Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing Read Online Free Page A

Scarlet’s older sister, shoved her plate to the left. “I’m so sure! What about me? Why are all of you always trying to help Scarlet when she doesn’t want it? I hate
my
job right now, I’d give anything to get one of those gigs!”
    “You already have a good job, Eliza. But Scarlet is a natural talent who is undervalued by her current employer. She could sew circles around that Carly,” her father answered. “We’re presenting promising alternatives for her to consider.”
    Scarlet didn’t acknowledge his comments as she removed the paper napkin from her burgundy pencil skirt. Dustingthe crumbs from her baby pink angora cardigan, she stood, picked up the stack of plates, walked a few steps into her parents’ kitchen, and set them on the counter. She hoped that by the time she returned, they would have switched topics. She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and walked back into the dining room to find her mother serving huge chunks of chocolate-chip pumpkin pie on clear plastic dessert plates.
    “Tell them about your big promotion, Scarlet!” she said.
    Scarlet gulped.
    Manny rose in his seat, appearing a smidgen impressed. “It’s about damn time. What is your new title? How much of a pay increase?”
    Great,
Scarlet thought. She couldn’t have asked for worse timing. She hated that in every other aspect of her life, she felt confident and ambitious, yet here, she couldn’t even make eye contact.
    “Designer!” she replied, popping up her shoulders in exaggerated delight. “It takes effect right after I come back from the Johnny Scissors Emerging Designers Program this summer.”
    “The what?” Eliza asked, squishing her face like a cartoon character, hamming up the scene. She took pleasure whenever Scarlet sat in the hot seat.
    “I told all of you about it at Dad’s birthday party,” Scarlet reminded them, scooting up in her chair. “It’s an exclusive design academy in New York City led by
the
Johnny Scissors. He is going to be my mentor. Thousands applied, and I was one of the few selected.”
    Scarlet knew she had already said too much when her father cleared his throat. Her mother continued to dish out the pie.
    As always, Charles added his two cents. “Why would your boss make you go to New York just to get a promotion in Phoenix? That’s illogical. And how are you paying for it? You barelymake enough to pay Nana rent and cover your living expenses, your school loans…”
    “Scarlet does just fine,” Nana Eleanor said. “She’s quite the businesswoman. Aren’t you, mija?”
    “Thanks, Nana, but never mind,” Scarlet said, gliding her fork into the soft, gooey layer of warm chocolate chips on her dessert. She wasn’t in the mood to fight, and at least she had the chocolate to soothe her spirit. A second piece would be in order. “Let’s just enjoy the pie.”
    “I’ve seen your site, Scarlet,” Patricia, Charles’s wife, said as she lifted her fork to her lips. “It’s cute.”
    At last, a ray of sunshine from the bleachers! “Really?”
    “Yes! I searched online for a cheese ball recipe last year and DaisyForever.com came up.”
    Laughter broke out around the table—except for Jeane, Manny, and Nana Eleanor.
    “Award-winning cheese balls! Come and get ’em!” Eliza hollered.
    Scarlet bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at her sister. In as calm a voice as she could muster, she began to explain. “I share recipes sometimes, but mostly I offer ideas of how to live an artful life. I also show how to translate vintage fashion into contemporary wardrobes. I recently had some national press. Look, I’ll show you!” Scarlet started to rise to get her parents’ laptop from the other room. She’d show them the subscriber count, the award graphics, and even links to the recent
USA Today
article. That ought to cool their heels!
    “It’s OK, Scar, we trust you,” Charles said, leaning back to put his hand on her wrist. “Good for you. I hope it brings you all