30. Close Enough

"Sage," Poppy said at the end of the week. "I've got a call with Mateo at ten."

"Woohoo," Sage said. Poppy was doing a little dance in the open doorway.

"Lily is going to be on the call with me too, but we'd like you there."

"Me?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because in a roundabout way we got this contact because of you. Plus, he might have questions about collaborations with our products and exposure. I have to admit I've never seen his line of clothing before you told me about this. It's a higher end but not completely out of reach for the middle class. It appears more is sold on the West Coast or maybe in New York City."

"I know," she said. "There are a lot of brands that you can't get just anywhere unless you order online. But I'd love to sit in on the call."

She looked at her watch and noticed it was nine thirty.

"I would have loved for Kate to be on this call too, but she's done enough and I know she's busy," Poppy said. "I've completed enough deals in my life that I shouldn't be nervous about this, but I am."

"If you're not nervous then it's not important. You don't want to feel as if it's second nature and the thrill is gone, do you?"

"God, no," Poppy said. "And you're right. But this is so huge. I know it's not like it's a done deal. I could make twenty things and he might not use one of them."

"That's true," she said. "I hope that doesn't happen. I'd like to think that you will work well together and give him what he wants."

"Me too," Poppy said. "His next runway is around when I'm due. So it'd have to be one of those things taken care of beforehand. I just don't want to be the one to blow this because of the timing."

"Then it's not meant," she said. "And there will be another. Don't carry that on your shoulders."

"That is what Lily said too. Why don't you come to the conference room with us? We'll be on a video call using the TV."

Sage grabbed her iPad that she carried around with her to take notes and went to the conference room with Poppy. Lily was sitting in there typing on her laptop and stopped.

"Poppy is getting worked up," Lily said. "I told her to relax. It's not good for the baby."

"I just said the same thing. If we get one designer to be interested, we can get another. It's right or it's not, but it won't be on her shoulders either way."

"Exactly," Lily said. "I spoke with Kate earlier this morning and she said Mateo is very nice and friendly. He's easy to work with and she is positive it's going to be a great joint venture."

Sage wished Kate had told her that, but the truth was, it's not like she had to be privy to everything that was going on in the business while this project was in its infancy.

"That all sounds promising," she said. "I know that some designers are very hard to deal with. Not that I did much, but I'd heard. Kate is so well liked. She has a way about her."

"I've seen it," Poppy said. "She's so down to earth, but if she needs to be prim and proper she is too."

"I think what made Kate such a great model was she is a chameleon. She can be who she needs to be each time it's called for. She blends in perfectly. But if she's saying he's nice and friendly, then she is herself around him."

"How so?" Poppy asked. "Fill us in on what you know."

"I don't know much about Mateo. He's a newer client for Kate. Newer to the States, but he has a daughter who modeled when Kate did. That is how Mateo and Kate connected. Mateo's daughter is a little younger than Kate and Kate kind of took her in like a little sister."

"That's good to know," Lily said.

"It's a hard industry. If Kate took that much of a liking to someone, then that means she saw some of herself in them as people. That she felt she could be herself around them."

"I wish she was on this call," Poppy said again.

"She couldn't be," Lily said. "And we'll be fine."

"You'll be great," Sage said.

They chatted a few more minutes, and before she knew it, Mateo was on the TV screen in front of them and they all introduced themselves.

"Ahh," Mateo said, his accent thick. "Sage. Kate's little sister."

She smiled. "That would be me. No blood relation, but close enough."

"Close enough normally counts more than blood relations in my eyes," Mateo said. "Before we get any further, would Poppy be willing to fly to Rome to see some of my designs in person? The materials I'm using? I'm heavy into florals and was hoping we could get some accessories to go with specific fabrics. I've been studying your products and designs and noticed that you do jewelry also?"

"We do," Lily said. "I can grab my sister Rose to join us if you'd like."

"If she's available, it'd be great," Mateo said.

"I'll do it," Sage said and got up to walk out of the room, all but running as fast as she could down the stairs and into the back of the building where Rose worked.

"What's the rush?" Daisy said. "Is the building on fire?"

"Rose," she said. "Where is she? They want her on the call right now."

"I'm right here," Rose said. "I had to go to the bathroom. Who wants me on the call?"

"Mateo asked for you. He said he noticed we do jewelry also."

