Fashion Faux Paw Read Free

Chihuahua the fish eye. “I still say somebody should report him and his brother to INS.”
    “Oh, stop.” Ellie kissed Cheech’s tiny nose, then placed him gently in the pen and dug his doggie bed out of Patti’s bag. “Cheech and Chong are not illegal immigrants. They’re bona fide residents of this country, and even if they weren’t, it’s none of your business.”
    “I’m just sayin’—”
    “Too much. Now let’s people-watch, like Patti suggested.”
    “How about you let me sit up there with you? The less time I gotta spend down here with the hairless wonder, the better.”
    She patted the chair next to her and trained her eyes on the passersby, while Rudy bolted into position and sat at attention. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw two famous faces. “Look, there’s Christian Siriano walking with Michael Kors.” She watched the men as they raced past, talking quietly. “Viv will die when I tell her who was here.”
    Just then, a tall, attractive man arrived on the scene, along with a beautifully dressed older woman. Behind them strode two assistants, each carrying a huge box. “I’m Jeffery King,” the man said, grabbing Ellie’s hand. “And this is Nola McKay.” He nodded toward his companion. “We have gifts for the models and designers from Nola Morgan Design.” He flashed a bright smile. “And you, too, if you’re Ellie Engleman.”
    “That’s me,” she said, matching his grin. She then shook the woman’s hand. “Ms. McKay, it’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work your show.”
    “We’re happy to have you. Now if you don’t mind, I have a ton of things to take care of.” She nodded at the assistants, who were unloading and lining up baskets covered in colored plastic wrap onto the table. “I’ll let Jeffery tell you what this is all about.”
    Giving a wave, she left the scene, and Jeffery took over.
    “These are gift baskets, or swag bags, as we call them. You’re in charge of them until my sister gets here, so watch over them carefully. The swag in each basket adds up to about five thousand retail, and every one is tagged for its owner because the items inside were targeted directly for them.” He searched the line and picked up a basket wrapped in pale green plastic. “Patti Fallgrave handpicked the items in yours, so speak to her if you’re not happy with your loot.”
    Ellie held the basket to her chest. “Thanks, and I’ll be sure to take care of these. Will you be around or—”
    A tiny woman with blond spiky hair and a huge smile rushed over, clasped Ellie’s hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Kitty King, and I’m so sorry I’m late.” She gasped for breath. “I’m your assistant for the next four days.”
    Two hours later, Ellie finally had the time to study her runner, who was no more than five feet tall and looked to be just out of high school. So far, the diminutive girl had worked her butt off, welcoming models, collecting their dogs, kowtowing to designers, and running errands for whoever needed her. She’d even held a one-sided conversation with Rudy, who had found an out-of-the-way spot under the table and made it his own.
    In short, she’d been a breath of fresh air in the middle of high fashion chaos.
    Because it was near noon, things had quieted down, so Ellie asked Kitty to sit with her next to the water cooler. “You seem to know everyone,” she said. “Have you worked in this industry long?”
    “I’ve been an assistant for the past three years while I studied at Parsons School for Design. My brother—”
    “The man who delivered the baskets?”
    “Right. When he finally got his big break with NMD, the company sponsoring this event, I got a break, too. He’s their new Director of Promotions, so he’s my boss.”
    The information had Ellie recalculating Kitty’s age. “Do you mind if I ask you another personal question?”
    “You want to know how old I am, right?”
    Pleased to see that Kitty was