Page 23 of Go Find Less
So unlike a lot of the leadership on this floor, I have seen the ins and outs of the spaces we offered to clients each day. I ordered linens, maintained decor inventory. I organized menu tastings with happy couples and sat with sobbing families while they planned a wake. I inspected overnight rooms and watched José pull off a four course meal with a delayed supply shipment and a skeleton crew. Which is why I still find myself on site most weekends, if not to help out, then just to observe. And it was what let me know exactly what the people at this company are capable of, which was more than my father gave them credit for.
“I’ll take a look at them,” I tell her finally.
“Good. And do me a favor, Will.” I quirk an eyebrow at her as she throws me a final glance over her shoulder in the doorway. “Don’t pretend she’s an inconvenience, too, because no woman who makes you smile like that can be.”
And I’m left staring at the doorway again, my mind whirring. Smiling like what?
Like you like her, you fucking dipshit.
I bring my hand to my face, rubbing my brow and looking at my phone screen.
PIPER DELMONICO
We watched Hell House, for the record. Shitty horror movie. You’ve probably never heard of it.
I bite my lip.Shit.
FITZ WESTFALL
Original or director’s cut?
The three dots appear, and then disappear, and then there’s a few agonizing minutes where she doesn’t respond.
PIPER DELMONICO
Color me surprised.
Director’s cut, obviously.
OK. If I wasn’t interested before, I definitely am now. Andy and Ryan used to give me mountains of shit about my horror movie collection growing up, and Olivia found it distasteful, especially since she couldn’t handle blood.
FITZ WESTFALL
Color me disappointed. Original is far superior.
And when the three dots immediately appear, I know I made the right decision in texting her.
Chapter 8
Piper
Asteadystreamoftexts from Fitz continues over the next few days, and I feel guilty knowing there was a constant nagging in the back of my head. I’m waiting for the conversation to turn dirty, to inevitably take a 180 all the way out of whatever we have going.
And what is it we have going? I have no fucking clue. But some of his texts have made me laugh more than I have in a long, long time. Unlike in-person Fitz,textingFitz is sarcastic and very vocal in his opinions, especially about horror movies. Not something I had expected from Mr. Buttoned-up, but I couldn't complain about anything except some of his increasingly unhinged thoughts on a few of my cult favorites. And I do mean cult favorites.
The first picture comes through while I’m at my desk one morning, reading my emails. Not a dick pic, thank God. A photo of the tape measure I’d left at The Pine, thoroughly chilling on top of a cardboard box labeled “Clarified Butter.”
FITZ WESTFALL
Buttering up for a good week.
PIPER DELMONICO
That was the worst. Solid D- if I’m feeling generous.
He takes it like a challenge. The next comes when I’m at home, curled up on the couch with Bex and my iPad, trying to perfect a piece for the winter collection, a black bustier covered with cabochons that looked like chunks of black ice. Snow falls outside the window of the apartment, providing more than enough inspiration for what I’m working on.
The tape measure is on a bar I don’t recognize, an out of focus bartender mixing drinks in the background. A pink paper umbrella is nestled on top of it.
