15. Clara
Chapter Fifteen
CLARA
The moment I step inside the house, I run straight upstairs to my sewing room to get to work.
After the conversation I just had with my brother, I’m grateful for the distraction this interview provides. Though I have no idea if it’s even possible to complete two looks before ten a.m. tomorrow.
All I do know is that I have no time to panic. No time to overthink. No time to question how in the hell Marco managed to score me an interview at the New York Institute of Fashion.
All I can do now is work.
I close the door to my sewing room behind me, and my internal clock starts to count down.
This amount of work would normally take me weeks to perfect, and I have only hours.
But I’m not about to let fear or doubt ruin this opportunity.
Marco has given me the chance of a lifetime, and I’ll be damned if I waste it.
Thank god for overnight shipping, because every single thing I ordered yesterday is already stacked neatly in one corner of the room, so at least I have some fabric to work with.
But I still have no idea what sort of angle I want to take with my designs. I need to make sure it’s something that shows off my skills as well as being something different that makes me stand out.
Maybe I could use some of the dresses I made for Zoe out of my old clothes. It could showcase how I prioritize sustainable fashion for my child as well as adding a personal touch.
But what if that’s not unique enough?
I look down at the piles of fabric and fight the urge to cry. I don’t even know where to start.
“Urgh, I can’t do this.”
A knock sounds at the door, and I have to swallow my words before I yell at whoever is on the other side.
I don’t have time to chat, or eat, or sleep, or do any of the things my body needs to function. All I have time to do is sew, and even then I’m cutting it close.
“Clara, it’s me,” Lila says when I don’t answer the door. “I’m here to help.”
When I still don’t answer, Lila takes it upon herself to come in regardless, and her eyes widen as she takes in the mess.
“Uh… Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.”
“Marco told me about the interview he got you, that’s incredible.” Lila crosses over to stand beside me. “You must be so excited.”
My throat is too thick with emotion to speak, so I just nod.
It’s already been an incredibly draining day, and I want nothing more than to crawl into bed beside Marco and sleep for the next twelve hours. But I can’t. Not when my entire future is potentially riding on this interview.
“What’s going on here?” Rosa peers around the door.
“Clara has an interview at the Institute of Fashion tomorrow.”
“Clara!” Rosa claps her hands together. “That’s huge!”
“Uh huh…” I wrap my arms around my body.
Rosa frowns. “Why aren’t you excited?”
“I have to present my portfolio as well as two completed looks, and as you can see, I have neither.” I look down at the piles of fabric samples all over the floor. “And I’m not sure I can get it all done in time.”
Lila squeezes my arm. “Rosa and I will help.”
Rosa nods. “Definitely! Put me to work.”
“You don’t need to do that.” I force a smile.
Lila folds her arms across her chest and gives me such a stern look that I know there’s no point in arguing with her.
I sigh. “Actually, that would be great, if you’re sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course, we don’t mind.” Lila puts an arm around my shoulders. “So, what’s the plan?”
I chew on my bottom lip as I scan the pile of supplies at my feet. I need to be strategic here because time isn’t on my side.
The looks can’t be overly complicated, but they can’t be boring either. They need to land somewhere in the middle.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t notice Rosa rifling through one of the boxes and pulling out a familiar roll of fabric.
“What if you just use my homecoming dress for one of the looks?”
I turn around and look at the dark purple material she’s holding and frown.
The dress we designed together is edgy and bold, everything the panel is probably looking for. And most importantly, it’s already sketched out . All I need to do is cut out the fabric and sew it together, which is the easy part.
That would mean only having to put together one design from scratch instead of two, which reduces my workload to something much more manageable.
It still won’t be easy, but at least I have a fighting chance of getting everything done.
Rosa grins as she sees the wheels turning in my head. “I can even come with you to the interview and model it.”
“That’s…actually a great idea.” A spark of hope starts to ignite in my chest.
Rosa smirks. “Obviously. It’s my idea.”
I cross over to my worktable to grab my sketchpad and begin sketching out ideas for my second look. Having the homecoming dress gives me a little breathing room, but I still need to make sure my second design is just as strong.
Lila heads to the door. “Why don’t I go and make us all some coffee?”
It doesn’t take long to get all of the pieces for Rosa’s dress marked out, and while Rosa cuts those out for me, I get to work sketching out the second dress.
The night blurs into a frenzy of measuring, pinning, cutting, and sewing.
I fall into a rhythm, completely immersed in the process as the adrenaline of the deadline fuels me. That and the endless snacks that Lila provides after declaring that she is completely useless with all things related to dressmaking.
I finish Rosa’s homecoming dress in record time, and then we get to work on cutting out the fabric for the second.
I don’t have time to overthink the design. All I can do is trust that this will be enough.
By the time the clock reads six in the morning, I’m putting the finishing touches on my second dress. My fingers are aching, and my eyes burn from lack of sleep.
