Too Much of a Good Thing

Jo could not contain her excitement as she stood in front of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for New York Fashion Week. She had gotten a call a week after James’ birthday from one of the designers she had met at the event back in California, inviting her and Edith to see some of the collections they would be showing on the runway. Jo could not pass up that opportunity. Not only was it her dream to go to one of the biggest fashion shows in the world, but it would also be a great opportunity for her to expand her knowledge and help her business grow.

She held on to her coat tightly as her and Edith walked up the steps to where hundreds of people were entering. She took in what everyone was wearing. Her twinkled at each outfit that passed by her. She saw plenty of women extravagant coats that covered, what she guessed were, exquisite dresses. She saw dozens of red soles that walked up the stairs and felt a sense of pride as she looked down at her own pair of the French-made heels. It was her very first pair and it was one where she knew it would be awhile before purchasing a new pair of shoes.

As her and Edith walked further into the center, she saw incredibly handsome men who looked dapper to the max. Jo wished James could be with her as she saw those men with their partners.

James needed a little help when it comes to his suits but Jo loved him with or without the crazy outfits. She would never tell anybody but his plaid suit with his purple striped necktie was one of her favorite suits that he owns. James was incredibly blessed with great features and he didn’t even know it. He could wear head to toe camouflage and she would still think he looked good.

Jo took out her cellphone and immediately started taking photographs that she could share with James. She wanted him to feel like he was right there with her.

He wanted to go with her to New York but his training camp schedule conflicted with the dates. She would be gone for three days plus another extra two for her visit to Pittsburgh to look at some store locations with Paul. She promised him to take lots of photos so that he wouldn’t miss a thing.

“Wow,” she heard Edith say as they finally entered the runway area. “This is even better than what I had imagined.”

Edith, in her black strapless jump suit with a blazer on top that Jo swore she had seen Victoria Beckham wear once on the red carpet, stood in amazement as she took in the scene in front of her. She had never been a big fashion fan nor did she care much about it but after going in business with Jo, she now understood that fashion was not just about the glitz and the glamour--it was a form of art like painters and musicians. It truly took her breath away.

“Can you believe I’m actually here?” Edith joked. “I mean, look at me. From UCLA sweaters and old jeans to Posh Spice in a blink of an eye.”

Jo laughed and ordered an obligatory picture with her. Edith smiled in the first photo but playfully stuck out her tongue in the next, which Jo copied.

They sat in their assigned seats and immediately spotted four celebrities from where they were seated. They were about three rows up from where the VIP section was and of course, Jo took more photos.

As they waited for the show to officially start, Jo started to send some of the pictures to James. With the hour difference between New York and Nashville, she knew he was only starting to get out of bed since it was ten in the morning eastern time where she was.

Rise and shine! Jo typed in after the photos were successfully sent. She tucked her phone away when the lights were dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the runway. The speaker introduced the first designer presenting their collection and everyone clapped. By the end of the hour event, Jo felt more inspired than ever. She wanted to whip out her sketch book and start messing with different patterns and shapes.

As they walked off, they were stopped by Matt, the model they had met back in California.

“Nice to see you ladies!” He said, his charming smile coming to life. He waved a hand while the other held his girlfriend’s hand.

“We didn’t expect to see you here,” Edith told him. “We thought we’d see you back in Cali.”

“I’m here for the Calvin Klein show,” he mentioned.

“And by that he means he’s going to be in the show.” His girlfriend clarified.

All the girls giggled.

“Congrats on getting a deal with CK,” Matt said. “It’s a great company and CK himself is an even greater person.”

“Wait, what deal?” Edith stopped.

“Oh...I just thought…” Matt said quietly. “I thought they might’ve told you two already.”

“Tell us what?” Jo inquired.

Matt smiled, “I mentioned to my manager about J. Perry and how I want to model for the menswear line. So what does my manager do? She goes ahead and does research about your business. Next thing I knew was she got in touch with CK’s people and I guess now they’re interested in doing a collab with you guys.”

“Wait what!” Edith repeated, unable to wrap her head around the idea of a world class fashion designer wanting to work with their tiny boutique store company.

Matt, then, revealed that he was one of the top models for CK’s menswear line, which just blew Edith and Jo’s mind. Matt gave them his phone number and his manager’s number for any other inquiries. Jo tried not to have a heart attack in the middle of New York. At the rate luck was going, she wanted to run to the next liquor store and buy a lottery ticket.

Jo’s hands shook when trying to unlock her phone to call James. She practically screamed in his ear when he answered.

“That’s great, Jo! I’m proud of you, as always,” James said after Jo finished her five minute non-stop rundown of what happened.

“I just can’t believe it! We can’t believe it!” she said referring to herself and Edith. “There’s so much going on but I love it. Is that weird? That I love the stress that I’m about to endure?”

James laughed. “It may seem overwhelming now but once everything gets settled, you’ll feel more relaxed.”

“I wish you were here to experience this all with me,” Jo said seriously.

“I’m experiencing it now with you over the phone. I know you’re happy, babe. That’s all that matters to me.”

Jo’s stomach did backflips and she didn’t know how much love and happiness her heart could take any longer in one day.

“I love you,” she said. “Thank you so much, James. I’ll see you soon, OK?”

“I love you too. See you soon.” James said before hanging up.

--

James wiped the sweat off his forehead after he dropped the last box on the ground. He looked at the once empty room now full of boxes and let out a “thank God” now that he unloaded everything from the U-Haul truck.

His new home.

The finishing touches were finally done and the house looked absolutely breathtaking. He couldn’t wait until Jo got home so that they could roam around and explore each room. It was quite a nice home; three bedrooms, three baths, a spacious kitchen, and a cozy living room. It reminded him a bit like living in Whitby when he was a child.

The first order of business was to hang up the painting on the far right side of the living room where the light hit the wall just right. He examined each box, trying to find the painting he was looking for. When he saw the label “Jo/California,” he ripped the box open and pulled out the colorful painting. After doing all the handy work, he finally hung up the painting that he had only seen once--the colorful ballerina he had looked at in Jo’s apartment back in Los Angeles.

He spent the rest of the day opening boxes and putting stuff where they’re supposed to go. He made sure that the master bedroom was ready for use and put together the bed that Jo had ordered online a couple months ago. After his long day, he passed out on his new bed and slept like a baby.

--

The month of September flew by and by mid October, James and the Predators have maintained their position on the top of the leaderboard in the league. Jo, on the other hand, successfully opened up her store in Pittsburgh with the help of Edith and Paul. She was surprised at how easy it was to work with Paul and even more at the amount of professionalism he brought to the table. She couldn’t think of anyone else to work with better than him. The store in Pittsburgh got a lot of praise from the press especially after seeing their advertisement with Matt as their model.

Their contract with CK also went well and opened more doors for them. A few more designers were interested in collaborating with J. Perry and business was booming more than ever.

Her latest project was the Nashville store, which she planned on opening by December. A lot of people on social media were excited for it after they had announced its opening date on all their media platforms.

Everything was falling right in its place and life was better than ever for both James and Jo. But there was still one thing that both felt like they were missing and James knew exactly what that was. It was finally time for him to put his plan into action.