Things like empire waists are there for a reason Who: Verity and Jefferson When: 6/23 (Just after this log) Where: Jefferson’s shop What: Measuring for Maternity Wear Rating/Warning: Low/None (talk of pregnancy/maternity clothes) Status: Complete!
Jefferson’s first appointment that day had been for the sake of the store’s image, but his second was purely out of friendship. Verity was due in this afternoon, and frankly, he was looking forward to giving maternity clothing a try. He wanted to design something for her that would be pretty. From what Alice had said, it had been a difficult pregnancy, so Jefferson could only imagine that Verity needed to feel a little beautiful.
Verity wasn't sure there was anything in the world that would make her feel beautiful. But some nice clothes would be a good start. She'd had an exceptionally difficult pregnancy, Alice was right on that part. And it was getting better, but she had a long road ahead. Losing Oliver was a really rough blow. It was hard to figure out what she was doing with her life now.
She arrived to the shop wearing some maternity exercise clothes, stretchy and tight against her form. It'd be easier for him to measure her that way. She stepped inside and looked around, wearing a warm smile.
Jefferson had just finished organizing a rack by size when he heard the door open. Looking over, he smiled genuinely, going to politely buss her cheek. “Hello, Miss Verity; it’s been a long time. You look surprisingly well; the way Alice worries, I’d thought you were confined to bed like Miss Havisham.”
“Jefferson, it’s so good to see you!” She practically spoke at the same time that he came over to greet her. Much like old friends. Verity was wearing a warm smile, even though the sparkle in her eyes was tired. “Thank you. Well... she wasn’t wrong, really. I was very, very sick for a while there. Lost several pounds.” And on a waif like Verity, a few pounds was a good percentage of her total body weight.
“But really, thank you. I just wish I could have a little more energy in the day! How are you? How are preparations for the shop opening? I have to tell you, I’m just thrilled for you.”
“I’m well, thank you. Preparations are going well.” Jefferson gestured, as if to show off how complete almost everything looked. “All we really need is to fix up the lighting and stock all the racks. And get my computer installed in the back.” He smiled, a trifle tired himself. “But it’s all ready enough to have you in for measurements. I’d really love to do up something for you that’s nice.” He lowered his voice, mostly to make her laugh. “I’ve been googling maternity clothes online, and I’m a bit appalled at the colors and patterns.”
Verity gave a laugh. "You should see them in person. I can pretty much guarantee they're worse on the body than they are on the computer." Especially the maternity jeans. Those were two shades shy of being disgusting. "I can't wait to hear what you've got in mind to improve it."
“There are some things I don’t think we can get away from,” Jefferson said. “Things like empire waists are there for a reason, and I can’t in truth think of a more utilitarian cut as you progress. I don’t want to design something you can only wear at six or seven months and then never again. But at the same time, we can make them out of comfortable fabrics instead of that ugly microfiber. We can also use things like ruching in the fabric - it’s possible to get that style without making the fabric tight.” He smiled. “I did have a few ideas drawn up; I’d like to show you.”
"I'd love to see!" Verity said. Honestly, just hearing him talk about it was making her excited. Things other than tents and leggings? Hell yes. She would love to be able to be comfortable in her own clothes. Not keep pulling them up or adjusting them. "You're absolutely brilliant, so I'm sure whatever you've got cooking is going to be magical."
Jefferson smiled. “I’m just glad you’re up and around,” he replied, beckoning her back toward his workstation. “Alice does worry. And Grace is excited to see the baby when you give birth; when you met her I don’t believe you were to the point of showing yet.”
He offered her a chair as they got into the back rooms. Jefferson had brought a binder of sketches for a lot of ideas, not just Verity’s, so he had to flip through them. “Give me just a moment.”
"No, I definitely wasn't." Verity said, following him toward the work station. She settled down in the chair with a little sigh, thankful to get off of her slightly swollen ankles. "You can thank Alice for me. And tell Grace that she's welcome to come and meet her the day she's born."
Verity nodded, pulling her purse off of her shoulder. "No problem. I've got all the time in the world."
“She? It is going to be a girl? That’s brilliant.” Jefferson smiled as he found his three sketches. “Okay, and hopefully speaking of brilliant, here’s the first one.” He held out the sketch to her; he’d drawn a loose short-sleeved shirt in a bright coral color, to match her complexion; it had an empire waist and a long drop. “There’s only so much we can do with casual shirts. But, I can make this out of a light microfiber, instead of heavy cotton.”
