Laura flips through our designs while we wait for Stefan. “I like these,” she finally says, “but Stefan’s opinion is what matters.”

“Sure,” I say, as if her words don’t make me nervous at all.

“I really do think he’ll like them,” says Laura.

“What will I like?” Stefan asks, poking his head in the doorway.

Laura jumps up from her chair, banging her knee in the process. “Good to see you,” she says. “Chloe and I worked on some sketches today, and I was just telling her I think they’re right up your alley.”

Stefan steps closer. “Well, let’s take a peek,” he says. He hums as he looks through our sketches but doesn’t say anything.

I try to catch Laura’s eye, but she’s too busy watching Stefan. He looks at each design three times and makes notes on the white space next to each drawing.

“I’m impressed, Laura,” Stefan finally says. “I like the green accents here and the metallic touches. And the turquoise is lovely.”

Laura smiles at me. “That one is Chloe’s.”

Stefan raises his eyebrows. “Good work, Chloe. I’ll be honest, when we agreed to do Design Diva, I didn’t know who we’d be getting. But you’ve really surprised me — in a good way.”

“Thank you,” I say gratefully. “It’s been such a pleasure working here.”

Stefan chuckles. “Well, don’t say that just yet. There’s more in store for you.”

I try to laugh too, but my throat is dry.

“Let’s discuss some of these designs,” Stefan says. “I like that you understand the concept of art deco. And I know what you’ve been working on with Taylor, so it’s great to see the range.”

I’m floating on air, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I can sense a “but” coming.

“However,” he continues, “Laura will work with you to refine your drawings. I definitely see where you’re going with these, though, and I like the direction. Laura’s leaf design is a favorite, and I’d like to see prototypes in turquoise and pale rose. Also, I’d like to see it as a shift. Make sense?”

“I think so,” I say, glancing over at Laura. She nods.

“Good. I want to see prototypes of the other designs too,” Stefan says. “Play with the sleeves — sleeveless, thin straps, cap sleeves. Give me options. I think they will fit in nicely with my vision for the knits I want to showcase.”

“Wow, thanks so much, Mr. Meyers,” I gush. I hold out my hand to shake his, feeling a little silly, but I’m not sure what else to do. Stefan Meyers himself just told me he likes my designs! Sure, he wanted changes and told me I can refine my work, but for once I’m not focusing on the negative.

Stefan rubs his chin. “You’re doing so well here, it’s a shame to move you.”

“So don’t,” Laura chimes in quickly. “Seriously, I need her.”

“Well…” Stefan says slowly. “The majority of Taylor’s designs are set, and she’ll be spending the next two weeks working with Liesel McKay. And I can see that the knits need more attention, and Laura can benefit from your assistance.” He clasps his hands together. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll keep you with Laura on the same days, Thursday and Friday. And you’ll be with Michael in PR on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I think that’s fair.”

I relax. I’ll be learning something completely new, but at least I’m only shuffling between two departments, not three.

“Perfect,” Laura says with a smile. It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking, and I wonder whether or not she really believes that. “Good by you, Chloe?”

It’s nice that she’s asking, but we all know it has to be good by me. “Definitely, but, um, I’m not quite sure what PR does.”

“You’ll learn,” Stefan says. “All the interns love it. It’s glam with a capital G. PR is the brains behind making the Stefan Meyers label look good. You’ll work with media contacts to get the word out about our spring line and what’s ahead. You’ll meet with reporters, you’ll learn how to write pitches. Do some treks to Vogue. You may even chat up a few celebs. It will be unlike anything you’ve ever done!”

Stefan sounds so enthusiastic, I can’t help but get excited too. Celebs? Alex would die! Media? Talking to the press? And Vogue? The thought of walking those floors is indescribable. “That sounds amazing,” I say.

“It will be,” Stefan agrees, “but it’s going to be a lot of hard work too. I’m smart to only talk up the glam.” He laughs.

“Speaking of hard work…” says Laura.

Stefan looks at his watch. “Understood. I’ll be in touch. Best of luck, Chloe.”

When Stefan leaves, Laura dives right into explaining how to fix the designs. “I know sometimes you only hear the negatives,” she says. “So I want to stress how impressed both Stefan and I are with your drawings. That said, let’s discuss how we can make them better.”

I pull my chair closer to listen.

“First,” says Laura, “you want to exaggerate your figures further. Elongate the neck for a more elegant look.” She does a sketch beside mine, showing me how to exaggerate the figures.

“Another thing you should try,” she continues, “is a black pencil to really define the drawing. Grays are nice, but blacks make for crisper lines.” On her sketch, she outlines it in black, and I see the difference immediately.

I’ve been making fashion illustrations for years, but I’m excited by her suggestions on how to make them cleaner and better. “I’ve seen some people sketch on laptops too,” I say.

Laura nods. “I prefer paper, but laptops can be really useful. Check this out.” She takes my notebook to a scanner and copies the image. Then, she shows me a file on the laptop and opens it in Photoshop. It’s my drawing!

“Cool!” I say.

“The computer makes it easy to erase any imperfections and clean it up. See these stray lines and smudges?” Laura says, pointing to a few spots where I erased.

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Now watch,” Laura says. In seconds, just by touching a few keys, the marks are gone.

“That’s awesome!” I say. “Now my designs can look even more professional.”

“I’d like you to use some of these ideas, and work on a sketch of the shift dress Stefan mentioned,” says Laura.

I start drawing and think about what Stefan said about PR. How will I explain each design to the press? Will I get to meet Anna Wintour? I use a black pencil to give my drawing more definition, but my mind starts to wander. It’s hard to stay focused when all I see are the pages of Vogue magazine — filled with my designs.