Matched by Design, page 4
“I hope you’re able to complete the other five dresses as quickly,” Genevieve said finally. “Let’s hope the fit is perfect on Amber.”
The words made Jasmine’s entire stomach clench with anxiety. What if it wasn’t? She barely had enough time to finish the other five dresses as it was—there would be no time to start over from scratch if she’d made this one wrong. Hopefully, now that she’d created the pattern, she could at least work more quickly and complete at least a rough construction of about one dress a day.
“I triple checked all the measurements before making cuts,” Jasmine said. She flipped up the skirt of the dress, showing the generous seam allowance she’d left, just in case. She’d trim it down a bit once assuring the fit. “I’m hoping it will only need minor adjustments after today’s fitting. Once Skye gives the approval, I’ll start on the next dress first thing tomorrow.”
“Hmm. I guess that will have to work, since we lost nearly a week when Skye switched designs.”
As if Jasmine had conspired to have Skye notice her sketch and change her mind. Jasmine had been eating lunch in the break room, idly doodling in her sketchbook while trying to avoid checking her phone for the millionth time to see if Isaac had texted, when Skye stopped by for a bottled water. She’d leaned over Jasmine’s shoulder to catch a glimpse and fell in love with the design. Genevieve’s displeasure had been potent and bitter when Skye informed her she wanted to change directions.
The ping of an opening elevator door echoed throughout the room, followed by Skye’s high-pitched voice.
“—and I said Drew, darling, I don’t care if it costs an extra ten grand. This is our wedding we’re talking about. You can’t just wear any old tux.”
“Totally,” said another voice, only slightly less shrill than Skye’s.
Jasmine surreptitiously wiped her damp hands across her skirt, trying to ignore the way her head pounded from lack of food. She glanced again at her design, silently praying that Skye wouldn’t just like it, but would love it. Of course, that would probably just upset Genevieve even more. But Jasmine wouldn’t even care—at least not too much—as long as Skye loved it.
And if Skye could also forget about the whole fake fiancé thing, well, that would just be the icing on the cake.
Skye and her blonde bombshell maid of honor, Amber, entered the room arm-in-arm. Genevieve leaned forward, giving them both air kisses on their cheeks.
“How are you doing today, darling?” Genevieve asked Skye.
“Absolutely horrible. Everything is a disaster.” Skye flung a hand in the air, her silver bracelets clinking together as they slid down her arm. “Can you believe they misprinted the venue’s name on the wedding programs? Those should have been completed weeks ago. At this rate I’ll have to write it out on poster board for everyone to see, which will be beyond humiliating. If the press gets wind, I’ll be the laughing stock of L.A.”
Amber grabbed Skye’s hands, bringing them back to her sides. “Sweetie, you’re freaking out again. The printer said they’d rush the correction tonight, and we can always mail them to Isla del Amor if they aren’t done by the time we leave. The programs are a formality, anyway. No one will care if you don’t have them. The Frosted Bride has everything under control. You’ve nabbed the best wedding planner in the state, after all.”
Jasmine hid a smile at the mention of her best friend’s place of employment. Kelsey wasn’t working on Skye’s wedding—she wasn’t high enough in the company yet for that, much to Jasmine and Kelsey’s disappointment. They’d met through work, only to discover they lived only a few doors down from each other in the same apartment complex, and loved any opportunity to work together on a wedding.
“The Frosted Bride has a flawless reputation,” Jasmine agreed.
“See?” Amber squeezed Skye’s hands. “Jase Larson’s wedding was in magazines for weeks, and no one had a single bad thing to say about the event. Your wedding will be even better than his.”
That wedding has been a big break for Kelsey’s career—big enough she’d been hopeful she’d get to work on Skye’s wedding, even though her boss had taken charge in the end. Jasmine had worked on the bridesmaid dresses for Jase’s wedding, too—not the design, but a lot of the sewing and construction. When she’d found out that she’d get to work for such a high-profile client, Isaac had spent his one evening off in weeks taking her out to dinner to celebrate.
