Sewing in Circles (10 page)

“Yeah,” Zoey replied. “But they're copies, basically. I'm going in circles trying to decide if I'm okay with selling them. Anyway, the real problem is that when I told Ezra all this, he suggested I sell his paintings in the booth as gifts, instead. And I'm not sure if I want to. But I don't want to hurt his feelings, either.”

“
Awkward.
Trouble in paradise already,” Marcus joked. Then, seeing that Zoey really wasn't in the mood for humor, he asked, “So what are the pros and cons?”

Zoey filled him in on the good and bad points of letting Ezra display his work.

Marcus drummed on the table with his fingers. It was a family joke that he always seemed to think better when he was drumming.

“Zo, I think you should stay true to yourself and say no. Maybe offer to call and see if he can get his own booth or something,” Marcus suggested. “If he likes you enough, he'll understand.”

“That's a great idea!” Zoey said, feeling like a
weight had lifted from her. “Thanks, Marcus!”

“Well, now that I've solved that problem . . . How are things going with you and Allie?” Marcus asked. “Last time she was here, things seemed tense.”

“Oh, that,” Zoey said. She hadn't wanted to mention Allie to her brother, but she was still worried. “Well, we're both selling accessories, so we made a No Weirdness Pact.”

“Uh . . . what's that?”

“Basically, we agreed to have fun and not make the gift fair sales a competition,” Zoey explained.

“That sounds like a good plan,” Marcus said.

“If we can keep to it,” Zoey said. “The thing is, Allie and I were never supercompetitive before, but things feel different ever since you guys broke up, even though we're trying to get things back to normal.”

“I'm sorry that what happened with Allie and me seems to have messed up your friendship,” Marcus said.

“I don't know if our friendship will ever be the same, but I'm willing to try—and so is Allie.”

“Well, I hope it works,” Marcus said. “I really do.”

“You know what? Talking to you has helped me make up my mind,” Zoey told her brother. “I'm going to go ahead and make more bracelets to sell. And I'm going to tell Ezra no.”

She wasn't looking forward to that last thing at all. Not at all.

From Copied to Copycat

I'm busy making bracelets for the gift fair, where I'm going to have a stall for the first time. If you're one of my friends, teachers, or parents reading this, please come by and check out the clothes and gifts—perfect for all your present-giving needs! These bracelets aren't
exactly like the ones you can buy for a lot more in the boutiques. But people at school—well, at least most of the people at school—seem to like them, anyway.

I know there's debate in the fashion world about producing knockoffs of other designs, but like my mentor told me, “Imitation is a form of flattery.” I've been “flattered,” and now I'm hoping I'll be flattering other designers. As long as I'm putting my own special twist on the design, I think it's okay. . . . Do you? I sometimes wish there was a rule book with all the fashion laws written out, like the rules of the road.

“I can't wait to see the maternity dress you've made for me,” Aunt Lulu said when Zoey, Marcus, and Dad arrived for dinner on Friday evening.

Her aunt's baby bump had really expanded since Zoey had last seen her, and Aunt Lulu had also developed a bit of a waddle.

“I hope it fits,” Zoey said. “I mean, I made it with plenty of extra room for the baby . . . at least I think I did . . . but I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to making maternity clothes!”

“Thanks, honey,” Aunt Lulu said. “I take it you noticed my new duck walk.”

“My adorable duckling,” Uncle John said.

Aunt Lulu swatted him, but she was smiling.

“Stop! You're driving me quackers!” she said.

“You guys are quacking me up,” Marcus said.

“I love this family,” Uncle John said. “I hope the baby inherits its quacky sense of humor.”

Aunt Lulu groaned.

“Let's see this dress, Zo,” she begged. “I want to try it on
before
I eat and feel any bigger than I do now!”

They all trooped into the living room—with Aunt Lulu waddling a few steps behind—and Zoey pulled the dress out of the fancy shopping bag she'd carried it in, neatly folded and wrapped in tissue, so it didn't wrinkle.

“I love it!” Aunt Lulu exclaimed. “It's totally adorable! Come upstairs so I can try it on. I'll give you a sneak peek of your cousin-to-be's room while we're up there.”

Zoey helped zip Aunt Lulu into the dress. It fit . . . but snugly.

“I thought I'd left
so much
extra room,” Zoey said in despair. “But there's none at all!”

“You didn't count on your cousin here being a super-duper fast grower!” Aunt Lulu said, rubbing her belly lovingly.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at Zoey.

