If Love Were By Design
By: Lacy S. Kinsley
CHAPTER ONE
Veronica looked at the clock on the wall. It was near eleven and long passed when she should have taken a break. She was painstakingly drawing red swirls on a black, three inch healed boot. The shoe came to her in a dream just the night before. The moment she woke up Veronica began to draw a rough sketch of it. Veronica was sure it was going to be a best seller. When she came into work this morning she showed the drawing to her boss, famous clothing designer and store owner, Marcus Yutan of Saxton Hip. She asked him what he thought of it. He told her to draw it more elaborately, because the rough draft made it look like an ordinary boot with an odd buckle and swirls. Not the elegant boot she had seen in her dream. So she began the task or drawing it out in vivid detail.
The constant staring and close proximity to the paper forced her to blink excessively to keep her eyes from going crossed and becoming blurry. It was a half hour later that she began to feel it was best to put the ink pen down and take a break. She leaned back in her swivel chair, rubbed her eyes, and then stretched her fingers. The chair squeaked as she spun it around for a change of scenery. Her office door opened which made her jump. She knew who it was without even looking. There was only one person in all of Saxton Hip who would barge into her office unannounced. It was Kimmy. Her understudy, as Kimmy liked to call herself, but truly they were best friends and had been since they both started working at Saxton Hip. Kimmy was not a shoe designer, and not truthfully her understudy by any comparison other then occasional advise. Kimmy didn't even have any desire to make shoes. She was a clerk on the sales floor, which was where Veronica started out. It was a good job, and paid well considering they made a small percentage of everything they sold.
"Oh, my gosh my feet are killing me!" Kimmy said walking in, and sitting down in the only spare chair in the room. She pulled a shoe off and rubbed her foot.
"That is what you get for wearing my shoes. They have been formed to my feet." Veronica said with a laugh. "I should just buy you a pair of Yutan VW shoes. My new pumps are insanely comfortable."
"Yeah, and their like six hundred dollars!" Kimmy said as she massages her toes and winced. "I'd much rather wear these," she looked in the heal of the shoes, "New Twist. Oh my gosh, I've never heard of that."
"They were cute. I bought them on a whim. Besides they were like fifty bucks." Veronica said.
"No wonder my feet hurt. They're cheap!" Kimmy said and laughed. "Marcus said he's going to the deli across the street to buy us all lunch."
"Oh, yeah?" Veronica asked curiously. She was hungry and could eat probably three sandwiches all to herself. She looked at the clock again. It had been four hours since she had coffee and as always she skipped breakfast. Eleven o'clock was her usual time to get hungry. "Perfect I'm starving."
"I'm surprised to see you're in here. It's Friday! You're always at the warehouse buying supplies at this time." Kimmy said. "Seriously, you have the best job! You draw all day, Friday's you're gone most the day at the warehouse, Marcus adores you and he gives you free clothes, and on top of it all you got the first Yutan bag of this year which I'm still trying to steal by the way."
"You make more money than I do off commission." Veronica reminded her. "The clothes just even it out a bit."
Kimmy waved dismissively to her comment. She wasn't about to argue pay with her. Half the time Veronica didn't think she believed her, but it was true. She took a pay cut to become a shoe designer for Marcus. But luckily, she had a great apartment with rent control, and was able to take the loss. Veronica wasn't complaining. They both dropped it. "So why aren't you at the warehouse?" Kimmy asked.
"I am finishing a sketch so I can show it to Marcus. If he likes it I'll start on it next week and make a few pairs. If you ask me—it's going to sell." Veronica added, "I'll go to the warehouse when I'm done here. I'll probably be home late." She sighed. "But . . . it's got to be done. I have a pretty big list."
"Is that it?" Kimmy asked pointing to her sketch. "Oh, wow! It's nice! You're right! It is going to sell. Maybe I will let you buy me a pair of shoes after all." Kimmy laughed. "And something completely different from your usual. Kind of funky, because the of the width around the calf. I like it."
"I dreamt of it. So, yeah, it is very unlike anything I've made before." Veronica said.
