Page 5 of The Hang Up
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I loved those new concepts you worked up for the Sunstone account, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Miriam took a sip of coffee and leaned back against the counter beside Holly. “Yuck. Is this decaf?”
“Sorry. We were out of regular. I’ll grab more after work.”
“Nah, it’s date night for you and Hottie McNerdy. I’ll get it.” She blew on her coffee and took another sip as she glanced down the hall toward the boardroom. “I still can’t believe we have to restart this whole rebrand process just because Urban Trax got a new CEO.”
“Considering the old CEO got fired for embezzling, you can’t really blame them. Would you want to be tied to that baggage?”
“A valid point. Still, those were some damn fine logos I drafted.”
Holly shrugged and picked up the sugar bowl. “You’ll come up with something better. I have faith in you.” She stirred a teaspoon of sugar in her coffee, and Miriam wished for the millionth time that she had her best friend’s metabolism. Where Holly was sleek and svelte like a racehorse, Miriam had been built with a bursting abundance of curves. She wasn’t overweight, exactly. Just very very?—
“Va-va-voom,” Holly said, startling Miriam from her reverie.
“What?”
“That blouse you’re wearing. It’s very va-va-voom.” Miriam laughed. “Thanks. It’s Emilio Pucci.”
“I have no idea what that means, but I want to touch it.”
“By all means. Touch away.”
Holly giggled and stroked a sleeve. “Very nice. Speaking of which, any signs of your naked neighbor?”
“Not since he slunk away with his clothes in a garbage bag,” she said.“I consider it my good deed for the weekend.”
“Only in your world does ogling a man’s junk count as a good deed.”
“Just call me Mother Teresa.” Miriam brightened as she took a sip of her coffee. “Hey, maybe I’ll send Phuzeei down the street to push open his front door so I can get another glimpse at the goods.”
“You’ve got that cat well-trained,” Holly said.
“He knows what Mama likes.” Miriam nodded toward the clock. They still had two minutes to go, but besides a love of good wine and great marketing, she and Holly also shared a love of punctuality. “Shall we get in there and start the presentation?”
“Yeah. The whole Urban Trax executive team is already in the boardroom. Lucy got them in there early with muffins and coffee.”
“I guess it’s showtime, then.” Miriam set down her coffee and straightened her skirt. Then she reached up and tucked a stray lock back into Holly’s chignon.“Love the new highlights. Did Frederick do them?”
“He did. Thanks for the recommendation.” Holly beamed, her cheeks practically glowing.
Miriam dropped her hand from her best friend’s hair and clapped it to her own mouth. “No shit?”
Holly blinked. “What?”
“Decaf coffee? A dog-that-humped-the-sofa glow?” Miriam shook her head, laughing. “You’re knocked up!”
“Shh!” Holly glanced around, then smiled and leaned closer. “I’m not sure yet,” she whispered. “I haven’t taken a pregnancy test, but I’m five days late and wehavekinda been trying?—”
“Congratulations!” Miriam wrapped Holly in a big bear hug, careful not to wrinkle either of their outfits.Priorities.“I know you always wanted the whole package—the hot husband, the killer career, the pack of little monsters.” Miriam drew back and her best friend beamed.
“It’s not confirmed, so don’t say anything,” Holly said. “I can’t believe you guessed.”
“You’re easy to read,” Miriam said. “Mum’s the word, I promise.” Miriam grinned and picked up her mug again. A tiny prick of envy needled her in the gut, which was stupid. She’d always been on the fence about the whole kid thing herself. To be honest, the thought of young children kinda terrified her.
But mostly, she was thrilled for her best friend. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get in there and show those Urban Trax bastards what we’re capable of.”
“God help them.”