“Still, it fits me
now
, and that's what counts. I can't grow that much between tonight and Sunday, so it'll be fine!”

Zoey helped unzip the dress, and after her aunt had changed back into her previous outfit, Aunt Lulu took her to see the nursery. It was painted a peaceful, pale shade of butter yellow. There was a gray glider and matching ottoman, and a white crib with yellow and gray bedding. Over the crib hung letters of the alphabet painted the same yellow as the walls, and over the changing table, Zoey spotted adorable photos of her aunt and uncle when they were babies. Then she saw a white tree-shaped bookshelf stocked with
Goodnight Moon
;
Pat the Bunny
;
Good Night, Gorilla
;
Mr. Brown Can Moo
!
Can You?
; and other books.

“I love these books!” Zoey said.

“I know! I remember reading them to you when you were little. Call me crazy, but I've been reading to my little niblet already,” Aunt Lulu said, patting her belly. “It seems to stop the nighttime gymnastics that keep me awake at two in the morning.”

“Do you think Niblet understands?” Zoey asked, curious.

“I wouldn't go that far,” Aunt Lulu said. “But I like to think the baby can hear my voice and is calmed by it.”

She winced and rubbed her side. “Speaking of the baby, I just got a foot in the rib cage. Do you want to feel your cousin moving?”

“Sure,” Zoey said, although to tell the truth, she was a little freaked out by the idea.

Aunt Lulu took Zoey's hand and placed it on her round belly.

“Hold on a sec. It won't be long. . . . There!”

Sure enough, Zoey felt a movement under her hand, where Aunt Lulu's belly suddenly got very hard and firm and then softened again.

“What was that?” Zoey asked.

“Not sure if it was an elbow or a foot,” Aunt Lulu said. “All I know is that there are certain times during the day that I get a constant rat-a-tat-tat going in there. Marcus might have a little drummer on his hands. I'm not sure I can handle that! Maybe the calm of the baby's room will help keep things mellow.”

“I love it,” Zoey said. “It's perfect. Niblet's lucky to have an interior designer for a mom.”

“And to have a cousin like you,” Aunt Lulu said, putting her arm around Zoey and hugging her. “You know, Zo, even though I'm having this baby, I'll always think of you as my first daughter—since your mom died—and I will always be there for you. The baby won't change that.”

Before she even knew what hit her, Zoey's eyes welled with tears, and a lump formed in her throat. She turned and threw her arms around Aunt Lulu and hugged her. Well, as much as she could around the bump of her cousin-to-be, which was an ever-present reminder between them.

“Hey, I didn't mean to upset you,” Aunt Lulu said, stroking her hair.

“You d-didn't.” Zoey sniffed. “You made me h-happy.”

Aunt Lulu smiled. “John's right. We are a strange family. We cry when we're happy!”

Zoey laughed through her tears. “I guess I didn't know I was worried about it until you said that,” she explained. “But now I feel so much better.”

“Good,” Aunt Lulu said. “Now let's go have some dinner. I'm eating for two, and I'm ravenous!”

Zoey and Ezra met at the library on Saturday morning to see one of the free movies they were showing in the auditorium.

“Hey, did you get a chance to ask the gift fair organizers about including my paintings?” Ezra asked before the movie started.

“Yeah . . . about that,” Zoey said. “I thought about it, and I just felt like it would be unprofessional of me to ask them when I didn't include your paintings in my original submission. The other thing is . . . Well, even though I really love your art, it doesn't really match my Sew Zoey clothes and accessories, if you know what I mean.”

She glanced at Ezra anxiously to see his reaction.

“Are you upset?”

“No, I understand,” he said. “Maybe a little disappointed. I was looking forward to hanging out.”

“Well, we can still hang out. And how about I call the organizers and see if there are any small booths left so that you could have one of your own?” Zoey offered. “That way you could display your stuff, and we'd still get to hang out a little bit.”

“You'd be okay with doing that?”

“Sure. I'll do it when I get home.”

Ezra smiled. “Thanks, Zoey. You're the best!”

Zoey smiled back as the lights dimmed. Now that she knew Ezra wasn't upset with her, she could actually relax and enjoy the movie!

When she got home later that afternoon, she called Mrs. Perry, the gift fair organizer, to ask about the availability of a small booth for Ezra.

“I'm afraid there aren't any booths left,” Mrs. Perry said. “You got the very last one.”

“Oh,” Zoey said, crestfallen. “That's too bad. My friend was really looking forward to it.”