Dark Room Read Free

second floor, also designated as part of Winshore’s office space, was equally elegant but much cozier. It consisted of a cushy sitting room for interviews and a large, airy living room for photo shoots and fashion consultations.
    Upstairs was for relaxation and comfort.
    Downstairs was all business and bustle.
    Well, not all business. There were personal touches, too: recent client wedding photos on the credenza, some funky art pieces on the desks, and—thanks to Jill Shore, Morgan’s partner and dearest friend—an array of eclectic holiday decorations purchased on her travels. This included an eight-foot Christmas tree that barely cleared the ceiling, a handcrafted Hanukkah menorah Jill had found in Israel, and a Kwanzaa display.
    Morgan smiled as she squeezed by the tree to get to Beth’s desk. “No one can accuse us of shortchanging the holidays.”
    “That’s certainly true.” Beth blew a few pine needles off her pink cashmere sweater. “And Jill’s still not finished yet. She said something about bells to commemorate the winter solstice, and books to explain its ancient roots.”
    Morgan’s amused gaze flitted around the room, settling on the nook beside the fireplace. “Well, we do have one empty corner. I guess that’s the one that’ll take on the winter solstice theme.” She grimaced in response to a loud growl from her stomach. “Any idea if Jonah’s on his way?” she asked hopefully.
    Jonah Vaughn was the delivery guy for Lenny’s, the best and the busiest kosher deli in New York. Located on Delancey Street, Lenny’s delivered overstuffed sandwiches to offices all over the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. And while Winshore was clearly outside that delivery zone, Morgan and Jill had a special “in” with the owner. Lenny was Jill’s grandfather. And since Morgan had grown up as a member of the Shore family, he was like a grandfather to her, too.
    Beth gave her the thumbs-up. “You’re in luck. Jonah called from the truck right before you walked in. He should be here in ten.”
    “Thank goodness. I’m about to pass out from hunger.”
    “Well, hang on. Reinforcements are on their way.” Beth swiveled her chair away from the computer and stretched. She was a fresh-faced young woman of twenty-two with a sharp mind, great people skills, and a psychology degree from Northwestern. Morgan had met her at a seminar and snatched her right up. After six months of training, Beth was well on her way to being a fantastic interviewer.
    “Anything urgent I should know about?” Morgan picked up the stack of phone messages and began sifting through them.
    “A slew of new inquiries.” Beth jotted down a few additional notes. “Speaking of which, how was your meeting at the Waldorf? Rachel Ogden is barely older than I am, but she sounded like a dynamo on the phone.”
    “She is.” Morgan handed Beth the information forms Rachel had filled out, together with Morgan’s notes from their interview, ready to be organized in a new client file. “At twenty-five she’s already a high-powered management consultant. I have a few guys from our database in mind for her. Starting with Charlie Denton. He’s in his forties, but Rachel prefers that. I think they’d really hit it off.”
    The phone rang again, and Beth blew out her breath. “Break over. Probably another new client.”
    “Part of why these calls are coming in fast and furious is Elyse’s doing,”Morgan replied, grinning. “She makes commercial announcements before every spin and aerobic class, and pitches Winshore while perched next to every Lifecycle and treadmill.” Affection laced her tone when she spoke of Jill’s mother, Elyse Shore. The woman was a pistol. She ran an upscale gym on Third Avenue at East Eighty-fifth Street, where the term “word of mouth” took on a whole new meaning.
    The front door of the brownstone opened and Jill burst in, shaking snow off her coat. “It’s coming down hard. That’s the bad news. Now the good