A New Chapter (Part 3)
Title: A New Chapter - Part 3: Can We Keep Her?
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada/Lipstick Jungle
Pairing(s): Will be Miranda/Andy. Other Lipstick Jungle pairings as well
Rating: PG-13 for now
Spoilers: Entirety of the movie and the TV Show
Summary: Andy thinks she's escaping the world of fashion, but she's really just entering the jungle.
Author's Notes: See Prologue.
“What is this?” Andy asked, looking up from the check she was holding in her hand. There was no way this could be right.
“Your paycheck for the week,” Nico explained, not looking up from the memo she was reading.
“Nico, this is… this is insane is what this is. There is no way I can accept this.” The check was a personal one from Nico herself, and the amount on it was staggering to Andy.
Nico looked up at her. “You can and you will. You’ve earned every penny of it, Andy. When Marva quit, I didn’t think I would be able to find someone who could ever do the job as well. You came in here and in less than a week had this office running more smoothly than it ever has. If that doesn’t deserve a bonus, I don’t know what does. Besides,” Nico studied the girl in front of her for a few seconds, “I have a proposition for you.”
“Nico -“ Andy started to protest.
“Stay on. Let me hire you as my assistant permanently. I know you said you only wanted this to be temporary, but you’ve done such a good job, I don’t see how I could manage without you now.”
“I really can’t. I -“
“I know you want to write. Kirby told me that. He also told me you were very good, and that you could be good for Bonfire. He was right about you as an assistant, so I have no reason to believe that he won’t be right about you as a writer. If you’ll stay on as my assistant, I’d love to look at some of your work. Then if I think it’s up to Bonfire standards, I could start assigning you a few pieces here and there. If they go well, then I’d obviously promote you to a full time writer’s position. At that point, I'd put you in charge of finding and training a replacement assistant for me. It would be a win-win situation for us both.”
It really would be a win-win situation, and the thought was incredibly tempting to Andy. She did enjoy working for Nico very much and felt like she was giving some of the best work that she had ever given. The prospect of becoming a writer for a magazine like Bonfire, which could lead to other things, really was a chance in a lifetime. But she was still nervous. She’d been burned, badly, by this world once before. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to take that risk again. Plus, there was still the threat of Miranda looming. She had been back for three days now and so far there had been no action against Andy, but it wasn’t as though Nico had called her for a reference either. When she found out that Andy was working for Nico, there was no telling what she would do.
“You’re worried about Miranda.” Nico had gotten very good at reading Andy in a short time.
“I’m worried about… a lot of things.” Andy admitted.
“Tell me something, Andy. Why did you quit?”
Andy closed her eyes. Why did she quit? “Lots of reasons. I was starting to become someone I didn’t like. I was seeing what this world can do to people. I felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting any closer to being a writer.” I was falling in love with my boss, who so obviously didn’t return the feelings. “I just… got a wakeup call while in Paris and realized that I couldn’t do that anymore. I couldn’t stay. So I left.”
Nico considered her answer. There was still so much that Andy obviously wasn’t telling her about what had happened in Paris. She knew that Miranda could be an incredible bitch, and that she often did things that reduced even grown men to tears. It was easy to see why Andy would’ve had enough and left. And yet, there was something more to it than that. But for now, Nico would accept what Andy told her.
“So, just to be clear here, if I hire you…”
Andy had also gotten very good at reading Nico and knew what she was asking. “I won’t just up and quit on you. I will at least give you my two weeks. I promise.”
Nico nodded. She would have to trust Andy on this one. And she found that she did. “Okay.”
“Okay. But Nico…” Andy paused, considering her words. “I know what this world is like. I know sometimes you have to do things, make choices, to get ahead. I know sometimes you’re going to screw over people to get to the top. I don’t like it, but I understand it. You might do it to me, you might do it to another co-worker, or maybe even a friend. If you need to do it, then do it. But tell me, to my face, that you’re going to do it. Don’t act like you won’t. Okay? And don’t make me think that I mean something if I don’t.”
Nico studied the woman once again. There was definitely something deeper there. Something had triggered Andy to leave Miranda, and it wasn’t just the woman’s usual insane demands. Beyond that, it wasn’t just that Miranda had driven Andy crazy. The woman had actually hurt her in some way.
“Okay.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Andy looked at Nico, waiting to see if there was anything else she needed before she started to make her way back out to the desk. Nico just smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
**
Andy was on the phone with Jenn from the art department when Wendy arrived unexpectedly. “Jenn, let me call you back in five minutes,” Andy whispered before cutting off the call.
