My stomach drops. “Of course that’s not what I meant,” I say quickly. “I only meant—it’s great to hear how experienced you are and how you’re able to handle anything. I feel like I can trust my designs to you.”

It’s only after the words are out of my mouth that I hear how I made it sound like she has something to prove to me, and not that I have something to sell to her.

Celeste waves my words away. “It was fine. They only had nine pieces in their collection—I’ve never seen someone try to launch a brand with so few items. Even if Christine had succeeded in cancelling it—I don’t think anyone was taking the line that seriously anyway, with it being so small.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. I have even fewer than nine pieces—I have six. Is that going to be a problem? I’m suddenly realizing that I have no idea what’s standard for an accessories brand launch. Six felt like a good number, especially for big statement pieces like my bags, but maybe I should have researched this more.

Celeste laces her fingers together. “So, what inspired you to get into fashion?” she asks.

“I’ve loved fashion since I was a little kid,” I say, delving into my story. My nerves begin to calm as I explain my journey into fashion. This is the one part of today’s presentation that I didn’t need any notecards for. “While I ended up pursuing a music career, I’m not just a singer and dancer. I’m a performer, and part of performance is what you wear. There is so much power in what clothes and accessories you choose.”

Celeste nods, then says, “Let’s see your line sheet and your samples.”

I bring over my handbag prototypes and walk her through the construction and my choice of colors, each bold and distinct yet complementary to each other. I’ve talked about these bags so many times, the words flow naturally.

“And with the detachable strap,” I say when I get to my trainee years–inspired bag, “you can fit in anywhere.”

Celeste pauses, running her hand over the bag’s leather strap. “This is lovely. Can I see the rest of the bags?”

“There are only six,” I say hesitantly.

A crease forms between her brows. “Ah, I see.”

Definitely should have researched more.

“I plan on having hundreds of new handbag designs for the next season,” I find myself saying even as I think, Hundreds?! What am I thinking? Hopefully Celeste will understand I’m speaking in hyperbole—unless one hundred bags really is par for the course? My head is swimming. Designing the bags was so much fun that I didn’t realize how out of my depth I am when it comes to the business of fashion.