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"If that works for me? You're letting me choose?" Claudia steps back from the glass and turns to face her.

"Well, not exactly—you still have to go through every department eventually. But I don't mind if you pick the order. Maybe that way—"

"What? I'll be happier in this factory grind and that'll make me behave and keep everyone happy."

Laia frowns.

"Sorry," Claudia says.

"Is that what's going on? You think you have to keep your parents happy?" Laia presses.

"Isn't that what this is all about?" Claudia gestures to the space around her with both hands. "Turning into the perfect daughter who'll run the Barcelona offices and keep the family name afloat?"

Laia slides her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and twists her mouth to one side.

"You don't want to work there?" she asks, thrown.

Claudia looks at her, and for a moment Laia has the sense she's about to check out again—but then she shifts and nods toward the stairs.

"Shouldn't we go down? On the one day I actually show up on time, I don't want the workers thinking I'm late."

She doesn't wait for an answer. She leaves Laia standing there and picks up her pace toward the other end of the hallway.

Chapter 9

Laia and Claudia walk down one of the factory hallways toward the pattern-making section. The assistant walks slightly ahead, followed by a Claudia with her hands shoved in her pockets, moving heavily, like someone being led to the slaughter.

"You'll be with Remei," Laia says, pointing through the glass wall of the room where the woman stands at the table, looking over a pile of what seem to Claudia like papers spread across it.

"Okay."

Laia pushes the door open and Remei looks up.

"Hey, Remei, I'm bringing you some help. Claudia will be staying with you for the next two weeks."

"Well, look at that," the woman smiles, her eyes on Elvira's niece, who raises a hand in greeting.

"Alright, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Don't worry," Remei says, "I've got it covered."

Laia leaves and Claudia pushes the door closed behind her, grateful for the drop in noise from outside.

"So, the two of us together again after—what?" Remei tries to remember. "God, you were so little, you used to sit on one of these stools and your feet didn't reach the floor."

Claudia swallows. She loves this woman, but being here doesn't sit right with her—it brings back memories that hurt, even though they shouldn't.

"What do you need me to do?" Claudia asks, her eyes drifting to the cardboard pattern pieces hanging on the rack, tracing the curves.

She pulls her gaze away and focuses on the table, because there's nowhere she can look without grief climbing up her throat—this was the place she loved most, drawing and telling this woman about all the dresses she was going to design when she grew up.

"Come, sit here with me." Remei drags a stool over next to her own and they both sit down.

For the next half hour, Remei walks her through every item and tool on the table. She explains what the curved ruler is for and what a punch tool does, shows her how they organize the documentation in the binders, and points out that they're currently working on the fall models. Claudia follows her gaze when she talks and looks closely at everything she's shown, because this is everything she would have used if she'd chosen to chase the dream she'd had since she was small.

"Are you listening?" Remei asks.

"Yes, of course."