Chapter 15
Zoe shifted in the chair, trying to keep its arms from skewering her sides like a kabob. Meeting with Greg was already nerve
wracking, but now she was also squished in a chair clearly designed for smaller people.
The five minutes of waiting felt like fifteen. When Greg finally walked in, she smiled as if she wasn’t being tortured by
his furniture.
“Zoe, it’s nice to finally meet you,” said Greg. He shook her hand before sitting behind his desk.
“We briefly met during the opening night of Lysistrata a few weeks ago. My team and I were commissioned to make some of the costumes,” Zoe reminded him.
“Oh gosh.” He squinted at her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember. Opening nights are a blur for me. So many important donors
to schmooze with.”
“I understand. We only talked for a minute.” She regretted bringing up their initial meeting. It was silly to think that she’d
made an impression on him when there had been more important theater people to talk to.
“Hey, we’re talking now.” He flashed a toothy smile. “You were first on Derek’s list for our creative team, which is a pretty
big deal.”
She glanced to her left at Derek, who wasn’t in any danger of being compressed by his chair. He gave her a thumbs-up. He was
either agreeing with Greg or telling her that she was doing great.
“I’m excited about T ? m Cám , too,” Zoe said tentatively. Greg’s bright but flippant manner threw her off-balance.
“Good. You should be. Derek is doing something groundbreaking.”
“Thanks, Greg,” said Derek. “It’s an honor to hold the T ? m Cám world premiere at Prestige Rep.”
“Anyhoo, sorry for my lateness. One of the board members stopped me after our meeting. He couldn’t stop telling me how excited
he is about your T ? m Cam , Derek.”
Zoe’s left eye twitched at Greg’s pronunciation. Instead of attempting to say it the way she and Derek had, he made the names
rhyme like in Tammy and Cammy . Why didn’t Derek correct him?
“I hope he can make it to our meet and greet with everyone next week.”
“We invited the entire board.” Greg pointed to Zoe then Derek. “Want something to drink?”
“I’m good,” Derek replied and shifted in his chair, probably due to nervousness and not because it was trying to kill him.
Zoe was envious that he didn’t have to worry about things like that but also mad that all the furniture in the room seemed
geared for people whose bodies were smaller than hers.
Zoe shook her head. She couldn’t drink anything while compressed in this chair. Plus, she was too anxious to consume anything.
Her fingers cramped from the death grip she had on her portfolio. This wasn’t college and she wasn’t being graded. This was
a collaborative project.
“Madison, can you get us some water? Coffee for me, please,” Greg barked into the handset from the phone on his desk. “Water
is on the way.”
“Thanks,” Derek said quietly.
Zoe could barely recognize the man sitting beside her. Derek was a different person with Greg. Where was the funny, confident man she’d been talking to?
“I want to make something clear before we start,” continued the artistic director. “This is Derek’s show. I’m only here to
make sure this production goes smoothly. To be the liaison between you and the board and producers.”
“I appreciate the support,” said Derek.
“We’re only meeting today because it’s my job to keep them updated on the progress, since we’re investing so much of our resources
into this.”
“My designs are going to blow away the audience,” Zoe added before subdued Derek could give another generic response.
“The board has nothing to worry about.” Derek sat up straighter, as if buoyed by her confidence. “Zoe has nailed my vision.
Show him.”
He nudged her arm. Zoe set her portfolio on Greg’s desk and unzipped it. She’d stayed late at her boutique finishing up her
sketches after Derek and Th ? o had left to work on the script.
“These are preliminary sketches for the five main characters: T ? m, Cam, their Stepmother, the Emperor, and the God. And here’s two examples of how the ensemble will look. They won’t all
be dressed alike, but they’ll have coordinating colors and silhouettes.”
“They remind me of backup dancers.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going for.” Zoe clasped her hands in her lap, pleased that he understood her concept.
“T ? m has a lot of costumes.” Greg shuffled through several pages.
“She’s Cinderella, after all. Audiences will want to see her transformations. We need the wow factor for her.” One of her
favorite parts of the Vietnamese version was how T ? m changed into a tree, a bird, even a persimmon.
“As long as you’re able to stay in budget.” Greg tapped her sketches. “I’ve already stretched our board members’ wallets for this. It’ll be hard to ask for more.”
“We’re meeting with the costume shop manager after this to go over logistics and the budget,” Derek said.
“I’ve done more with less.” Zoe looked directly into Greg’s annoyingly clear blue eyes. She refused to give him any reasons
to think she wasn’t qualified for this job. Her imposter syndrome didn’t need another person on its cheer squad.
Shockingly, Greg didn’t have a response, but he tossed her a look that asked her to elaborate.
“I opened up my lingerie boutique with only credit cards and a small loan from my parents. We were profitable in eighteen
months. Believe me when I tell you I can design the best costumes you’ve ever seen and stay within budget.” Zoe wanted to
stand up to reiterate her point, but the awkwardness of extricating herself from the chair would have undermined her words.
“Well, Derek, seems like you’ve got a smart businesswoman here,” Greg finally said.
“She’s her own person, Greg. She’s in high demand and we’re lucky to have her on the team,” Derek replied in a firm tone.
“You know this story wouldn’t exist without Zoe.”
“Yeah, of course.” Greg’s head bobbed. “One more thing: These designs feel a little too folksy. I thought you were modernizing
the fairy tale, not making it look more exotic.”
“Exotic?!” Zoe whipped her head up from her drawings. She tried to keep her tone even and steady. “What exactly do you mean
by that?”
She’d heard that term used to describe herself too many times. People who fetishized Asian women used it as a compliment when
they hit on her. Others used it as an insult, as if she didn’t belong.
“Oh, I mean, it looks too much like a fantasy novel and not a rock musical. We want audiences to be able to relate to our heroine, T ? m.”
Greg’s mispronunciation grated on Zoe even more the second time.
“And why would wearing this keep them from relating to her?” Zoe picked up the sketch of the dress that T ? m’s magical fish had gifted her.
To illustrate T ? m’s finally coming out of her shell, Zoe had given her an áo dài with a traditional silhouette that included the hip-high
side slits. She’d changed the traditional high-collared neckline to a halter and added puffy sleeves. The plan was to construct
it out of a black sequined fabric and pair it with leather leggings and brocaded heels.
“It fits my vision perfectly, Greg,” Derek said through gritted teeth. “You told me I had complete creative control.”
“You do. I’m trying to anticipate what the board might say. They’re old and aren’t big on trends,” Greg explained.
Zoe opened her mouth but thought better of it. Greg was clueless. He genuinely thought he was helping them.
“If anyone has problems, tell them to come directly to me,” Derek pushed back. “I trust Zoe implicitly.”
“You got it. Derek’s in charge.” Greg leaned back in his chair. “Welcome aboard, Zoe.”
She pressed her lips together to keep a smirk off her face. Derek wasn’t being indifferent earlier. He knew how to handle
Greg and when to put his foot down. She, on the other hand, wanted to call Greg out for his little microaggressions, which
would only make him more defensive. That would’ve created a contentious working relationship for all of them.
Zoe breathed a little easier now that she’d successfully defended her costume designs. And she was even more confident that
Derek had her back no matter what.