Chapter 33
“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait until Derek gets here?” Trixie asked Zoe for the second time.
Zoe reconsidered her roommate’s offer after she recounted how awful Greg had been earlier that afternoon. When she’d gotten
home, Zoe had taken a long shower to wash off the disgust that Greg had left on her. She felt much better in her cozy tunic
and leggings as she stroked Mr. Bobbins, who was purring contentedly in her lap.
“No, you’ve done enough by taking care of my little floof ball the past week.” Zoe kissed the cat’s head. “You and Andre need
time together.”
“I’m prepared to go mama bear on him for not defending you to Craig.” Luckily Trixie hadn’t had much interaction with the
artistic director in her role as the show’s intimacy coordinator.
“Greg. His name is Gregory A. Powers.” Zoe laughed.
“Whatever.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Does the ‘A’ stand for Asshole?”
“Honestly I have no idea what it stands for but it fits.” Zoe snorted.
The two women giggled and soon it turned into guffaws. Zoe’s chest shook from laughter, which also jostled the cat. Mr. Bobbins,
unfazed by their outburst, yawned before curling back into a donut. He’d lived with them long enough to recognize their moods.
Currently there wasn’t any cause for concern.
“My stomach hurts,” Zoe finally said after she caught her breath. “It feels good to let it all out. The last few weeks have been intense.”
“Stressful. You’re allowed to say it,” Trixie pointed out.
“Dealing with Greg has been more challenging than my worst bridal clients,” Zoe admitted.
“Should we call him Gregzilla?” Trixie asked.
“What if I accidentally call him that to his face. Better not.” Zoe shuddered.
“Don’t forget he’s technically not your boss. Derek is,” Trixie reminded her.
“Greg is technically within his rights to offer feedback. The issue is, he has no idea how problematic some of it is.”
“Ugh, that’s the worst. I guess I’ve been lucky that we haven’t had much interaction.”
“How’s the intimacy coordinating going?” Zoe asked. This was the first time she’d spent the night at their apartment since
she’d started seeing Derek. They hadn’t been able to really talk outside of the Boss Babes’ group texts.
“It’s been a learning experience, but Katie Mai and Danny have been very involved in the choreography of their love scenes.
Unlike the western Cinderella, we get to see what happens after the happily ever after.” Trixie laughed.
“Our version is definitely more interesting,” Zoe agreed. “It’s so romantic how the Emperor continues to love T ? m even though she transforms into a tree, a bird, and a persimmon.”
“Your turn,” said Trixie. “How are you dealing with all of it? Creating gorgeous costumes and secretly dating your best friend
while running Something Cheeky?”
“I’m barely keeping my head above water.” Zoe sighed. “Maybe I should’ve let the past stay in the past.”
“You’re having regrets about Derek?” Trixie sat down on the couch and rubbed Zoe’s shoulder. “People mess up. I know he didn’t stand up for you this afternoon, but you said he’d defended you to Gregzilla before.”
“He has.” Zoe smiled as she recalled their meeting in Greg’s office. “By the past, I meant working in theater again.”
“We’re over halfway done, aren’t we? The show goes into tech in ten days.”
“There’s still so much to do. We’ve got the base pieces finished, but it’s all the decorations and embellishments. Detail
work takes forever. Plus the headdresses. I want everything to be perfect to prove Greg wrong.”
“Motivation à la spite. I’m familiar with that feeling.” Trixie tilted her head as she studied Zoe. “There’s more.”
“I wanted to launch my formal-wear collection this fall, but I have to push it to next year. I’ve been too consumed by the
musical—and Derek—that I’m not even close to creating a cohesive collection.”
“You’re worried about something else.”
“I’ve put everything on pause for this musical. What if the audience doesn’t get my costumes or, worse, the show flops?” Zoe’s
heart pounded and the room began to shrink around her.
Mr. Bobbins mewed and licked her hand as if sensing her anxiety. He nudged her hand with his nose as if commanding her to
keep petting him. She obliged, taking deep breaths as she focused on his soft fur under her fingertips.
“Zoe, I’ve never seen you this hyped about lingerie or a custom áo dài. You would’ve kicked yourself for turning it down.”
Zoe bit her lip and nodded. Her best friend was right, yet she couldn’t shake the doubts swirling in her head. Was this a
second chance at an old dream or was she piggybacking off of Derek’s vision? She was no longer the young, naive person in
college who thought she could change the theater world.
She’d learned the hard way that she couldn’t fight back when the villain was a tenured college professor in a small college town. So why did she think she could do it when she went to New York to pursue her costume design career?
Instead, she’d come home, where she’d made her own damn chair at her own table by opening Something Cheeky. She’d betrayed
her shop and her customers by pushing it aside to do this musical.
“If you need, I’ll come into the costume shop and hand-sew things. And you know Josie, Reina, and Keisha will help, too. Hell,
Reina can get her burlesque guys. They make a lot of their costumes.”
“We’d never get anything done except gossip!” Zoe joked. The image of the Boss Babes hunched over costumes and sewing machines
together made her smile. Slowly the room returned back to its normal size.
“Nah, Josie would make sure we got work done.”
“She’d have to-do lists broken down by tasks and how long they’d take to get done.” Zoe hugged Mr. Bobbins. The mother hen
of their group was known for her checklists.
“Thanks for making me feel better, Trixie.”
“I mean it about coming in to help,” she reassured Zoe.
“According to Shawn, our extremely organized shop manager, we’re on track. And he hired two additional stitchers who are precise
and fast. I might have to ask if they’re looking for extra work when we need backup for our busy season.”