Rosa stands perfectly still as I quickly trim off the excess thread around the zipper before taking a step back and exhaling deeply.
“I think it’s done.”
Rosa smooths her hands down the fabric, adjusting the fit before turning toward me so I can see the finished product.
My breath catches.
Even with how exhausted I am, I know I’ve done something incredible.
It’s beyond what I could have imagined, and I can’t quite believe that I’ve actually pulled this off.
Even if I don’t get in, I’m proud of myself because both dresses look amazing.
“I want to wear both of them to homecoming.” Rosa swishes the skirt of the emerald dress.
The color looks amazing against her tanned skin and dark hair.
I laugh. “You can have a costume change halfway through the night.”
“Hell, yes! I’m all for being extra.” She grins at me.
The sound of footsteps outside makes me turn my head just as Marco enters the room.
His eyes instantly land on Rosa, who is twirling around in her green dress with her dark hair swaying behind her
He raises an eyebrow.
“What do you think?” Nervousness flutters in my stomach at the look on his face.
He doesn’t say anything right away. He just crosses his arms as his gaze sweeps over the dress on the mannequin and then the one Rosa is wearing, still with an unreadable expression.
“They look great. I have no doubt that you’re going to wow them at the interview.”
I start to smile, but then he narrows his eyes at Rosa, and I know there’s more. “But there is no way in hell you’re wearing either of those anywhere near a bunch of horny teenage boys.”
Rosa rolls her eyes, grinning as she twirls once again in the dress. “Relax, Marco. It’s just fashion.”
Marco’s jaw clenches. “It’s a lot of fucking leg on show.”
Rosa’s grin widens, and I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing.
She’s walking a thin line, but it looks like she’s enjoying riling Marco up from the wicked glint in her eye.
“Okay, so what’s the alternative? I find myself an older guy instead?”
Marco’s entire body locks up and this time, I can’t hold in my laughter.
“Rosa, stop. You’re going to give your brother a heart attack.”
“If anyone touches you, I’ll fucking kill them,” Marco bites out, his expression dark.
I groan, rubbing my temples as a headache starts to pulse behind my eyes.
I really need to get some sleep, but I’m not about to leave Marco and Rosa in a room together.
“Marco, breathe .” I reach out to take his hand, but he doesn’t seem to be listening to me.
He just continues to glare at Rosa who flashes me a wink.
“You hear that, Clara? I have a personal bodyguard for life.”
Marco mutters something under his breath about putting her in a convent, and I decide it’s time for all of us to call it a night, or day. Honestly, I’m so tired that I don’t know which way is up anymore.
I step in front of Marco and press my free hand to his chest to try and bring him back down to earth.
“Marco, Rosa is going to look hot no matter what she wears, and you need to learn how to deal with that.”
He groans, running a hand over his face. “Please do not refer to my baby sister as hot.”
“She’s also welcome to use the word sexy?—”
“I think you should get some sleep, Rosa. We’ve got to leave for the interview in less than three hours.”
“We?” Marco raises his eyebrows.
Rosa takes the opportunity to do another twirl in the dress. “I’m modelling for Clara. You know, taking the opportunity to test out potential career options.”
Marco’s scowl only deepens, so I subtly jerk my head in the direction of the door.
She needs to leave before Marco does actually have a heart attack.
Rosa nods. “I’m going to take a nap.”
“Good idea,” Marco says through gritted teeth.
I chuckle under my breath as I snuggle into Marco.
Once Rosa leaves us alone, He lets out a breath as he rests his chin on my head and wraps his arms around me.
“Are you going to be this protective over our daughter?”
“I’ll be so much worse.”
“I feel sorry for Zoe already.”
“Feel sorry for all the boys whose asses I’m going to kick if they so much as look at her.”
I tighten my arms around Marco, savoring the warmth of his body.
He might be overprotective, but that’s something I love about him. I know that he will protect Zoe and me no matter what, and that brings me a sense of peace that I never thought I would feel.
My eyelids start to droop. “Is Zoe all right?”
“She’s still fast asleep.”
“That’s good.” I yawn.
Marco’s chest rumbles as he laughs, and then his lips brush against my temple, and my entire body breaks out in goosebumps at his touch.
I want more of it, but I also desperately want to sleep. And something to eat. And a shower.
“You need to get some sleep, love.” Marco strokes my hair to try and calm me down, as if he can hear the loud buzzing of my thoughts. “Go and lie down, and I’ll wake you at eight.”
I hum, sinking into the warmth of his touch for just a second longer before I unwrap my arms from around his waist and shuffle out the room.
My limbs feel like stone as I head down the hallway toward Marco’s room, or rather our room.
The exhaustion is finally catching up to me, but the hard work is far from being done. In just a few hours, my entire future could change.
But for now, I just need to focus on getting some sleep.