“Good afternoon Ms. Healy. I’ll just let Nico know you’re here.” Andy smiled at her as she moved around her desk to Nico’s office door. She knocked once, then popped her head in. “Nico? Wendy’s here to see you.”
Nico glanced at the calendar that was on her desk. She had a few free minutes, but then she was to meet with the art department. “Send her in. Thanks Andy.”
“Ms. Healy, she’s ready for you now.” Andy smiled at Wendy, holding the door open.
Wendy studied her for a few seconds before walking in to greet Nico. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself. What are you doing here?”
“Well, Victory is having a crisis, and we’re needed for damage control.”
“Right now?” Nico glanced down at her calendar. “I have a meeting scheduled in ten minutes. But maybe I could see if Andy could switch it.”
“Speaking of, what happened to Marva?” Wendy asked, glancing back in the direction of Andy.
“Her father had a stroke and she moved to Florida to be with him. I was dying without her, and then Kirby brought me Andy and…”
“Kirby? Kirby knew her?”
“Mm. They went to college together for a year, and then bumped into each other last week.”
“And you’re okay with this? I mean, she’s a very pretty girl and…”
“And the best assistant I’ve ever had.” Nico cut in. “Besides, I trust Kirby.”
“Well, good for you.” Wendy smiled. She was about to say something when there was a knock on Nico’s door and Andy popped her head in.
“Nico? I couldn’t help but hear that there was an issue with Ms. Ford that Ms. Healy was hoping you could help her out with. So I called the art department and rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow. Jenn is going to send me the sketches over later this afternoon so that you can look at them before then. But you’re free until two now.” What Andy didn’t say was that Jenn had been begging her to see if Nico could reschedule the meeting because they weren’t ready just before Wendy had walked in.
“That is absolutely perfect, Andy. Can you call the car and have it waiting in ten minutes?” Andy nodded and disappeared again.
“Do you see what I mean?" Nico grinned. "I guess Miranda trained her well.”
“Wait a minute, Miranda? As in Priestly?” Wendy's eyes were wide.
“Oh yeah. And the most interesting part is that she wasn’t fired. She quit.”
“Wow. Really?”
Nico nodded and gathered some things to go deal with Victory’s crisis. “She’s something else, let me tell you.”
“Well, you’ve gotta keep her, you know that right?” Wendy smiled as they walked out of the office.
“Oh, I know.” Nico turned to Andy, “Andy, could you come with us? I have a few things I need to go over with you, and I want you to meet Victory since you’ve already met Wendy.”
“Um, sure.” Andy clicked a few buttons on her computer, grabbed her Blackberry and bag and followed the two women out to the car.
**
“Nothing works!” Was the first thing that Andy heard out of Victory Ford’s mouth. The beautiful designer shouted out as soon as Nico, Wendy, and Andy arrived, giving Andy what would probably not have been the best first impression of her, had she not worked at Runway previously. But Andy had worked at Runway and she had seen designer after designer go through major panic attacks and nervous breakdowns when trying to prepare shows or deal with Miranda’s wrath. Victory’s little meltdown was nothing new. In fact, it was so small in comparison to some of the things that she had seen that Andy didn’t even bat an eyelash at it.
To Nico and Wendy, who hadn’t witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Miranda before and who were close friends with the woman currently turning a strange shade of blue, it was not a little meltdown. It was a big meltdown, and they felt like it needed to be dealt with immediately. They each took Victory by the arm and moved her away from the models that she had been staring at helplessly, back towards the back of the store to try and calm her down.
Andy took the time to assess the models before her, and more specifically the clothing they were wearing. She had to admit that Victory definitely had talent. The designs were pretty original and the colors on most of them were great. It wasn’t the clothing that was the issue, it was the way she was trying to fit things together. It was too forced, which made it look too put together, which she had never seen as a problem until she had started working at Runway. But hours of watching Miranda pick apart designs and rearrange pieces had had an effect.
“Um, excuse me?” Andy approached one of the models slowly. The girl looked up at her, expression blank. “Um, would you mind taking off your top and trading it with her?” Andy pointed to another model. Both just stared at her. “It’s just - I think - I think that your top would go better with that skirt, and her top would work with these pants. Could you just humor me?”
