Chapter 2 #2
Happy to change the subject, Brinley told Cypress what she knew about the trip and the pageant.
“The five women I’ve designed dresses for are from Canada, Australia, Mexico, Finland, and Nigeria.
They’re all completely different, and it was a challenge to design the perfect outfits for each of them.
Colors, styles, patterns…all of that. Thankfully, I only designed their dresses for the evening gown competition, and not outfits for the interview or talent portions of the pageant.
I reviewed the other international competitions, to see what the winners wore, and then studied current trends to see what’s popular.
I looked at the body types and coloring of the women, and I came up with what I thought was the most flattering look for each of them.
They all seemed pretty happy, so I think I did good. ”
“Girl, of course you did! No one has a better eye than you for a winning gown. It’s why you’re so in demand.
And why nine times out of ten, your clients win.
And why you’re being paid to travel to Fiji to make sure those women look flawless when it’s their turn to strut their stuff in front of the judges.
I’m so proud of you, and so honored to be your best friend.
Now…what about the schedule? Is it grueling? ”
Warmth spread through Brinley at her friend’s words.
“It’s a two-week thing, but I’m not going for the entire time.
The first few days are for press conferences, official photo shoots, meetings for the contestants, and, believe it or not, tours of the area.
I’m getting there on what’s actually day five.
That’s when the first round of competition starts, and I’ll be there for a week total, standing by when they have stage events, making alterations as needed, watching rehearsals, giving advice, and of course, making sure every stitch on their gowns are perfect. ”
“You’ll have some free time, right?”
“I’m assuming so.”
“Good, you’ll be able to go to the beach and relax. Meet a cute guy. Have wild monkey vacation sex, then come home and tell me every little detail.”
Brinley rolled her eyes. Cypress knew she was a virgin, and she also knew that no one would be picking her up, on the beach or anywhere else. Especially not when the island was going to be full of literally the most beautiful women the world had to offer.
“Send me your deets—hotel info, schedule, things like that—so I can keep tabs on you. And keep your phone on at all times, so I can track you.”
“You’re such a stalker,” Brinley teased.
“Yup. And you’ll be glad if you ever end up kidnapped and I save your ass by telling the authorities exactly where to find you.”
Cypress watched way too many crime TV shows, but Brinley wouldn’t have her any other way. “Same goes for you. I mean, Alaska has way too many places to dump dead bodies that would never be found.”
“No one’s ever gonna kidnap me. A climate researcher is as boring as it gets.”
“We’re both kind of pathetic. I spend most of my life in this apartment sewing, and you’ve either got your nose in a book or covered in dirt when you go out into the field to do your research.”
“But we’re happy.”
Brinley nodded. They were, even if a part of her secretly yearned for…more. For the kind of love and devotion she read about in the romance books she downloaded onto her e-reader.
“Let’s finish this,” Cypress said, nodding to the television. “I need to get my beauty sleep so I can be ready for the field work I’m doing tomorrow.”
Brinley pressed play on the remote and settled back into the corner of the couch to watch the show she’d stopped to have their talk.
The truth was, she was looking forward to Fiji.
She loved what she did, but lately had been feeling a bit lonely.
Cypress was the best roommate, but she wanted more.
Which was kind of ridiculous, because in order to find someone she might want to date, she had to leave the apartment.
Problem was, when she did, she had to deal with rude people who stared at her a little too long.
She thought she’d left behind all her bullies after graduating from high school, but the internet had made people more comfortable with being assholes in public.
Hiding her sigh, she tuned out the show and got lost in her head.
Thinking about that beach trip Cypress had talked about.
Fantasizing about a cute man tripping in front of her…
she’d help him pick up the things he’d dropped, and he’d be overwhelmed by her kindness and personality and ask her on a date.
Then he’d take her to his room after dinner and make long, slow, passionate love to her, worshiping her body, before ultimately asking her to marry him and carrying her off into the sunset.
It was utter bullshit; none of that would ever happen. One, because she wasn’t stupid enough to do any of it, especially go back to some stranger’s hotel room. That’s how women ended up dead. But it was nice to think about anyway.
She had no idea what the trip would bring, but it wasn’t true love. More likely, Brinley would stay up late each night doing alterations, spend her daylight hours trying to avoid her sister and mom, and leave Fiji needing to sleep for days because of sheer exhaustion.
But it would be worth it. Diamond Sash Designs would hopefully gain a dozen new clients and she’d be busy for years to come. The amount of money she charged for one of her dresses was obnoxiously high, but women paid it without blinking.
Later, after the show was over and she’d said good night to Cypress, Brinley lay in bed, thinking once more about the what-ifs. Wondering if there could possibly be a guy out there who might ever love her the way she’d dreamed.
Probably not.
But hope was a funny thing. It refused to die.
Tomorrow was another day.
A fresh start.
If nothing else, the trip to Fiji would break her out of the rut she’d been in for quite a while now.