Altering the Plans Ch. 04

"I don't know. You're not a client." He squeezed her hand and smiled. "Yet."

That got a short laugh. "I hope you're not waiting on that. Because I'm pretty sure that'll happen never. You saw what happened at the shop."

"That's fine," he said. "I'm kidding. To answer your question, though, I'd say not really. Some of it's just that conditions aren't conducive. If someone is having work done on their back, that doesn't always make for an easy conversation."

"No, I guess not."

"Then again, if someone is having something small done on their arm or leg, they might be chatty." He gave a rueful grin. "I'm not usually too chatty. Jackson's better at it."

"You're pretty chatty tonight," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you aren't scared of me."

Maya bit her lip. "No, I'm not. Not anymore."

"I never meant to scare you."

"I know, and the truth is I was scared like you were."

He gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

Maya cleared her throat. "You said that you liked me, a lot, and it was intense and you didn't know what to think about it. Well, fair's fair, and I realized I liked you, too. A lot."

Toby couldn't help it; he grinned. "Cool," he said, and she laughed.

"But there I was, in the middle of—" she waved her hand to indicate anything and everything "—all that crap. I wasn't sure what to think and I didn't feel I could trust myself. You were right, though. I needed to deal with that. It wouldn't be fair to anyone otherwise."

"And have you?" he asked.

"I think so. I can see things more clearly now, and I know that everything with Dean was wrong. I was looking at and for the wrong things. I won't do that again."

"I'm sure you won't." He glanced around and put a little pressure on her hand so that she'd stop with him. She looked surprised, as though noticing they'd been holding hands for the first time.

"Is anything wrong?" she asked.

"No, I was just hoping I could kiss you, but I didn't want to do it in front of the house."

"Oh." Maya's eyes widened.

"Obviously, I won't if you don't want me to," he said, and cleared his throat. "But I really hope you do."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Oh, good," Toby said. Before he could second-guess himself, he put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her.

His thoughts ricocheted between "at last" and "why didn't I try this sooner?" Her lips were as soft and warm as he'd imagined, and as he pulled her to him, he realized her body would be too. Her sigh sent all his blood rushing south.

After a moment, he broke the kiss but didn't pull away.

"Was that all right?" he asked.

"Oh, yes." Maya nodded.

She ran her tongue over her lips, brushing his, and he couldn't help himself. He kissed her again, groaning when her lips parted. His tongue swept in and he wrapped one arm around her waist and cupped her head with his other hand. God, he loved how she felt, how she tasted. How had he waited this long?

Toby tightened his arms around her as though afraid she'd slip away. She slid her arms up to grip his shoulders and he took that as a good sign.

After a moment they both pulled back, but Toby couldn't bring himself to let her go. Her body felt too good against his.

"Wow," Maya said.

"Elegantly put," he said, and they both laughed.

"I guess we'd better get back," said Maya.

Maybe it was his imagination, but she sounded a little reluctant to go.

"Yeah, I guess we'd better." He rested his forehead against hers. "But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you leave the dress for tonight. Take a break and get some sleep, okay?"

"Hmm. Or what?" she asked, teasing.

He laughed. "Or I'll sic Krista on you," he said.

"Oh, no. Not that." Maya widened her eyes.

"Then I guess you'd better do as I say," Toby said as he bent down for another kiss.

"You are bossy," she murmured against his lips.

"Only about important things. And people." Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on her after another kiss.

"All right. No more work tonight, I promise," she said, then covered a yawn.

"Let's get you home," Toby said.

"Where have you guys been?" Krista asked when they got back to the house. "And don't think I didn't notice how you got out of doing the dishes, Toby."

"He was keeping me from going off the deep end," said Maya.

"Also, I got the food," said Toby. "That's almost like cooking. Cooks don't clean, that's the rule."

"I'll let you get away with it this time," Krista said, "since you were taking care of Maya. Next time, you won't get away so easy."

"I'll clean next time," Toby promised. He mused on his sister's words. He decided he liked taking care of Maya.

"Damn straight," said Krista. She smiled and winked at Maya. "I'll leave you two alone." She turned to Toby. "Don't keep Maya up too late. We all need to go to sleep."

He made a face. "Sweet dreams to you, too."

Maya walked him to the door. "Thanks," she said. "For everything. It means a lot."

