Free Fashionista by Kat Parrish

distract herself than anything else.
    “ Serpente , ” Ginevra said.
    “ Same word then, ” Allegra said.
    “ Spelled differently, ” Ginevra said.
    Despite herself, Allegra felt tears coming to her eyes.
    “ Don ’ t cry cara , ” Ginevra said. “ It will be all right. ”
    I don ’ t see how , Allegra thought. I really don ’ t see an “ all right ” here.
    Ginevra didn ’ t say anything else and Allegra lapsed into silence too. She tried not to think about what might happen if no one came to let her out. Freezing in the dark was not an appealing prospect.
     

Chapter 17
     
    It was only 2:30 and Hugo was already reaching the end of his patience. It felt like he was part of some endless reality show. Bailey seemed to be able to keep everything straight but after ten different people had shown up with ten Raku pottery plant pots, he was starting to lose focus.
    “ They all look great, ” he said. “ How are you planning to pick a winner? ”
    She ’ d just smiled at him. “ There are no losers here, ” she said. “ Anyone who doesn ’ t make the final cut will get a chance to pitch again in the fall, before we open the contest back up again. ”
    “ Again? ” he said. “ Are you kidding me? ”
    “ Embrace the change Hugo. ”
    “ We ’ re crowd-sourcing our inventory. ”
    “ Exactly, ” she said. “ So many creative people in Chicago. ”
    “ What about that guy with the funky body jewelry? ”
    “ I don ’ t think his work is for us, but I gave him the name of a guy I know who runs a piercing place on Milwaukee Ave. He ’ s got a huge following on Twitter, so maybe he can help him out. ”
    “ I don ’ t even want to know how you know a guy who runs a piercing place, ” Hugo said. “ Who ’ s next? ”
    “ AZ, ” she said and raised her eyebrows.
    Hugo straightened in his seat. “ Good, ” he said, so softly he might have been speaking to himself.
    Bailey gave Jerry Izquierdo a nod and the chief of security opened the door to let in the next contestant. To Hugo ’ s surprise, it was not Allegra who walked in but Mariella Zangari.
    He heard Bailey draw a surprised breath.
    “ Hello Hugo, ” Mariella said. “ It ’ s nice to see you again. ” Then she turned to face Bailey and went into her pitch.
    “ I ’ m Mariella Zangari and I ’ m here for AZ shoes, a new brand that we ’ re starting at the House of Zangari. ” She smiled at them coyly. “ You may have heard of us, ” she said, batting her eyes at Hugo. ”
    Is she flirting with me ? he wondered. He was so stunned that Allegra would send her stepmother in her place that he barely listened to Mariella ’ s pitch.
    He could tell from the studiously neutral look on Bailey ’ s face that she wasn ’ t impressed with the woman ’ s sales pitch. As Mariella finished her spiel, Bailey leaned forward.
    “ Thank you Ms. Zangari. I have a few questions. ”
    “ Of course, ” Mariella said, sure she ’ d nailed the contract.
    “ Who designed this shoe? ” she asked.
    “ Why I did, ” she said.
    “ I thought Allegra Zangari was the designer for your brand, ” Hugo said.
    “ My husband indulged his daughter ’ s creative whims, ” she said. “ I was content to stay in the shadows as long as he was alive. ”
    “ But now? ”
    “ But now I have a business to run, ” she said. “ And Allegra and I have had … creative differences. ”
    I ’ ll bet, Hugo thought. She ’ s creative and you ’ re … different.
    “ Allegra and the House of Zangari will be parting ways, ” Mariella said with feigned sadness. Hugo tensed but before he could say anything he heard Bailey ask a question.
    “ It ’ s a beautiful shoe, ” Bailey said, “ but a very odd size. ”
    Mariella gave a sour smile.
    “ It ’ s a quaint tradition in my company, ” she said. “ We always fit shoes to a last that was modeled after the matriarch ’ s foot. ”
    As she spoke, Bailey pulled out her iPad and started typing.
    “