grabbed her purse, forgetting to spritz herself with some cologne.
She searched for some body spray instead to stick in her tote.
Livy picked up her keys to the agency office. “I’ll go through the books and find someone.”
“Girl, I don’t know what to tell you. We have a full crew, and no model to give us face,” Francis was the head of the agency’s creative department.
Livy’s granddaddy Donovan Lee introduced her to Francis when she started working for the Castle Ad Agency. The agency had expanded to become of the top bookers of commercial and industrial clients east of the coast.
“You’re in creative, do another test shoot of the set,” said Livy breathlessly. She found her car keys.
“I’m the head of creative, not our Heavenly Father—,” Livy smiled as she heard her co-worker friend dish.
“I know, I know. Stall them or something, will you?” Livy ran outside her apartment.
“Tell them anything, do whatever you have to do,” Livy said into her phone.
Her granddad Donovan would pick a time to meet the Pearly Gates when she needed him most. He was a feisty man who had a bushy goatee and a savvy head for business. A savvy that continued to amaze Livy. Pappy Donovan had been gone only a couple of days, but he had left instructions with her how he wanted his legacy to be run.
“Mm-hm. You know this is going to cost you.” Francis said.
Livy thought about her friend’s beautiful dark skin and wished she could get a little bit tan.
Livy hailed a cab.
“When doesn’t it,” Livy said wryly. “Do what you can. I’m snagging a cab.”
Her perfume she couldn’t find slipped from her tote and spilled over her wedges and her capris.
“Crap,” Livy piled into the taxi and she gave the driver the agency address.
“There’s a twenty dollar tip if you get me there in 10—.”
Livy shrugged while the driver stared at her in the rear view mirror. “What..? Okay, here’s a fifty,” Livy reached inside her purse and she threw her tote to the side. “Make it fast and you can keep the change.”
The cab driver sniffed at the back seat. “What did you spill in my cab?”
“What?” Livy stared. She saw her body mist roll around the floor as she clicked her seat belt. “Nothing,” Livy lied. “I like to smell fresh.”
The driver whiffed at the interior of the cab and frowned.
“I’ve got somewhere I’ve got to be,” Livy said brushing her long blond curls off her shoulders and tying into a ponytail behind her face. “Come on, driver. Let’s go!”
*****
Livy got to the photo shoot in minutes. That was nice. Because when she stepped out of the cab, her heel broke.
“No!” Livy leaned against the taxi, hopping on one shoe. “Not today, not now!”
Livy did her best impression of a contortionist, reaching in her tote. She dug out her American Express and she handed it to the taxi driver.
The driver looked at the card and he made a face. “This is expired.”
“ What? ” Livy looked at the card. She realized she had brought the wrong wallet.
“Hey, pretty lady, get out of the street. Don’t you know what time in the a.m. it is?” A rotund garbage worker rode by on a garbage truck wriggling his eyebrows.
Livy angled her bent leg, straightening so she looked like a stork. “Know what you can do..?” Livy puckered her pink lips and she blew the worker a big fat kiss .”
“Woo- hoo !” The worker applauded as the truck drove up the street.
“Look lady, I got a living to earn. You want I should let my kids go hungry?”
Livy pulled out a crisp Ulysses S. Grant.
“Here,” Livy saw she was still blocks away from the photo set. “Get me five blocks north and to fire station and this fifty is yours.”
Livy spied her shoe that was now split and lying on its side playing possum.
“Oh, these were my best Stuart
Charlotte O'Shay
Serena Simpson
Michael Wallner
Steve Hayes
Tom Rob Smith
Brian Christian
Stephen Dixon
Mary Jo Putney
Alan Hunter
Kallista Dane