Full Circle (9 page)

* * *

Time passed
so quickly Bella would look back on it and wonder where it had gone. Full of
boundless energy, Rafael proved to be a man of his word. Within a couple of
weeks, he and Sofia located a perfect location for their production facilities.
On the day the commercial sewing machines arrived, Consuela took a picture of the
three partners along with the two girls outside the building. Above the entrance,
a modest sign proclaimed their arrival in the world of fashion. A small loading
dock stood off to the side, and Bella dreamed of the day they’d make their
first shipment.

They were all
pleased and surprised at the amount of press coverage they garnered. Not only
were they the darlings of Hollywood’s A-list mothers, but word spread about the
treatment of their employees and the company was held up as being a leader in
employee relations.

At Rafael’s
urging, Bella quit her job. Thanks to their good press, they were courted by
many local fairs and other community events, and these sales, coupled with
three days a week at Venice Beach kept the production staff humming.

* * *

“Well ladies,
we have a decision to make.” It was Easter, and the weather was warm enough to
sit out on Sofia’s front porch. Rafa had just returned from a Trade Show in
Oakland which had run in conjunction with a large display of textiles from
around the world. He’d changed into his favorite pair of worn jeans and was now
easing the cork out of a bottle of wine. After several months, he’d worked up
the nerve to tell Sofia that he’d prefer wine to the ever-present iced tea.

“Did you
bring samples?” Now that she was no longer working at the fabric store, Bella’s
creative juices were flowing.

“Sorry,
Bella.” His gaze rested on her face for a moment and then moved on. “It’s not
that.” He smiled at Melissa, who had come to stand beside her mother, eager as
always to hear what was being discussed. “But I did bring you something else.”
He glanced at Sofia, who was watching him with her usual placid expression.

“Well, are
you going to tell us?” Bella was impatient, as usual.

“Of course.
Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry. “I was enjoying the moment.”

She glared at
him. He could be so annoying.

“I was approached
by two different people at the Trade Show.” He pulled two cards out of his
jacket pocket. “Buyers, not vendors.” He handed the cards to Bella, who tried
not to look too impressed. She handed them off to Sofia.

“They want to
buy from us?” Sofia couldn’t tear her eyes away from the names on the cards.
Rafa had met representatives from two of the most exclusive children’s wear
stores on the west coast.

“
Si
.”

“What do you
think?” Sofia’s famous composure had deserted her.

Bella watched
carefully.

Rafa reached
for his glass of chardonnay, and a surge of longing caught Bella off guard at
the sight of his long, elegant fingers. It had been too long since she’d been
held by a man and she wondered how those fingers would feel trailing along her
neck, in her hair, on her body. She shifted in her chair and found him studying
her over the rim of his glass.

“It’s very
flattering” he said slowly.

Bella dragged
her thoughts back to the subject at hand. Surely he wasn’t talking about
her...no; he’d been telling them about meeting the buyers. She needed to focus.

“Flattering?”
said Sofia with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not
explaining this very well.” He shot a quick glance at Bella. “What I mean is
that I think we should be flattered that they like our product well enough to
want to carry it in their stores, but there’s a downside to selling to large
retail outlets. They’d want us to jump through their hoops.”

“I agree.”
Bella spoke almost instantly. “We’d be at their mercy. It’s all about
sell-through and we’d have no control over how they’d display our goods.” She
looked at the other two. “I’d rather bite the bullet and open a retail outlet
of our own.”

Rafael raised
an eyebrow and gave her a long, appreciative look. “You’ve been studying this,
obviously.”

Bella felt a
flush creep up her cheeks. “Yes, well, I’ve been thinking about it ever since
you first mentioned it last fall. I bought a few books on the subject.” She
squared her shoulders. “Besides, I’ve seen an example of what can happen when
one business becomes dominant. It happened in my home town, where a textile
mill was the only major employer. And now it appears that they’re going to
close.”