Both women glanced back to where Victory was still sitting with Nico and Wendy, her head in her hands, before they shrugged and pulled off the tops, switching them. Andy looked at them. “Not bad,” she murmured to the model in the skirt. “Change up those shoes. Try some low boots.” She turned to look at the model in the jeans. The shirt looked okay, but something was still missing. She glanced around the store, finding a vest hanging on one of the racks. “Put this on over that. And this belt. No, wait, this one.”
Andy was so caught up in what she was doing that she didn’t notice when Nico, Wendy, and Victory came back to the front of the store. Instead she was admiring her handy work, thinking that all the girl needed now was the right jewelry. Maybe a bunch of chains or…
“What are you doing?!”
Andy spun, instantly feeling like the little girl caught playing in Mommy’s makeup. “Oh, I, um, I’m so sorry, I was just…”
But Victory wasn’t paying attention to Andy. Instead she was staring at the two models. “What did you do?”
“I just - I didn’t mean to - I’ll change it back. I’ll -“
Victory walked up and circled the two models before finally letting her eyes fall back on Andy. “This is brilliant.”
Andy’s eyes widened at the word. “W-what?”
“How did you do this? How did you make it work? I’ve been trying all morning but I couldn’t get anything to come out right. I can’t believe - I never would have thought of putting those pieces together, but my god, they work. They really, really work. How did you know?”
Andy was still so shocked at the turn of events, and that she had even done something that a designer liked, that she couldn’t respond, so Nico responded for her. “Andy used to work at Runway.”
“Oh my god! You used to work with Miranda Priestly?” Victory looked like you could have knocked her over with a feather.
“For. I used to work for Miranda Priestly.” Andy corrected. There had been a time, a brief shining moment, when she’d thought that maybe she was working with Miranda. Now though, she knew better. No one worked with Miranda, they all worked for her. Even Irv, who was her boss, worked for Miranda.
Victory and Wendy shrugged the correction off, but Nico noted it with interest. “That is amazing! She is like a god, basically. I would kill to have her put my designs in Runway.” Victory continued.
Andy smiled wryly. So would a million other designers. But she did have to admit, Victory Ford had talent. She was actually just the kind of designer Miranda would love - a young, relatively untapped designer with a fresh style. These pieces wouldn’t sell her, but Andy thought she could do something great, something perfect for Runway. The December issue was probably in the process of being put together right now. Andy knew they liked to feature new up and coming designers. Victory could be the next James Holt if she could just get in the door.
“These pieces wouldn’t cut it.” Andy told her calmly. “They’re good, very good, but not good enough. Not for Miranda. If you want to get through the door at Runway, you’re going to need something bold and new. Evening gowns are very in right now. The wedding dress you wore at your opening is a good start. Once you get in, then you can show things like this, more casual. But if you want in, you’ve got to pull out all the stops…”
Victory stared at her, wide-eyed. “You - are you saying - you could get me in Runway?”
“I’m not promising anything. But if you could get some designs, some really good designs sketched out, I could get them into the hands of someone at Runway. I’m not saying Miranda would ever see them, but it would be someone with a good eye. And if he deemed them good enough, he would show them to her. And then…”
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” Victory was gasping, her mind going a mile a minute. She raced forward and flung her arms around Andy. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Andy told her, but the words didn’t even sink in.
Victory turned to Nico. “I love her! I don’t know her, but I love her! Can we keep her, please?”
Nico smiled. “She’s agreed to stick around for a while.”
“Oh my god, I have to get to work! I have to get sketching. You all have to get out so that I can work.”
“Vic, what about the crisis you called us over here about?” Wendy asked, amused at the sudden turn in her friend.
“What crisis? It’s fixed now.” Victory pointed to the models. “See? She fixed it. Now, out!”
Wendy and Nico gave her quick hugs and Andy then followed them out the door. “I’ll call you when I have something! Thank you!”
The three were silent until the car had pulled away. “Do you really think you could get Victory’s designs in Runway?” Wendy asked.
“Like I said, I can’t promise anything. But Victory is good. Despite her flop last year, she’s come back extremely well. At least to me. I’m not Miranda, I don’t get to make choices about who goes in the magazine. But I think Victory is the kind of designer she would like. I know someone I can show her designs to. I think he’ll like her and he’ll show Miranda. In December they usually showcase a new designer. I will try my best to get Victory to be that designer, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“If she gets in Runway, she will die. It’s always been a dream for her.”
“Well, hopefully it’ll come true.” Someone’s deserves to, Andy thought.
