wasn’t
hard. Her office was beautiful, overlooking the Austin Skyline. Spacious and
contemporarily decorated, Addie did admit to feeling a little out of place, a
little undeserving of such luxury. In addition, there was something about her
colleagues that made her a little uneasy. There were ten women in her office
and three men. All of whom were beautiful enough that they could easily grace
the cover of the latest fashion magazine. Apparently, they only hired beautiful
people, which added slightly to Addie’s insecurity. Sure, she was pretty—she
had always been told so, anyway. She knew that what she wasn’t lacking in the
beauty department she was lacking in sheer confidence. On her second day of
work, her boss Sondra Sheehan barged into her office and ordered her to follow.
Addie was led to a conference room that had been set up to mimic a small
fashion show. There were clothing racks and shoes everywhere. Soon people were
circling her, measuring her body in more ways than she imagined possible. Addie
took a step back, motioning for the team to give her space. “Whoa. What’s going
on here?”
Addie couldn’t help but notice the disdain cross Sondra’s face. Next
to her, a petite man, who Addie knew as Javier, Sondra’s assistant, cleared his
throat. “Honey, there is no particularly nice way to say this, but your style
is absolutely dreadful.”
Addie cocked her head to the side, a mixture of annoyance and
confusion on her face. Admittedly, she thought she looked pretty good. “I’m not
sure what you mean.”
Sondra shook her head before finally throwing her hands in the
air. “I knew this one would be trouble.”
Javier chimed in. “Look, everyone within the agency has a
clothing budget. We just figured you could use some help: a makeover of sorts.
Consider it our gift to you.”
Addie shifted her weight from foot to foot and surveyed the room.
“That’s really nice, but I’m pretty sure this is all unnecessary. Really, I can
manage fine shopping on my own.”
Sondra slammed her hand against the massive mahogany table. Hard.
“For God’s sake, Mrs. Greyer. You are in sales. And your taste is shit. Javier
may have put it nicely, but I won’t. You are a representative of this agency, and
you will look and behave like it at all times. Do you understand?”
Addie felt the sting of her words, but, determined not to let her
emotions show, she simply replied. “Well, when you put it like that, it all
makes so much sense. Although, I have to question your judgment a little, seeing
that you are the one who hired me.”
Ms. Sheehan turned and left the room just as abruptly as she had
entered; Javier gave Addie a look of warning as he trailed right behind. Addie
knew she irritated Sondra. She knew that her words were out of line, so it only
added to her confusion as she noticed the slightest hint of a smile playing on
Sondra’s face as she rounded the corner. If Addie hadn’t known better, she’d
swear that there was a hint of satisfaction in it.
The day of Patrick’s departure had finally arrived and
Addie hadn’t slept all night long. She tossed and she turned. She stared at the
ceiling. She considered telling Patrick about the elevator incident, thinking
maybe she should come clean. She considered not telling him and begging him to
stay instead. Finally, by four a.m., she dragged herself out of bed, went
downstairs, and made some tea. After filling her cup, she sat down at the table
and opened her laptop, figuring Google might give her an inkling of what to do.
She laughed to herself, considering the phrases she might use. “Husband
leaving family for a year” or “Wife is a cheater. Should she come clean?
Still, her thoughts led her back to William and their time in the
elevator. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened the folder she’d set up
for emails to go in to. Six emails. Addie clicked on the first.
From: William B. Hartman
Date: 6/12/12
To: Addison Greyer
Subject:
hard. Her office was beautiful, overlooking the Austin Skyline. Spacious and
contemporarily decorated, Addie did admit to feeling a little out of place, a
little undeserving of such luxury. In addition, there was something about her
colleagues that made her a little uneasy. There were ten women in her office
and three men. All of whom were beautiful enough that they could easily grace
the cover of the latest fashion magazine. Apparently, they only hired beautiful
people, which added slightly to Addie’s insecurity. Sure, she was pretty—she
had always been told so, anyway. She knew that what she wasn’t lacking in the
beauty department she was lacking in sheer confidence. On her second day of
work, her boss Sondra Sheehan barged into her office and ordered her to follow.
Addie was led to a conference room that had been set up to mimic a small
fashion show. There were clothing racks and shoes everywhere. Soon people were
circling her, measuring her body in more ways than she imagined possible. Addie
took a step back, motioning for the team to give her space. “Whoa. What’s going
on here?”
Addie couldn’t help but notice the disdain cross Sondra’s face. Next
to her, a petite man, who Addie knew as Javier, Sondra’s assistant, cleared his
throat. “Honey, there is no particularly nice way to say this, but your style
is absolutely dreadful.”
Addie cocked her head to the side, a mixture of annoyance and
confusion on her face. Admittedly, she thought she looked pretty good. “I’m not
sure what you mean.”
Sondra shook her head before finally throwing her hands in the
air. “I knew this one would be trouble.”
Javier chimed in. “Look, everyone within the agency has a
clothing budget. We just figured you could use some help: a makeover of sorts.
Consider it our gift to you.”
Addie shifted her weight from foot to foot and surveyed the room.
“That’s really nice, but I’m pretty sure this is all unnecessary. Really, I can
manage fine shopping on my own.”
Sondra slammed her hand against the massive mahogany table. Hard.
“For God’s sake, Mrs. Greyer. You are in sales. And your taste is shit. Javier
may have put it nicely, but I won’t. You are a representative of this agency, and
you will look and behave like it at all times. Do you understand?”
Addie felt the sting of her words, but, determined not to let her
emotions show, she simply replied. “Well, when you put it like that, it all
makes so much sense. Although, I have to question your judgment a little, seeing
that you are the one who hired me.”
Ms. Sheehan turned and left the room just as abruptly as she had
entered; Javier gave Addie a look of warning as he trailed right behind. Addie
knew she irritated Sondra. She knew that her words were out of line, so it only
added to her confusion as she noticed the slightest hint of a smile playing on
Sondra’s face as she rounded the corner. If Addie hadn’t known better, she’d
swear that there was a hint of satisfaction in it.
The day of Patrick’s departure had finally arrived and
Addie hadn’t slept all night long. She tossed and she turned. She stared at the
ceiling. She considered telling Patrick about the elevator incident, thinking
maybe she should come clean. She considered not telling him and begging him to
stay instead. Finally, by four a.m., she dragged herself out of bed, went
downstairs, and made some tea. After filling her cup, she sat down at the table
and opened her laptop, figuring Google might give her an inkling of what to do.
She laughed to herself, considering the phrases she might use. “Husband
leaving family for a year” or “Wife is a cheater. Should she come clean?
Still, her thoughts led her back to William and their time in the
elevator. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened the folder she’d set up
for emails to go in to. Six emails. Addie clicked on the first.
From: William B. Hartman
Date: 6/12/12
To: Addison Greyer
Subject:
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