From Heel to Heart

by Amy DeMeritt

  Lana’s smile peels her cheeks up and she shakes her head. “No, you won’t be eating breakfast alone. I can’t function without breakfast. You witnessed that firsthand. Not eating puts me in a horrible mood and slows my brain.”

  “Feed the beast – check.”

  Lana releases a scoffing laugh and playfully shoves Elli’s arm. She allows her hand to glide down Elli’s arm to her hand, lifts it to her lips and kisses the top of it.

  “So, have I successfully absolved myself for that day and for not calling?”

  “Aye, it’s water under the bridge.”

  “Good. Thank you. Can I ask the next question?”

  “Shoot.”

  “What is your favorite memory growing up?”

  “Oh, that’s a good question, but a rather difficult one. I have so many wonderful memories from my childhood. Let me think for a moment.” Elli leans forward to grab the small plates with their individual pies and hands one to Lana with a fork and napkin. “I don’t know if I can say it’s my favorite, but one of my fondest memories is from when I was twelve years old. It was December and we had received two feet of snow overnight. Mum made a fantastic breakfast with Dutch babies, bacon, sliced apples sautéed with butter and cinnamon sugar, and hot tea.”

  “Sorry, what are Dutch babies?”

  “They’re kind of hard to explain. They’re like puffy eggs that are baked in the oven. The batter is mostly made of eggs with some flour and milk. We always drizzle them with honey and sometimes put banana slices on them. I guess they are sort of like a large eggy pancake.”

  “Sounds amazing. What else happened that day?”

  “After we finished eating, we got bundled up and went outside to attempt to dig out the walkway and driveway. We had so much snow and nowhere to put it. We had a small lawn and the plows had created a four-foot tall wall along the curb, pushing the snow partially into the lawn. My dad got a brilliant idea and we created a snow slide. We built up the wall the plows created and made a slope towards the house. It was a short slide, but it was so much fun.”

  “That sounds like a blast. We used to build tunnels and forts when we got that much snow. It was fun.”

  “What is your favorite childhood memory?”

  Lana tilts her head back with a thoughtful expression for a few moments before looking at Elli again. “I think I would have to say the three summers we went camping in the Adirondack Mountains as an entire family when I was in high school. Although, I still argue we weren’t really camping since we were staying in a really nice log cabin style house that was basically a mansion in the woods. The place had ten bedrooms with TVs in every room, a rec room, and a hot tub, just to name a few of the luxurious camping amenities.”

  Elli laughs and shakes her head, agreeing, “No, that’s not camping. What did you do while you were there?”

  “We did a lot of hiking and kayaking, which were incredible experiences – it’s just so beautiful up there. My favorite moments though were sitting around the campfire every night. We would make smores, roast hotdogs, and we even baked peach cobbler in a cast iron Dutch oven right in the fire. We just sat around talking, laughing, and making up ghost stories to try to scare each other. At least once a night, our parents would be spurred out of their chairs and would waltz around the fire together. They looked so happy and carefree – it was beautiful. Those were great nights.”

  “It’s wonderful that you were able to have such beautiful family moments after your parents’ divorce. I don’t think many people can recall so many great memories from their childhood after something like that.”

  “Oh, we were definitely fortunate that our parents could still get along and they actually went out of their way to make sure all of us remained close. I’ve had many friends through the years with divorced parents and hearing their stories always made me count my blessings. It was far from perfect, but we had a good life.”

  Lana breaks off a bite of her pear tartlet and as she closes her mouth around her fork, her eyes close and she releases a quiet purring moan of appreciation.

  “Oh, this is good pie.”

  “Aye, this strawberry rhubarb is quite nice. Would you like to try it?”

  Lana licks her lips as she looks at the small pie in Elli’s hands with uncertainty. “I’ve never had rhubarb. What is it?”

  “It’s a vegetable with a rich, tart flavor. It looks like individual stalks of celery, but it has a ruby red coloring and big leafy greens on the top. The greens are poisonous and have to be thrown out.”

