Catch Me

Chapter 9

Maddy

Designing clothes has always been something I loved doing. I started when I was about seven. Dad had been in the NFL for a few years, and I took the jersey I wore to his home games, snuck mom's kitchen scissors and cut out little footballs on the shoulder then took some string I found that my great grandmother had left at our house over Christmas and tied little bows at each end of the footballs. Mom was mad, but Dad thought it was creative and told me he couldn't wait to see me wearing the jersey in the stands. He continued to encourage me and even told the football wives who said my jersey was cute that he would get some more for me to make the other kids some. That sent me on my journey to becoming a fashion designer.

As I grew, Mom noticed that I drew pictures of every different kind of clothing. She introduced me to a friend she had made when she was getting a dress for one of Dad's events, in hopes that I could figure out what I wanted to focus on. Marybeth, also known as Belle, had a fake French accent until it was only my mom and me around then it was all southern. She had been from a small town, but no one took her seriously with her accent and "country ways" so she reinvented herself and became Belle. Mom only bought dresses from her after she agreed to be my mentor. Mom taught us not to lie but she knew that Marybeth had done it for a reason and hated it. Both of them made sure I knew that I had to be true to myself. No hiding and no fake names. After spending a summer traveling around and seeing how the fashion world was behind the scenes, I decided I wanted a fashion house. I wanted to design a bit of everything. Marybeth said it was a tall order but she knew I could do it. I never let go of the dream from then on. I always had a sketch pad with me, and Cleo was right there beside me telling me which designs she couldn't wait to wear. This was why I was sitting staring at her while she tried to argue over the name that I came up with years ago.

"All I am saying is that YOU are the designer, Maddy," Cleo shakes her head and sits back in her chair, arms crossed like she plans to not budge.

"And all I am saying is that YOU have been right there the whole time. YOU have told me when my designs are a hard pass, YOU have been meeting with people left and right while I'm at school to get this place off the floor, YOU know I have a ton of reasons the fashion house should be name Maddix. We have literally been arguing about this for four years and you have heard them all." Cleo sighs. She knows better than to argue with me I don't know why she is bothering.

"Fine. Only because we have to have a name like now." She had met with an investor who wanted to know what we planned to call ourselves before he even thought about investing. He has seen the designs and loved them, but without a name, we couldn't become much of anything.

"Good! Now that we have that settled, look at this new dress I sketched up last night," I held the book out for her before standing up to grab a drink from the kitchen.

"Maddy's this is gorgeous!" Cleo said in shock. I frowned at her as I walked back to the table we had been sitting at for an hour.

"Why are you so shocked?"

"Sorry," she shook her head, handing me the pad back. "I'm not shocked by your skill or anything. It's that it's a wedding dress. You have never designed one of those before." She shrugged like it was no big deal but the way she was looking at me said otherwise.

"What, Cleo?"

She held her hands up, "Don't get defensive. I just thought you didn't think much about marriage and stuff. You have always said you would focus on the fashion house until it was everything you dreamed of. And only then would you think about settling down."

"Yeah. So? You don't think once we have a name for ourselves, people might want wedding dresses?" I wasn't understanding where she was coming from.