Carpe Bead'em (2 page)

Luckily, the elevator isn’t busy and I
hop right on.

Downstairs the doorman holds the door
open before I pass by.

“Thanks, Sam!”

“Running late?” He’s cracking up at my
expense. “Get it? Running late. You’re running.”

“Funny, Sam. Don’t quit your day job.” I
point to his hat.

Sam has his nose in all the comings and
goings of the people in the joint. And he has his finger on the button to open
the door when he hears the elevator. Sam is good at his job.

It’s a beautiful summer morning. The sun
is already over the lake and dogs are out walking their owners. I set my radar east.

I shouldn’t have a hard time finding the
group if I head up Superior, right on Lakeshore, and head south towards the
Park District. We always start along the lake from Buckingham Fountain.

It’s a gorgeous day for a run. The city
is already buzzing with tourists. The retail workers are getting ready for the
day, which is good for me since I am the manager at the Gucci store on Michigan
Avenue. I try to surround myself with things I love, and I love Gucci.

A vision of beauty runs towards me. No,
not Gucci. I would know that five-foot-eleven frame from miles away.

“Please, knees stay under me,” I whisper
under my breath. The last thing I need is to pass out and have to explain to
him—or anyone—that his awesomeness was why.

I watch the way his muscles contract
with each stride. His strong jaw is locked in place just below his dark hair,
and the way his muscles protrude from his sleeveless blue Under Armor send
chills up my legs. His hazel eyes look into mine.

“Cold, Hallie?” Bo Pompillio points to
my legs just as I pass him. “Get going and you’ll warm up.”

Little did he know the chills came from
looking at him. I fall into line with the rest of the running pack. We have
been training for the Chicago Marathon going on two years. We all met at the gym
with the same goal in mind. Marathon.

Okay, I really never wanted to run a
marathon. I wanted Bo. He’s on my mind, and when I heard that it takes a long
time to train for a marathon, a long time with him sounded pretty good. Only
one thing, he has never seemed to notice me other than as a running partner.

Damn it.

“What happened to you today?” he asks.

“Late night call.” I make the crazy sign
with my finger outlining my ear like I did when I was a kid.

I fall in step beside Bo. We seem to
have the same stride and keep in sync with each other.
Mmmm
…In my mind,
Bo’s name rolls off my tongue like a hot knife in butter.

“Crazy aunt again?”

“Yep,” I confirm.

Not that I talk about Aunt Grace all the
time. He’s referring to the time the running group

 went out for dinner and drinks. Aunt
Grace decided to call before I left. I knew better than to answer the phone,
and by the time the three-hour conversation was over, the dinner party was too.

Even so, that was a phone call that I’m
glad I took. She was about to kill Uncle Jimmy, her husband, with an electric
knife. Thank God the cord wasn’t long enough, although she sure was trying to
make it stretch.

“She’s lucky she has you.” Bo glances
over, smiles. “And she can’t be all that bad. She did a fine job raising you.”

All smiles from here on out. I can run all
day now. Well all day next to Bo.

Silence took its place as we all worked
on our breathing techniques, and strides.

If you had told me two years ago that I’d
be running for over two hours at a time, I would’ve told you that you were
crazy. But here I am.

Bo stops and turns to the group. There
is barely a trickle of sweat on his brow. Oh how I would kill to dab that one
trickle.

“Tonight we’re having a new band at the
club, so stop by.” He is looking at me.
At me!
  “Starts about nine. It
should be fun.” His lip curls up, melting my heart.

Secretly I wish he’s making an exclusive
invitation, but everyone is eagerly accepting his offer.

Bo co-owns an up-and-coming blues bar,
and has invited me and my girlfriends to come by several times. Each time I
have been dressed to the nines, but he has never shown up. Finally, my friends
got tired of going and paying for all their drinks. Not that we were expecting
free drinks, but one free drink would’ve been nice that considering we were
there to support his bar.

Maybe tonight will be different.

Chapter Three

Lucy and I lucked out on our condo. It
is prime real estate belonging to the family of a girl we met in college. They
didn’t want to sell it and just by chance she was talking about it when we were
looking to rent. Lucy and I loved visiting Chicago and took the plunge. The
lease is a little steep, the view is well worth it. Plus our building is
located on One West Superior and State Street which is in the heart of
downtown. What more could two fun single girls want?

Lucy meanders down the hall, scratching
her head and yawning. I fill her in on the latest Bo news, and try not to sound
the least bit excited.

“Can’t go. Georgia’s.” Lucy reminds me.

A little disappointment sweeps over me.
But nothing will ever replace girls’ night in with our two best friends Georgia
and Prudence.

“Oh, I forgot. I’ll be there.” My
eyebrows lift. “I might sneak over to the club for a little while.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing, I
can tell you that.” She pushes the button on the coffee maker.

“There’s a secret meeting today at Gucci
today.” I can’t help but be a tad-bit nervous. “I’ve got to get ready.”

“What do you mean a meeting?” Lucy
follows me back to my bedroom, and sits on the bench at the foot of my bed.

“You know how retail is.” I didn’t want
to alarm her too much. “One day it’s up and the next day it’s down. You never
know, do you?”  

Lucy isn’t buying it. “First, I don’t
like how you’re acting,” she said. “If you aren’t concerned, you wouldn’t have
brought it up. Secondly, you’re the manager and they didn’t tell you about it. I’d
be a little curious.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all about it
tonight.” I reassure her, knowing full well she is going to be as nervous as me
until she hears that we worried for nothing. She’s my best friend for a reason.
“Now get out of here. I need to get ready.”

