Love on the Scale

Chapter Twenty-Five

The first model that came in complaining of being stabbed with pins, I apologized as much as I could and took them out. The second, repeated the first action. When more and more models came into the Wardrobe, so many that Maggie had to help me take pins of of jeans, jackets, shirts, and scarves, as well as bandage the wounds, I knew something was very, very wrong.

Lilian marched in while I was bandaging the back of an older model.

"Miss Cyrus, what are you doing? Why are the clothes filled with pins?"

"Ma'am I promise you I have never left a single pin in any clothing. I don't know what's-"

She whirled on Maggie. "Are you doing this?"

Maggie didn't look up for the longest time, but when she did her eyes were full of fire. She stood from her place at the table, dropping the buttons she was arranging all over the floor. "I have worked here for decades, Lilian! You think one day I'd just decide to stick pins in everything?"

"I don't know half of what's going through your mind every day, Maggie. If it's not you, then it must be Christelle."

But I knew I hadn't used any pins any time prior, and I told the seething photographer. She pointed a finger at me. "Are you saying the pins magically appeared inside every article of clothing in this wardrobe?"

"No ma'am-"

"Then you'd better get me some answers, Miss Cyrus. If one more model leaves this room with pins in their clothing, it's going to be your job."

With that, she stalked from the room, leaving me to pluck pins from the clothes with as much haste as possible, filled with anger. How dare she accuse me of something I didn't do! If I could have told her off I-

"Hey..."

I looked up, and back down to the jacket I worked on de-pinning, and then back up again. James stood shirtless, holding out a coat with a smirk.

"Pins?" I asked. He nodded, and I snatched it from him.

"Hey now, watch it. I could report you, you know."

"Shut up. How bad is everyone talking about me out there?"

He pulled up a chair. "Not at all, actually. Despite what you think, everyone has a soft spot for you. I've heard many refer to you as 'the cutest thing'. They're just scared to put on any more clothes."

I paused. "Cute? I don't even talk to half of them."

He shrugs. "Doesn't matter. They see you. Especially now, with your new clothes. Neil has had to warn more than a few guys to back off. He enjoys it though, you can tell."

I handed him the coat, and went went to observe another rack of clothing for pins. They were everywhere. "Bring me the pin bucket please. Has Neil gotten stuck yet?"

He passed it to me, and shrugged into the coat. "Yeah, got a nasty scratch on his shoulder. But that's it. Everyone is being careful now."

"I have no idea how this happened. It doesn't make any sense."

He lowered his voice, leaned closer, glancing back over his shoulder. "Do you think Maggie..."

"No. She wouldn't do this."

"Maybe not on purpose, but Chris she's getting up there. She may not remember."

I hated to think about Maggie like that. She wasn't crazy. A few screws could be loose, at times, but she was in her right mind. "No, don't believe that. Hopefully it doesn't happen again."

"If so, we need to report her."

Sighing, I shrugged, and waved him away so I could finish.

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