She just staged a paparazzi photo of her latest client at a homeless shelter to increase their chances for an Oscar win. Every detail of her strategy is the only thing keeping me entertained in this uncomfortable chair. Especially when the commentary is about how the client detests old, homeless people.
Thirty minutes later, Bradley returns, giving me a somber expression when I look up.
“Are we good?” I wince.
“I found a ready-to-wear suit that I restitched to look custom on the sleeves.”
“Bless you!”
“I am marking this up to be double,” he says, presenting the garment bag before me.
“That’s fine. Use the card on file.”
His smug grin on full display. “Already did.” I grab the bag from his hands and throw it over my shoulder. My smile hangs proudly as the door chimes when I exit the building.
A simple Slack notification resurfaces me to reality. It’s from Lena. It contains no words, just a devil emoji. We all know what that means—Chris is in a mood.
All the way up on the fourth floor, I arrive to see everyone in a panic. A commotion of some sort that has everyone running to do something important. Chris is in his office, feet up on the table, on yet another call.
I tiptoe into his office and drop the suit off on his office couch.
“Hold on. I am gonna call you back…” He hangs up and my body freezes.
“Is this the suit from AJ Customs?”
I nod.
“Is it a cashmere blend with the sleeves cut to show a quarter inch of cuff?” I raise my eyebrow and my eyes go wide. I didn’t check the bag. Why didn’t I check the bag?
I nod again.
“This should work,” he says, pulling the jacket over his powder-blue dress shirt. In the full-length mirror, he adjusts the cuffsof each sleeve, running his hands through his hair a few times before he reaches for the gel on his shelf.
A few other people have entered the room, unannounced.
Raquel from the third floor, who is in finance, is lumped into the herd that now crowds this room. In a black pencil skirt and white silk blouse, she pushes through the crowd.
“We need to talk.” Her words are firm and to the point as she clutches her iPad tightly in her hands. Chris nods, acknowledging her as he gestures for the rest of the room to exit.
“Close the door on the way out,” he says, but his eyes are only focused on me. Signaling that my time in his office has run out. The suit was delivered. He’s now occupied with whatever this was for.
My smile is still slightly there, hanging with the micro satisfaction that today felt like a win. I got the suit.
When I get back to my desk, I resume the rest of my day. Returning to the notifications on my desktop.
Lena:Who even needs a water sommelier?
Charlotte:Who asked that?
Lena:One of Jason’s clients…
Everyone was so stuck up about their water preferences in this town.
Lena:I even know the PH difference between tap, Aquafina and Dasani…
My fingers reach for my keyboard, ready to respond, but a dark shadow blocks my view.
“Charlotte, grab your notepad.”