"Oh man," Daisy said. "This is exciting."

"We'll see," Rose said and followed her up. "I'm not holding my breath."

"Don't you want this to happen?" she asked.

"Of course I do. But I'm not getting my hopes up until something is signed."

"I think it will be," she said.

They returned to the room and Rose was introduced.

"Mateo has asked if I'd be able to fly to Rome," Poppy said. "I stood up and explained that I was pregnant and it'd have to be soon if that was going to happen."

"I suggested that Sage go with Poppy," Lily said. "If you've got a passport."

"I do," she said. "I'd love to."

This was a dream come true.

"I can't leave the baby right now," Lily said. "Rose doesn't like to fly."

"No," Rose said. "I'm sorry. I don't have a passport either."

"Reese will never let me go alone," Poppy said. "But we won't leave Holly for us both to go. So next in line is Sage for this."

She was so excited she couldn't even speak. It was as if everything she'd ever dreamed of might be happening.

The call lasted for over an hour and then they talked some more around the table.

Poppy was going to look into flights and when they could leave. The sooner, the better.

Though January was one of the coldest months in Rome, it wouldn't be as cold as here. She wouldn't care. She wasn't there to lie in the sun and work on her tan.

Sage left the conference room and went to her office and called her mother first.

"Come on," she said. "Pick up, Mom." But she figured her mother was with a client.

She hung up and was getting ready to text her when the phone rang in her hand. It was her mother so she answered quickly.

"Sorry, Sage," her mother said. "It stopped ringing by the time I got to it. I've got a few minutes while some color sits. Is everything okay?"

"It's wonderful," she said. "Fabulous. A dream come true."

"Did Knox propose?" her mother asked.

Her jaw dropped. "What? No. Why would you ask that? We've only been dating a few months."

"I don't know," her mother said. "You just seemed so happy together at Christmas. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part."

"I'm not there, Mom. I mean, maybe someday. But right now, not even on my radar. Probably not his either."

At least that was what she was telling herself.

It was better to have that train of thought rather than run the risk of being hurt again when everything was going too well.

"Then what is so exciting?" her mother asked.

She filled her mother in on her trip and how it all came about. Though her mother was aware that Kate had gotten the ball rolling.

"That is wonderful," her mother said. "Have you talked to Kate yet?"

"No," she said. "She's my next call, but Mateo made a comment that she wasn't available for the call so she is probably busy. I think she would have been on it if she could have. Lily knew Kate wasn't around too but by Mateo saying that means he had to have talked to her recently also."

But she did send a text to Kate to call her when she could.

"How about Knox?" her mother asked. "How do you think he'll react?"

She frowned. "What does that mean? It's not like I'm moving. I'm going to Rome for a few days."

She knew it was going to be a fast trip. They'd fly there and meet with Mateo and have one day to explore a bit and then fly home.

Poppy didn't want to be gone that long and they all had things to do and to get to work on.

"I know," her mother said. "But your father never liked to be away from me. I've never gone anywhere for a few days without him."

"Things are different now, Mom," she said. "I'd never be with anyone that had a problem with it and Knox wouldn't. I know that."

"I know," her mother said. "But you won't travel much, right?"

"I doubt it. This is a unique situation. They don't want Poppy to go alone. Rose doesn't have a passport. Lily won't leave the baby. Reese won't want Poppy alone being pregnant, but they won't leave Holly alone nor bring her right now either."

"I understand," her mother said. "But this could be the start of something too. How would you feel about that?"

"I feel like I'll do whatever is required of me for my job," she said. She had no idea where her mother was going with all of this. "It's not a big deal. I don't see anyone traveling much. I don't understand what is going through your head."

Her mother was quiet. "I just don't want anything to come between you and Knox."

She let out a sigh. "Mom. If my relationship can't handle me traveling a few times then it's not meant to be. Knox isn't Henry."

"Henry didn't like you going out with your friends either," her mother said. "He always wanted to be with you. I just don't want you going in the opposite direction because of what happened with Henry."

"I'm not going in any direction other than what happens. End of story."

"I hear you," her mother said. "And I've got to go. I guess I just don't want to see you hurt again. I want you to thrive in your career and in your personal life and don't want one to dictate the other."

"I want that too and one isn't going to dictate the other. Trust me. It's all good."