Of course I’ve heard the buzz about
stores closing all over the United States. Some are laying off associates and
having the managers’ work on the floor. Managers don’t have time to stay on the
floor, though when a loyal customer comes in, the manager will make a special
appearance to welcome them back or give a little sales boost. We want our
customers to feel pampered.

I never took the economy into
consideration when I chose fashion merchandising for a career choice. Who knew
that in a few years after graduating from college that we would be in a
recession?

I had to put my best Gucci—I mean foot—forward
today. Piper Kelty, the regional manager, likes my hair in a tight low pony and
she loves black. Black happens to look best on me so I opt for my Lace-Up Flute
Dress that I got at a killer sale at Neiman Marcus, more killer than the
discount I can get at my store. I toss my strappy sandals in my bag because
walking a few blocks in strappies is not fun, to say the least.

Ready or not, I face the rest of the
day.

Chapter Four

After grabbing a quick cup of coffee to
go from Addicted to the Bean, I change from my tennis shoes to my sandals, and
through the entrance I go. I don’t show fear. I never show fear. Gucci people
can smell it like a knockoff handbag.

“Good morning, lovely co-workers.” I
toast the staff with my coffee cup held high. “Are we ready to get this meeting
started before we charm our clients with our style and grace?”  

I can smell the fear. The cheap pleather
handbag odor is in the air. Everyone’s face is easy to read. They part to let
me through to the counter, where the regional manager stands.

“Good morning, love.” Piper Kelty
welcomes me the French way. We quickly exchange kisses on each cheek. I had no
idea she was going to be here this early or I would’ve gotten here earlier.

She always seems to beat me to the
punch. Last year, when Bo invited me to his bar, I invited some co-workers,
including Piper, and she was all over him like a Polyester shirt. Where was her
integrity? After that, she’s been a bar groupie.

“You look divine. Do we sell that here?”
Piper looks at me with pointed questions in her eyes.

They want you to wear the clothes you
sell in your store so the customers can see how cute you look.  But it’s a
flagship store. We don’t carry all the products.

“I got it when I went to training in New
York.” I lie, knowing that if I tie the dress to training, she’ll be more willing
to accept it.

“You are the best manager we have!” Piper
is glowing. She puts her hands together, and there is excitement in her voice. “That
is why I am here.”

Everyone holds their breath.

“We are promoting you to regional
manager,” she says. “Your first job is in Cincinnati.”

My co-workers clap, probably in relief
that they aren’t on the hot seat. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I have
worked so hard to get where I am, not go back to where I came from.

“Isn’t it great?” Piper hands me a flute
filled with champagne. “To, Hallie.”

I stand in the middle of my employees as
they hold their glasses in the air. In celebration. To me, it was anything but.

“Hallie, do you have anything to say?”
Piper coaxes.

“I…I.”
No freaking way
is what I
have to say! I am sick to my stomach. My mouth is dry. Abruptly I close it.

“I know! You’re stunned.” Piper is
practically jumping up and down, adding to my nausea. “Your family is going to
be so excited to have you back for three months.”

“What are you talking about? Do I have
to accept?” I whisper to Piper.

The room grows deathly silent. I never
realized how loud the clock ticks.

A wicked smile causes Piper’s eyes to
squint. “Your office. Now!” She turns on her red high-heel pumps, tosses her
blonde hair, and stomps off.

I follow.

“Are you crazy?” She scolds me as soon
as the door is shut. “This is a dream job. You get to open a new store. What is
your problem?”

I’ve never noticed all the freckles on
Piper’s face. Then again I’ve never been nose to nose with her either.

“Do I have a choice? Why don’t you do
it?” I ask, stepping back to put a little distance between us.

“I’ve had my turn. I’m going to take
over here while you are away. It’s only three months.” She sits at my desk like
she owns the place. “I need a break and you’re my protégé. Why not you?”

Think fast, think fast.

“I’m honored. Really Piper I am, but I
can’t afford to pay rent in two separate cities. Besides, I can’t do that to
Lucy.” I have no good reason to give her. No damn good reason at all.

“Don’t worry,” she says.  “It’s on the
company. We have a little apartment, just north of the city, in the Hyde Park
district. The Gucci boutique is located in the Saks Fifth Avenue store
downtown. If you like the job, you get to work on the new flagship store going
up all over the mid-west next year.” Piper acts like a girl in a candy shop.
She is a little too excited for me, which sends up red flags.

Why does she want me gone?

“I will have to think about it.” I’m not
going to let her bully me into a job I don’t want.

“Don’t think too hard, because I’d hate
to see you work the floor again.” Her eyes darken.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think
sparks are about to fly out of them.

Everything on her face and in her body
speaks:
I’m the regional manager, which gives me the right to move whomever
she pleases. It just so happens that I please to move you.

“I see.” I look out the back window,
overlooking the alley and begin to gently hum. “
I can see clearly now the
rain is gone
.”

“Go on home and think about it. Take a day
off.  Pay on me.” She waves me out. “Ta-ta, love.”

I don’t have the guts to look my
employees in the eyes. Especially after I feel their stares all over me. I might
be a coward, but I don’t want to go back to Cincinnati. I’ve spent too many
years trying to keep my past…well just that. In the past.

Laying around all day didn’t help my
mood. I’m hopeful that going to Georgia’s and being with my best friends will
help clarify what’s happening in my life. They are exactly what I need.

“Unbelievable!” Prudence belts out. “You
know I never liked Piper. The instance I met her, I knew she was trouble.”