he confirmed. ‘I’m on Team Claire, remember? Now go hit that shower, I’ll have coffee ready by the time you’re out, and I’ll start ringing round.’
She hugged him. ‘Have I told you how wonderful you are? Five minutes ago it felt as if the world had ended, and now...’
‘Hey—you’d do the same for me,’ he pointed out.
Half an hour later, Sean had it all arranged. Luke and Tom agreed immediately to stand in, plus Tom’s partner. Sean called in his best friend and his sales manager from the factory, and they all agreed to meet him and Claire at the wedding show two hours before it started, so Claire could do any last-minute necessary alterations to their outfits. Then he made Claire sit down and eat breakfast, before helping her to load everything into the van she’d hired for the day.
‘Sure we’ve got all the wedding dresses?’ he asked before he closed the van doors. ‘Though I guess we’re going to Earl’s Court rather than Capri, so we should be OK.’
‘Not funny, Sean.’ She narrowed her eyes at him.
He kissed her lightly. ‘That was misplaced humour and I apologise. It’s all going to be fine, Claire. Just breathe and check your list.’
‘Sorry, I’m being unfair and overly grouchy. Ignore me.’ She looked over her list. ‘Everything’s ticked off and loaded, so we’re ready to roll.’
‘At least we’ve got the bumps out of the way this side of the catwalk. It’s all going to be fine now.’ He kissed her again. ‘By the way, I meant to tell you, I’ve got some extra giveaways for you. Will from the office is bringing them to the show.’
‘Giveaways?’ Her eyes went wide. ‘Oh, no. I completely forgot about giveaways. I meant to order some pens. I’ve been so focused on the outfits that it totally slipped my mind.’
‘You have business cards?’
‘Yes.’
‘Grab them,’ he said, ‘and we’ll get a production line stuffing them at the show.’
‘Stuffing what?’ She looked at him blankly.
‘My genius girlfriend talked about wedding favours. I had some samples run up, with white organza bags and gold foil on the caramel hearts. The bag is just the right size to put your business card in as well—and don’t worry about the pens. Everyone will remember the chocolate.’
‘Sean, that’s above and beyond.’
‘No, it’s supporting you,’ he corrected, ‘and it also works as a test run for me, so we both win. Let’s get this show on the road.’
At the wedding show, people were busy setting up exhibition stands and the place was bustling. Claire was busy measuring her new male models and doing alterations; then, when the female models arrived, she filled them in on the situation and got them to teach the men how to walk. Her stand was set up with showbooks of her designs, and her part-time shop assistant Iona was there to field enquiries and take contact details of people who were interested in having a consultation about a wedding dress. Will had brought the organza bags and chocolates with him, so Sean had a production line of people stuffing bags with the chocolates and Claire’s business card. He knew how much was riding on this.
And it also worried him. Claire had already had to deal with extra problems that weren’t of her making today. If this didn’t go to plan, all her hard work would have been for nothing.
What he wanted to do was to make sure that the people she wanted to see her collection actually saw it. She’d already mentioned the names of some of the fashion houses who were going to be there. A little networking might just give them the push they needed to make sure they saw Claire’s work.
While Claire was making last-minute fixes to the dresses, Sean slipped away quietly to find the movers and shakers of her world. Claire had just about finished by the time he returned.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ She smiled at him. ‘You’re amazing and I love you. Now go strut your stuff.’
The dresses all looked breathtaking. He knew how much work had gone into them, along with Claire’s heart and soul. Please let the reviewers be kind rather than snarky, he begged silently. Please let her get the kudos she deserved. Please let the fashion houses keep their word and come to see her. Please let them give her a chance.
* * *
Claire’s hands were shaking visibly. Ashleigh was sitting next to her; she took Claire’s hands and held them tightly. ‘Breathe. It’s going to be just fine.’
‘They all look amazing,’ Claire’s grandmother added.
‘You’re going to wow the lot of them,’ Aunt Lou said, reaching over to pat her shoulder.
Only Jacob was silent, but Claire hadn’t really expected anything from her dad; she knew that fashion shows weren’t his thing. The fact that he’d actually turned up meant that he was on her side for once—didn’t it?
But finally the catwalk segment of the show began. Her collection was on first. The models came down the catwalk, one group at a time: the bride, groom and bridesmaids. Autumn. Winter. Spring. Summer. Sean, looking incredibly gorgeous in morning dress and a top hat with his vintage-inspired bride beside him; her heart skipped a beat when he caught her eye and smiled at her. The contemporary civil wedding.
And then finally, the whole collection of six stood on the stage in a tableau. Claire became aware of music, lights—and was that applause?
‘You did it, love,’ her grandmother said and hugged her. ‘Listen to everyone clapping. They think you’re as fantastic as we do.’
‘We did it.’ Claire was shaking with a mixture of relief and adrenaline. She swallowed hard. ‘I need to get back to my stand.’
‘Iona can cope for another five minutes,’ Aunt Lou said with a smile. ‘Just enjoy this bit.’
A woman came over to join them. ‘Claire Stewart?’ she asked.
Claire looked up. ‘Yes.’
‘Pia Verdi,’ the woman introduced herself, and handed over her business card.
Claire’s eyes widened as she took in the name of one of the biggest wedding dress manufacturers in the country.
‘I like what I’ve just seen up there, and I’d like to talk to you about designing a collection for us,’ Pia said. ‘Obviously you won’t have your diary on you now, but call my PA on Monday morning and we’ll set up a meeting.’
‘Thank you—I’d really like that,’ Claire said.
The one thing she’d been secretly hoping for—her chance in the big league. To design a collection that would be sold internationally and would have her name on it.
She just about managed to keep it together until Sean—who’d clearly changed out of his wedding outfit at top speed—came out. He picked her up and spun her round, and she laughed.
‘We did it, Sean.’
‘Not me. You’re the one who designed those amazing outfits.’
‘But you supported me when I needed it. Thank you so, so much.’ She handed him the business card and grinned her head off. ‘Look who wants to talk to me next week!’
‘They’re offering you a job?’ he asked.
‘Better than that—they’re asking me to talk to them about designing a collection. So I’ll get my name out there, but I still get to do my brides and design one-offs as well. It’s the icing on the cake. Everything I wanted. I’m so happy.’
‘That’s brilliant news.’ He hugged her. ‘I’m so proud of you, Claire. You deserve this.’
‘Thanks.’