“See? You’re still planning for the future.” Trixie leaned over to give Zoe and Mr. Bobbins a hug.
“I’ll see things better once the show opens.” Zoe hadn’t allowed herself to plan past this show but there was a glimmer of
something across the finish line.
“Now, one more time, do you want me to stay till Derek gets here? Because I’ll glare at him or give him a stern talking to.”
Trixie put one hand on her hip and shook a finger dramatically.
Before Zoe could respond, a loud knock landed on their front door. Mr. Bobbins’s ears perked up and his body tensed at the sound. Zoe made comforting sounds as she rubbed his chin until his tail stopped twitching.
“Can you let Derek in on your way out?” Zoe wasn’t ready to kick the cat off her lap. They’d missed each other terribly and
she wanted as many cuddles as he was willing to allow.
Trixie slung her overnight bag on her shoulder before making her way to the door.
“And be nice,” Zoe whispered. “I’ve got everything under control.”
“One text and I’ll drop everything. Andre will understand.”
“I’ve kept you away from him for too many nights now. You need a break from cat sitting.” Zoe motioned for her to go. “You
two enjoy yourselves.”
“I’ve got some new toys to test out.” She grinned and patted her bag before swinging the door open to reveal Derek, who was
holding at least six plastic bags presumably filled with take out.
“Hi, Derek!” Trixie said a little too brightly. “Need a hand with those bags?”
“I’m good. I’ve Tetris’d the hell out of them because I wanted to make only one trip. One bad move and the crispy lechón skin
will tumble out of its tinfoil sleeping bag.” He nodded to indicate one of the bags in his left hand.
Trixie dramatically stepped back and waved at their kitchen counter.
Derek nodded at her roommate and stepped inside, kicking off his flip-flops.
“Where did you even get flip-flops?” Zoe asked in surprise.
“Th ? o lent me hers, in case you can’t tell by the floral print on them.” He briefly pointed at them with his left foot before
setting the bags of food on the counter.
“Please tell me you’re buying her a new pair after stretching them out with your big feet,” said Zoe.
“I’ll buy her as many as she wants,” he replied before turning to Trixie. “Are you staying for dinner? There’s plenty to share.”
“As delicious as that sounds, I have a hot date with my boyfriend, who’s a professional chef.”
“That sounds fun,” Derek said, his fingers still tangled in the bag handles.
Trixie walked over to help him since Zoe was still trapped under Mr. Bobbins.
“These things are like those stupid Chinese finger cuffs,” Derek grumbled. “Why are they even called that? Gotta have racist
origins.”
“Look, theater boy,” Trixie said, glaring at Derek. “If you hurt Zoe in any way, you had it coming.”
Derek laughed but his face paled when Trixie didn’t join him.
“Uh, I don’t plan on running into your knife,” he joked nervously.
“Ten times,” Trixie deadpanned.
“Trixie, stop it. You’re not a murderess and this isn’t ‘Cell Block Tango,’” Zoe said, trying to keep a straight face.
“What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t threaten him at least once?” Trixie shrugged and smirked.
Derek laughed nervously as he squeezed past Trixie to set the bags down in the kitchen.
“Don’t wait up for me,” Trixie sang as she shut the door behind her. They heard her laughter through the door as it echoed
down the hallway.
“I had no idea Trixie could be so intense. Will your other friends threaten to stab or poison me, too?”
“I can’t say,” Zoe replied honestly. “We Boss Babes are very protective of one another.”
“They sound like wonderful friends. I hope to meet the rest of them soon.”
“You will on opening night.”
“Perfect. I can hide behind you all when the board comes looking for me. I hate schmoozing.”
“They’ll love you. Whenever you talk to people, you make them feel as if they’re the only ones in the room,” Zoe said quietly.
“You make them feel important.”
“Are we still talking about the board?”
Embarrassed, she shook her head. After Greg had caught them making out like teenagers, she thought it’d been a mistake to
take her friendship with Derek to the next level. But when they were alone together, he made her feel safe and loved.
Derek set everything down and sat down next to her to hold her hand. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Those
deep brown irises never strayed from her.
“You’re the most important person in my life. Except for my mom,” he added.
“Is she coming to opening night?” Zoe asked, relieved to move the conversation away from herself. She wouldn’t have to deal
with her conflicting feelings about their relationship.
“I bought her a nonrefundable ticket hoping her frugality guilts her into coming.”
“Ooh, you know how our moms hate wasting money.”
“Fingers crossed. She’ll be more excited to learn that we’re dating than seeing my bastardization of T ? m Cam .”
“Retelling,” she corrected him. She hadn’t realized how stressed he’d been about his mom. “Even if she doesn’t like it, she’ll
be proud that you’re telling our stories.”
“I hope so.” He placed a hand out for Mr. Bobbins to sniff. “I almost forgot, I brought tuna for Mr. B.”
“Mr. B?”
“A cool cat needs a cool name. Right, Mr. B?” He scratched the cat’s chin.
The orange tabby meowed as if in agreement. Zoe gasped in joyful surprise.
“Now how about that tuna, Mr. B?”
Mr. Bobbins’s ears perked up at the magic word. He stood up and arched his back into a big stretch before hopping off Zoe’s
lap. He nudged Derek’s leg and trotted to the kitchen.
“He approves.” Derek grinned and rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Let’s get you some tuna with water .”
Finally, her two men were getting along. If Mr. Bobbins could let go of the past, so could she. Dealing with Greg was already
hard enough but to be surprised the way they’d been? Derek had done his best to handle the situation.
It was best to focus on the present. Zoe told herself not to worry about their future until after opening night.