The conversation went back and forth with a few words such as absolutely and without a doubt, then she said, “Yes, she worked in a Florida boutique that went out of business. Unfortunately, no references but I assure you, she’s Cavalier’s quality.”
When Suzanna heard that, her foot began bouncing up and down like a rubber ball. The conversation seemed to drag on forever as she sat there wondering how she was going to fake something she knew nothing about.
When Ginger finally hung up, she looked across with a smile that stretched the full width of her face.
“Colette said to come in tomorrow afternoon. She’s anxious to meet you.”
Suzanna sucked in a breath. “You told her I had experience?”
With a mischievous grin curling her mouth, Ginger nodded. “So I did. But don’t worry, she won’t check. She never does. Colette trusts her instinct about people. Right off the bat she can tell whether or not she likes you, and that’s what counts.”
——————
AFTER SUCH AN ENTHUSIASTIC ENDORSEMENT, Suzanna walked into Cavalier’s Couture expecting a warm welcome, but what she got was a pencil-thin business woman who was taller than she was, had a sharp nose, and an oversized twist of red hair.
Earlier that morning Ida had boosted her confidence and assured her that she was a shoo-in.
“Darla Jean, why on earth would anyone pass up a woman like you?” she’d asked, then gone on to detail how she was beautiful, smart, and talented. As Suzanna started out the door, Ida had kissed her cheek and said, “Don’t worry, I’m certain she’ll love you.”
When Suzanna parked in front of the shop she’d felt pretty sure of herself, but once she saw the icy gray eyes scrutinizing her from top to toe that confidence disappeared. Fearful that beads of perspiration were already rising up on her forehead, she tried to smile as she walked over to the counter, stuck out her hand, and said, “You must be Colette Cavalier. I’m Darla Jean Parker.”
“Pleasure,” the woman replied as she extended her hand.
She had an accent Suzanna didn’t recognize, a nasal sound that made it seem as though she were pushing the words through her nose.
“You are on time, have height, and a narrow waist, all good,” she said and gave just the slightest inkling of a smile. “Now tell me about your experience.”
Suzanna swallowed hard, and when she started to speak it felt as though her tongue were stuck to the roof of her mouth.
“Well, it’s not much to speak of…”
She thought back, trying to remember the key words Ginger had given her, but as she stumbled over the tale about it being a small retail shop with not a lot of traffic, she felt the heat coloring her cheeks. Lying came easy to Suzanna; she could do it and never so much as blink an eye. But after five months of living with Ida, she’d shed too many parts of her former self. She was now more Darla Jean than Suzanna, and the art of lying had been lost.
She stopped mid-sentence and said, “Actually it wasn’t a boutique, it was a snack shop. I worked there when I was a teenager. I don’t have any fashion expertise, and for the past seven years the only real thing I’ve done is be a mom to my little girl.”
Colette Cavalier’s expression softened ever so slightly.
“Honesty is good,” she said. “Experience I can teach, but honesty you must have to begin with.”
A sense of shame rose up in Suzanna; it came with knowing she was neither a good liar nor an honest person. In trying to bridge the gap between the two, she had somehow fallen into the crack of nothingness in between.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time.” She lowered her eyes, tucked her chin to her chest, and turned toward the door.
The sound of Colette’s voice stopped her.
“Did Ginger not tell you that I have a keen sense of people? I would have in time known the truth anyway, so let’s just move on.”
Suzanna lifted her chin and turned back to see Colette pluck two outfits from the rack.
She thrust the clothes into Suzanna’s arms, then gave a nod toward the dressing room. “Try these on, and let’s see if you present as well as your friend has suggested.”
Not quite believing she’d gotten a second chance, Suzanna entered the dressing room and hurriedly stepped out of the jeans she was wearing. She slid the black wool dress over her head, checked her image in the mirror, and gave a gasp. The dress fit as though it had been made for her, and the sparkling rim of gold braid at the neckline seemed to brighten her face. Her shoes were wrong; terribly wrong. She looked down at the flat sandals, hesitated a moment, then kicked them off and walked out of the dressing room in her bare feet.
Colette stood there fingering her chin for a moment then glanced down at Suzanna’s feet and smiled. “You must have more fashion sense than you realize; you apparently knew those sandals would ruin the look of the dress.”
She asked Suzanna to walk across the room, turn one way and the other, then gave a nod of approval. “Now let me see you in the suit.”
After the suit there was another armful of clothes to try on, and for the better part of an hour Colette watched as Suzanna strutted back and forth across the store.
“You’re a perfect size 8,” she finally said, “I’ll give you that. Few people wear clothes as well as you do.”
Suzanna heard a hitch of hesitation in her voice and sensed that Colette was looking for someone more sophisticated than herself. Someone with an eye for fashion. Someone who wore the right shoes and already knew the names of designers like Bonnie Cashin and Colette Quant. Someone who had experience.
