Marley was super nervous, so she took extra time to shower and dress carefully in her most comfortable semiprofessional outfit for the meeting. She chose a pair of loose black trousers that were perfectly on trend yet still felt like a pair of sweatpants, along with a crisp white T-shirt and a bulky cardigan over it. When buttoned up, the sweater camouflaged her swollen and stiff chest.
She took an Uber to the cafe. Erin was already there, sitting at a small table near the back, when she got in.
“Hi, Erin. You look fabulous,” Marley said. And she did—in the standard unofficial Reid’s uniform of black andwhite. She had on shiny black leggings and a black turtleneck with a white oversized blazer over it.
“Likewise. Here, sit.” Erin pointed to the seat across from her—an ornate high-backed padded armchair in a rich teal velvet. Marley wondered if Erin had picked this cafe—and this table—for Marley’s comfort. Doubtful.
A server came by then, and Marley ordered an orange cardamom oolong tea and pear scone.
Erin got straight to the point. “There was a bit of drama in the store on Friday about you.”
Marley’s shoulders fell. So theyhadheard from the studio.Dramasounded ominous. She lifted her brows questioningly, hoping her nerves weren’t showing.
“Jacqueline heard from Lydia at that movie studio. They’ve cancelled the contract with Reid’s. Were you aware they were unhappy? I know you and Nik Sharma were friends… Did you have a falling-out?”
Marley exhaled. No, they’d had about the furthest thing from a falling-out. They’d had afalling in. “Um… no. Nik and I are fine. They fired his whole team. Not just me.”
Erin nodded. “Hollywood is so fickle. Well, they did warn us that he was a spoiled diva. May I ask what happened?”
“He didn’t have an issue with me or the store specifically. His agent insisted he didn’t need people hired by the studio, and he could hire his own team.” Of course, Marley wasn’t going to tell anyone the truth—that the studio was treating him like crap. And of course, she wasn’t going to say that she and Nikhil were together now. Sort of.
“That aligns with what they told Jacqueline, that they had no complaints at all about Reid’s, but the studio was going ina different direction with the talent. Doesn’t help you much. Jacqueline wasn’t pleased.”
Marley cringed. “Yes. I expected to hear from her.”
“I convinced her to let me get your side of the story first.” Erin took a sip of her latte, then smiled. “Look, Marley, I’ll be real with you. I need help in the personal shopping suite. I can barely keep up with my regular clients, and we have no opportunity to grow the business this way. I’ve been wantingyouto join me in personal shopping for a while.”
What? “Really?”
“You’re the best consultant in the store. But Jacqueline has been resistant to promote you.”
Marley frowned. She wished she understood why Jacqueline didn’t like her.
“She’s concerned you don’t have thepersonalityfor personal shopping,” Erin continued. “You have a different selling style than I do—you’re more detached with your clients. But you still sell, so your style clearly works. Jacqueline wants someone who fits in more with the clientele… who can be one of them. You aren’t that.”
No, because Marley didn’t grow up in Forest Hill, her father didn’t have a country club membership, and she went to a public school. And she was Brown.
“This studio contract was a huge break for you,” Erin added. “I couldn’t have planned the timing better myself. A client Jacqueline would literally kill for, and heaskedfor you. Only you. Jacqueline and I made a deal—if it went well, then in June, she would move you to personal shopping full-time.”
Marley exhaled. That was only two months away.
“But now…” Erin said.
“I’ve lost that opportunity.”
Erin shook her head. “No. Not necessarily. Here.” She pulled out her phone and opened a picture. It was of Marley and Nikhil at the press junket in Toronto. Marley remembered this moment—he’d been between interviews and was feeling the pressure after Lydia told him off for something. Marley was straightening his collar in the picture, but she was also telling him that he was doing fine. That he was nailing these interviews, and everyone was going to love him. The intimacy between them was clear as day in the picture, and this was taken even before anything had happened between them.
“I’m gathering you two are pretty close.”
Did Erin know that she and Nikhil were more than friends? That was a problem. It was wildly inappropriate to hop into bed with a client, or hell, a former client. “Yeah, we were good friends in high school, and we’re friends again.”
Erin raised one brow. “We’d hoped that the studio would bring more clients our way than the one actor. They made promises of connecting us with the costume department. And now we’ve lost that opportunity. But… I wonder. He’s also close to Serena Vox, right? We can’t discount the possible benefit this could still have.”
She was having trouble following Erin. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’ve convinced Jacqueline to hire you as a personal shopper. Now. I want you in the shopping suite when you come back from your leave, while yourclose personal friendis filming here in the city. Maybe you can even get an invite on the set. Maybe gossip columnists will mention you.”
Marley blinked. She had the job…now?
