“And you have retail experience, right?” Emma pressed, seeing Mateo’s attention now on them both.
Nadine nodded earnestly.
Mateo seemed to consider. “It’s just part-time. Mostly manning the phones and scheduling appointments, ringing people up. Iwould need help with inventory, too, putting in orders for supplies and merchandise. Is that something you could handle?”
Nadine snorted out a laugh. “That’s all I did at The Posh Pussy.”
Mateo blinked. “Pardon me?”
“The Posh Pussy,” Nadine repeated a bit slower, as if he hadn’t understood the first time. “It’s my mom and dad’s pet store. Well, technically the pet store is called Pittman Pets, but then my mom started making accessories for cats—little necklaces and hats, things like that—and those got so popular that they rented out the space next door and opened a shop that just sells her stuff exclusively. Mom even made me CPO.”
“CPO?” Mateo asked.
Nadine nodded. “Chief Pussy Officer.”
Emma tried not to cringe, but she couldn’t help it. She turned to Mateo, bracing herself for a similar reaction, but then she saw a smile on his face.
“Well now, that sounds perfect,” he said.
Nadine’s smile grew by a hundred watts.
By the time Emma and Nadine arrived back at the house a half hour later, it had been settled: Nadine was the new receptionist at Jolie Salon.
“It’s perfect,” Emma announced as she let them in the front door. “Mateo only needs you a few days a week, which gives you plenty of time to focus on school. And the days you do work, you can just come over here afterward.”
Nadine nodded, barely biting back her smile as she caught another glimpse of herself in the large mirror in the foyer.
“Okay, next on the agenda,” Emma said, dropping her keys and Balenciaga shoulder bag on the entry table. “Clothes.”
Nadine laughed. “Oh, I have plenty of clothes. Nana took me on a shopping spree at the mall before I left Akron. She was so excited about it, too, even got me a power suit. She always says a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
Emma paused at the foot of the stairs. “That’s Coco Chanel, right?”
Nadine’s brow creased as she looked down at her oversized teal sweater. “No. I think we got this at the Gap.”
For a moment Emma considered correcting her, but then thought better of it and started up to her room. Nadine followed close behind.
The evening light was dim, so Emma turned on all the lights in her room and sat Nadine on her bed before disappearing into her walk-in closet. She used to share the immense space with Margo—their rooms were adjoining—but now that her sister had moved out, the space was all hers. Emma had been sure she would never be able to fill it with all of her own things, but that had only taken a few months. Dresses and sweaters and skirts and shoes were crammed into every available space, a kaleidoscope of couture that looked moments away from bursting free. Fran had been begging her to cull the chaos, so what better way than to give some pieces to her friend?
“Emma, seriously, I don’t need any clothes!” Nadine laughed as Emma pulled a few of last season’s dresses from their hangers.
“Are you sure?” Emma asked, holding an emerald-green Reformation slip dress up to Nadine’s frame. “Because this would look incredible on you.”
“I’m sure. Most of the stuff Nana bought me still has the tags on it. I’m set.” Then her friend’s gaze wandered to the nearby rack of shoes. “Although those white boots are insane.”
Emma turned to see, even though she already knew exactly thepair Nadine was talking about. The white leather Loewe ankle boots were fabulous. She reached up and grabbed them from their perch.
“Then you should wear them on your first day. They’d look amazing with your distressed jeans and that pale blue sweater. The one that made your eyes look so gorgeous? Perfect to make a good impression.”
Nadine eyed the shoes in Emma’s hands, her face conflicted. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Emma nodded to cement her resolve. “Now, what about these Bottega Veneta heels? My friend Lulu bought them for me in Milan. They dig into the ankle a little bit, but they would look so great with that black sweater dress you wore to class last week.”
A half hour later, Nadine emerged from Emma’s room with a Bergdorf’s bag containing two pairs of pumps and three pairs of ankle boots, and a pair of Chloé sneakers on her feet.
“I know they’re a bit small, but you’ll get used to them, I swear,” Emma assured her as Nadine winced her way down the stairs.
When they arrived in the kitchen they found Knightley already there, standing at the island. He was still in his suit from work, though his tie had been loosened around his neck. His attention was on his phone as he picked at a plate of leftover steamed vegetables.
