Work Text:
The bell on the door chimed. Mindy called out, “Welcome to Princess, can I—“ She stopped when she saw the person coming through the door, toting a large rolling trunk behind him. “Oh. It’s you.”
“What do you mean, ‘oh, it’s you?’” he asked, making a face.
“You know exactly what I mean, Danny,” she frowned, shaking her head. She motioned toward the open table in the back that also served as her desk and check-out. “Take a seat, I’m just switching around this display.”
“That’s the third time this week,” he commented, looking around. Every time he came in the store, it looked completely different. He wondered how much of her time was spent rearranging her store.
“Gotta keep it fresh!” she chirped in a sing-song voice. “You’re only the second person I’ve seen all morning, so.”
“Well,” he said derisively, “maybe if your store didn’t have such a dumb name—“
“Excuse me?” she broke in. “A woman should be treated like a princess, as the motto on my wall says.” She gestured with a sweep of her hand. “It’s thematic.”
“It’s dumb. You’d think this was a store for twelve year-old girls,” he grumbled, popping his trunk open.
“You sell your stuff here, so obviously, it’s not that dumb,” she shot back.
“I’m just saying – you could probably get a lot more business if you branded more to the elite clientele you’re looking to target.”
“So says the guy who named his clothing line Danny –“
“What’s wrong with that?”
“And only has one sales contract, and that’s with me.”
“What? I--I could get plenty, I have plenty, if I wanted to--“ he sputtered.
“And that’s only because I did you a favor,” Mindy continued, undeterred.
He quickly snapped his trunk shut and pulled it upright, in a huff. “If that’s the way you’re going be, Mindy,” he frowned, “I’d just as well go elsewhere.” He stood up to wheel his suitcase back out, but Mindy stepped into his path, stopping him with her hand.
“Danny, please,” she said softly. “Just – show me what you have.”
He crossed his arms. “Why should I?”
“Because,” she began, as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Gracious, she thought. Be gracious. These Jersey designers were sensitive little flowers, and you had to treat them as such.
She took a breath. “I like your work, and I want to see what you brought.”
“You do?” His voice cracked slightly, and he immediately cleared his throat. “I mean – of course you do.” Danny sighed then. “I don’t – I mean, I wish there was a way we could work together, to increase our exposure,” he set the trunk back down again.
Realizing Danny was going to take more attention than usual today, she resisted the urge to sigh herself, and sat down behind the table in the overstuffed chair, opening up her MacBook. “OK, Danny. What have you brought for me today?”
===
Danny and Mindy had started their tenuous partnership almost two years ago, shortly after Mindy had opened up her boutique, Princess, on the Lower East Side. She’d poured all her savings into it at the time, and was still currently in the hole, thanks to a few small business loans she’d been forced to take out, in order to keep enough operating capital (her idiot landlord was practically raping her on rent, but she couldn’t afford to move at this point, either, so she dealt with it the best that she could. Danny had come to her attention because of Ben, a writer she’d been dating, who had been roommates with Danny.
Over five years ago, Danny had been working in a partnership with his long-term girlfriend at the time, Christina, who had started what was now a successful fashion line, CHRISTI. Danny had actually, according to him, been the backbone behind her initial success, helping her establish her initial signature look. Within two years, she had gained a contract with Cusp by Neiman Marcus, and within the next year, she had three self-branded boutiques in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Danny had been ready to propose, when he caught her at their apartment with another man, and left her, never looking back. It was just over three years ago that he’d started up his own self-named line, Danny, but the business had struggled since its inception. Christina had always been the marketing force behind her line, whereas Danny was her creative designer. Without her to help him sell, he had trouble securing sales contracts, and was forced to move back to New Jersey to live with his mother.
It wasn’t until his former roommate hooked him up with Mindy and her boutique; that things had started looking up. Mindy would never admit it, but if it wasn’t for Danny, her boutique would have since bit the dust. If she could stock all of his clothes in her store, she would, but he was only one guy, and didn’t have the time and resources to give her what she would need. Danny did have an intern that worked for him and helped him keep up with her demand, but Mindy suspected he didn’t pay the girl very much, if at all.
The strange thing was that for a guy that dressed and acted like such an old man, he had a creative eye and talent unlike anyone else she’d ever worked with. His style was edgy, but the details were particular. Asymmetrical hems, seams cut on the bias, meshed with tiny buttons, lace detail, and delicate fabrics. Every piece was perfect, not a thread out of place, but the stitching was durable and tight. He was a boutique owner’s dream, from a creative perspective. From a business perspective, he was a nightmare: fussy, stubborn, annoying, and never able to admit when he was wrong.
Of course, they’d become fast friends, though neither would admit that aloud, either.
===
After he’d shown off his new pieces and secured the order details, Danny started to pack up, ready to head back to Jersey. Mindy felt bad about the fact that he would haul his huge trunk into her store several times a week. She had told him before that he didn’t have to come in as often as he did, but he worked quickly and always seemed eager to show her the new pieces he had come up with. Mindy suspected it was more than that, though: the guy was obviously lonely and didn’t have a lot (or any) friends.
