Aaron Berkley ushered Alexandra to a comfortable armchair. “What can I get you, Miss Blackwell? Would you like some coffee, tea?”
“Nothing, thank you.”
“So. You’re going to work with us here as a copywriter.”
“I really appreciate your giving me this opportunity, Mr. Berkley. I know I have a great deal to learn, but I’ll work very hard.”
“No need for that,” Norman Mathews said quickly. He caught himself. “I mean—you can’t rush a learning experience like this. You take all the time you want.”
“I’m sure you’ll be very happy here,” Aaron Berkley added. “You’ll be working with the best people in the business.”
One hour later, Alexandra was thinking, They may be the best, but they’re certainly not the friendliest. Lucas Pinkerton had taken Alexandra around to introduce her to the staff, and the reception everywhere had been icy. They acknowledged her presence and then quickly found other things to do. Alexandra sensed their resentment, but she had no idea what had caused it. Pinkerton led her into a smoke-filled conference room. Against one wall was a cabinet filled with Clios and Art Directors’ awards. Seated around a table were a woman and two men, all of them chain-smoking. The woman was short and dumpy, with rust-colored hair. The men were in their middle thirties, pale and harassed-looking.
Pinkerton said, “This is the creative team you’ll be working with. Alice Koppel, Vince Barnes and Marty Bergheimer. This is Miss Blackwell.”
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The three of them stared at Alexandra.
“Well, I’ll leave you to get acquainted with one another,” Pinkerton said. He turned to Vince Barnes. “I’ll expect the new perfume copy on my desk by tomorrow morning. See that Miss Blackwell has everything she needs.” And he left.
“What do you need?” Vince Barnes asked.
The question caught Alexandra off guard. “I—I guess I just need to learn the advertising business.”
Alice Koppel said sweetly, “You’ve come to the right place, Miss Blackwell. We’re dying to play teacher.”
“Lay off,” Marty Bergheimer told her.
Alexandra was puzzled. “Have I done something to offend any of you?”
Marty Bergheimer replied, “No, Miss Blackwell. We’re just under a lot of pressure here. We’re working on a perfume campaign, and so far Mr. Berkley and Mr. Mathews are underwhelmed by what we’ve delivered.”
“I’ll try not to be a bother,” Alexandra promised.
“That would be peachy,” Alice Koppel said.
The rest of the day went no better. There was not a smile in the place. One of their co-workers had been summarily fired because of this rich bitch, and they were going to make her pay.
At the end of Alexandra’s first day, Aaron Berkley and Norman Mathews came into the little office Alexandra had been assigned, to make sure she was comfortable. The gesture was not lost on Alexandra’s fellow workers.
Everyone in the agency was on a first-name basis—except for Alexandra. She was Miss Blackwell to everyone.
“Alexandra,” she said.
“Right.”
And the next time they addressed her, it was “Miss Blackwell.”
Alexandra was eager to learn and to make a contribution. She attended think-tank meetings where the copywriters brainstormed ideas. She watched art editors draw up their designs. She listened to Lucas Pinkerton tear apart the copy that was brought to him for approval. He was a nasty, mean-spirited man, and Alexandra felt sorry for the copywriters who suffered under him. Alexandra found herself shuttling from floor to floor for meetings with department heads, meetings with clients, photographic sessions, strategy discussion meetings. She kept her mouth shut, listened and learned. At the end of her first week, she felt as though she had been there a month. She came home exhausted, not from the work but from the tension that her presence seemed to create.
When Kate asked how the job was going, Alexandra replied, “Fine, Gran. It’s very interesting.”
“I’m sure you’ll do well, Alex. If you have any problems, just see Mr. Berkley or Mr. Mathews.”
That was the last thing Alexandra intended to do.
On the following Monday Alexandra went to work determined to find a way to solve her problem. There were daily morning and afternoon coffee breaks, and the conversation was easy and casual.