Just then Marcus walked down the hallway, stopped, and then backtracked to come into her small office. "There's my two most favorite girls!" Marcus said with a smile. "It's almost lunch. I'm going to get food from the deli, Veronica. What would you like?"
"A tuna sandwich on sour dough. Thanks Marcus. Oh, and can I get a soda? Diet?" Veronica asked.
"You got it!" Marcus said as he wrote it down. "I'm going to call them right now. It should be delivered by noon." He walked to her desk, and picked up the sketch. "Hmm." He said as he examined it. "How many of these are you planning on making?"
"Just five to start out with. See how they sell." Veronica said.
"Make them out of leather, stitch it with gold instead and over lace. Loose the buckle, then I really like it." He paused, "On second thought, keep it red." Marcus said, and looked it a little longer. It was never a quick glance when he was looking at her work, which she liked. It meant he couldn't easily decide improvements. It was as good of a compliment as it gets coming from Marcus. He wasn't one to boast about your work. He just expected you to do a good job. If he said nothing at all, you know you did a great job. "Okay, make the buckle lower around the ankle, add another, put leather straps around the boot like belts, and then it will look like a top seller, Veronica. We'll start off with twenty of these."
"Thanks." She added, "And your right, it will look good with the two buckles." It was a lie. She didn't actually think it would improve the shoe at all, but Veronica had ways around his "improvements". She would simply make a shoe his way, and a shoe her way, and then approach him one last time to see which he liked better. Nearly every time he forgot what he had said, and chooses her original design. However, it wasn't wise to disagree with him outright. She's seen nine people fired for that very thing, and Marcus's reason is always the same. It's his name on the store, and it's his clothes on the racks, so it's his decision that matters. Veronica took his words literally, and so she would wait to ask him again.
"Oh, I would buy it!" Kimmy said. "But it needs glitter, like the swirls should be glittering red thread."
"Yeah, don't do that." Marcus said while eyeing Kimmy as if she lost her mind. Then he left the room.
"Well, he didn't like that idea." Kimmy said. "That is fine. I though his two belt ideas were ridiculous. It would ruin the entire shoe. You should have said so! He completely changed it!"
"He doesn't like glitter on shoes. Only gems." Veronica said.
"Well, how am I supposed to remember everything he likes and dislikes. I'm going to school! My brain is so full with stitching, angles, and sewing, I don't possibly have enough room for Marcus's do's and don'ts list." Kimmy groaned and went back to rubbing her feet. "You should have said something. Yeah, it's his name on the shoe, but it's your initials on the end. Yutan VM. People see those initials. I can't tell you how many people ask me what VM stands for. You have a faithful fan base too." Kimmy laughed, "Some people come in just to buy every shoe you make. Male and female alike. And before you say so, I'm not just flattering you either."
"I have my own ways of approaching him. I'll just have to make two shoes. Then when he doesn't remember what he said to me, I'll ask him again which one he likes better." Veronica said.
"Well aren't you sneaky!" Kimmy laughed and grinned maliciously. "See that is why he loves you. You're talented and smart. Who knew you were so . . . political!" She laughed harder.
"Well, if you want to impress him, and get hired on as a clothes designer, you better figure him out now." Veronica said. "That is what I did, and it's the only reason I've been back here for a year. I worked on the floor for three and a half years, and memorized everything he liked, and stayed far away from anything he didn't. Then I mentioned I was in school to design shoes. He watched me like a hawk for the next year and drilled me all the time. What shoes I liked best. Why? What I would do differently to improve them? What I would have made them out of. How to make them sleeker, smaller, warmer, lighter—everything! It was my answers that got me my job. So if you are serious about designing clothes for him (which you should be because his clothes and shoes are worldwide renown and sought after—even celebrities wear his clothes) you better get serious now. He has applications from hundreds of girls wanting a job here. But you have a foot in the door working here on the sales floor. You have a huge advantage."
"I'm trying!" Kimmy groaned.
"Maybe write it down. It helped me." Veronica said.
