ChapterOne
“Grrrrrrr! Why can’t I get this right?” Daphne ripped the page out of her sketchbook and hurled it across the room. A pile of wadded-up attempts engulfed the wastebasket next to her desk. Daphne fell back on the sofa then blew the hair out of her eyes and attacked again. She wanted something dramatic to close out her spring collection but each version of the black pantsuit she was envisioning kept giving her Elvira, Queen of the boardroom. “Fun but not what I’m after this time,” she scolded herself. Daphne looked up when she heard a series of soft clicks. Addie’s fingernails tapped at the glass door before she pushed it open and leaned in.
“I’m about to take off but I wanted to make sure you’re heading out. Don’t stay too late.” Addie’s brow furrowed and Daphne could practically feel the sisterly concern emanating from her.
“I know, I know! But it’s right here!” Daphne knocked on her forehead in frustration. “If I can figurethisout, I know what I’m building toward and the rest of the collection will flow from there.”
Daphne’s process always began with the finale. She liked to know how high the peak was before she climbed and that final look told her what kind of journey she’d take the audience on. But Daphne’s second collection was proving to be even more challenging and stressful than the first. She’d kicked down the doors with her first collection but that hadn’t done anything to soothe her nerves this time around.
She thrived on pressure and loved a challenge but this was different.Hername was on this and she didn’t want the world to think she was a one-hit-wonder. Critics were already asking if Daphne had the chops to pull off a second truly unique collection or if the first was a flash in the pan and she was better off imitating her mother with Isolde Rose.
“Quit fighting it and it’ll come to you,” Addie promised as she crossed the room and lowered so she could unwad one of Daphne’s rejects. She squeezed an eye shut while studying the sketch. Her nose wrinkled and Addie shook her head as she wadded it back up and dropped it. “You know better than to push yourself. You’ll keep getting the same result because your brain’s too tired so you might as well rest. Go at it with fresh eyes in the morning.”
Daphne threw her sister a scowl. If there was one thing Daphnewasn’tknown for, it was looking refreshed and well-rested.
“Fashion doesn’t rest but I guess I can,” she muttered. There was a firmer knock at the door just before Sutton looked to Daphne and Addie for permission before entering.
“There you are!” He said to Addie. something about the look. There was nothing more adorable than the way his eyes clung to Addie. Daphne pretended he was a total sap but she loved the way Sutton openly swooned whenever he saw Addie. “I picked up dinner and wine. I was thinking we’d eat our noodles in the backyard and then a I’d give you a long back massage while we’re in the tub.” He held out his arm for Addie, earning a groan from Daphne.
“Would you two get out before you give me a cavity.” She shooed them off and Addie pretended to be offended before blowing Daphne a kiss.
“I’ve given orders for them to turn out the lights and drag you out if you’re still in here in half an hour,” Addie warned. Daphne stuck her tongue out at Addie as Sutton got the door.
“Go enjoy your noodles and your tub sex,” Daphne called.
“I will! You should try it sometime,” Addie called back. Sutton flashed Daphne a sheepish smile and waved from the other side of the glass before he escorted Addie down the stairs. He still doted on her and Addie had finally accepted that there was no stopping Sutton. They were living together at his place and he’d proposed to Addie with a stunning vintage Cartier engagement ring just a few weekends earlier. Instead of a traditional diamond, he’d picked a piece with a deep pink sapphire set in a platinum pave diamond band. The sapphire was a very particular shade and always reminded Daphne of a certain club. But that was the point, after all. Addie and Sutton had met and fallen in love at The ReginaLingus before they officially met andtrulyfell head over heels in love.
“God, I could really go for some noodles and tub sex…”
Any sex would be great.
She had her share of fun at the club in the year since Addie helped Daphne become a member but it had been weeks since her last visit. Daphne wasn’t like her sister. She couldn’t carve out one afternoon a week for self-care because Daphne didn’t know how to compartmentalize or unplug. Addie was the organized, careful one. Daphne liked to step on the gas and keep going until the tank ran dry so she hadn’t stopped in at the ReginaLingus in…
“Has it been two months?” Daphne cringed at the window then swore. It had been two months. But she knew she wouldn’t be back until she at least had enough decent sketches to pull a real collection from. At the rate Daphne was going, it would be another two months. Her brain wouldn’t let her rest until then. “I’ve never had a dry spell this bad.” She tossed her pad on the seat next to her and rose to get her things.
Midnight Lily was the promise of dark, lush sensuality. Daphne’s first runway show featured dramatic pantsuits in rich, midnight garden florals and plaids in black, grays, deep purples, and blues. The gowns were form-fitting, in powerful silhouettes that Daphne softened with layers of airy silks and lace in darkly seductive hues.
The first show was a hit and buyers for Amazon and major department stores took notice. Daphne’s designs were on high-end racks around the country within months and she’d been offered a collaboration with a major fashion house. She passed because Daphne wasn’t going to design for anyone but herself and Isolde Rose.
Daphne was stuck, though. The pressure had finally gotten to her, she suspected, because Daphne hadn’t had a spark of original thought in months. At least, not for Midnight Lily. They had just hit it out of the park with Rose’s last full spread inShout!magazine. There were whispers that Isolde Rose’s latest collection was the label’s best yet but Daphne refused to take all the credit.
She often told reporters that she’d picked up everything she’d learned from her mother and that Isolde Rose was just in her DNA but that wasn’t exactly the truth. Daphne couldn’t explain how, but her mother spoke to her when she was drawing something for Isolde Rose. The designs came fromher,not Daphne. Sitting down with her sketch pad to draw for Rose never felt like work because that was how Daphne communed with her mother. They were still together in the workroom but Daphne was on her own when she drew for Midnight Lily.
Daphne felt very alone as she gathered her sketchbook and her tote bag then turned everything off for the night. She sent Iris home and held on a little too long when they hugged on the sidewalk.
“Want me to stay at your place tonight? Leah’s got a date so I’ll be on my own anyway,” Iris offered.
“Am I that obvious?” Daphne asked, earning an sympathetic groan from Iris.
“You aren’t the type to take it out on us but you swear at yourself a lot and you’re running yourself ragged. Do you want to know what I think?”
“Probably not...” Daphne’s eyes narrowed warily. Iris was a little spooky, she was so good at reading Daphne and telling her what she didn’t want to hear in the gentlest way.
“You need to take a break and step away from the sketchbook. Something else is going on and whatever you’re avoiding is gumming up the works. I know what you’re like when you’re having a creative block but that’s not what this is.” Iris held up her hands apologetically. “Sorry but not sorry. Time to take a break, my friend.”
Daphne pulled a deep breath through her nose and held it for a moment, letting Iris’s advice and concern wash over her and seep into the cracks.Why am I like this?Daphne could be so innately stubborn, she didn’t realize she was being obstinate—even with herself—until someone else pointed it out. It took an intervention from Addie to get Daphne to start her own line despite it being a lifelong dream.
Dig in and work harder. That’s what Daphne always did when she was avoiding something. It’s how she survived her mother’s death, her sister’s mental health crisis, and her fear of failure.