Listening
closely, Rafael put down his glass. Too late, Bella realized that the mention
of a textile mill would pique his interest. “This is a similar situation, but
in reverse. We’d start producing for them...” she motioned to the business
cards. “And if they decided they didn’t want to carry us any more, we’d have to
build up our business all over again.”

Rafael nodded
his head. “I agree with you. We’re building brand recognition every day, and I
like the idea of us being in control of our bottom line, not someone else.” He
turned to Sofia. “What do you think?”

She’d been
watching the two of them with interest. “I agree with both of you, and I think
that the interest they’ve shown confirms that we’re on the right track.”

“Sooo...”
Rafael spoke slowly. “Are we going to go for it?” His eagerness was palpable.
“Are we going to open our first store for the summer season?”

Sofia
brightened. “You mean no more market?”

Rafael
nodded. “No more market. Why, would you miss is?”

Sofia
hesitated. “I like the friends we’ve made down there among the other vendors,
but I certainly won’t miss the hassle of loading up, setting up, and then doing
it all in reverse three times a week.”

“You’ll get
no argument from me, but that doesn’t give us a lot of lead time.” Bella
glanced at Rafael, who was smiling into his wine glass. “What? I suppose you
have a location all picked out.”

He raised his
eyebrows. “There is a location on Third Street that I think we should consider.
It’s presently a retail space and they’re willing to leave all their fixtures.
We can use most of them.”

“Third Street?
Isn’t that going to be expensive?” Sofia’s natural caution came to the fore.

“It’s not
cheap, but it fits our image, and I’ve crunched the numbers. We can do very
well there.” Rafael took a sip of wine. “If we order the sign within a few
days, we can be open in plenty of time for the summer season.

And they
were. Sofia geared up production while Bella supervised the store set-up. She
painted everything matte white except the floor; the brightly colored clothes
popped against the background. One of Bella’s design sketches was printed on
the stark white invitations that went out to press, suppliers and friends. If
Bella had had more time she might have been nervous, but as it was, she
scarcely had time to choose a suitable party dress and have her hair styled.

* * *

The reception
to celebrate the opening of
Bella on Third
was covered by the local
press and television. Guests air-kissed, congratulated Bella, Sofia and Rafael,
exclaimed over the store and spilled out onto the mall, champagne glasses in
hand. Kate Brannon and her daughter Kristy showed up, and Kristy insisted that
Melissa and Valeria pose with her as photographers vied for the best shot.
Rafael stood in the background, watching over Bella and Sofia like an indulgent
father. Tall and elegant in a black Armani suit and white shirt, he managed to
deflect the attention of the single women with poise and charm.

Following the
opening, photographs would appear in local newspapers and in
People
magazine. In addition, two trade magazines featured glowing reports on the new
superstar in their midst.
Bella
was well and truly launched.

* * *

Bella cast a
lingering look at the store. The guests were long gone and the caterers had
removed every trace of the party. Tomorrow would be their first day of sales
from
Bella on Third
; she had stepped boldly onto the first rung of the
ladder and was eager to make it to the top. But something was missing...

“That was
successful, don’t you think?” Sofia’s voice brought her out of her reverie.
“We’re on our way now.” Sofia had a girl in each hand; they looked exhausted.
“And these two have been a part of it from the beginning. I know we talked
about going out to dinner, but the girls are tired.” She looked from Bella to
Rafael. “Do you mind if I take them home? We can all go another time.”

Rafael knelt
down in front of the girls. “Is that okay with you two?” He looked up at Sofia
and Bella, a sparkle in his eyes. “They may not want to go to dinner with us
any more when those pictures come out. They’ll be too famous.”

“Rafa, you’re
silly,” the girls chimed together. Melissa threw her arms around his neck and
gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll always want to go out to dinner with you.”
Valeria, the shyer of the two, gave him a kiss as well.

“It’s just that
I thought I might take your Mom out for a drink, since she’s all dressed up.”
He rose and turned to Bella. “There’s a new little tapas bar up the highway a
bit. We could relax and look out at the ocean.”

“That sounds
wonderful.” Bella agreed immediately; she was still keyed up and the idea of
going home didn’t appeal at all.

