Long live the Queen.
I chuckle to myself, knowing he’ll get the Mariah reference, before realizing it’s the first time I’ve been able to smile, let alone laugh, in the past twenty-four hours.
“Who’s turned that frown upside down?” Julie’s eyes lift up to sneak a look at my phone.
“Just a joke,” I say, returning my phone to my pocket.
“Well, whatever the joke is, it’s good to see a smile back on your face. I was beginning to worry that if the Santa Ana winds came back, your face would end up stuck like that forever.”
Julie laughs at her own joke, which forces me to laugh again at her witch’s cackle. She gets up and empties the crusts of her sandwich into the bin.
“Ooh, that’s two laughs.” Her brows rise when I try and fight back my laughter.
I shake my head and head to the dishwasher to load my bowl and cutlery.
“Has Pietro given you any indication on who he’s decided to hire to replace Tony?”
The workload has continued to be hellish, despite Olly coming on board. I’m glad Tony’s gone; his smugness and righteous energy are all but a distant memory. But it’s been draining having to train Olly up, oversee all of Tony’s portfolio as well as my own, and navigate everything in my personal life.
“I think he’s leaning toward Marco over Terri-Anne.” Julie is already heading out of the kitchen and back to her desk. “Well he better be! I need some more eye candy round here.”
I can’t blame her. Marco is breathtaking. My heart momentarily stopped when I picked him up from reception last week to interview him in person. He looked like he’d just stepped off the New York fashion week runway and straight into our office. His dark wavy locks fell perfectly behind his ears. And he had green eyes, with hazel-freckled dots in them, that you could get lost forever in and a jawline that could cut through glass.
Everyone in the building stopped what they were doing to look at him as we walked through to the boardroom. I’ve never seen anyone command that much attention. Not even Alexander.
I ended up being more nervous than Marco during the interview. His charm as he answered each question was even more attractive than his appearance. The way he made me feel like I was the only person in the room, which to be fair I was, is a rare quality to be found in the agency world. It’s one that no doubt will see him go far.
Some people really do get all the luck.
“Here’s hoping,” I say.
Pietro sticks his head out of the boardroom. “Chris, what time are you heading to the party tonight?”
Oh God, the party.
“Erm. I’ll probably get there around eight thirty, nine?”
“Cool. Julie, can you book me a car from my house to theparty on Melrose for seven forty-five please?” Julie nods in response.
The last thing I want to do right now is head to a party that Paul is throwing in honor of Alexander. Inviting Pietro and I feels like a token gesture, given everyone else who will be attending will be from Alexander’s label, touring team, or management.
Alexander had said he wasn’t up for going either, that he’d rather stay at home, but I know it’s important for him to be there, irrespective of what’s going on with him and Paul. This is about showing up for everyone else who’s worked so hard to help him achieve his goals this year.
Julie heads over to my desk and plonks herself down on top of it.
“Do you think you could sneak me into Alexander Morgan’s party?” Her puppy dog eyes stare down at me. “I never get invited to any good parties, and our Christmas one sucks.”
She ain’t wrong there.
“I’m sure we can find a way to get you in.” The corner of my mouth lifts.
Actually, having Julie there might make the night a bit more bearable.
“Thank you,” I say, grabbing an oyster off the tray held by a waiter at the entrance as Julie and I enter Craig’s.
The room is already buzzing with people occupying the black leather booths. A mini-DJ booth setup in the corner blasts an indecipherable EDM track that wouldn’t be out of place at the Abbey, just up the road.
“Who’s Lucy Bowery?” Julie says, leaning on the back of one of the booths to adjust her heel strap. Her shimmery silver cocktail dress is seemingly in vogue. I look around to see half thewomen at the party dressed similarly. It’s like we’ve stepped onto the set ofThe Great Gatsby.