The skirt, though, was a different matter. “This skirt, I thought, might be multipurpose enough that you could even wear it after your pregnancy.” He pointed to the waist-stomach area. “This will be ruched, as that’s fashionable. But instead of just manipulating the fabric, my idea is to actually have it taken up. Like, there’s extra fabric there instead of just folds. That way it will expand to fit between now and nine months, and all you need to do is cut three stitches.” Or he could do it.
Verity nodded. "Just found out last Friday. I've already got a name picked out." And she leaned over to look at the sketches. It was so impressive. She wished she could do art or draw.
"This looks... so beautiful." She said, smiling fondly and nodding once more. "I work at a joke shop, so I don't need my clothes to be terribly formal, but I would rather not look like a slob, either. This is absolutely perfect."
“Oh, good.” Jefferson was smiling. He liked, quite simply, helping people. “I did a dress along the same line, in a colorblock pattern. Here.” He showed her the next sketch, just a simple long-sleeved casual dress, with a grey and pink color pattern. “Same thing; the fabric is held up by just a few stitches. Just cut them or have it let out professionally, and there’s enough fabric to get to nine months.”
Verity looked down at the sketch, and was very impressed with what she saw. “This is really wonderful,” she said, giving a gentle nod. “I mean, it’s a fresh take on maternity wear. I’d love to wear your designs. There’s a picnic that I’m going to up in San Francisco with my father, and I’ll need to look cute and casual. That dress is absolutely perfect. Though, it’ll be a bit warm. Can you take the sleeves off?”
“I don’t see why not.” He’d have to take the neckline up a little, but it ought to be fine. “And I do have one more sketch.” He picked it up, showing her a pair of Bermuda shorts. “These are a little more mainstream, but the thing with these is something that you might find a little odd.” He chuckled. “All the pregnant ladies I’ve ever spoken to say that they often have to use the ladies’ room, especially in later months. So if you look here,” he pointed, “the inseam pieces are not sewn together; rather, velcroed.” It was slightly awkward, but he’d heard of very few complaints that seemed to rankle as heavily as this one. “So instead of pulling down trousers or shorts, all you need do is pull the side. No leaning over your belly.”
“Huh.” Verity leaned in a little and looked down at the sketch. “...wow, velcro? I suppose that might help... especially later on when things get huge and awkward.” She said, thinking on it. She hadn’t had that sort of problem yet, but she imagined it was coming. The poor girl was so tiny, and her belly was already so big. “I’d love to try them on.”
“It’s apparently for ladies who carry very low.” Jefferson felt his face growing hot, but he tried to be professional. “I figured it was something to look into, even if you weren’t interested.” He turned back to the other sketches. “But just to make certain we’re on the same page. The skirt is a go, and I can take the sleeves off the dress - just make it a sleeveless, with the wide straps at the top. What about the shirt, with the different fabric?”
"Apparently the baby will drop?" She didn't really know about these things. She nodded, though. "Yes, yes. For the shirt, something that will go with the skirt? And yes to the shorts, too. I imagine they'll be good at the end." She was even thinking about labor and delivery. Might be nice to have a pair then!
“I can definitely do that, and it shouldn’t take me more than five days or so with the dress.” Jefferson smiled. “At the risk of sounding like a complete sap, Miss Verity, I just want to help. Especially since you and Alice have gotten to be so close.” He liked this girl, and he liked that she liked the woman he loved.
Verity blushed. “I don’t think it’s sappy at all, Jefferson. Really. I’m honored that you and Alice both think so highly of me.” She wasn’t sure what she’d done to warrant such friendship, but she wasn’t going to second-guess it. She liked Jefferson. She loved Alice. She was going to name her daughter after Alice, that’s how much she loved her.
“Let’s get those measurements done so I can get out of your hair.” She added, pulling herself to her feet. “I know you’ve got a lot of things to do.”
“Yes, but honestly, doing what I’m used to doing is a nice break.” He chuckled. “And it’s not far to the pedestal, promise.” But her statement deserved an answer, and eventually he just said, “I can’t speak for Alice, but you’ve always been kind to me, you were good to my daughter, and any woman who’d put up with Oliver for as long as you have deserves a medal.” He genuinely liked Oliver Wood, but Jefferson could only describe the man’s relationships as problematic. And he wanted to make her smile a little.