Skye waved her hands rapidly underneath her eyes, as though forcing back tears. “That bridesmaid dress better be ready or I’m going to lose it. I can’t take one more thing going wrong today.”
No pressure. Jasmine stepped aside, revealing the dress. “It’s ready. I think you’re going to love it.”
Amber gasped, lifting the hem of the gown. “This is gorgeous.”
Jasmine felt her pulse rate slow at the praise and fought back a smile. That right there was almost worth the long nights.
But Skye’s brow was pinched in a frown as she slowly circled the mannequin. “The design is so different from my dress.”
Jasmine clenched her hands into fists, struggling to maintain her composure. “Yes—that was what you loved about the design, remember? It complements yours without detracting from it.”
“Trust me, Skye,” Genevieve said, lifting her chin. “No one will doubt that you’re the bride. I’ll make certain of it. I am personally seeing to every aspect of your gown.”
The barely concealed barbs were getting more obvious by the day.
Jasmine cleared her throat, shifting from foot to foot to ease the aching there. “I’ll add a fabric flower at the waist for added texture, but I purposefully avoided a lace overlay—that’s your thing. The satin and chiffon you picked for the bridesmaid dresses are light and airy while still maintaining the elegance of your gown.”
“Hmm.” Skye tapped a long fuchsia pink nail against her lips. “Go try it on, Amber.”
Jasmine’s stomach growled, and she pressed an unsteady hand to it. Maybe, once Skye left, she’d finally be able to eat. “That’s a great idea. If you want to go get undressed, Amber, I’ll bring you the dress in a moment.”
A few minutes later, Jasmine led Amber back to the pedestal surrounded by mirrors. It was easy to see why Amber so often graced the covers of magazines. The fabric flowed beautifully over her willowy figure, and the back hem of the high-low dress pooled on the ground. But Jasmine had left it long intentionally, wanting to make sure the length was perfect.
“It’s gorgeous.” Amber slid her hands down the fabric, head cocked to one side and a soft smile on her lips. “Very beachy, but still elegant.”
Jasmine ducked her head. A top model was wearing her design. Complimenting it, even. Talk about wild. “Thank you. It’s not completely done yet, but this gives you a good idea of how the finished product will look. Are those the shoes you’re going to wear for the ceremony? I want to make sure we get the hem length right.”
Amber stuck out one foot, clad in a strappy silver heel. “Yeah, these are the shoes.”
But Skye still hadn’t said anything. She reached out, adjusting the sweetheart neckline of the bodice. “Are you certain this is the same color as the tuxedo vests?”
“Identical,” Jasmine said. Skye had wanted a patterned fabric for the vests, so they hadn’t been able to use the same material for both. “After you picked the fabric, I had three additional designers look at the swatches just to make sure.”
“Hmmm. Maybe I should have gone with the platinum instead of the silver then. This fabric is so shiny. Does it look shiny to you?”
Genevieve’s lips were pursed. Jasmine could practically see the battle waging inside her boss’s head. On the one hand, she didn’t want to give Jasmine credit for doing something right. But on the other hand, they really were running out of time.
“No, I don’t think it looks shiny at all,” Genevieve said. “It’s just the reflection from the lights we have here. It’ll look beautiful underneath all of that Florida sunshine.”
Jasmine closed her eyes, sending a silent thank you to the design gods. First Skye hadn’t mentioned Jasmine’s supposed fiancé, and now Genevieve was backing up her work. Maybe this would be a good appointment after all.
“It’s really gorgeous, Skye,” Amber said. “I think it’s perfect.”
“Not too different from my dress?” Skye asked.
Oh, for the love. Jasmine’s stomach growled again, and she fought against the pangs that were making her hangry. The dress could be made out of cheap lyra in neon green and it wouldn’t matter at this point. Skye’s only other option was buying something off the rack, and Jasmine was pretty sure the diva would rather her bridesmaids wear bath robes down the aisle.
“The sweetheart necklines and similar textures of the fabrics bring them together nicely,” Genevieve said. “You don’t want them too similar. Everyone knows that cutesy matching is very out this year.”