Sofia smiled
indulgently. “You two go along then. Melissa will sleep at my place tonight.”

* * *

They were
silent during the ride north, but it was a comfortable silence between two
friends. They were ushered to a corner table near the window and sat side by side,
looking out at the last streaks of purple on the western horizon. Their server
lit a candle on the table and took their drinks order; Bella had learned to
appreciate Chardonnay.

“You’re sad,
Cara
.”
His voice reached out and caressed her. She shivered, wishing he wouldn’t use
that affectionate term. It meant nothing to him; she knew that...he used it
with Sofia and with the girls.

“You’re
cold,” he said immediately. “I’ll go out and get your shawl.”

“No, Rafa,
really, I’m fine.” She reached out, laid a hand on his arm. She could feel the
heat of his body through the suit.

He stopped,
and a slow, delighted smile spread over his face. “That’s the first time you’ve
called me Rafa. At least to my face.”

He was right,
but she couldn’t look at him; he might see the longing in her eyes. “Is it?”

“
Si
.”
He nodded to himself. “I’ll be right back.”

He slipped
the shawl over her shoulders, his hands lingering for a few moments longer than
necessary. He settled in his chair, and lifted his glass. “Here’s to us; to the
success of
Bella
.”

She raised
her glass. “Don’t you mean
Bella on Third
?”

“Well...” He
paused dramatically. “It’s the first one.”

She almost
choked on her wine. “The first one? I suppose you’ve chosen our second location
already.”

“Not the
precise location, but I think we should open in San Francisco next.”

She had to
smile. He was so much like her, only more so. “And do you have a name picked
out?”

He raised his
glass again. “
Bella on the Bay
.”

“I like it.”
She turned her chair slightly so she could see him. “And after that? Seattle, I
suppose.”

“Either
Seattle or Dallas.” He paused for a moment and she could almost see the
thoughts, the plans, racing through his mind. “It’s going to happen fast,
Bella.”

She sighed.
“I think you’re right.” She gazed out into the inky darkness. Out here, away
from the city lights, you could actually see stars. “I wonder if it’s going to
be worth it?” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

Rafael
watched her carefully. He knew better than to push her for a response to his
earlier comment, but he could still sense her sadness. If he was patient, she
just might tell him.

A tear rolled
down her cheek, leaving a glistening trail in the candlelight. She picked up a
napkin and dabbed at it. “She didn’t come,” she said, her voice so low he could
scarcely make it out. “She didn’t come to the opening.”

She looked at
him with overflowing eyes. “My own mother didn’t want to come to the opening.”

“I’m sorry,
Cara
.”
He didn’t know what to say. She’d never mentioned her mother before.

She took in a
deep breath. “We’re not the best of friends. Never have been.” She looked
toward the horizon, invisible now that darkness had fallen. “I’ve been here
just over six years, and I haven’t seen her in all that time, but every year I
send pictures of Melissa on her birthday. You know, stuff like that. She answers,
sends cards and gifts for Melissa, but there’s never been any closeness.”

Rafael
thought of his extended, boisterous family at home. He couldn’t imagine not
being a part of their lives.

“I sent her
an invitation,” she said. “She accepted, and Melissa was thrilled that she was
finally going to meet her grandmother. But she cancelled a few days ago. No
reason...just cancelled.”

“Did you call
her? Maybe there’s a good reason.”

Bella shook her
head, then took a hasty gulp of wine. “No...no, I don’t want to get into that
all over again.” She tried to smile, but it was more like a grimace. “I was a
great disappointment to her many years ago.”

Rafael was
beginning to understand what drove her. “Tell me about this town, this Willow
Bend.”

He could almost
see the memories flashing behind her eyes. Again, he waited patiently.

“It’s a mill
town.” She glanced at him quickly. “I think I told you that.”

He nodded.

“Lambert
Textiles was virtually the only employer in town. Of course, small businesses
popped up, providing necessary goods and services.” She smiled. “That’s a term
I recall from school...‘goods and services’.”