Beautiful People | wlw

Seventeen: Exes and Ohs

"The queen has spoken," Jay said, fluttering his hand in imitation. "We can't work with all this chatter disrupting things."

With a deeply unimpressed look, Sharise herded Cora out of the room-sized closet. Vera tucked a smile between her teeth.

Tugging at the silver pins wedged through double-thick leather in the waistband of the red pants, Vera said, "This gap is giving me anxiety. I swear these pants fit you last week. Didn't they fit last week?"

Carmen's face lit up with glee. "I lost two pounds, bitch."

"Couldn't you tell she lost two pounds, Vee?" Jay said, lifting his eyebrows comically to his hairline.

"Fuck you," Carmen said, letting out a cackling giggle. "I worked hard for those two pounds."

"You couldn't've warned me so I'd know it needed adjusting?"

"You couldn't've warned me you were trying to get with my manager?"

Vera definitely didn't stab Carmen with her next pin on purpose.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

From Carmen's other side, where she was comparing lipstick colours, Lily muttered, "No, you're not." Everyone ignored her.

Vera pressed to her feet. "Take them off. It'll just take a couple minutes to sew it up. It won't be noticeable."

Scrunching her face up in a way that suggested this conversation wasn't over but she had more important things to worry about at the moment, Carmen wriggled out of the pants, then settled into the makeup chair and crossed her long bare legs in one smooth motion.

While Jay and Lily got to work, Vera took the pants into the other closet. Her sewing machine was still set up by the window, lit now by the warm glow of ageing sunlight. Before she started, she made a note in her phone to look for tailors. She wouldn't have time to do all the alterations herself once she took on more clients.

As she threaded the machine and checked the tension, as she lifted the presser foot and aligned the pinned waistband of the pants under the needle, Vera bounced her heel against the floor. She hadn't yet told Carmen about Marina's offer. She wanted to bring it up with Sharise first. It would be unfair to say she was doing anything wrong by taking the job, but that didn't make her any less nervous about how Carmen might react. Sharise would have some tips.

The sewing machine hummed beneath her hands when she stepped on the pedal, sharp needle plunging eagerly through the leather. The heavy fabric needed careful guidance to ensure it didn't slip or bunch. So she didn't look up when Sharise peeked into the room, then stepped inside and drew the door shut behind her.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting unless you expect kisses."

Sharise didn't laugh and didn't move closer, just hovered awkwardly near the door like she had that first day when they were still prickly. Vera lifted her foot off the pedal and looked up, adjusting the drape of the pant leg across her thighs.

"Too soon to joke about kisses?"

"I just--" Sharise hesitated, not meeting Vera's eyes. "Ellie called."

Vera's brows drew together. "I thought you blocked her number?"

"Called from her hotel. She's in town today." Palms ran nervously over her hips. "I haven't cancelled my salon appointment yet, but..."

"I'm free tonight." Vera smiled reassuringly.

Sharise nodded once. Straightening her shoulders, she nodded again. "I appreciate this."