Page 64 of Falling into Place
“What?” Benjamin had asked, clearly not expecting that.
“I’m just wondering if you’ve ... you know. Gone out with anyone over there.”
He’d paused for a long moment, then said, “Are you sure you want to talk about this?”
If that in itself didn’t answer her question, him stating straight up he’d been casually seeing one of his co-interns for a few months sure did. It had not only surprised her but also made her feel sort of pathetic that she hadn’t done the same, a truth she’d tried and failed to keep out of her voice.
She’d made an excuse to get off the phone pretty quickly after that.
Thank God Carly had a client to meet this morning, or else she would have spent the entire day wallowing in a pool of self-pity. Glancing at the clock, she cast one last glare at Pepper and swiped her keys from the table. “Be good while I’m gone.”
The meeting was scheduled at a tea shop in Nichols Hills, near some of the best independent shopping venues in Oklahoma City. Carly walked in one minute before ten and spotted a dark-haired woman near the window with an expectant look on her face.
“Jacque?” The woman nodded and Carly held out her hand with a smile. “I’m Carly. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“I see you’ve got a drink. Mind if I grab a tea before we start?”
“Not at all.”
Once she’d procured an Earl Grey with several drizzles of honey, Carly parked herself across from Jacque. “So have you ever done anything like this before? I’ve gotta give props to your husband—that’s a pretty thoughtful gift, if you ask me.”
“No, I haven’t,” Jacque admitted. “I can’t believe my husband even thought of it.”
“I have to agree.” Carly laughed. “I don’t know many men who would gift their wives an afternoon of shopping. Nothing against flowers or chocolates, but I’d pick this over those any day.”
A sad sort of smile settled on Jacque’s lips. “I was trying to get ready for our first date night since our twins were born and broke down in the middle of the closet because nothing fits the same as it used to. He’s so wonderful and said all the right things, like how beautiful I am no matter what. But all I see is this six-month postpartum body, and I just ...”She looked down at her hands for a few seconds, then took a breath and lifted her eyes. “Anyway, bless that man, a few days later I had this gift certificate in my inbox.”
“He’s right, you are beautiful,” Carly said. “And my job is to help you see it, too.”
Jacque toyed with the string of her discarded tea bag, expression polite but skeptical. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“It’s a good thing I’m amazing at my job,” Carly said with a smile, undeterred. “Okay if I tell you a little about how this usually works?”
“Sure.”
“For this package, I’m basically at your beck and call for three hours. We could spend that time any number of ways, and the timer won’t start until we make a plan.”
She nodded. “Okay, what are my options?”
“Some clients like to take me to their house, where I can help make recommendations based on what’s already in their closet, because sometimes it just takes a little creativity to style things in a new way. Others want to hit some stores and use me as a personal shopper to help them pick things out and pair them together. We could always do both—see what you’ve got and strategize what new pieces we want to add. And a few times I’ve had people just want to sit and chat while we look through websites, talking about style ideas and concepts. When your husband contacted Mode, he mentioned shopping and that you two would set a budget together, but that may have changed?”
“No, that’s true. We talked about it, and he said he wanted me to buy whatever I wanted.” She chewed her lip. “But I’m, um, not very comfortable spending a lot of money.” Her cheeks flushed pink. “I’m sorry. I looked at your website, and I’m sure you’re used to working with people with a lot of cash to spend, but I just don’t think I can. The size of our family basically doubled, and one of the twins has had some medical issues we’re still paying for. I ... I hope that’s okay.”
Carly’s heart squeezed, remembering all the times growing up she’d tried to find confidence for herself on a budget. “That’s definitely okay.”
It was more than okay, if the sudden fizz of excitement in her stomach was any indication. Jacque was right: The majority of Mode’s clientele was high-income individuals, and while it was fun being able to shop for them without restriction, Jacque felt more like Carly’s people.
“Okay, thank you.” Jacque looked down at her lap. “I thought about trying to shop on my own first ... but I didn’t even know where to start.”
“I have a ton of ideas for us. Believe it or not, I know all the best reasonably priced places around town, and some are real hidden gems. Let’s chat a little more about your style and the things you like to wear, then we can head out. Sound good?”
Something like relief flashed in Jacque’s eyes. “That sounds great.”
Her husband had technically only paid for three hours of Carly’s time, but she spent close to five with Jacque. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this inspired and energized by a client. Each smile and look of pleasant surprise on Jacque’s face when she came out of the dressing room in a new outfit was like winning the lottery.
She may not be saving lives like what Brooks did for a living, but for Carly, this was its own type of healing.