"You're welcome." He ran a finger along her jaw. "I'm serious. No more work tonight."

"I won't." She shook her head. "I'm too tired."

"Good," he said, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I say the wrong thing sometimes."

She laughed softly and touched his cheek. "It's okay. I know what you meant."

Toby took her hand and pressed it to his lips. "Good night, Maya."

"Good night." She bit her lip, then leaned up to kiss him.

It had been, he thought as he drove home, a better night than he'd planned.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Good morning," said Krista the next day. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, thanks," said Maya. "Better than I thought I might."

When Toby had first come down to the basement the night before, she'd been so tense her shoulders had hurt. She'd been worried that she hadn't done a good enough job; that Charles wouldn't like her work; that she'd fail once more. She'd been so focused on her thoughts and the dress she'd forgotten to be afraid of Toby.

He'd been right. She had needed to step away and calm herself down. She knew if he hadn't come down, she would have likely worked herself to the point of exhaustion, and past the point of getting any decent sleep.

"Coffee?" asked Krista. "And Lacey brought some muffins from the shop. They're a day old, but still good."

"Coffee, yes. Not sure I can eat, though." Maya found a mug, filled it with coffee, and added cream, then started pacing the kitchen.

"Sit," said Krista.

"Yes, ma'am." Maya saluted and dropped into a seat.

Krista laughed. "I guess you are feeling better. Really, though, you should try to eat something."

"I know. I wish I was the type that ate when I was stressed," said Maya. "Really, I do. I've been like this since before high school. When I interviewed for college, I was so nervous I didn't eat for literally twenty-four hours. I'm surprised I made it through the interview without passing out."

"What are you nervous about today?" Krista laughed at the look Maya gave her. "Okay, dumb question. When will Charles see the dress?"

Maya checked the time. "He said he'd come over around eleven. I hope that's okay, I didn't even think to ask you." Her phone rang. She checked the number, didn't recognize it, and declined the call.

"Anybody important?" asked Krista.

"No, wrong number."

"Anyway, don't worry about Charles." Krista waved away her concerns. "I took the morning off because I was hoping to meet him. And apparently to catch you if you pass out."

Maya laughed. "Thanks, I'll appreciate the company. I'm going to be a wreck for the next couple of hours, but hopefully I'll stay upright."

"Want me to call Toby? I'm sure he'd be happy to distract you." Krista winked and laughed at Maya's blush. "I'm kidding."

"Do you—I don't know, do you mind if I see Toby?" Maya asked. She didn't want to do anything to jeopardize her friendship with Krista.

"Of course not." Krista shook her head. "You're both adults. Besides, I think you're good for each other."

Maya laughed. "Thanks, I think." She rested her chin on her hand. "You're right, though. Toby was really great last night, kept me from snapping. You all have been nicer to me than anyone in a long time."

"Oh, stop, you'll make me blush," said Krista. She patted Maya's hand. "I just like to see my friends happy. And Toby, too, but don't tell him I said that."

Maya checked the time again and tugged at her hair. "Oh, Christ, time is going to drag. I'm going to go nuts."

"Can you work on something else?" asked Krista. "The dresses for Clara and Delia?"

"I'd like to, but I'm a little stuck at the moment. I need them here so I can have them try things on. I can get some ideas together, but that's about it. What I really want to do is to go down and check over Charles' dress but I'm afraid I'll do stuff that will mess it up."

"Would it help to explain it?"

"Hmm?"

"What if you took me down there and told me what you did?" Krista asked. "I don't know anything about making clothes, but it might be like reading an essay out loud to find any errors. I used to do that with my homework. You can tell me what was wrong, and what you fixed, and I can nod and say 'Oh, yeah,' and then before you know it, Charles will be here."

"That's not a bad idea," Maya said. "Are you sure you want to? Can't say it's exciting stuff."

"I do," said Krista. "I'm kind of interested a little bit in everything. I probably won't become your apprentice, but I would like to learn. What do you say?"

"I say, thanks very much, and let's head downstairs."

They went down in the basement, and Maya flipped the lights on and turned on her music from force of habit. As the first blast beats and crunching, chugging chords came out of the speakers, Krista's jaw dropped.

"Oh, my god. What is that?" Krista asked.

"I'm sorry. I'll turn it off—"

"No, no." Krista put out a hand to stop her and listened for another minute. "I love it. I absolutely love it." She grinned. "You'll have to tell me who this, and what it is, and all of that later."

