“I have to go in.” I gripped Lucy’s jaw and pressed a hard kiss to her lips.
“Stay safe.” Her wide eyes met mine and she squeezed my hand hard. “Give us an update when you can?”
“I will.”
I jogged away, feeling like I was leaving my heart behind.
54
Lucy
I was alone for thefirst time in days, and I hated it. After the grand opening, Leo, King, and I had spent the rest of the day together. We’d napped, watched a truly horrendous movie at the Hollywood Cinema—a space opera that was a literal opera—and ended the night with some not-so-innocent activities in my nest. But this morning, they’d left for work. Which, honestly, rude. My omega agreed. She firmly believed I should have cuddles and orgasms on tap.
Everything would have been perfect if Wilder had been with us. I’d carried my anxiety for him like a tangible thing as I checked my phone and the news for updates. We didn’t hear anything until after midnight, when he’d texted to say he was safe, they’d finally put out the fire, and he was going to crash at the firehouse for the night. His next two-day shift started this morning so I understood him staying there, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on.
Maybe I was being too sensitive, but no amount of convincing could erase the rejection I felt because we hadn’t had sex. My brain kept generating all sorts of reasons for it—he was disappointed with my body, he wasn’t attracted to me, he regretted his decision. The reasonable thing would be to justaskhim, but I was scared to hear the truth because that would make it real. Right now, I could hold on to the hope that I was imagining things.
I jumped when my shop phone rang. I excavated it from its spot beneath the dress I was tailoring for Mrs.Cassini.
“Hi, can I speak to Lucy?”
“This is she.”
“Hi Lucy. This is Jacqueline Wu. We met at the Boston Children’s fundraiser?”
My breath froze in my lungs. Jacqueline Wu had called me. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH JACQUELINE WU.
“Hello? Are you there?”
“Yes, yes, I’m here. Sorry!” I jumped up from my chair and let out a silent scream.You’re making a bad impression on Jacqueline Wu! Get your shit together!
“Am I catching you at a bad time?”
“No, absolutely not. You just caught me a bit off guard! What can I do for you?” My words came out all squeaky, but I was just glad I had recovered the ability to form words, period.
“I was talking to my colleague, Fran Soto, and she shared that one of our upcoming fashion interns had to withdraw from our program because she’s getting married. We’ve been going through our waitlist forms and I happened to spot your name, which was quite funny since I had just told Fran about meeting you. I was wondering if you were still interested in applying for the internship? It starts in just one month, so we’re in a bit of a time crunch.”
“Me?” I looked around my shop as if I’d find a secret camera recording what had to be a prank. Jacqueline Wu had remembered who I was? She wanted me for this internship?
“Yes, you,” she said, amusement edging her voice. “Your dress at the event was beautifully designed and constructed. I think you’d be an asset to our program. There would still be a condensed application and interview process, and Fran makes the final determinations, but I’d love to get you the application if you’re at all interested.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I’m really honored you thought of me. I just, I mean—” I forced myself to take a breath. “I don’t have any formal training. Is that a problem?”
“While our interns are usually recent college grads from various fashion institutes, it’s not a strict requirement. I think your real-world experience would be a great addition to the program. The focus of this internship is design, not sewing, although the fact that you can sew will help you, of course.” A car honking sounded through thephone. “Listen, I have to go, but I’ll have my assistant send you the application, and reach out if you have any questions.”
“I will. Thank you so much again.”
My hand shook as I hung up. One of my favorite designers in the world had called me and thought I could keep up in a program with college graduates.
“That didnotjust happen.”
Blossom just blinked at me with sleepy eyes as if my entire world hadn’t just been knocked off its axis.
55
Lucy
My pen tapped aggressively againstthe desk King set up for me in his rented office space. I’d thought writing on paper might help with my writer’s block, but the blank internship application continued to taunt me.
