After finding a basketball game, he leans back with a sigh. Since we just signed a provisional deal to provide suits for NBA coaches once the new line debuts, Andre has been taking a bit more interest in the game. He’s always been an active guy, he just prefers outdoor pursuits like hiking and running.
He lowers the volume on the television and clears his throat.
“A little birdie whispered in my ear recently. Apparently I’ve neglected to tell you how much I appreciate you.”
“I’m going to kill Ariana.”
Andre gives me a look. “You think she’d whisper in my ear? That woman would have dragged me by the balls to apologize.”
“I don’t need any thanks. It’s my job.”
“But you do. So much of what Lavin has become is directly due to your influence. When I first got the idea to use production scrap to create clothing for the homeless, it was because of you.”
Uncomfortable with his effusiveness, I smirk. “I remind you of the homeless?”
“No.” He laughs and punches my shoulder. “You were talking about the new line. But your points about making clothing accessible made me think.”
He sighs.
“I was so pigheaded. I didn’t want to even think about simplifying designs to make ready-to-wear possible and you made me see the possibilities. All I saw was lowering the price. You saw a way to get us into new closets.”
“I’m sure Casey had something to do with that, too. Or did I hallucinate you working like a madman on one of your homeless designs after you lost her?”
He nods. “She definitely changed my thinking. She wore clothes that were too small to her job interview because she couldn’t afford anything else then.”
I hadn’t realized Casey had ever struggled financially so this is news to me. “I didn’t know that.”
“I knew they were too small but not that it was all she had.” He waggles his eyebrows. “The man in me didn’t mind them being too small.”
We both laugh at that.
“But seriously, that one change in thinking has turned the direction of the company. Maybe a groom who can’t afford a Lavin bridal suit will choose one from VIN.”
“Vin?”
“Yes. I’m naming the new line after you.”
My mouth falls open. “Andre … I don’t know what to say.”
He sobers, his eyes intense.
“When we started, you didn’t hesitate to sink all your money into this venture with me. When Mamma and Papa were still unsure, you were the one that said to trust me. That I would change the way the world sees design. Fashion wasn’t even something you cared about but you learned to care. For me.”
“You would have done the same for me.”
“Of course I would have. But that doesn’t make it any less extraordinary.”
He claps me on the back.
“Brother, it may be my face in the ads but the name on the door belongs to both of us.”
“Papa would be proud of us.”
“Yes, he would. I’m proud of us, too. Especially you.” Andre shakes his head. “When you asked me for advice, I had no idea it was for Ariana.”
“Would that have changed the advice?”
“I probably would have told you to be careful. And to wear one of those protective cups over your balls.”