"Let me guess, not what you'd expected I'd listen to?" Maya lowered the volume, then went over to the dress.

Krista shrugged. "Maybe. I don't usually think about that stuff with people. People like what they like."

Maya stared at her friend, then couldn't resist giving her a hug. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For just accepting that, I guess. Accepting me."

Krista nodded and twirled the end of her hair around a finger while she looked around the room. It made her look like a shy little girl, Maya thought. She realized a lot of Krista's appearance was designed to make her look tough and confident—which Maya knew she was—but it also covered up some insecurities. Maya didn't say anything, but she was comforted by the idea that even the most confident woman she knew had her soft spots.

Her phone chirped again. Maya checked the number and made a frustrated noise as she declined the call. "Guess I should get on the do-not-call list," she said. "I got a new phone and different number, which apparently was popular before I got it." She frowned and checked her recent calls. "That's the same person twice. Wish they'd take the hint."

"I hate that, too. But now tell me about this dress." Krista stepped over to the mannequin. "Go into as much detail as you want. I won't understand it all, but that's not the point."

"All right, if you're sure. And feel free to stop and ask any questions."

"Got it." Krista nodded.

Maya took a deep breath and started, telling Krista how the first thing she noticed was the shoddy stitching at the shoulders. She moved on, reviewing what she had seen and what she'd done to fix the various problems she'd encountered.

Krista did ask a few questions and seemed interested and attentive to the answers. Maya answered as clearly and simply as she could. As she talked, she relaxed, and wondered why she'd never tried this before, even by herself. It kept her occupied, and let her review her work with a different perspective. It was far easier to see if she'd missed anything by going over her work aloud. Krista's idea was terrific.

The thing about accepting help, Maya thought, was that it benefited both parties. Krista was helping her keep calm, which was good for Maya mentally, and Krista seemed to enjoy learning about the dress. Maya was helping Charles, which made her both feel glad about assisting, and happy to be doing something she loved.

I wish I'd figured this out a long time ago, she thought.

"All right, I think that's it," said Maya. "Nothing else I can do until Charles gets here. Thank you so much."

"That really is amazing, Maya," said Krista as they went back upstairs for more coffee while they waited for Charles. "I wish I could do that. I like to write and sketch, and Toby paints, but when it comes to crafts like sewing or knitting, I'm all thumbs.

"Toby paints?" Maya asked.

"Yeah." Krista nodded. "He doesn't talk about it a lot, but he's got a little studio in his house. I don't think he ever means to have anything exhibited, but he enjoys it. He's always been on the quieter side."

"Not you, though, I take it," Maya said with a smile.

Krista laughed and set the coffee mugs on the table. She pushed the cream towards Maya. "No, not so much. I tried. Toby did too." She stared at her coffee as she stirred in some sugar. "Our parents wanted certain things for us and from us, but we didn't fit in the boxes."

Maya nodded. "I know the feeling, when you don't meet the expectations."

Krista shrugged. "It got a little better when they got divorced, and then remarried. Other things to concentrate on, I suppose. And we were older, so they left it to us a lot of times about when we'd visit and how long and all that. I think they did the best they could, but sometimes it felt like they weren't interested."

The doorbell rang. "But that's a story for another time. Why don't you get the door and I'll clear the table?" Krista stood up.

"Sure, thanks."

Maya walked to the front door, her stomach churning more than the music she listened to. She realized her hands were shaking, and took a breath before opening the door.

"Hello, Charles." Maya smiled.

Charles was, as she guessed he always was, smartly dressed. This time it was khaki slacks and a button-down shirt with a light jacket.

"Hello, Maya, my little darlin'." He bent down to give her an air kiss. "Sorry, that's just how I say hi to everyone. Now, can I come in?"

"What? Oh, sure. I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." She stepped back and gestured him in.

"Don't be nervous, sweetie." Charles hung his jacket up. "Given what you had to work with, it couldn't possibly be worse." He hefted a case. "Hope you don't mind, I brought some of my accessories. I wanted to see how they looked with the dress."

"Of course."

"Who is this long, cool woman?" Charles asked. "All she needs is a black dress." He looked Krista up and down. "Although the black jeans and shirt work."

Maya laughed. "This is my friend, Krista Chandler. Krista, this is Charles. Or is it Trinity? I'm sorry, I'm not sure which name to use."

