Page 60 of Scoring Destiny

“I figured I should learn to cook some basics,” he says.

I’ve just finished eating when a text pops up on my phone.

MAYA: Thank you for a wonderful night—I’m looking forward to more.

CASH: Same, baby.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Maya

With Cash and Reid both out of town, I’m suddenly a little bored. The set is closed on Sunday but I know Peachy Keene is open, so I head over there. If nothing else, I’ll sit in a corner and read.

“Hey!” Jayne looks up with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s weird when the guys are out of town.”

She nods. “It is. If I didn’t have the store, I’d be at the park with Serena, Joey, and Lindy.”

“Yeah, I didn’t have anything to do so I figured I’d come see if you needed help, and if not, I brought my sketchbook. I’m working on a line of sleepwear that I don’t know what to do with.”

“Can I see?” she asks.

“Sure.” I open my pad and flip to the latest designs. “It’s meant to be comfortable but sexy sleepwear. Not lingerie but not your typical tank and shorts either.”

“Oh, I like this one.” She studies the page she’s on. “I love that it’s a cross between a nightgown and lingerie. The slit shows off a lot of leg but it also seems comfortable.”

“That’s sort of my problem—if you can tell how comfortable it is just from the sketch, is that a turn-off? Does it defeat the purpose of sexy?”

“I don’t think so,” she says, frowning down at the paper. “To me, it’s the best of both worlds.”

“Also, you can’t tell what the fabric is from the sketch, and that’s going to be part of the allure. I’m considering a combination of silk and bamboo.”

“Oh, wow. That sounds awesome.”

“Also, expensive.” I chew my lip thoughtfully. “I can’t decide who my target audience will be. Do I want this for wealthy women? For everyone? Maybe more middle class? I don’t think I can put out a bargain product using the materials I have in mind.”

“I would go for the middle,” she says without hesitation. “Something you don’t have to be wealthy to afford but also not super inexpensive.”

“I keep waffling,” I admit. “And then I look at how much it will cost to implement my designs and I wonder if this is just a pipe dream. I’m doing well at the moment, but I’m not at a point in my career where I can squander money.”

“What if we did a trial run here?” she asks. “I don’t know anything about production but women who read love comfortable pajamas—what if you designed something with the store’s logo and something cute like ‘hot bitches stay up reading’ or whatever. We could do pre-orders on them, to gauge interest. Something exclusive to the store? And I’ll bet if you asked nicely Serena would model them for you for an ad.”

I’m both excited and intimidated by her idea.

It would be a lot of fun, plus a relatively easy way to test the waters, but it would also be expensive.

“That would require money,” I say. “Even with preorders, ordering a small quantity is a lot more expensive than ordering, say, five hundred pieces.”

“Right, but the purpose of this trial run wouldn’t be to make money—it’s a small run to see how people like the products, as well as getting your brand out there.”

I hadn’t thought of that.

If my main goal is to break even, that shouldn’t be too hard.

“I have the name of a clothing manufacturer in Singapore,” I say. “They do great work and they’re the ones who sent me the fabric samples I love.”

“Then you should reach out and ask for pricing for say, fifty to a hundred pieces. I’m positive we can sell that many. Hell, I’m ready to buy one now. I think this nightgown will be popular.” She points.