“With Phillipe, of course.” Sandra laughed. Where else would she be?”
Joss and Phillipe had been spending a lot of time together and, as a result, not only was Joss aglow with infatuation, but her shoe taste had improved enormously. Phillipe had even named his latest creation, a gorgeous satin peep-toe pump with a stacked stiletto heel, the Jocelyn.
“They should just get married,” Lorna said, scanning the article. “It would be great publicity. Oh! Oh! Look at this—‘record orders from Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.’ Here we go. ‘With the creative eye of former senate wife Helene Zaharis, and the consumer sense of former spendthrift Lorna Rafferty, the group has forged forward into the hearts and minds of shoe addicts everywhere.’ I can’t wait to show Holden that Business-Week finds my former spending ways to be an asset to the company.”
“What about me?” Sandra teased. “Just because I don’t sleep with power or overburden my credit cards, I don’t get a mention?”
“Don’t worry, here you are: ‘Potomac native, Sandra Vanderslice, is credited with being the group’s moral compass, keeping the company on environmentally high ground, and implementing fair trade initiatives.’ How do you like that?” Lorna wiggled her eyebrows. “You are our moral compass!”
“Many of my former callers would agree with that.”
Lorna laughed and read on. “‘Jocelyn Bowen, armed only with an AA from Felling-Garver (VA) Community College, put together a business plan that excited so many investors that the IPO was completely snapped up within an hour of trading.’ That was amazing,” Lorna commented, then read on, “‘She is now the steady amore of star designer Phillipe Carfagni, and he calls her his muse for his spring collection.’ Aw. Isn’t that so sweet?”
“She deserves it, too,” Sandra said without a trace of envy. “At least one of us got the fairy tale without having to kiss all the frogs first.”
“And she got the shoes, too,” Lorna said wistfully. “All the perfectly fitted, beautiful Carfagnis she could ever want.”
“So do you,” Helene said, giving Lorna a nudge. “It’s one of the big benefits of owning this company.”
“You’re right.” Lorna laughed. “Free shoes for life. I guess it’s a fairy tale come true for all of us. I guess your addictions can either kill you or make you rich.”
“I’ll take rich,” Helene said.
“Hear, hear.” Sandra agreed.
And they did.
Shoe Addicts Anonymous Page 29