"Charles is fine for now," he said. "When I'm in costume, or at the club, I'm Trinity Rose. Nice to meet you, Krista."

"Nice to meet you, too. I hope you don't mind, I was hanging around to see how you liked the dress."

"You sure Toby and Jackson can handle the shop without you?" Maya asked. "I hope they have enough sense to have Jackson greet any customers."

"Toby and Jackson can handle it for a while. Maybe." Krista grinned. "Seriously, they'll be fine."

"Toby, he was the strong, silent one you brought to the club?" Charles asked as they went to the basement.

"Yeah, he's my brother," said Krista. "We own a tattoo shop. Chandler Designs."

"Never been much on tattoos myself, but plenty of the others at the club are. You should give me your card," said Charles.

"Sure," said Krista.

"How about you, Maya?" Charles asked her. "Any ink for you?"

"No." Maya shook her head. "I'm afraid of needles. I don't know why, I can handle sewing needles, but any other kind—" she shuddered "—freaks me out."

"That's all right, us tabula rasas have to stick together. All right, let me see it."

"Here you go." Maya removed the sheet she'd put over the dress to protect it. She stepped back to let Charles inspect it, feeling sick to her stomach and trying to hide her shaking hands. Krista came and put an arm around her shoulders and Maya relaxed a bit.

"Maya, you have done wonders," said Charles. "I honestly did not think it could be saved, but it looks amazing."

"That's what I told her," said Krista.

"I'm glad you like it," said Maya, almost weak-kneed with relief. "If you'd like to try it on, I can make the final adjustments."

"That's why I'm here."

"We'll go upstairs," said Krista. "Let us know when you're ready."

"Will do, Long Cool," said Charles and Krista giggled.

"Do you need anything, Charles?" asked Maya.

"No, thank you, Maya." He patted his case. "I brought everything I need in here. Now, shoo and let me try on this gorgeous dress. Actually, hold on, I will need a mirror."

"Right. There's one in my room," said Krista. She and Maya brought a full-length mirror down and leaned it against the wall, then left him to change.

Upstairs, Maya dropped onto the couch. "Oh, my god. He likes it. Oh, my god."

"Of course he likes it." Krista sat next to her and patted her knee. "I had no doubt. While he's changing, you should eat. Don't want you passing out while you're taking a hem or something."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." Maya nodded and took a deep breath. "Any of those muffins left?"

She ate a muffin and was finishing another cup of coffee when Charles signaled he was ready.

"Come on," said Krista, practically pulling Maya to the basement door. "I'm dying to see how he looks."

Maya laughed and followed her down the steps.

"Well, what do you think?" Charles—Trinity Rose—posed with in profile with both hands on her hips, gorgeous even in the stark basement light.

"You look beautiful!" Krista said. "Oh my god, I could never look that good in a dress. Any dress."

"Don't sell yourself short, Krista," said Trinity. "You might not look as good as me—" Trinity winked "—but you'd look plenty lovely in the right dress. Well, Maya?"

"Miss Rose, you look fantastic," Maya said. "Ready for the finishing touches?"

"Absolutely."

Krista and Trinity chatted while Maya made the final adjustments to the dress. At last, Maya stood back and nodded. "I think we're finished."

"Excellent. You have saved my bacon," said Trinity. "Now, let me revert back to my alter ego and we'll discuss payment. And you'll all come to the show tonight, right? Bring the strong, silent one, and any other friends."

"That would be great," said Krista, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait! That sounds like so much fun and I can't wait to see that dress in action. And you, too."

"Trinity, before you change, can I get a picture of you?" Maya asked. "I need to rebuild my portfolio. I got a picture of the dress, but if you don't mind, I'd like a picture of you wearing it. It shows things better."

"Wait, you take pictures, too?" asked Trinity. "You are full of surprises."

"I'm a photographer," Maya said, "or at least I try to be. It may not be the most practical thing, but I picked it up so that I could keep a record of my dresses."

"That sounds quite practical," said Trinity, "and a queen like me can't resist a spotlight, so yes, let's take some pictures."

"Why don't we go upstairs?" Krista said. "And I'll look for something to use as a backdrop."

"Good idea." Maya nodded. "There'll be better light up there, and I can get seated and standing poses."

"Let's get this show on the road," agreed Trinity.