“I thought about it,” I admit, “but I was trying to be practical.”
“Practical is boring,” Juliet says. “I did the practical thing too. Until I met Vaughn. But I always wanted to bake and now I get to do what I love. You should too. Life is too short to do something that doesn’t make you happy.”
“I can always go back to school,” I say lightly. “I’m just trying to get through this semester.”
“We’ll have to celebrate when you graduate,” Zoe says. “We can do a champagne brunch!”
I grin. “That sounds awesome.”
“And you’re going on the New York trip, right?” Eden asks.
“Oh, yes, I think so.” I’d almost forgotten about that. I need to talk to Jordan about the logistics.
“It’s going to be a blast,” Juliet says. “I’m really bummed that I’m going to miss it. I’ll either be due any day or will have just given birth, so I’m going to have to live vicariously through you guys.”
“I can’t wait,” Zoe says. “I get to spend money and Slava gets to do butt stuff.”
My cheeks feel like they’re on fire but the other girls are obviously used to her making comments like that.
“Ignore her,” Eden says when she notices my discomfort. “She lets him do butt stuff even when she doesn’t get to go shopping.”
“I get to go shopping all the time,” Zoe says primly. “And now you know why.”
“You guys are gross,” Juliet says, playfully wrinkling her nose.
“Whatever.” Zoe waves a hand. “You’re missing out.”
“Okay, there are shoes in our future,” Juliet says solemnly. “So, we have to go.”
“Have a good time shopping!” I call after them, my face probably still bright red.
“Next time, you’ll come with us.” Zoe winks.
They wave and disappear out the door, leaving me both happy and wistful.
I wish I was off so I could go with them, but I also love working with and dressing women in clothes that make them feel as good as they look. I wanted to design my own line once upon a time, and working at a boutique like this allows me to feel like I’m still at least a little bit involved in the fashion world. It’s not the same as going to the Fashion Institute but my parents would never have paid for that.
And for the first time in a long time, I’m resentful about it.
“Did you just have three-thousand dollars in sales?” Terri comes out from the back with her hands on her hips, a smile playing on her lips.
“I did.” I smile. “Some of the wives of my boyfriend’s teammates came in and shopped till they dropped.”
“Good for you! There will be a nice bonus in your next check. You do have a knack for how to dress women… What did they buy?”
I show her the receipts and she nods. “I need to re-order those cold shoulder blouses with the tapered sleeves…”
She bustles into the back, calling over her shoulder, “You really should be working in fashion, Victoria. Your skills are wasted here in retail, much as I love having you.”
I sigh.
I’d love to work in fashion too, but those jobs are few and far between.
Accounting is a much safer option.
Isn’t it?
Maybe I should be thinking out of the box. It’s not like my degree will go bad, but if Jordan and I are together, why can’t I explore a job in fashion?
