Chapter 6: A Question Comes After a Year
“OLIVIA, you have any interest in running your own shop?”
She blinked over and over as the paperwork in her hands spilled to the floor.
“You dropped that,” Gordon pointed out, gesturing to the paperwork on the lamplit floor from his seat at his desk.
Her eyes moved mechanically to the floor, then back to Gordon with an expression of disbelief. “Um. I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
“I said, you have any interest in running your own shop?”
It seemed she hadn’t misheard him.
Before sorting through that issue, she gathered up the papers from the floor and thought back to what had happened that day. It had been an utterly average day.
Today was so normal. Was there any advance notice about something this huge?
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THE day had begun like any other.
She woke in her room in the dorm and stretched herself long in the morning sun slanting through the window.
“I slept so well. Here’s to another day of hard work!”
After a hot shower, she had a simple breakfast of bread and coffee. She put on her usual wine-red blazer and green flared skirt before heading down to her personal workroom on the third floor.
She’d been given her own space after winning gold in the competition since they decided it was proof she’d graduated from being an apprentice. It was about the same size as Harrison’s and Laraconia’s rooms and dotted with magic jewelry cases.
Olivia went straight to her desk and worked through the morning on the orders for women’s magic jewelry she’d received.
She then had lunch with Rose.
In the afternoon, she was in the magic jewelry showroom on the second floor, explaining rings at the counter to a young couple who’d booked a consultation with her.
“This is our popular Flower Series, and next to it is our Heart Series,” she’d explained.
The woman in a springlike dress of light yellow-green looked at the rings as if enchanted. “Oh, my! They’re so lovely! There’s nothing like this in any other shop. Are these all your designs?”
“Yes, they are. I’m in charge of these series.”
“Amazing… And what elaborate detail on the crown.”
“Thank you. This is an ivy pattern. You can choose your stone, but the one in this ring at the moment is imbued with a fatigue reduction effect. Would you like to try it on?”
The woman’s eyes shone. “May I?”
“Of course.” Olivia lifted the ring from the showcase with a white-gloved hand and placed it on a black tray, which she offered to the woman.
The woman gently slipped the ring on her right ring finger, her eyes crinkled with enchantment as she looked at it. “It’s so beautiful… And delicate. I don’t think it’ll get in the way even if I wear it all the time. What sort of stones are available?”
Olivia took a small display box lined with black velvet from the shelf behind her. Inside were small gems in a variety of colors.
“These would suit a ring well, I believe,” she offered.
“Oh! There’s so many.” The woman turned to her partner. “Look, this one is the same color as your eyes!”
“You’re right. And this one matches yours,” he observed.
Olivia smiled at the happy couple looking over the gems and explained each one in turn.
One hour later, the woman was at the entrance on the first floor, all smiles as she squeezed Olivia’s hand. “Thank you so much! Coming here to see you was the right decision!”
The man smiled gently and tilted his hat to Olivia. “I’d like to thank you as well. Now I have a wonderful gift for her.”
Olivia smiled back. “No, thank you. It’s encouraging to receive such compliments. I hope you visit Gordon’s Magic Appliances again sometime.”
She watched the two board a carriage and then hurried up to the second floor. Glancing at the clock, she unlocked a set of drawers and took out several boxes, which she opened to check the contents carefully. Olivia then gently slid the boxes into a satchel with an anti-theft property, put on the bracelet paired with the bag, put on a hat, and walked quickly back down to the first floor.
“I’m going to Sally’s Bridal Boutique,” she told the worker behind the counter at the entrance.
“All right,” he replied. “I’ve called a carriage for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back this evening.”
Olivia stepped out of the shop and climbed into the carriage waiting out front. Once inside, she sighed.
I think I might just make it on time.
She watched the sights pass outside the window as the carriage rolled down the main thoroughfare. They turned onto a mid-sized road lined with trees the color of young leaves, then continued for a little over ten minutes.
“We’ve arrived,” called the driver.
“Thank you.”
The driver helped her out of the carriage, and she was standing in front of a shop named Sally’s Bridal Boutique, which faced the busy street.
Olivia looked up at the white sign with its calligraphic script and a silhouette drawing of a loving couple. In the show window were beautiful wedding dresses dripping with lace.
She opened the door decorated with a rose wreath and stepped inside a lovely shop that felt like a kingdom from a fairytale filled with pure-white dresses and fancy accessories on display shelves.
Behind the counter was a young woman in a sleek uniform. She smiled at Olivia when she saw her. “Hello, Olivia. Are you here to see Sally?”
“I am, for a delivery.”
“Please wait here a moment.” The woman showed Olivia to a sofa with a pattern of tiny flowers.
Olivia’s eyes roved the shop. It was as incredible as always. From further in, Olivia could hear the bubbly voices of couples.
“This aqua dress is cute too. Which do you like better, the white or the aqua?”
“They both look great on you.”
“Oh, come on! You have to choose one. This is what I’ll wear for our one-and-only wedding!”
The woman didn’t sound upset despite her complaints, and Olivia had to clamp her hand over her mouth because she nearly burst out laughing.
Olivia was smiling as she listened to the conversation when the young worker from before returned.
“Sally’s ready to see you. This way, please.”
She led Olivia down a narrow hallway to a larger, cute-but-mature office with pink wallpaper and rows of dress forms wearing half-made dresses. A red-haired woman in a white suit sat by the window.
She smiled and stood when she saw Olivia. “Olivia, you made it!”
Her name was Sally Lilium. She was a fashion designer specializing in bridal fashion and was so good at what she did that she had her own shop despite being so young. Olivia met her through Elliot because Sally was engaged to one of Elliot’s friends.