She cleared her throat. “I, uh – feel bad that you have such a long trip back. Can I, um, get you some tea?”
He gave her an odd look. “Tea?”
“Yeah, um –“ she pointed to the electric kettle she had on a mirrored side table, perched next to a etched box and an assortment of purposefully mismatched cups and saucers. “I do it as a service for my customers. It’s part of the Princess experience.”
Danny snorted. “That’s for sure.” Mindy made a face at him. He shook his head. “I’m, uh, more of a coffee drinker, to be honest. But I appreciate the offer.”
“Oh, well – there’s a really great coffee shop across the street – Kamakura Coffee? Let me just run across the street and grab you a cup!” She stood up quickly, grabbing her wallet out of her purse. “How do you take your coffee?”
Danny’s face took on a strange expression, as he studied her for a moment. “Are you … coming onto me?” he asked, smiling crookedly.
“What?” she asked, stopping short. “Uh, no. What would make you think that?”
He chuckled. “You’re practically running across the street to get me coffee. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Why would I?” Mindy asked, making a face. “You’re gay, aren’t you?” A part of her assumed that the reason he’d broken up with his girlfriend was because of that. She just hadn’t said anything up until that point.
Danny started laughing then, loudly. “What are you talking about? I was…. Practically married, to a woman. Why in the world would I be gay?”
“B—I mean, most designers – I don’t know, you could be bi, or something,” she stuttered. “Damn it, Danny. I just … assumed. I mean, you’re not dating anyone, and you just…”
He scoffed. “Well, you assumed wrong. I am one-hundred percent straight.” He tipped his chin at her. “And besides, I’m perfectly capable of getting my own coffee.” He stood up to head out the door.
Mindy noticed he’d left his trunk.
He turned back around at the last second. “And for the record, I drink my coffee black.”
===
“So,” he said, when he returned with the tallest cup of coffee Mindy had ever seen. “Were you trying to ask me out, or what? Be honest.”
“Uh, no,” Mindy frowned. “I’m still dating the doctor, thank you very much.”
“You mean the midwife?” Danny asked, grinning.
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah, I talked to him – Deslaurier, right? He stopped in here last week, but you’d stepped out of here for a minute, remember? So you missed him that day. He told me himself that he’s a midwife, runs some damn hippie alternative medicine birthing center or something with his brother?”
“Holistic birthing center,” Mindy corrected. She pursed her lips. “Yes.”
“Not a real doctor,” Danny said, shaking his head. “My college buddy Jeremy is one – an OB-GYN, that is, and it turns out his office is in the same building as your little midwife.”
“Wait – you asked about him? Why would you ask about him?”
Danny shrugged. “It came up in conversation. Those guys don’t even go to medical school. If there’s any real complications, they end up at the hospital, with an actual doctor.”
“What’s your point?” Mindy asked, crossing her arms.
“My point is that you can’t call your boyfriend, or fuck buddy, whatever, a doctor.”
“’Fuck buddy?’” she repeated, her eyes blazing.
Danny rolled his eyes. “Your little buddy also told me how he’s not into exclusivity, and went into some long rant about how monogamy is against nature, and that humans, just like animals, weren’t meant to just be with one person. Damn hippies.”
“He said what?” Mindy asked, standing up.
“Oh?” Danny asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement. “He never mentioned that to you?”
“I’m gonna kill him,” she muttered, yanking her phone out of her purse. Danny watched in amusement as she stormed out of the store. From the front window, he could see her yelling into her phone and gesturing wildly.
That’s what she got for dating a damn witch doctor, he thought to himself. He sat back in his chair, sipping on his coffee.
It wasn’t like he had planned to break up her relationship today, but honestly? If she hadn’t known the guy was like that, he didn’t deserve to be with her. Mindy was a pain in the ass, sure. She was uptight, over-emotional, and could, frankly, be a little crazy at times, but – well, if Danny was being honest, she had given him a chance when he had none, and he owed a lot to her because of that. He didn’t want the same thing to happen to her that had happened to him.
It had taken him years to get over Christina. He was still reeling from the breakup, if his recent dates had anything to say about it. He hadn’t been in another real relationship since then. For some reason, he couldn’t get past a first or second date with any of the women he’d seen. The only woman he had a long relationship with was Mindy; who he now considered, oddly, a close friend of his.
She came back into the store in a huff, practically knocking the chimes off the door as she did so.
“Fuck Brendan,” she proclaimed loudly, right as a pair of women came through the door.
They looked at her oddly, and started to turn to go out. A look of horror crossed Mindy’s face.
“No, no, no!” she said, herding them up. “I’m so sorry! I just – my boyfriend is a cheater, but that has nothing to do with you, I’m so sorry. Please! Look around! If you see anything you like, it’s twenty percent off! Owner’s discount!”
The women, obviously feeling guilted into staying, turned and reluctantly started walking around the store, looking around. Mindy headed straight to where Danny was sitting and watching, amusement written all over his face.
“Not a word,” she hissed into his ear, her breath hot and sticky against his skin.
He tried not to think about the way that made him feel.
===