Janey craned her neck to get a better look. “It definitely looks like something. Can I see?”
The girl’s face flushed. “They’re terrible. When I showed them to Beau he was disgusted. Completely disgusted. I think it’s why he let me go.” She reluctantly handed Janey the pieces of paper. “Maybe I overstepped my bounds. He just seemed so interested in everything I was doing. I thought I was being helpful.”
The girl’s sketches were simple—bridal dresses with long sheaths with low backs, strapless mermaid gowns, nothing fancy, but sophisticated and definitely beautiful.
“What didn’t he like about these? You have a good eye.” Janey looked at the sketches and saw the spark of something.
The girl sat, crossed and then uncrossed her long legs in front of her.
“I suggested that we do something simple, an exclusive B line for J.Crew. These designs are all easy to replicate and I found a factory in Minnesota that was completely owned and operated by women who said they could produce them affordably. I love B. I would love to wear a B wedding dress.” She blushed again. “But I can’t afford it. I live with four roommates and my fiancé is a guitarist. So I suggested to Beau that women my age might be interested in a more affordable line. We could still do the incredible couture work and higher-end dresses, but this could be a new market for us.”
Janey felt a twinge of regret for writing this girl off. What kind of girl boss was she? How dare she judge a pretty girl by her shiny hair alone.
Alizza continued. “But Beau looked at me as though I said something horrible, like I’d suggested we start making black wedding dresses.”
Janey laughed. “You know, Beau did once suggest we make black wedding dresses, for divorcées. He went so far as to get samples made. I still have them at home in the spare closet.”
Janey had long seen a need for them to expand B out of the ridiculously high-end market and into something more affordable. They had all the celebrity clients and the industry cred. They wouldn’t damage the brand if they made a more affordable line. Everyone was doing it. Vera Wang worked with Kohl’s for god’s sake. But every time she’d mentioned it, Beau lost his mind. Why had she allowed herself to run her business based on his temper tantrums for so long?
“Do you know your production costs?” Janey asked. “Per unit?”
Alizza rattled figures off the top of her head. “A hundred dollars for labor, two-fifty for fair-trade textiles from Bangladesh, twenty-five dollars for shipping. I figure we can sell for between eight hundred and a thousand dollars per unit.”
Janey nodded. That was definitely the ballpark for places like J.Crew and BHLDN, and these dresses had a style and a flair unlike other off-the-rack wedding dresses. She had a spark of inspiration. With costs so low and the right technology you could theoretically create cost-effective couture, letting a bride design her own wedding dress piecemeal on an app. What if a bride could pick the fabric, color, and cut of her dress, eliminating the designer from the process entirely? Eliminating the Beau. Now that was something she could work with.
“What do you plan to do now?” Janey asked with genuine curiosity.
“I don’t know.” The girl shook her head and looked ready to burst into tears. “Beau told me he’d make sure no one else in the industry hired me. I thought of applying for a job with BHLDN or Stone Fox. I love affordable luxury and I love wedding dresses. I loved working for B. I wanted to stay there forever.”
Janey found herself wishing she could pet the girl’s hair in a soothing maternal way, like Lorna had done for her.
“You can’t stay in one place forever.” Oh, wow. Janey realized she was saying the words to herself as much as the girl. “You’re talented. I can introduce you to Molly at Stone Fox, and if she offers you a job you take it. If not, then let’s talk more in April?”
Alizza nodded. “I’m so happy I ran into you. I was hoping I’d see you. Can I admit something creepy?”
Janey nodded slowly.
“I follow you on Instagram and I saw you take pictures here so I thought I might see you here one of these days if I just kept coming in.” She looked over her shoulder and shot a winning smile at Jacob. “The juice is the best too.”
“That’s the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard.” Janey laughed. “And smart. Very smart. We’ll talk soon. Okay?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alate-season snowstorm assaulted New York the night before Janey was supposed to fly to The Workout retreat. It was the kind of snow that went from fluffy cotton to brown slush, converting avenues to swamps and testing the patience of tried-and-true New Yorkers, who prided themselves on their ability to weather all extremes.
Thank god she was getting out of here.
Janey treated herself by using the B frequent flier points to upgrade to first class for the flight from New York to St. Lucia, transforming the brief flight into a vacation with white linen tablecloths and a constant flow of champagne.
Stella had promised to meet her at the airport, and together the two women would drive the hour or so to the retreat location. She’d received a text from the shaman the night before takeoff: Ready for some Vitamin Sea? Game. Meet change. #BLESSED.
There would be at least six hours of workouts a day and two meditation sessions. Strictly organic fruits and vegetables, no fatty food whatsoever. Stella warned her in the nicest way possible that the clientele was very high-end. Of course it was. Who else could afford to pay fifteen thousand dollars for a week of weight loss?
“But they’re very nice,” Stella said. Stella never had an unkind word to say about anyone. “I think you’ll get along with them. It will be fifteen women.” Janey did the math. That was nearly a quarter million dollars, and even with expenses deducted, she was certain Sara Strong was pulling in a sizable six-figure payday for eight days of work.
Work. God, she missed work.