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada/Lipstick Jungle
Pairing(s): Will be Miranda/Andy. Other Lipstick Jungle pairings as well
Rating: PG-13 for now
Spoilers: Entirety of the movie and the TV Show
Summary: Andy thinks she's escaping the world of fashion, but she's really just entering the jungle.
Author's Notes: See Prologue.
“What is this?” Andy asked, looking up from the check she was holding in her hand. There was no way this could be right.
“Your paycheck for the week,” Nico explained, not looking up from the memo she was reading.
“Nico, this is… this is insane is what this is. There is no way I can accept this.” The check was a personal one from Nico herself, and the amount on it was staggering to Andy.
Nico looked up at her. “You can and you will. You’ve earned every penny of it, Andy. When Marva quit, I didn’t think I would be able to find someone who could ever do the job as well. You came in here and in less than a week had this office running more smoothly than it ever has. If that doesn’t deserve a bonus, I don’t know what does. Besides,” Nico studied the girl in front of her for a few seconds, “I have a proposition for you.”
“Nico -“ Andy started to protest.
“Stay on. Let me hire you as my assistant permanently. I know you said you only wanted this to be temporary, but you’ve done such a good job, I don’t see how I could manage without you now.”
“I really can’t. I -“
“I know you want to write. Kirby told me that. He also told me you were very good, and that you could be good for Bonfire. He was right about you as an assistant, so I have no reason to believe that he won’t be right about you as a writer. If you’ll stay on as my assistant, I’d love to look at some of your work. Then if I think it’s up to Bonfire standards, I could start assigning you a few pieces here and there. If they go well, then I’d obviously promote you to a full time writer’s position. At that point, I'd put you in charge of finding and training a replacement assistant for me. It would be a win-win situation for us both.”
It really would be a win-win situation, and the thought was incredibly tempting to Andy. She did enjoy working for Nico very much and felt like she was giving some of the best work that she had ever given. The prospect of becoming a writer for a magazine like Bonfire, which could lead to other things, really was a chance in a lifetime. But she was still nervous. She’d been burned, badly, by this world once before. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to take that risk again. Plus, there was still the threat of Miranda looming. She had been back for three days now and so far there had been no action against Andy, but it wasn’t as though Nico had called her for a reference either. When she found out that Andy was working for Nico, there was no telling what she would do.
“You’re worried about Miranda.” Nico had gotten very good at reading Andy in a short time.
“I’m worried about… a lot of things.” Andy admitted.
“Tell me something, Andy. Why did you quit?”
Andy closed her eyes. Why did she quit? “Lots of reasons. I was starting to become someone I didn’t like. I was seeing what this world can do to people. I felt like I was spinning my wheels and not getting any closer to being a writer.” I was falling in love with my boss, who so obviously didn’t return the feelings. “I just… got a wakeup call while in Paris and realized that I couldn’t do that anymore. I couldn’t stay. So I left.”
Nico considered her answer. There was still so much that Andy obviously wasn’t telling her about what had happened in Paris. She knew that Miranda could be an incredible bitch, and that she often did things that reduced even grown men to tears. It was easy to see why Andy would’ve had enough and left. And yet, there was something more to it than that. But for now, Nico would accept what Andy told her.
“So, just to be clear here, if I hire you…”
Andy had also gotten very good at reading Nico and knew what she was asking. “I won’t just up and quit on you. I will at least give you my two weeks. I promise.”
Nico nodded. She would have to trust Andy on this one. And she found that she did. “Okay.”
“Okay. But Nico…” Andy paused, considering her words. “I know what this world is like. I know sometimes you have to do things, make choices, to get ahead. I know sometimes you’re going to screw over people to get to the top. I don’t like it, but I understand it. You might do it to me, you might do it to another co-worker, or maybe even a friend. If you need to do it, then do it. But tell me, to my face, that you’re going to do it. Don’t act like you won’t. Okay? And don’t make me think that I mean something if I don’t.”
Nico studied the woman once again. There was definitely something deeper there. Something had triggered Andy to leave Miranda, and it wasn’t just the woman’s usual insane demands. Beyond that, it wasn’t just that Miranda had driven Andy crazy. The woman had actually hurt her in some way.
“Okay.”
“Okay. Thank you.” Andy looked at Nico, waiting to see if there was anything else she needed before she started to make her way back out to the desk. Nico just smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
**
Andy was on the phone with Jenn from the art department when Wendy arrived unexpectedly. “Jenn, let me call you back in five minutes,” Andy whispered before cutting off the call.
