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She sniggered. “I always forget you’re from the west coast until you say that, but you’re not wrong. Problem is these new colors are to die for!”
My teeth caught my lower lip as I lowered my voice. “Speaking of,” I trailed off.
She nodded. “You heard?”
I leaned in a little. “Not much. What happened at the Norman estate?”
She looked around and when she felt certain we were not being overheard, she leaned forward. “Someone threw a big bash at his Hudson River Valley estate. The damn thing is practically a castle. Tatianna went with some of her model friends, although I’m still not sure who threw the party, but the rumor is that she snuck away from the group, went up to the tower, and jumped.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “The rumor? You sound skeptical.”
She glanced back at her boss who was still on the phone and turned back to me. “I think someone lured her up there and pushed her.”
I tried to keep my face neutral to get her opinion, but that was exactly what I thought. I had to bite my lip to attempt nonchalance. “Why would anyone hurt that girl?”
She pointed at my face. “Same reason your face looks like you agree with me.” Yeah, I was terrible at hiding my vindicated look. “This can’t be a coincidence. It just can’t be. I met her a couple times. She was a sweet girl, but naïve. Wouldn’t have been too hard for someone to lead her up there. Not sure why they’d push her, though.”
I nodded, processing everything I’d been told today.
Gigi crossed one slim leg over the other. “Do you need to see the man, the myth, the legend?”
I shrugged. “Guess I should snipe at Dwyer in person since I’m here and dolled up.”
She gave a wider smile. “All decked out too. You look beautiful.”
I snorted.
“What? You do!” she insisted.
I forced a smile. “Whatever you say, G.”
Gigi gave me a glare, then buzzed her boss. “Someone here to see you.”
Jason Dwyer leapt from his desk and stood in his doorway. “Well, I’ll be. You put in some effort and everything,” he sneered. “Was that so hard?”
“Shut it,” I said, changing the subject. “I’m here for my samples, my check, and to give you notice that I will be out of town for a few weeks.”
Jason grabbed an envelope from his desk and handed it to me. “You’re leaving us?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I have a friend begging me to come and hang out for a couple weeks for the holiday, so I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be gone for a couple weeks, back for a couple weeks, and then I think I’ll take a month or two away around Christmas too. There’s nothing more depressing than New York City in the winter. Feels like you’re trapped on a frozen island.” I paused and pressed my finger to my lip. “Oh, wait. You are!”
Jason stuck his nose up. “Some of us have to work.”
I gave him a knowing look. “Yes, but I can work from anywhere. Don’t be a little bitch about this, Dwyer.”
He sighed. “Fine, you can be bitch enough for both of us. So, go! Have your chuckles somewhere else. We’ll be fine without you, you know.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “I’ll still write your sucky stories. It’s a working vacation.”
“You’ll still take my stories?” he said in a small voice.
I nodded. “Despite my better judgment, I will still be working for you. Now, I have to go pack. You’d better miss me!” I shouted to him as he let his glass door close slowly behind him.
Gigi snickered. “Oh, he will. Where’re you headed?”
I focused on the sample bag. “Minnesota.”
Her eyes brightened. “You going to visit a certain hunky hockey player, by chance?”
