“No, I haven’t gone yet.”
“Why not? They’ve been calling asking for you for days. If you can’t do the simple task of seeing the artists you’re assigned to, then you might as well pack up your desk and leave. I’m almost at my wit’s end with your laziness.”
“Do you think that’s the way to talk to me in front of someone?” Amy smirked at the woman, and Gypsy could only stare in open-mouthed shock at the brazen younger woman. It might just be her, but the total lack of respect for one’s boss set Gypsy’s teeth on edge. It took everything she had not to swipe that smirk off Amy’s face, and she wasn’t usually a violent person.
“Since I’m the owner and CEO of this business and your boss, if this young lady is an artist coming to usfor representation, then yes, she’ll need to know that she won’t be working with you.”
“If you’d give me the Willow account then I’d do my job better,” Amy snarled.
“I told you Willow is mine and only mine. She was my first client, and we have an ironclad agreement with me in charge of her account. Besides, you get paid a commission off each sale from your artists. If you’d do your job, then maybe you’d get bigger commissions. I, on the other hand, only get a monthly salary from Willow. And for the hundredth time, you have nothing to do with Willow.”
“I keep telling you, if it weren’t for us, she wouldn’t be as big as she is. If you’re not going to share her, then you should let her loose. We’re the ones that put her on the map, and I want a part of it.”
“You’re fired. Clean out your desk. I’ll go write your last paycheck.” The woman turned on her heel and quickly left the front office. By the time she came back two men had come in and stood off to the side. Gypsy noticed that Amy had never moved. The woman came back out and handed her an envelope, then turned to the two men. “Amy Brown has just been fired. Please, escort her to her office and make sure she only takes her personal items off the top of her desk. No files are to leave her office unless I look at them. Then she is never allowed back into this building.”
“Yes, Ms. Bowers,” one of the gentlemen said, then walked over and helped the stunned Amy to her feet and down the hallway. It was a few minutes later when they heard her screaming obscenities to the men.
“Let me guess, Gypsy? I’m Trish Bowers.”
“Yes, I’m Gypsy. Not to tell you how to do your job, but was she always like that?”
“Yes, unfortunately. Now you’ve seen what I put up with when I tell Willow the problems I have with Amy. It’s almost like she has a personal vendetta against Willow. I can’t get to the bottom of why she has to have access to her. In the last month, it seems the more successful Willow’s sales have been, the more Amy pushed to get all the information she could about her.” She held up her hand and watched as Amy was escorted back to the front and one of the men held out the box for Trish to inspect. Once that was done, the other held out Amy’s purse and Trish went through it and pulled out a folder and kept it. Next, she accessed Amy’s phone and deleted several entries and phone numbers.
“You can’t do that. That’s my personal property.”
“I can because this is Bower Agency information and you have a signed contract that allows me to do this upon your termination. If you don’t believe me, then hire a lawyer at your own expense and fight me on this,” Trish said coldly, then went through Amy’s wallet and pulled all the business cards of the artists that Amy had represented. Once that was done, and she was satisfied, Amy was escorted out of the building. When she was gone, Trish asked Gypsy to follow her to her office, and she told Gypsy to help herself to the coffee while she made several phone calls. Gypsy heard her calling the artists and telling them that Amy no longer worked for the company and not to listen to her if she tried to contact them. She also stated that either her or someone else would be in contact withthem as a new representative. When she was done, she sat back and sighed.
“I’m so sorry you had to witness that. But in a way, I’m glad you did so that you can tell Willow I’m not completely crazy and to be wary.”
“She had mentioned something about you having problems with one of your employees regarding her. If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I never would have believed it.”
“Good, now what can I do for you? I’ve read the e-mails from Willow explaining about you, now I’d like you to tell me.”
“First, I’m not here to step on your toes. I’ve read the e-mail Willow sent you. As you know, I’m organizing Willow at her end, before and after she makes her designs. I’d like to see what you do with them once you receive them. I am a visual person, and I know what she does, I’d like to visit the gallery that has them on display. If you need any help from me, I’m here to offer that. Because of being a visual person, I feel that once I see what you do, I’ll be better at organizing Willow on the beginning end.”
“Really? Because the gallery owner has a friend that wants to display Willow’s designs. This new gallery wants all my artists to submit their work. The whole exhibition will be by artists represented by The Bowers Agency. I only received the information this morning, and I’m meeting with the current gallery owner and her friend for lunch. Why don’t you come with me and we can discuss everything? I’ll tell you one thing, this new gallery owner will only use my artists if Willow can personally attend.”
“Wow, so how much product would Willow have to make in advance? When is it? Where is it?” Gypsy dug out her iPad and started taking notes. She looked up when Trish laughed.
“I know nothing. Here.” She turned her computer and had Gypsy read the e-mail. “That’s all I know, I swear to you. I only got the e-mail fifteen minutes before you arrived then I had that bullshit with Amy.”
“Wow, so I can come up with questions and have them answered, and when I get home, I can tell Willow everything.”
“Exactly. Now let’s head over to the gallery. I was supposed to meet Susan at the gallery in an hour, but I’m sure we can head out early.” They gathered their things and headed out. They ended up going in Trish’s SUV. “What can you tell me about Willow?”
Gypsy hid her smile at Trish’s fishing question. “What do you think of her?”
“Haha, I saw what you did there. Well, as you probably know we’ve only communicated over the phone or e-mail. Based on writing and speaking, when I make contact, I picture a woman between the ages of forty-five to fifty-five. Someone who always wears those long bohemian skirts, long gray hair pulled back in a braid. Wearing flowing tops and an apron over them that has clay splattered over it.” She giggled as she glanced over at Gypsy. “When she’s not at her potter’s wheel, I picture her arms loaded with crystal bracelets, and this is just my own secret fantasy, but she has a room with witchy things. Oh, and I can picture her home in the middle of the woods with trees all around, and her entire house is full of plants. Plus, there are several cats roaming around.”
Gypsy couldn’t help it, she snorted. “Sorry, what would you do if I told you that everything you described was absolutely wrong?”
“I’d say you were wrong. And I base my description on voice. Don’t tell me I’m wrong, I don’t want to ruin the image I have. This is my secret fantasy of what Willow is like.” She grinned as she tapped the side of her head. “My image fits with her work. Sort of like a throwback from the sixties and the hippie age.”
Gypsy snorted a laugh, then continued to laugh until she had tears. “Okay, but I have to tell you, that’s where my name came from. My grandparents raised me, and they were a few of the original hippies. My parents named me Janice, but they were killed in a car crash when I was six months old. My grandparents even went to court to change my name. But if that’s your image of Willow, then I won’t burst your bubble. Maybe soon you’ll get to meet her face to face. How long have you been working with her?”
“Three years. Magnolia set it all up. Have you ever met Magnolia? I think that’s why I picture Willow the way I do. Because that’s what Magnolia looked like, and she seemed like the woman that would hire someone that was her soul sister.”
“I have, I miss her though.”