  “It’s… poisonous… and you want me to eat it?”

  Elli laughs and shakes her head. “Only the leaves are poisonous. Do you really think I would eat a poisonous pie willingly?”

  “I guess not, but it’s very suspicious.”

  Elli laughs again, then Lana flashes her a teasing grin and winks as she breaks off a small bite of the pie with her own fork. She cautiously savors the bite, analyzing the flavor, then smiles and nods.

  “That’s pretty tasty. Would you like to try mine?” Lana holds her pie out to Elli, who nods and presses the side of her fork into the pie to take a small sliver. Lana laughs and shakes her head as she grabs the fork and forces Elli to adjust. “Take a real bite so you can really taste it.”

  Elli cuts the measured bite, then with a serene smile, she pulls it off with her teeth and lips. Her tongue presses the mound into the top of her mouth to break it apart and her mouth rushes with saliva. Her eyes mimic Lana as they close to slants and she hums in approval.

  “Oh, that is divine. It’s so fresh and has just the right amount of sweet and buttery crustiness. The glutton in me is wondering why we only bought two pies.”

  Lana laughs and nods as she slips her fork into her pie. “I was thinking the same thing. We’ll just have to compensate with wine and cappuccinos.”

  “Aye, and more good conversation.”

  With a burst of heat filling her chest, Lana leans forward and kisses Elli’s lips. “I’d give up pie completely just to continue talking to you.”

  Chapter Eight

  The shop had been pretty quiet for the first half of the day, giving Elli the space and time that she needed to get caught up, nearly completing all projects. She could have finished everything if she didn’t have an appointment with the bride and ten bridesmaids that she has been making alterations for.

  The bride is a sweet young twentysomething with an angelic face, dark brown hair she wears down with loose curls framing her face and reaching her shoulder blades. She’s tall with a slim figure, requiring many alterations to her dress so it clings to her frame. The young woman’s frame is very straight, without much meat or curve, making the alterations a bit more difficult because the request was to give the illusion of curves without adding padding or bulks of fabric. This required inward tapering of the material, adding glittering bead elements in curving patterns, and adding a V-hem just below the belly button. It would have been easier and probably cheaper for Elli to make a custom dress from scratch.

  As the bride comes out of the fitting room to stand in front of three mirrors, her bridal party fawns over her, giving her sincere praises and compliments.

  “Oh, Kristy, you look gorgeous.”

  The young bride spins in surprise and beams with happiness as her mother walks into the shop.

  “I didn’t think you could get off of work. Do you really like it? Didn’t Elli do great? Look at this beadwork. I feel like a princess.”

  “You’re stunning. Elli, you really outshone your reputation. This is wonderful.”

  Elli’s smile of pride and happiness is uncontrolled. She really is very thrilled with her work and how beautiful it looks on her customer.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Brady. I’m honored by your compliment and happiness with the alterations.”

  “Did I miss the bridesmaids’ dresses? Have they been fitted yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  Seeming satisfied with this news, Mrs. Brady walks forward to
get a closer look at the details on Kristy’s dress and how it fits her figure.

  “This beadwork is gorgeous, simply gorgeous. Is it glued or stitched?”

  “Each bead was handstitched with strong thread.”

  “Very nice. Well, I love it. I don’t see anything else that needs to be done. What about you, Kristy? Are you happy with your dress, honey?”

  “I’m in love with it. It’s better than I ever imagined. I don’t ever want to take it off.”

  “I think Ryan will object to that on the wedding night.”

  Kristy scoffs at her friend’s comment and all of them burst with laughter. Mrs. Brady giggles, but she doesn’t comment. Kristy’s cheeks are bright red in embarrassment with an innocence that Elli doesn’t see often, even though she sees many young brides for their alterations.

  “Okay, honey, I know you don’t want to take your dress off, but I have to get back to work eventually. Let’s get the girls in their dresses so we can see if any final adjustments need to be made.”

  “Okay.”