“Good afternoon Ms. Healy. I’ll just let Nico know you’re here.” Andy smiled at her as she moved around her desk to Nico’s office door. She knocked once, then popped her head in. “Nico? Wendy’s here to see you.”
Nico glanced at the calendar that was on her desk. She had a few free minutes, but then she was to meet with the art department. “Send her in. Thanks Andy.”
“Ms. Healy, she’s ready for you now.” Andy smiled at Wendy, holding the door open.
Wendy studied her for a few seconds before walking in to greet Nico. “Hey you.”
“Hey yourself. What are you doing here?”
“Well, Victory is having a crisis, and we’re needed for damage control.”
“Right now?” Nico glanced down at her calendar. “I have a meeting scheduled in ten minutes. But maybe I could see if Andy could switch it.”
“Speaking of, what happened to Marva?” Wendy asked, glancing back in the direction of Andy.
“Her father had a stroke and she moved to Florida to be with him. I was dying without her, and then Kirby brought me Andy and…”
“Kirby? Kirby knew her?”
“Mm. They went to college together for a year, and then bumped into each other last week.”
“And you’re okay with this? I mean, she’s a very pretty girl and…”
“And the best assistant I’ve ever had.” Nico cut in. “Besides, I trust Kirby.”
“Well, good for you.” Wendy smiled. She was about to say something when there was a knock on Nico’s door and Andy popped her head in.
“Nico? I couldn’t help but hear that there was an issue with Ms. Ford that Ms. Healy was hoping you could help her out with. So I called the art department and rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow. Jenn is going to send me the sketches over later this afternoon so that you can look at them before then. But you’re free until two now.” What Andy didn’t say was that Jenn had been begging her to see if Nico could reschedule the meeting because they weren’t ready just before Wendy had walked in.
“That is absolutely perfect, Andy. Can you call the car and have it waiting in ten minutes?” Andy nodded and disappeared again.
“Do you see what I mean?" Nico grinned. "I guess Miranda trained her well.”
“Wait a minute, Miranda? As in Priestly?” Wendy's eyes were wide.
“Oh yeah. And the most interesting part is that she wasn’t fired. She quit.”
“Wow. Really?”
Nico nodded and gathered some things to go deal with Victory’s crisis. “She’s something else, let me tell you.”
“Well, you’ve gotta keep her, you know that right?” Wendy smiled as they walked out of the office.
“Oh, I know.” Nico turned to Andy, “Andy, could you come with us? I have a few things I need to go over with you, and I want you to meet Victory since you’ve already met Wendy.”
“Um, sure.” Andy clicked a few buttons on her computer, grabbed her Blackberry and bag and followed the two women out to the car.
**
“Nothing works!” Was the first thing that Andy heard out of Victory Ford’s mouth. The beautiful designer shouted out as soon as Nico, Wendy, and Andy arrived, giving Andy what would probably not have been the best first impression of her, had she not worked at Runway previously. But Andy had worked at Runway and she had seen designer after designer go through major panic attacks and nervous breakdowns when trying to prepare shows or deal with Miranda’s wrath. Victory’s little meltdown was nothing new. In fact, it was so small in comparison to some of the things that she had seen that Andy didn’t even bat an eyelash at it.
To Nico and Wendy, who hadn’t witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Miranda before and who were close friends with the woman currently turning a strange shade of blue, it was not a little meltdown. It was a big meltdown, and they felt like it needed to be dealt with immediately. They each took Victory by the arm and moved her away from the models that she had been staring at helplessly, back towards the back of the store to try and calm her down.
Andy took the time to assess the models before her, and more specifically the clothing they were wearing. She had to admit that Victory definitely had talent. The designs were pretty original and the colors on most of them were great. It wasn’t the clothing that was the issue, it was the way she was trying to fit things together. It was too forced, which made it look too put together, which she had never seen as a problem until she had started working at Runway. But hours of watching Miranda pick apart designs and rearrange pieces had had an effect.
“Um, excuse me?” Andy approached one of the models slowly. The girl looked up at her, expression blank. “Um, would you mind taking off your top and trading it with her?” Andy pointed to another model. Both just stared at her. “It’s just - I think - I think that your top would go better with that skirt, and her top would work with these pants. Could you just humor me?”
