Page 34 of Cakewalk
Oh, boy. Well, if he wanted to play mediator, he could be my guest. I supposed things could only improve from here, after I had written off any sort of friendship with Madison ages ago.
“All right,” I said, motioning that he go ahead of me. “Let’s see a master negotiator at work.”
“Well, now, I didn’t say I was a master. But this is a thread I want to pull.”
In my experience with thread-pulling, all it ever resulted in was frayed fabric. Ugh. I repeated to myself:Nothing left to lose, right?
We stepped into Madison’s boutique, the little shop looking like it came right out of an Instagram post, filters and all. Somehow the lighting was just right, the clothes and various accessories all looking like they’d match no matter how you mixed them. The clothing styles ranged from a casual hippy look to spiffy outfits that’d be respectable in any professional environment.
Madison came out from the back room, a box of perfumes in her arms. “Welco—oh. Jade.”
Griffin maneuvered into her line of sight, and her expression softened a little upon seeing him. I mean, why not? He was sexy and suave. The type of guy she’d definitely go for.
Oh, God. Don’t let this be another reason for her to hate me.
“Madison, right?” Griffin started. “Jade was just telling me about how you’ve been building up a following since middle school and pivoted that into your own line of clothing and accessories. Bootstrapped it from the ground up, all by yourself. It’s very impressive.”
I definitely hadn’t told him that, so he must’ve done his research ahead of time. I appreciated what he was trying to do, though.
Madison glanced around his shoulder, looked at me curiously, like she was surprised I had talked her up despite our tension. And maybe I should have, but I had been too caught up in our drama.
“Yes,” Madison started, looking back up at Griffin with almost starry eyes. “I started out reviewing fashion, then found my grandmother’s old sewing machine and started making my own. It expanded from there.”
“You must be entirely self-taught, then?”
“Yes, my parents never had the money for lessons, or college, for that matter. So I learned everything from online resources, and some of the old books and sewing patterns my grandmother left for me.”
Griffin glanced back at me. “I love it. That must be why your clothes have such a unique look.”
Madison nodded proudly.
Griffin asked me, “What do you think?”
I didn’t have to lie or talk her clothes up. I always loved them. “I totally agree. There’s something old-fashioned to the style, but in a good way, you know? It’s not disposable, or cheap.”
“You’re thinking fast fashion,” Madison said, and I was surprised we were having a conversation. “Most clothing only gets worn seven times before it ends up in a landfill. Partly because fashion changes so quickly, and partly because the quality just doesn’t hold up.”
I took a blouse off a rack and ran my hand along the soft fabric. “Yeah, I can see this looking good and lasting for years to come.”
Madison glanced away, taking the compliment even though it seemed like she wanted to stay angry with me. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.”
“I wish I could have gone to the grand opening,” I said, walking up to her. “But with the cake disaster and everything…”
“It’s fine. I know I haven’t been very welcoming since you came back to town.”
Griffin stepped in again. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why did you decide to establish your boutique in Calhoon? I can see this place doing well in any city.”
Madison paused what she was doing, turning to face him. “It’s simple. I don’t want to give up on this town.”
“It must be difficult, though, with so little foot traffic.”
“It is. Honestly, most of my sales are online. But I feel like I can justify this shop as a showroom of sorts. And maybe, with time…”
“Right.” Griffin glanced at me, then back at her. “I keep being surprised by how loyal everyone is to this town. Jade tells me you thought she’d leave this place for good once she started college.”
I gulped.Here it comes.
Madison kept her eyes downcast. “I mean, yeah. Everybody leaves once they get a taste of the outside.” She frowned, then squinted at Griffin. “Wait, so who are you?”
