Chapter 4

When Shea and Addy came out of their rooms the next morning, Brooklyn was already at the table, eating her bagel and drinking her coffee. 

 “Hey, you two!” she called out, looking up from her laptop. “How’d you sleep?”

 Shea shook her head and headed straight for the coffeepot. Addy yawned and went over to the refrigerator.

 Pulling out a small carton of cottage cheese, she went to get a spoon and said, “I’ve had better nights. I’m thankful I’ve got the day off today.”

 Leaning against the counter as she ate, she looked at Shea, who was pouring coffee into the largest mug she had found in their cupboards, and asked, “What about you? How did you sleep last night?”

 “I didn’t,” Shea said, walking around Addy to get the creamer out of the refrigerator. 

 Addy and Brooklyn frowned at each other. 

 Shutting her laptop, Brooklyn asked, “Did you hear from Adam at all last night? I mean, he must have wondered where we got to.”

 Shea shook her head again and said, “Nothing. Not a call. Not even a text! I even checked all his feeds, but he didn’t post anything last night.”

 “I wonder if those boys actually drank the drinks meant for us,” Addy mused, wiping her lips and getting up to throw her container away.

 Shea froze in place, her coffee mug halfway to her mouth. 

 “Do you really think so?” she asked, looking at her friend. 

 Shrugging, Addy said, “It wouldn’t surprise me if that actually happened. If what Brooklyn saw was true, that is.”

 “It was,” Brooklyn said before Shea could respond. “I know I didn’t mistake what I saw for something else.”

 “I didn’t say you did,” Addy said, reaching over to put her hand on her friend’s shoulder and squeezing it. 

 Brooklyn grinned up at her and said, “Just making sure.”

 Turning back to Shea, Brooklyn said, “It’s entirely possible they drank the glasses we’d switched out, so maybe he’s either too embarrassed to have gotten caught, or he hasn’t woken up yet.”

 The three friends giggled.

 Shea grabbed a bagel and put it in the toaster. When it popped back up, she brought it to the table and joined her friends. 

 “What are you working on there, Brooklyn?” she asked, reaching for the cream cheese and nodding toward Brooklyn’s laptop. 

 “I’m trying to think up a suitable topic for my next article,” she said, opening it back up. “But I’m having writer’s block at the moment and can’t think of anything.”

 “Why don’t you write about Addy’s new job?” Shea asked, biting into her bagel.

 Brooklyn looked thoughtful, then looked at Addy and asked, “Would you mind if I did? It might give you some exposure for the future, too.”

 Addy nodded, finishing her coffee.

 “Sure,” she said, standing up. “Let me know if you need anything, but unlike the two of you, I’ve got to get to work. Luckily, I’m only working half a day.”

 She went to her room to get ready while Shea and Brooklyn remained at the table and finished their breakfast. 

 When she came out of her room, she wore a pink halter top and knee-length faded denim skirt. She put on her high boots before grabbing her straw shoulder bag. 

 “Meet me for lunch after I get off work,” she said. “You can fill me in on what happened today. Especially if you hear from Adam.”

 Brooklyn and Shea nodded and waved at her. 

 “You know it,” Shea said, taking a drink from her mug. 

 Addy put on her sunglasses, grinned at them, and waved as she left the apartment. 

Addy made it to work right as the store was opening.

 “Good of you to join us this morning,” Rochelle sneered as she flipped the sign from Closed to Open. 

 Shrugging, Addy said, “Technically, I’m not supposed to be here. I’m here to help everyone out for the big sale this morning.”

 Before Rochelle could respond, the bell above the door chimed, signaling their first customer.

 “Hello, and welcome to Cheri’s,” Addy called out, walking toward the two women who had walked in. 

 She heard Rochelle huffing in annoyance as she walked away but ignored her, focusing on her customers.

 Toward the end of her shift, things finally slowed down. Addy went into the back of the store to get her purse before heading for home. 

 Slinging it over her shoulder, she heard, “I hear you’re going to be working for Barto Luciani.”

 Turning around, she saw the owner of the store, Linda Barstowe, leaning against the wall. She had her arms crossed over her chest and stood smiling at Addy. 

 “Does this mean you’re going to be turning in your resignation?” she asked, standing up from the wall and walking toward Addy, who shook her head. 

 “I can do both,” she told Linda. “Don’t worry about that.”

 Linda sighed with relief and said, “I was afraid I was going to lose my best salesperson.”

 Addy grinned at her and said, “I’d at least give you enough time to get a suitable replacement for me before leaving.” 

 Linda laughed, then shook her head. 

 Sobering, she reached out to pat Addy’s arm.

 “While this is a fantastic opportunity for you, I hope you are very careful when working for Barto. He’s, well, he can be difficult to work for.”

 Addy frowned and asked, “Is he one of those temperamental designers I’ve heard about?”

 Linda bit her lip and glanced to the side before focusing her attention back on Addy. 

 “Just tread lightly with him,” she said. 

 “Linda!” a worker called out from the front of the store. “Can you come and take a look at this?”

 Linda smiled at Addy and said, “Duty calls. I’ll see you in a few days.”

 Addy smiled at her as she walked away and turned toward the door. 

 “I can’t believe a nobody like you is going to be working with someone as famous as Barto Luciani,” she heard from behind her. 

 Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pasted a fake smile on her face before turning around and saying, “Well, hello there, Rochelle! I didn’t see you slithering, I mean, walking back here.”

 Rochelle’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Addy. 

Taking on a disinterested air, she looked down at her nails. 

 “You know, Barto asked me to work for him first, but I have other commitments already, so I wasn’t able to accept his offer. I mean, he’s famous and all, but when you’re going to be working with Versace and Gucci, you have to decline the lower designers.”

 “Right,” Addy said, nodding. “I see what you mean.”

 She stared at Rochelle for a moment longer before heading for the door. 

“Have fun stocking those Versace and Gucci items,” she called over her shoulder. “I’ll tell Barto how sad you were to have to decline his offer. “ 

 She ignored Rochelle sputtering behind her and laughed as the door shut out the noise. 

 Shaking her head as she walked down the street, she pulled out her phone. She sent a text to Brooklyn and Shea letting them know she was off work and asking where they wanted to eat lunch. She continued up the street as she waited for them to respond.