Both women glanced back to where Victory was still sitting with Nico and Wendy, her head in her hands, before they shrugged and pulled off the tops, switching them. Andy looked at them. “Not bad,” she murmured to the model in the skirt. “Change up those shoes. Try some low boots.” She turned to look at the model in the jeans. The shirt looked okay, but something was still missing. She glanced around the store, finding a vest hanging on one of the racks. “Put this on over that. And this belt. No, wait, this one.”
Andy was so caught up in what she was doing that she didn’t notice when Nico, Wendy, and Victory came back to the front of the store. Instead she was admiring her handy work, thinking that all the girl needed now was the right jewelry. Maybe a bunch of chains or…
“What are you doing?!”
Andy spun, instantly feeling like the little girl caught playing in Mommy’s makeup. “Oh, I, um, I’m so sorry, I was just…”
But Victory wasn’t paying attention to Andy. Instead she was staring at the two models. “What did you do?”
“I just - I didn’t mean to - I’ll change it back. I’ll -“
Victory walked up and circled the two models before finally letting her eyes fall back on Andy. “This is brilliant.”
Andy’s eyes widened at the word. “W-what?”
“How did you do this? How did you make it work? I’ve been trying all morning but I couldn’t get anything to come out right. I can’t believe - I never would have thought of putting those pieces together, but my god, they work. They really, really work. How did you know?”
Andy was still so shocked at the turn of events, and that she had even done something that a designer liked, that she couldn’t respond, so Nico responded for her. “Andy used to work at Runway.”
“Oh my god! You used to work with Miranda Priestly?” Victory looked like you could have knocked her over with a feather.
“For. I used to work for Miranda Priestly.” Andy corrected. There had been a time, a brief shining moment, when she’d thought that maybe she was working with Miranda. Now though, she knew better. No one worked with Miranda, they all worked for her. Even Irv, who was her boss, worked for Miranda.
Victory and Wendy shrugged the correction off, but Nico noted it with interest. “That is amazing! She is like a god, basically. I would kill to have her put my designs in Runway.” Victory continued.
Andy smiled wryly. So would a million other designers. But she did have to admit, Victory Ford had talent. She was actually just the kind of designer Miranda would love - a young, relatively untapped designer with a fresh style. These pieces wouldn’t sell her, but Andy thought she could do something great, something perfect for Runway. The December issue was probably in the process of being put together right now. Andy knew they liked to feature new up and coming designers. Victory could be the next James Holt if she could just get in the door.
“These pieces wouldn’t cut it.” Andy told her calmly. “They’re good, very good, but not good enough. Not for Miranda. If you want to get through the door at Runway, you’re going to need something bold and new. Evening gowns are very in right now. The wedding dress you wore at your opening is a good start. Once you get in, then you can show things like this, more casual. But if you want in, you’ve got to pull out all the stops…”
Victory stared at her, wide-eyed. “You - are you saying - you could get me in Runway?”
“I’m not promising anything. But if you could get some designs, some really good designs sketched out, I could get them into the hands of someone at Runway. I’m not saying Miranda would ever see them, but it would be someone with a good eye. And if he deemed them good enough, he would show them to her. And then…”
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” Victory was gasping, her mind going a mile a minute. She raced forward and flung her arms around Andy. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Andy told her, but the words didn’t even sink in.
Victory turned to Nico. “I love her! I don’t know her, but I love her! Can we keep her, please?”
Nico smiled. “She’s agreed to stick around for a while.”
“Oh my god, I have to get to work! I have to get sketching. You all have to get out so that I can work.”
“Vic, what about the crisis you called us over here about?” Wendy asked, amused at the sudden turn in her friend.
“What crisis? It’s fixed now.” Victory pointed to the models. “See? She fixed it. Now, out!”
Wendy and Nico gave her quick hugs and Andy then followed them out the door. “I’ll call you when I have something! Thank you!”
The three were silent until the car had pulled away. “Do you really think you could get Victory’s designs in Runway?” Wendy asked.
“Like I said, I can’t promise anything. But Victory is good. Despite her flop last year, she’s come back extremely well. At least to me. I’m not Miranda, I don’t get to make choices about who goes in the magazine. But I think Victory is the kind of designer she would like. I know someone I can show her designs to. I think he’ll like her and he’ll show Miranda. In December they usually showcase a new designer. I will try my best to get Victory to be that designer, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“If she gets in Runway, she will die. It’s always been a dream for her.”
“Well, hopefully it’ll come true.” Someone’s deserves to, Andy thought.