“Sure. I can do that,” Grace murmured.
Good! Her feelings are hurt, Reva thought. Maybe she’ll go home. I wish I’d never invited her. She’s no fun at all. “I’ll meet with you after the audition and give you something to do, okay?”
Grace bit her lip and nodded. “If there’s nothing for me to do now, I think I’ll take a walk.”
“Whatever. Catch you later.”
Grace turned and shuffled away, her shoulders slumped.
Reva clicked her tongue in annoyance. There goes another loser. I’m surrounded by them!
But not for long, she thought as she hurried toward the room where the models waited. Once the Reva Wear scarves hit the market, I’ll be a winner.
And I can leave all the losers behind!
• • •
Half an hour later, Reva dismissed nine of the eleven models who had come to audition. She waited as they filed out of the room, then turned back to the two she had chosen.
Yes. She picked the right ones. Liza Grogan. Straight, shiny dark hair, big brown eyes, and incredibly long legs.
Ellie Stern had short, curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and a really sophisticated look. She reminded Reva of herself.
“I’m definitely giving one of these to my mom for Christmas!” Ellie exclaimed, wrapping a red and gold scarf around her neck. “They’re awesome!”
“Which design school did you go to, Reva?” Liza asked.
“None, actually.”
“You’re kidding!” Ellie stared at Reva in surprise. “I’ve seen stuff coming out of design schools that isn’t half as good as this. I mean, really, these scarves are fabulous!”
“Thanks.” Reva smiled modestly and checked her watch. “As soon as Traci gets here, we’ll start rehearsing.”
Liza frowned. “You aren’t talking about Traci Meecham, are you?”
“That’s right,” Reva told her. “She’s the third model. She’s under contract to Dalby’s, so . . .”
“So Reva’s stuck with me,” Traci finished, breezing into the room. She paused and stared at Liza, her eyes narrowing. “And I guess I’m stuck with you, Liza.”
Liza gazed back for a moment, then tossed her head and smiled. “I guess so, Traci. Try not to let it ruin your day.”
Liza and Traci obviously aren’t best friends, Reva thought. But who cares? The only thing that matters is the show.
Traci glanced at Ellie, then back at Reva. “Well, I can see why you hired her, Reva. She looks exactly like you. I just hope she doesn’t act like you.”
Ellie looked confused.
“Reva’s not the easiest person to get along with,” Traci told her in a loud whisper.
Reva frowned. “What happened to staying out of each other’s way, Traci? Wasn’t that your idea?”
Traci shrugged. “I guess I forgot.”
“Well, I hope you haven’t forgotten how to model,” Reva shot back. “If you mess up my show, you’re out of it.”
“What will you do—run and complain to Daddy?” Traci asked with a sneer. “I’m under contract, remember?”
“Hey, come on, you two,” Ellie pleaded. “We all have to work together.”
“Unfortunately,” Liza muttered under her breath, glaring at Traci.
Reva took a deep breath. Keep cool, she told herself. Don’t let Traci ruin things for you. The show is too important. “Ellie is right,” she declared. “We all have to work together. So let’s get started.”
Reva pushed open a door at the back of the room and led the models into the showroom. “The dress rehearsal is tomorrow,” she told them. “Right now, we’ll just walk through the routine.”
Workmen had set up a revolving glass door on the stage at the front of the room. It opened onto a fake sidewalk that would be lined with mannequins dressed as shoppers. “You girls come through the door and walk down the sidewalk in front of the audience,” Reva explained. “Be sure to swing the scarf over your shoulder so people get a good look at it. Then go back through the revolving door.”
“You want us to walk through together?” Traci asked.
Reva gritted her teeth and counted to ten. She hated dealing with stupid people.
“One at a time,” she said slowly. “You first, Traci. Then Liza. Then Ellie.”
Reva stepped back and watched as the three models began to walk through the routine. There would be music during the show, of course. And the words Reva Wear At Dalby’s in flowing gold script above the glass door. The models would wear black, she decided, so the colorful scarves would stand out.
It was going to be perfect.