"If I don't get the job, I'll try to do my own line of clothes." Kimmy said. "Kimmy Hutchinson!" She smiled at the sound of her own name. "Kimmy Hutchings, opens the first ever Hutch store."
"It sounds like your selling furniture, not clothes." Veronica said. She laughed.
"You should be nice. I'm going to be just as famous as Marcus, and when I am, you'll be asking me for a job." Kimmy said. "So be nice to your future boss!" Kimmy laughed.
There was a knock on her already open door. Kimmy jumped. Momentary fear was written on her face. She was thinking it might be Marcus who overheard his name. Veronica laughed. Lester Benazir, Marcus's personal assistant, stood in the archway. "Mr. Yutan is buying everyone food from the deli. I'm trying to get everyone's order."
"Lester he already came in here and asked!" Kimmy said rolling her eyes. Kimmy had never liked Lester and told Veronica that he boasted constantly of women he was sleeping with while in the break room, although Kimmy was sure he was still a virgin.
"He did?" Lester asked.
"I ordered a tuna sandwich on sour dough and a diet soda." Veronica said.
He wrote it down. "Sorry, he asked me to get a hold of Marsha Loft before I got the orders, and by the time I reached her he had half of everyone's orders, except I wasn't sure who ordered what. He didn't write down people's names; he just wrote the orders."
"I got soup, salad, and bread sticks, Lester!" Kimmy said.
"Okay." Lester scribbled her order, and as he did he talked to Veronica without looking at her. "Oh, and Veronica, Mr. Yutan wanted to speak with you once he's off the phone Marsha Loft."
"Did he say what about? I just saw him a moment ago. Are you sure he still wants to see me?" Veronica asked.
"Well, that was about twenty minutes ago. But maybe you should go talk to him anyway. Just in case." He glanced at Kimmy and then said, "I should go get everyone else's order. I'll talk to you later."
"I should go too. I am losing money sitting here. And that hurts worse than my feet." Kimmy said and winked at Veronica as she left.
Lester stood in the doorway a moment. He had obviously changed his mind about leaving. "Is that a new shoe?" He asked with a nod which pointed to her sketch.
"Yeah. I had a dream about it." She said and showed him.
"You're so talented. If I was half as talented as you I would have to warn you I was after your job." He said with a smile. Veronica laughed.
"I should warn you I hate competing." She said. "Or I should say I'm not competitive."
"Me neither. Unless it's for sports, games, battle of wits, the last word. Stuff like that." He grinned.
"Oh, so everything." She said. Veronica looked at the clock. She had a lot to do before lunch, and before she went to the warehouse. She dropped a hint to Lester by swirling around in her chair towards her desk.
"Yeah." Lester said. "I also hate coffee. Especially around one in the afternoon on Saturday at The Coffee House."
"Dexter!" Marcus yelled from down the hall.
Lester turned to look before saying, "I think he calls me that because I'm a phone book like 'Dex' and 'ter' so they rhyme. I'll talk to you later."
Veronica straightened her desk, and when she thought Marcus was done speaking with Lester she went to his office. His door was open. He was with Sasha Tradesman. They were looking at fabric, and from what Veronica could see he hated it. Marcus was straight faced and his brow was tight. It was never a good sign. She knocked on the door. Marcus looked up, and waved for Sasha to leave them. Sasha looked simply relieved for the interruption. "We can talk about this later. But next time have a better selection. I can't work with this. I want something beautiful—fresh—new! This is none of those things. Show me why I hired you."
"Yes, Mr. Yutan!" Sasha said looking white. She left the room with her arms full of fabric, and looked as if she was about to cry. Veronica gave her a small smile, but said nothing. It was hard to get attached to people who worked at Saxton Hip, because Marcus was constantly going through new employees, and from what Veronica could tell, Sasha would probably be gone in less than a month. It made it hard to look Sasha in the eye.
"You wanted to see me?" Veronica asked. She came into the room when he motioned for her to enter.
"Yeah. I just got a shipment of clothes again for you. It's in the two boxes right there." He pointed by his office door. "You can take those home with you tonight."
"Thanks Marcus!" Veronica said. She was about to pick them up and leave the room, as she had done countless times before but he stopped her.