  Kristy and her mother go to the fitting room together and Mrs. Brady helps her daughter change out of the dress. After they emerge with the dress carefully stowed in its zippered heavy plastic dress bag, Elli hangs the dress from a rack, then hands the maid of honor her dress to try on next.

  Now that she has finished trying on her dress, Kristy is able to indulge in the champagne her maid of honor brought for the occasion. Elli does not supply such accommodations, as it is not permitted by law for her type of establishment, but she allows it if the customers bring their own. Mrs. Brady checks her watch, then fills a plastic toss away champagne flute for herself.

  “Drinking during working hours?”

  Mrs. Brady clicks her tongue in a disapproving way at Kristy for questioning her behavior. “Celebrating my daughter’s happiness is more important than silly prudish rules. Are you going out after the fitting?”

  “We’re supposed to be going for sushi.”

  “Oh, sushi sounds good.” Mrs. Brady looks at her watch again and scrunches her face like she’s trying to make a difficult decision. She takes a gulp of champagne then nods once. “Okay, I’m taking the remainder of the day off. I’m coming with you.”

  Kristy beams in happiness, but Elli notices a few of her bridesmaids share glances of disappointment behind their backs. Elli has to hide a silent laugh by turning her back to them and pretending to check the bridesmaids’ dresses.

  It takes nearly an hour for all ten bridesmaids to try on their dresses, then to process the payments for all of them. Just as she’s giving Mrs. Brady the receipt for the work on Kristy’s gown, the bell above the door jingles. The front of the shop is full of young women, but Elli spots Lana easily through the small crowd and her smile reaches her eyes.

  “Thank you, Elli. You are an absolute marvel. You do such beautiful work. A client of mine is in the planning stages for her daughter’s wedding. Do you have an extra business card I can pass along to her?”

  “Of course, thank you.” Elli hands her a few business cards then walks out from behind the counter to get the door for them. “Have a lovely day. Congratulations, Kristy.”

  “Thanks, Elli.” The young woman surprises Elli as she leans in and gives her a tight hug and kisses her cheek. “I love my dress. Thank you.”

  “You’re quite welcome, sweetie. It was my pleasure.”

  After all of them have left, Elli turns to face Lana and releases a laughing exhale of air, feeling relieved the wedding party is gone and satisfied, and happily surprised to see Lana.

  “Hello, Sunshine. How are you?”

  Lana’s smile widens as she takes a few steps closer and embraces Elli, giving her a warm electrifying hug and a light kiss on the lips.

  “I know I should have called first to see if you’re busy, but it was a spur of the moment decision to come see you on my lunch break. It looks like you had a party here. Having a good day?”

  Elli releases a small laugh as she walks to the counter to collect the empty champagne flutes and two empty bottles to throw away. “Wedding parties like to drink while they’re trying on their dresses and tuxedos. I blame movies for it. I don’t mind though as long as they don’t spill or get out of control.”

  “It’s nice of you to humor them and clean up after them after they leave. Did you have to make alterations for all of them?”

  “Aye. The bridesmaids’ dresses were simple – just a tuck here and there and shorten the skirt on a few. The bride’s dress was much more complicated and artistically demanding – it was a wonderful project to work on.”

  “I’m intrigued. Do you have before and after pictures?”

  Elli smiles and pulls her cellphone out. “This is the dress when they brought it to me last week. And this is the finished product.”

  “Wow.” Without thinking or asking, Lana takes Elli’s phone from her hands so she can look at it more closely. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is agape as she pinches her fingers on the screen to zoom in and see the details more clearly. “Elli, this is gorgeous. The dress was so plain and straight line before. You turned this into a designer quality gown. Wow, you are exceptionally talented.”

  “I do okay.”

  Lana scoffs at Elli’s humble response and shakes her head. “Elli, this is beautiful. It’s stunning. Can I see more of your work?”

  Lana hands her phone back to Elli with an awestruck look in her pretty light brown eyes.

  “Aye, you want to see more beadwork?”

