STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series Read Online Free PDF Page B

answered, I reached up and grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet.
    “A week from today,” she smiled as she fetched a mug of her own. “Do you think you’ll be able to get off work?”
    I groaned. “I’ll call Steve right now and ask off. But if things keep going the way they have been, I doubt that I’ll make it another week without walking out.”
    “I take it things with Max didn’t go any better yesterday?” She asked knowingly.
    I shook my head. “Still the cold shouldered silent treatment.” I sighed. “He’s got this sneer that he gives me every time I walk in to the bar area. Lisa noticed it yesterday and asked what I’d done to piss him off. I gathered from her tone that, no matter what I had to say, she was on his side. So now she’s being weird with me too…”
    My second training shift had been exponentially worse than the first. Orlando’s was uncharacteristically slow on Wednesday, and Steve quickly cut the staff to the bare minimum. I stayed because I was technically still in training, though Lisa let me take tables on my own again after I passed the menu quiz. The entire shift had gone by at a snail’s pace; anytime the dining room was empty Lisa sat down at the bar, and I had no good reason not to join her without explaining my scandalous history with Max.
    Lisa made polite conversation and I tried to play along, but I was uncomfortable and distracted by Max’s presence. I wasn’t really paying attention to what she was talking about, and twice I responded to her questions with completely inappropriate, unrelated comments. She was already irritated with me, so when she noticed that Max seemed upset with me she happily jumped on the bandwagon. I’d spent the rest of the night keeping my mouth shut and focusing on work; by the time I left the restaurant, every napkin in the place was folded into a sunburst and filled with silverware.
    “That sucks, Kate.” Janette said sympathetically. “But on the bright side, you don’t have to think about that place again until Monday. We have a fantastic weekend ahead of us, and a once in a life time night just a week away.”
    I smiled and agreed that she was right. For what seemed like the hundredth time since I’d arrived in the city, I thanked fate for dropping me next to Janette. She’d introduced me to some fantastic people and one of my biggest dreams was about to come true. I’ve always been infatuated with Broadway, but I’ve never actually seen a show on The Great White Way. But in one short week, I’d be sitting at one of the most glamorous events of the season. It suddenly dawned on me that I had nothing to wear to the big event. I took a long sip of my black coffee and turned to Janette.
    “So… what do you want to do today?” I asked hopefully.
    “Shop,” she replied immediately.
    I beamed. “I was hoping you’d say that! I have nothing to wear to the show! I don’t even know what you’re supposed to wear to a night like this, much less where to buy it.”
    “I’ve got you covered.” Janette smiled. “We played an after party during fashion week this year. I know all of the chic current styles. And as far as where we go, well that’s easy: Manhattan of course.”
    “I’m not sure that I can afford anything from Fifth Avenue.” I sighed.
    Janette laughed. “Not every store in the fashion district is high-end.” She explained. “Though I do want to browse through Fendi and Prada, just to drool and daydream. And who knows? Maybe you’ll stumble across something that inspires you to loosen those purse strings a little. You’ve showed amazing restraint since you got here, but if there was ever a reason to splurge, this is it.”
    The comment about my purse strings made me a little uncomfortable. I haven’t told Janette how much money Mimi gave me; she hasn’t come right out and asked for a number, but she brings it up a little more often than she should. The number is in the six figures, which isn’t something