Skye’s lips were still pursed tightly together. A wave of tiredness swept over Jasmine, and suddenly the aches and pains of the past two days were all too pronounced.
What if Skye hated it? Jasmine didn’t have a Plan B. Didn’t have time to construct another dress in a different color with a less shiny fabric.
She supposed they could go back to Genevieve’s design. Her boss’s smugness would be almost unbearable, but if the alternative was not getting the time and a half pay—
“I think this will work,” Skye said finally.
Jasmine exhaled in a whoosh.
Skye was nodding now, and Amber’s grin had widened.
“Yes, it’s very pretty,” Skye said. “Just like the design you showed me, Jasmine.”
Had she expected it to be different? Jasmine gave a tight smile. “I’m so glad you like it. Let me just take in the bodice a bit, and then we’ll get you changed, Amber.”
“One of my bridesmaids is pretty curvy,” Skye said, eying Amber’s tall and willowy figure. “How is this going to look on her?”
“Beautiful,” Genevieve said, her tone reassuring. “That’s the great thing about a natural waist—it’s flattering on lots of body types. I’ll be there when Jasmine does a final fitting on each girl to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Translation—Jasmine wasn’t capable of doing the task herself. She barely held in a sigh as she continued to place pins.
Amber was the only bridesmaid who was local, which meant Jasmine would have to construct the rest of the dresses based on measurements the girls had sent in. She hoped none of them had lied, hoping to go down a dress size before the wedding. She’d give plenty of seam allowance on the other dresses too. Just in case.
Jasmine tugged at the back of Amber’s dress, eying the fit in the mirror, then grabbed a pin to secure the adjustment. Her neck ached, and she fought the urge to roll it. All she wanted was to call up Kelsey and beg for an Eye in the Sky marathon complete with loads of ice cream. But the wedding was in ten days, and that would barely be enough time to get all of the dresses done as it was.
“My assistant said she hasn’t gotten the information for your fiancé yet,” Skye said.
Jasmine’s hand slipped on the pin, pricking Amber’s skin.
“I am so sorry,” Jasmine said, feeling a flush creep up her neck.
Crap. Crap crap crap. Had she really thought Skye would forget about the fiancé? Skye probably never forgot anything.
“Jasmine?” Skye prodded. “We need to get his ticket booked immediately. Is he coming or not?”
Chapter Five
Was Jasmine’s completely imaginary and most definitely fake fiancé coming with her to the Florida Keys? What an uncomfortable question.
“Of course he’s coming,” Jasmine said, making her voice chipper. “Sorry I haven’t gotten the information to you yet. We’ve both been so busy with work that we’ve barely had a chance to talk. But I’ll send it over soon, I promise.”
Because that’s what she wanted to spend her time on, with five bridesmaid dresses to finish and the wedding only ten days away—finding a fake fiancé to appease a jealous and crazy celebrity client.
Skye’s eyes narrowed shrewdly, and she folded her arms, glaring at Jasmine. “It doesn’t take that long to send an email to my assistant. You’d better not be trying to pull something here, Jasmine. Because if I need to have your ticket transferred to someone else, you need to let me know right now.”
“I’m sure one of the interns would be happy to take your place,” Genevieve said, giving Jasmine her own cold stare. “This is rather late notice for your fiancé, and if he’s too busy—”
“He’s coming,” Jasmine interrupted. Could they read the lies in her face somehow? She bent down, focusing harder than was strictly necessary on pinning Amber’s dress. “He’s, uh, really excited about it. Can’t wait to see Isla del Amor.”
“Good.” Skye’s stare was hotter than a focused laser beam. It was making the straight pins hard to hold on to. “Drew doesn’t need any temptations. Journalists from every major magazine are coming, and I don’t want any scandals taking focus off the wedding. I want it to be headline news in every major publication. My new album’s dropping next month, you know. The wedding will be great publicity for it. Put me at the forefront of consumers’ minds.”
Jasmine put another pin in the dress, careful to only catch fabric this time. She still didn’t understand how she, as a very single seamstress who would spend the majority of the trip holed up in the hotel with a sewing machine, was such a threat to Skye’s career goals. The logic on that one was dizzying.
