Page 74 of Love You, Mean It

What if you had different seasonal designs?

And they could be kinda flirty

So like sexy santa vibes

Or were you thinking more sexy Jack-O’Lantern?

You can do a lot with the placement of those eye cutouts

Don’t forget sexy arbor day

The most celebrated and sex-focused holiday obvs

Legit tho aprons are brilliant

Also, I know it’s basic, but tea towels?

Could also be seasonal

Welp that’s tonight’s sewing project decided

Feel free to pay my finder’s fee in the deli meats of your choice

I was wiping the counters idly, one eye on the phone to see if Sam would message back, when Bella walked in. I frowned at the clock.

“Afternoon get away from you?” she said as she shrugged out of her coat.

“Something like that.” I bent over the deli case, quickly wrapping each of the meats. After a few seconds Bella moved around the counter to start in on the cheeses. I’d just made it to the salads when I heard her little exhalation of surprise. When I looked overshe was holding the sketch. I had to restrain the immediate impulse to snatch it out of her hands, that full-body-clenching sensation of offering myself up for judgment dizzying in its intensity after so many years of avoiding it.

“I was just fucking around,” I said, tugging a tray out of the case, simultaneously unable to meet her eyes and to stop myself from stealing tiny glances her way to gauge her reaction. “Slow day.”

Bella’s lips parted slightly as she tilted the drawing in her hands.

“You should have more slow days,” she finally said, replacing it on the counter. “This isgorgeous,Ellie.”

“I mean…it’s pretty basic. A lot of the details would be appliqués. I wouldn’t even be making them, really.”

“You’d sew the flowers yourself.”

“Probably, yeah.”

“Doesn’t sound very basic to me.”

I returned her soft smile, relief dissolving the tension in my muscles.

“Maybe I’ll try patterning it. My wardrobe could use an update.”

“You should. But…what brought this on?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been a while since you designed anything new. Which isn’t a criticism,” she held up a hand, forehead crinkling with preemptive concern. “I’m just wondering what inspired you.”

The look in Theo’s eyes if he saw me in it. His fingers tracing the narrow channel of my spine as he zipped me into…or out of it.

“Too much pent-up creative energy?” Sure. That’s the kind of energy that was driving me. “And…I don’t know, I was talking with Jenna DiSousa at the engagement party—did you know she writes novels now?”

“Really? Good for her.”

---