"That's all right. I'm still fairly mobile." Thankfully. She was only half-way through. She had a long way to go before she became too big to move. Verity moved with him to the pedestal thing to stand on so he could take her measurements.
That brought a soft chuckle from her. "Thank you. I'm glad someone understands." She gave him a smile. It was soft, and slightly sad. "Not really sure what I'm going to do now that he's gone." He'd gone back to Scotland. Of course, he was going to help take care of her financially, but... his career was so important to him. She didn't want to keep him from that. Even if she could. And it wasn't surprising that he felt a detachment from the baby. Sometimes, she did, too. Hard to be so connected to something that happened so strangely.
“I know Alice has said he’ll still take care of you, but everyone needs friends.” Even if she hadn’t been pregnant. “And you really will have a full-time babysitter as soon as you feel you need one. Grace is excited about the baby - she’s asked Alice if she ever wants one.” He blushed in spite of himself; he’d be lying if he said it had never cross his own mind.
"Are you two planning on having more children?" Verity asked. She didn't know if that was prying too much into his life. She'd thought about Grace, too, for babysitting. A part of her knew she was going to need extra help, but she had no idea how much.
“I hadn’t thought much about it,” Jefferson replied, “but I confess I’ve been thinking about it more.” He smiled shyly. “Alice would be ... very good. She’s already just amazing with Grace.” And to have a child they’d created themselves ... the idea was very appealing, at least to him.
“Well, if you two decide... I’m sure you’ll have lots of hand-me-downs from me.” Verity gave a gentle shrug. Her mother was planning a baby shower, and she knew that Oliver’s mother would be sending her all kinds of things, too, for the baby. She wasn’t planning on having any more anytime soon (who would she have them with??) so the stuff would have to go somewhere.
“I should probably see what Alice has to say before I agree to anything.” Jefferson smiled a little. He was taking measurements as they talked. “But thank you, nonetheless.” He wrote down a few more numbers. “I think I’m all right for now, Miss Verity. May I call you if I need anything else?”
Verity gave a little chuckle. “Right right, forgive me. I’d hate to start planning out your family for you.” She was being playful, teasing. Lifting her arms when he needed her to, shifted her weight to give him room. “Of course. Please do. It’d be good to hear from you.” She gave him a smile and a nod, then climbed down off the pedestal. “And remind me to come in here and buy something for my dad. He’s taking me to that nice party, so I should get him something fun.”
“If you can get me measurements, I’ll whip up something custom.” Jefferson smiled, making sure he had everything written legibly and correctly. Nothing seemed to be out of place. “I’ll give you a call - this should be done in about a week. Maybe slightly longer for the dress, if there’s time? Just a couple days more.”
“Plenty of time. The party’s not until late July.” Verity said, giving him a nod and a smile. “I’ll phone and have my mother measure him. Or do you think it should be done by a professional? My dad’s coming down here to visit in a couple of weeks, maybe I’ll just drag him in here to meet you.” Her dad loved meeting her friends.
“Either should be fine; don’t worry. I’m going to upload a form for people to follow onto the store’s website, so they’ll be able to print it and follow the directions to get their measurements, if they’re exact.” Jefferson was nervous about the website - he should probably hire someone - but he could at least manage that. “If you don’t mind my asking, how are you getting home? Or back to work, as the case may be?”
“I was planning on driving.” Verity said, giving him a little smile. “I mean, I just parked out on the street. I was planning on driving over to work.” She was still driving. For now. Actually, after the terrible first trimester that she’d had, so far she’d been doing really well with the second. She was in good shape, even though she was a bit clumsy. Her equilibrium was off, and she’d fallen on her backside a few times in the last couple of weeks.
Jefferson figured if she’d driven here, she could drive back. “I’m not meaning to sound like your father or something, just wanted to check.” He smiled. “I’ll ring you up as soon as these pieces are done.”
Verity gave a little laugh. “You don’t sound like my father. Just protective, and I appreciate it.” She gave him a wink and picked up her purse to head out. “I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. You’re the best, Jefferson. And send my love to Grace and Alice, would you?”
“I’d be happy to.” Jefferson waved as she left, watching until she was out of view before turning back to the computer.