But at the end of the day, all that mattered was it made sense to Skye. It was pretty simple—no fiancé, no overtime pay. And no hope of quitting Dallaire Designs anytime soon.
Jasmine would just have to figure this out and somehow find a fake fiancé.
“We’re all so excited to meet him, Jasmine,” Genevieve said. She reached forward, removing and reinserting one of the pins that Jasmine had placed in the hem of the dress. “He must be quite a catch.”
“He is.” Jasmine swallowed, keeping her attention steadfastly focused on the bridesmaid dress. She inserted one last pin, then said brightly, “I think we’re done here. Let’s get you out of that dress and on your way.”
Amber nodded and stepped carefully off the platform, heading back to the dressing room. Jasmine followed closely behind, silently praying that Skye would be distracted from her relentless round of questioning by the time they returned.
But Jasmine’s hopes were in vain. When she reemerged a few moments later, the dress carefully laid over one arm, Skye pounced.
“So what’s his name?” Skye asked, holding a water bottle in one hand as she lounged against the plush fabric of the couch placed in front of the platform.
A name. How was Jasmine supposed to invent a name for some actor she hadn’t hired? That would make purchasing a plane ticket so much more difficult.
Better to play dumb. “Whose name?”
Skye’s eyes narrowed, and she took a slow sip of water. “Your fiancé, silly.”
“Oh.”
Why hadn’t Jasmine taken an hour to call a talent agency and hire someone for this ridiculous job? Sure, she’d barely slept or ate over the past forty-eight hours, but hiring that fiancé should have been a priority.
Genevieve’s scowl clearly said I’m on to you, and I don’t like this one bit. Jasmine’s heart thudded in her chest. The hunger pains were quickly turning to overwhelming nausea, and her entire body felt cold and clammy.
Think! she commanded herself. What was a guy name? There were literally thousands. How hard could it be to come up with one?
“It isn’t a hard question,” Skye said. “Is his name embarrassing or something?”
“It’s Isaac,” Jasmine blurted.
She bit her tongue, reeling from her words. Why had she said that name? She could have said Thomas or Dean or Neil—all perfectly respectable and believable names.
But no. She’d had to say Isaac.
“Oooo. Not embarrassing at all.” Skye wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “It’s definitely a hot guy name. What’s Isaac like?”
What was Isaac like? Well, he was certainly a horrible friend. If they’d ever really been friends.
But he’d also always remembered her coffee preferences—two creams and one sugar. If he ever got to the hospital cafeteria before her, he’d always grab her one of the blueberry muffins with the crumble topping, too. He wouldn’t have done those things if they hadn’t been friends. Right?
“He’s pretty dreamy,” Jasmine said. And it wasn’t just his lean and muscled frame, sculpted face that looked like it belonged on magazine covers, and amazing golden eyes that had the ability to render her speechless. He’d always been so thoughtful, too.
When Quincy was first deployed, Isaac had texted her a GIF guaranteed to make her laugh every day for two weeks.
“So what does Isaac do for a living?” Skye asked.
Maybe it would be easier if Jasmine stuck to the facts about Isaac rather than trying to invent a whole new person. An actor could fake a medical degree, right? “He’s a surgical resident at North Grace Hospital. He hasn’t settled on a specialty yet, but is leaning toward plastics.”
“Wow.” Skye unscrewed the cap on her water bottle, looking impressed. “My step-dad is a surgeon, too. Did you know that? I think he does general surgery, like taking out appendixes or whatever. He works at a hospital in Texas and my mom is always bragging about the awards he gets. I hope you’re ready for a husband with awful work hours, because my step-dad was never around when I was growing up. Of course, my mom didn’t mind much—made sneaking around with the pool boy a lot easier.”
Jasmine opened her mouth, then closed it. What was she supposed to say to that?
“Sounds like being the wife of a surgeon is pretty challenging,” Genevieve said, staring Jasmine down.
Jasmine folded her arms, wincing when one of the pins on her wrist cushion pricked her skin. “Isaac has always wanted to be a doctor. I’m really happy he’s chasing his dream.”