  “Anything. Can I see something you’re working on now that’s still here?”

  Elli nods with a serene smile as she takes Lana’s hand and leads her to the work studio. “We have a customer who has been coming in for, oh, I believe twelve-years now, with this same exact pair of boots for us to repair. And by repair, I mean reconstruct completely.” Elli brings her over to a workbench and points at the boots. “This is the pair of boots he brought in, and this is the new pair I built to replace them. I have nearly finished with them. Aside from needing a lace, the right boot is done. I just need to finish stitching the sole on the left and it will be done as well.”

  “Elli, you’re pulling my leg. You have to be. You made those boots?”

  “Aye, I did indeed.”

  “May I?” Lana asks as she reaches to pick up a boot.

  “Aye.”

  Lana picks up the right boot and examines the fine craftsmanship and perfect details with the stitching, the tone of the leather, and the perfectly spaced shoelace holes with brass grommets. She places her hand inside and feels the innersole and releases a quiet moan of approval.

  “Oh, this innersole is amazing. What brand is this?”

  “Voss.”

  Lana’s lips curl into a wide grin as she looks up from the boot into Elli’s ocean blue eyes. “You made the innersole?”

  “Sure did.”

  “I’m beyond impressed. I have a question though – if you have to reconstruct the shoe, why doesn’t he just buy a new pair of boots?”

  “He’s a bit of a persnickety man – hard to please. Once he finds something he likes, he sticks with it. He’s the sort of man that if he found the perfect sandwich, he would eat only that sandwich every day for lunch and never waiver from the habit for the rest of his days. The company discontinued those boots many years ago, but he has never found a boot he likes nearly as much, especially after we started rebuilding them with finer materials and a more comfortable sole.”

  “You must deal with some interesting characters in here.”

  Elli grins at her in a meaningful way, and answers, “We get all kinds in here. And many aren’t what they seem to be upon first meeting them.”

  Lana blushes as she releases a short, embarrassed laugh and needlessly brushes her fingers through her hair to comb it behind her ear. “Well, thankfully for us, you’re such a sweet and understanding person.” Lana looks at the boot again before she sets it down. “I just don’t understand how
you do this. In an age of machines pumping out everything, it’s surprising people still have this kind of knowledge and skill. I can’t even wrap my head around how to even begin to make a boot.”

  “Would you like to see how it’s done? I don’t mean today because I know you’re only on a lunch break, but I could show you one day, if you’re interested.”

  “I would really love that. Do you have time to share a cup of coffee before I have to go back to work?”

  “Aye, I could actually really use a break. Let me just lock the door.”

  Lana waits in the work studio and paces around the room looking at, without touching, the various projects Elli is working on. As she’s about to turn towards the approaching footsteps of Elli, a surprising item catches her eyes and she walks over closer to it.

  “That one comes with a very touching story and is filled with heart wrenching stories. Come, I’ll tell you about it over coffee.”

  Lana glances at the book, resisting the urge to pick it up, then follows Elli up the spiral staircase to her apartment. While Elli fills the percolator with the espresso and water, Lana retrieves the milk from the fridge to be helpful, much to Elli’s delight.

  “Thank you.” Lana blushes from the affectionate smile Elli is giving her and bites her bottom lip briefly to control her own smile. “How is your Monday going? Are you busy today?”

  “Well, I made it to work on time, so I at least started the day off well.” Lana laughs in a disgruntled sort of way, feeling indifferent to actually being on time aside from not having to deal with another scolding from her manager. “I’ve been very busy today with tedious work that really seems unnecessary.”

  “Why is it unnecessary?”

  “We only have one week before month end financial reporting will be started and completed in a week. So, basically, the real numbers will be done in two weeks. But the CEO has demanded some preliminary figures by Wednesday. It’s pointless because the sales and marketing teams do hard sale pushes at the end of each month and quarter to try to reach or exceed their goals. That last week could bring in a significant amount of revenue, drastically changing the figures.”