Chapter Seventeen
One week later…
Debra had checkedher phone more in the past week than she had in the entire year before it. She wasn’t obsessing, she was just choosing to be hopeful, but she was kidding herself, and she knew it. She would have settled for something as simple as ‘hi, how are you?’, but there had been nothing. Not a single word beyond Billie’s initial response.
There had, however, been an email three days ago. Not from Billie herself, but from the automated system at Brown & Co.
Final Fitting - Friday at 11:00 a.m.
Debra had sat staring at the email for over an hour when she’d received it; she’d also glanced at it several times since, and now here she was…looking down at it again. Only this time, she was standing outside Billie’s shop as she reread the words. She hadn’t decided yet if the flutter in her stomach was nerves or a pathetic optimism, but it was there regardless.
Maybe Billie had just been busy. Perhaps she was giving them both room to breathe after the whirlwind couple of days they’d unexpectedly spent with one another. Debra shook herhead and sighed. Maybe wasn’t good enough for her. Not without an explanation anyway.
Just do what you came here to do.
Debra frowned. She wasn’t entirely surewhatshe had come here to do. Yes, it was her final fitting, but being here felt like something far more than merely trying on her new suit. Surely she wouldn’t walk in there and be treated like any other client by Billie…would she? She guessed she was about to find out.
When she stepped through the door, Debra noted just how quiet it was today. There was no jazz playing and no hushed conversations. Just…silence. And then she noticed that Billie was missing, with Nina instead taking her place on the shop floor. Nina being around wasn’t necessarily odd, shewasBillie’s employee, but Billie always stepped into the limelight the moment the bell jingled.
“Good morning, Ms Allen,” Nina said with a suspiciously bright smile. “Right on time.”
Debra’s own smile faltered. “Hi, Nina. Is Billie?—”
“In her office.” Nina gestured towards the fitting rooms. “Shall we?”
Shall we.God, that hit Debra deep in the gut. It had been said as though this was just any other appointment. It was said as though Billie hadn’t touched Debra in ways nobody else ever had. Nina may not be aware of what they’d shared, but Billie had disappeared without a word, andeverythingfelt heightened today.
Still, Debra followed Nina down the corridor.
Her new suit hung immaculately on the rail, the deep charcoal wool shimmering under the spotlights. It was stunning. On any other day, Debra would have marvelled at it, but today she could only focus on what she’d done to make Billie run a mile. It was clear that was happening right now. Billie…didn’t want to face her.
“Okay, if you’d like to try this on”—Nina lifted the jacket from the hanger with a smile—“I’ll just check whether Miss Brown would like to see how it sits on you.”
Debra swallowed, unsure now if she wanted to come face-to-face with Billie. What was the point? It was only going to end in upset. Debra felt it in the atmosphere settling over the entire space. “Thank you.”
As the curtain fell into place, Debra slipped the jacket on with shaking hands. The fit was perfect, nothing less than she expected, but her heart wasn’t quite in it today. Billie had done this. She’d designed it and measured it. She’d touched this fabric as carefully as she’d touched Debra’s skin.
Emotion welled in her throat when she heard two sets of footsteps outside. One light, and one unmistakably Billie’s.
Then that voice came from behind her and hit low in the belly. “Ms Allen.”
Debra turned around slowly, opting not to gaze back at Billie through the mirror. Those mirror moments were some of the only memories she could hold onto. She didn’t want anything to take them from her, and if she looked back at their reflection right now, it was surely going to happen.
When their eyes met, Debra noted how much smaller Billie looked today. Or perhaps that was the distance making it feel that way. Still, she forced a smile. “Hi, Billie.”
Billie nodded but remained close to the curtain. “The suit looks excellent on you.”
“That’s because you took care of the details.” Debra stroked her fingers over the woollen cuff and cleared her throat. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be here today.”
“I had to be,” Billie said as she slid her hands into her pockets, her tone painfully professional. “It’s your final fitting.”
Debra’s heart dipped. “Right. Yes.”
Nina stood to the side, her arms folded, watching with the interest of someone who enjoyed drama, but Debra simply ignored her.
And then Billie turned to her assistant. “Thank you, Nina. I can take it from here.”
Nina nodded. “I’ll call your afternoon appointments to confirm. If you need anything else, I’ll just be out front.”
