Page 51 of On the Plus Side
Except for saying hi when they passed her desk, or the occasional handoff of messages or phone calls, Alex and Everly had never really interacted, and now she regretted it. They were four or five years older than her, and she’d always been intimidated by their talent. It had never occurred to her that she could consult them, get their opinion on things, the same way James had always done with her.
“Thanks, Alex.”
Their smile was wide and genuine. “You should stop by my desk sometime so we can chat. And I want to see more of those book covers.” With a supportive squeeze of her shoulder, they disappeared toward the design department.
When Everly turned back to the conference room, she heard Stanton exclaim, “I didn’t even know this tiny townhada bar.”
“Oh yeah. Harry’s is a good time. Especially when there’s a band,” James said.
“I assumed this was a wholeFootloosesitch and you couldn’t dance after midnight or whatever.”
Everly joined them at the table. “I’m pretty sure that’s not the plot ofFootloose.”
“Semantics.” Stanton gave her another wink behind his round glasses. “In my version they’re vampires.”
“I’m here for that.” Everly raised her hand to erase the design on the monitor, but Stanton squawked loudly.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re done, no?”
His expression was just shy of flabbergasted. “I need a copy of that for marketing. Who says they aren’t going to want to hire you?”
Those words sent her body into free fall. Was he serious? She would have spent more time on the logo if she’d known he meant to use it. It was not in any shape to be reviewed by an actual potential client.
“I got you, boss.” James nodded at Stanton. Then Everly heard that telltale zip as he sent off an email. Her chance to make tweaks was gone.
Panic tightened her limbs like a vise. In an attempt to stave it off, she asked, “Why are you talking about bars, anyway?”
James smiled at her. “You and your new friends are coming to Harry’s with us tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 16
From the piles of clothes on the bed, you’d think Jazzy and Everly were having another wardrobe day.
Only this time, Jazzy had brought the clothes, and Everly was rejecting them.
She stood in front of her full-length mirror, staring at the black, sleeveless body-con dress hugging her curves. She looked hot. So hot. Plus, the dress was black. Her favorite color. Who knew Jazzy would ever let her wear it again?
The problem was, it was the absolute wrong vibe for where they were going.
“Have youseenHarry’s Good Times Pub?” Everly asked.
“Not yet.” Jazzy’s voice was muffled by the fabric of the dress she was tugging over her head.
Everly gestured at her reflection. “This is an outfit for drinks in Boston or hitting a club in Vegas. This is not for Harry’s.”
“What does one wear to Harry’s then?”
“Jeans. T-shirt. Sneakers.”
Jazzy wrinkled her nose. “Can we at least put you in a cute shirt and something dressier than tennis shoes?”
“Just no sequins?” Everly bargained.
Jazzy laughed. “Why don’t you look through what I brought and tell me what’s Harry’s appropriate.”
Everly rifled through the tops Jazzy had stacked on the bed until she spotted a promising cranberry-colored one with short flowing sleeves hemmed with ruffles and a faux-wrap waist. Cute, but not too dressy, with just enough cleavage to make it not-safe-for-work without flashing every resident in town.
