Page 185 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
“I don’t have the name recognition for thousands of people to pre-order my designs. I think they’re good, but I doubt people will rush to buy from a no-name designer. And Valente might claim I stole the designs from them.”
“I’ve seen your work,” Frankie cuts in. “It’s top notch. People will absolutely want to buy from you. The hard part would be keeping up with demand. There’s no way you could do it by yourself.”
“With enough demand, she wouldn’t have to,” Stella answers before Piper can. “She can hire people to help.”
I nudge Piper. “What about your friend who got fired today?”
She sits straighter, more interested but still unsure. “I don’t know how I’d find her, but maybe she’d be interested. Still, I’d need more than my portfolio as proof that Valente stole from me and not the other way around, in case they accused me.”
We talk through those possibilities until Britta stifles a yawn. Dex notices and stands.
“I’m out of my depth here, and Britta needs to get to bed,” he says, stretching, then looks pointedly at me. “You can only deflect so long, mate. You still need to make some decisions about your own fate.”
Britta holds out her hand for Dex to pull her up. “You and Piper could always work together, if you’re going to start Bombora, Arch,” she says with another yawn. “You’ll need a designer.”
I stare at Britta, considering whether her idea is sleep-deprived nonsense or pure genius.
“That’s a ripper idea, Britt!” Dex says proudly before kissing her cheek.
“It really is,” Stella mutters, her eyes scanning back and forth like she’s searching for the perfect place to put this finishing touch on her original idea. “Piper exposes Valente, crowdfunds to start her own line, and announces it will be available in larger quantities under the Bombora brand when Archie’s first store opens. It’d be kind of a double launch.”
She drops her eyes to Piper and me and smiles proudly. “Or something. That’s off the top of my head. But I can do some research into crowdfunding if you want.”
Piper and I are speechless, and Stella’s smile slowly falls without quite disappearing. “Think about it, anyway.”
“No, I’d love that,” Piper says, a bit in awe. “If you don’t mind looking into it. I’d love to explore every possibility for producing and marketing my own line…I’m just not sure I want to do it under someone else’s name.”
Her eyes dart to me, and I nod. I get it. If her name isn’t going to be on her designs, she’d be better off staying at Valente than designing for a company that doesn’t even exist yet.
“Of course! Let’s get together tomorrow to talk more,” Stella says, vibrating with excitement.
I’m pleased they’re getting to be friends. Piper doesn’t know Stella well enough yet to understand she’s a force to be reckoned with. Stella will come up with a plan before Piper has time to question whether she should launch her own line.
Still buzzing, Stella tells me goodbye and follows Britta and Dex to the front door where Frankie holds it open for them.
Piper and I, still sitting side by side, look at each other. I can’t read her face, and I wonder if she’s considering what Britta’s said. Could we work together?
Or she might be replaying every interaction we’ve had this week, same as I am. My breakdown of the week comes down to ninety-nine percent battles and sabotage, one percent flirting and almost kissing.
It’s the one percent of our interactions that has me questioning whether I could work with her without wanting to follow through on that kiss every second we're together. I’m tempted to try now, even with Frankie in the next room.
But my sister seeing us isn’t the only thing at stake. Now that Dad and Cynthia have finally come to an agreement on assets, they can’t be rid of each other fast enough. What happens to my relationship with Dad if Piper and I start something? If I even still have a relationship with Dad, that is.
The biggest issue, though, is that I dunno if I’m ready to risk losing my heart to Piper. Because if I kiss her, there’s no turning back. I’m all in.
“Piper Quinn,” I whisper, then chuckle to myself.
She gives me a questioning look, but I get the sense she has an idea about what I’m thinking.
I never could’ve predicted how much I’d like the feel of that name on my lips or the sound of it in my ears. But the biggest surprise of all is how much I want Piper close enough that I can hold her in my arms.
Maybe even forever.
Chapter 30
Piper
The voices of Archie’s friends—my friends, too?—buzz in the background as he and I look at each other in the living room. The scent of fish and red onion lingers in the air, reminding me of the incredible meal Archie made for me while also stinking a bit. It’s a strange combination—kind of like Archie and me. We know each other, but mostly through the ways we’ve hurt each other.
