I’m sorry.”
“And ‘sorry.’ You’re always apologizing.” She got up and moved back to the chair behind the desk, checked her coffee cup for any remaining dregs of coffee, and pulled off her large gold earrings.
“Well, I suppose it’s the differences that make us all interesting, ” Kate offered, cheerily, flicking a stray racoon-colored fringe off her face. Why was she being so gnarly this morning?
Alexis stared blankly at her. For these “differences” she was paying $160,000?
“Okay, so next three months. Fire away.”
“Next three months? Is that how far ahead you’re working?”
“Hold on,” said Alexis impatiently. She pressed the buzzer on her intercom. “Lizbet, can you get Jane-Louise in? I need a beauty features meeting. Oh, and call in Clarissa, will you?”
Kate panicked. She knew this was the bit where she was required to come up with something good, to be the beauty director flown in at great expense and with a huge contract, bigger and better than all the local competition. But, like her neighbor’s daughter Joanne, who’d spent the entire nine months of her pregnancy having reflexology and reading about birthing pools only to be stunned and surprised at the eventual and natural conclusion to this abdominal swelling-up when, guess what, a baby arrived, Kate had spent the last month thinking about getting here and not about what she would do when she actually was here.
There was an awkward silence as they waited for one of the summoned faces to appear.
“Um . . . can I borrow a pen?” asked Kate. “And some paper. I’m sorry, I left my notebook back in the office.”
Alexis begrudgingly handed over her pen and a piece of paper. “Don’t press too hard.”
Silence again.
“Are you . . . er . . . from New York originally?” asked Kate, flicking the lid of Alexis’s pen without realizing she was doing it.
Alexis glared. Kate stopped flicking.
A willowy girl with long brown hair, blow-dried immaculately, and beige makeup so flawless it looked as if it had been airbrushed on, came in and sat down.
“Hi, I’m Jane-Louise, features director,” she said, shaking Kate’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m—”
“Jane-Louise, could you bring Kate up to speed with where we are?”
“Sure, no problem. Should we wait for Clarissa?”
“What for?” said Alexis, disparagingly. Kate picked up straightaway on her disdain for her deputy. Was that a good thing, she wondered, or a bad thing? It was clear that Jane-Louise thought better of contradicting Alexis when she was in one of these moods. Tipped to be the person most likely to take over Alexis’s job should she ever leave, she must be just as anxious as Alexis to see what the newcomer could come up with.
Clarissa walked in and sat down next to Jane-Louise.
“Okay,” began Jane-Louise, picking up a notebook. “So we have Laetitia Mitzi on the cover for October. We were looking for something following on from autumn trends, but it can’t be about film star glamour, because that’s the story Fashion is doing with Laetitia.”
“Kate?” Alexis waited expectantly. The phone rang.
Alexis answered, looking irritated. “Sure. Hello . . . Yes, she’s right here. Kate?” She handed Kate the phone.
“Hello . . . Mum?” She put her hand over the mouthpiece and raised her eyes heavenward, mouthing, even though it was blatantly obvious, “It’s my mum.” Clarissa sniggered.
“Mum, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.” Oh, God, how embarrassing. She hadn’t even thought of her mum since she’d arrived, hadn’t been able to, didn’t even know what time it was there. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t phone last night. . . . Well, the time difference. Yes, I know it’s late for you. I’m sorry. Listen, I’ll call you later, okay? Okay, not later, tomorrow. Yes, your time. No, it’s all fine.” She hissed: “All right . . . love you, too.”
She put the phone down and blushed.
“And ‘sorry.’ You’re always apologizing.” She got up and moved back to the chair behind the desk, checked her coffee cup for any remaining dregs of coffee, and pulled off her large gold earrings.
“Well, I suppose it’s the differences that make us all interesting, ” Kate offered, cheerily, flicking a stray racoon-colored fringe off her face. Why was she being so gnarly this morning?
Alexis stared blankly at her. For these “differences” she was paying $160,000?
“Okay, so next three months. Fire away.”
“Next three months? Is that how far ahead you’re working?”
“Hold on,” said Alexis impatiently. She pressed the buzzer on her intercom. “Lizbet, can you get Jane-Louise in? I need a beauty features meeting. Oh, and call in Clarissa, will you?”
Kate panicked. She knew this was the bit where she was required to come up with something good, to be the beauty director flown in at great expense and with a huge contract, bigger and better than all the local competition. But, like her neighbor’s daughter Joanne, who’d spent the entire nine months of her pregnancy having reflexology and reading about birthing pools only to be stunned and surprised at the eventual and natural conclusion to this abdominal swelling-up when, guess what, a baby arrived, Kate had spent the last month thinking about getting here and not about what she would do when she actually was here.
There was an awkward silence as they waited for one of the summoned faces to appear.
“Um . . . can I borrow a pen?” asked Kate. “And some paper. I’m sorry, I left my notebook back in the office.”
Alexis begrudgingly handed over her pen and a piece of paper. “Don’t press too hard.”
Silence again.
“Are you . . . er . . . from New York originally?” asked Kate, flicking the lid of Alexis’s pen without realizing she was doing it.
Alexis glared. Kate stopped flicking.
A willowy girl with long brown hair, blow-dried immaculately, and beige makeup so flawless it looked as if it had been airbrushed on, came in and sat down.
“Hi, I’m Jane-Louise, features director,” she said, shaking Kate’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m—”
“Jane-Louise, could you bring Kate up to speed with where we are?”
“Sure, no problem. Should we wait for Clarissa?”
“What for?” said Alexis, disparagingly. Kate picked up straightaway on her disdain for her deputy. Was that a good thing, she wondered, or a bad thing? It was clear that Jane-Louise thought better of contradicting Alexis when she was in one of these moods. Tipped to be the person most likely to take over Alexis’s job should she ever leave, she must be just as anxious as Alexis to see what the newcomer could come up with.
Clarissa walked in and sat down next to Jane-Louise.
“Okay,” began Jane-Louise, picking up a notebook. “So we have Laetitia Mitzi on the cover for October. We were looking for something following on from autumn trends, but it can’t be about film star glamour, because that’s the story Fashion is doing with Laetitia.”
“Kate?” Alexis waited expectantly. The phone rang.
Alexis answered, looking irritated. “Sure. Hello . . . Yes, she’s right here. Kate?” She handed Kate the phone.
“Hello . . . Mum?” She put her hand over the mouthpiece and raised her eyes heavenward, mouthing, even though it was blatantly obvious, “It’s my mum.” Clarissa sniggered.
“Mum, I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting.” Oh, God, how embarrassing. She hadn’t even thought of her mum since she’d arrived, hadn’t been able to, didn’t even know what time it was there. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I didn’t phone last night. . . . Well, the time difference. Yes, I know it’s late for you. I’m sorry. Listen, I’ll call you later, okay? Okay, not later, tomorrow. Yes, your time. No, it’s all fine.” She hissed: “All right . . . love you, too.”
She put the phone down and blushed.
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