold, “You want Griff to talk to Damian on Monday, maybe set up a meeting?”
Harold nods slowly. “Yeah. That would be…” He chuckles. “It would be fucking epic.”
Xera claps her hands. “Yayyy! And even if it does take time to build your client list, you’ve got a place to live. This is fantastic. Now I’ve got my own personal artist, designer, and stylist.”