"I was wondering Veronica if you would look at this summer's sketch book for me. I trust your advice." He said. Veronica was momentarily taken back. That was the second compliment of the day. Marcus turned the book around which was already open and laying on his desk. There was a sketch of two dresses, one on each page. Descriptive words littered the borders.
She looked at them. They were much looser than the usual dresses he drew. The pockets had bunches of draping fabrics at the hips. And the other had a midriff belt with pleated hips. Both exaggerated the female waist and hips drastically, and her honest opinion was she hated it. But she couldn't tell him that.
"What do you think?" He asked her.
"Marcus, I don't know. I like shoes myself. I am not a clothes designer." She said. He however stared at her, and waited for a real answer. She didn't know his mind for clothes as she did his taste in shoes. "Honestly?" He nodded, "It's not you. You use clean lines more to draw attention to the hip. It looks better the way you do it. You're simple, elegant, sexy. Honestly, there isn't anything I see of you in here. It's not bad, per say, but it's not you; okay no—I hate it (if I'm being honest). It's too long if they are trying to make it sexy with the exaggerated hips. I would have made the dress with the draping fabric at the hips into shorts, and match it with a white button up shirt with ruffles. The other dress with the pleated hips and midriff belt I would never wear. It's not a Yutan dress. It's almost . . . sleazy. But as I said, I'm not a clothes designer. I just like wearing clothes—not making them." She said with a smile and pointed to the boxes by his door.
He turned the book back around. "You're right it's not me." He flipped the page and then said, "Neither is that, or that." He flipped the page again saying, "Or that, or that!" He continued on until the book was closed. "That is why I'm going to send you to Paris, Veronica. Sasha is supposed to be giving me great fabric! Tracy is supposed to be weeding out designs for my approval, and this book is what she gave me. And the fabric! . . . You may not be a clothes designer but you have a eye for beauty and trash. You're a natural. You should be designing clothes for me to approve. And clearly it isn't working. Nothing is working. That is why you're going to Paris. I want you caught up on all the latest fashion. And when you get back we'll discuss your future here. I want you second to me, Veronica. So I don't have crap laying on my desk!" He growled and threw the book in the trash. "I'll have Dexter arrange everything. You'll leave next Monday, and be back Thursday."
Veronica was speechless. She looked at Marcus. The only thing that came to mind was a momentary thought to correct Marcus about him naming Lester his assistant Dexter, but thought better of it. It was just the shock of what she had just heard. She didn't want to look through his summer book or take on more work. She loved her job the way it was. It kept her busy enough as it was.
However, going to Paris was a dream! She smiled in response without realizing she was. "Of course you'll need an assistant, a bigger office, and a raise."
Her smile fell. Paris wasn't that much of a dream. "Wait. Marcus. Let's slow down. I am not saying I don't love my job. I love my job! I am not saying either that I'm not willing to do what is asked for me, or that I'm not grateful. It's a honor that you'd even think of me as a second to you, but . . . But I'm not sure I'm the girl for the job. I'm not even sure what you're asking me to do—exactly."
"All I want, is for my designers to approach you before me so you can tell them to start over and try something new if that is the case. We are a good team. Today is a perfect example. I tell you how to improve a sketch and you do it. If I tell someone else . . . you'd be surprised of how many people refuse to change it and don't grow from their mistakes. You do both! I'm fed up, and I'm sick of doing it all on my own. I feel like I work around a bunch of imbeciles. I keep saying what I want, and they never deliver. I can't do it by myself. Truthfully, I've been waiting for years for someone like you to come along. You're talented, smart, have a eye for fashion and beauty. You're shoes are my number one selling items beyond what I personally design myself. I need your help. We'll make a great team!"
"Marcus," she was momentarily speechless. He looked at her. And as if all resolve was squashed out of her, she agreed. "I'll try, but honestly I think I'm only good at designing shoes. If I am a miserable failure at what you're asking me, I'll want my old job back (the one I have now), but you can't fire me. Deal?" She asked and held out her hand. He looked at it, laughed under his breath, and shook.