Page 33 of All the Drama from New York

She hadn’t heard from Hope about having received the wedding gift. But she’d gotten confirmation from the store that it had been delivered. At this juncture she didn’t expect to hear back.

Camille cleared her throat. “Would you like to sit and get started on the planning document? See what you think about it, and then let me know.”

Ryan nodded. “Actually, I have been looking online for a ready-made piece of software that we could use instead of having to work with a spreadsheet. Excel is great, but it’s not a project management tool.”

“I’m open to us using anything. Just as long as it gets me away from that dreaded colorful spreadsheet. All those brightly colored columns are giving me nightmares.”

“I figured since you were a designer that you are a visual person. So I’m thinking we look at an application that has ready-made work management templates, and also works as an app. I can put some planning pieces into one of them today and let you have a look, and we can go from there. What do you think?”

She liked his way of thinking. If Ryan could set something up which would work for planning fashion week, and maybe other projects going forward, it would be a game changer for her.

“I think you should go ahead and see what you can build. I have a few things to get finished this morning, so how about you spend some time looking at the software, and then present your ideas to me later this afternoon.”

Ryan slipped his casual brown jacket off. He went to hang it over the back of his chair, but a mortified Camille plucked it from his hands, and breezed over to the far wall. She opened a tall closet and reached for a coat hanger. “Number one rule infashion Mister Collins, we respect the garments. The kinder you treat this jacket, the longer it will last.”

“Sorry,” he offered.

“Don’t say sorry to me, apologize to the jacket, it’s the one whom you have offended. I am merely trying to smooth things over,” teased Camille.

He might know a thing or two about workflow software, but she had been raised to never leave a single sock on the floor, let alone a full piece of clothing. Ryan was going to have to learn that the fashion business was a serious one.

But when he gifted her with a shy smile it was all Camille could do not to break into a broad grin in response. Crisis averted. They were going to make it through the first day together.

The spreadsheet from hell was worse than he remembered from the other day. The multitude of columns were colored in so many different shades of green and orange, that they danced in front of Ryan’s eyes.

He could understand why Hope had different colored columns for different collections. The drop down menus meant that she had a template for pieces for each collection. The codes even made sense once he knew what he was looking at. SP1SKL actually meantSpring Season Collection One Skirt Long, but they weren’t exactly intuitive.

I can’t keep stopping Camille from her work just to ask what they all mean.

The only thing he could give Hope any sort of thanks for, was that she was consistent in how she handled data. By the end of the morning, he’d selected some basic templates in the chosen application and imported pretty much all of the design studio data into that new app. He’d even started deciphering some more of the codes without Camille’s help.

Ryan was quietly pleased with himself.

His stomach however was less happy. It growled its demands for food. Ryan checked his new iPhone. Two o’clock. He wasn’t used to going this long without food, or at least a snack. At the coffee shop, he’d always been able to grab part of a sandwich made by the food team, and eat it while he kept working.

I should have packed a paper bag lunch.

With the price of a toasted cheese and ham sandwich starting at almost twenty dollars in this part of the city, he couldn’t justify spending a hundred bucks a week on his midday meal. He had debts to settle, and dreams to fund.

He rose from his chair, and stretched his arms out wide. Camille had disappeared somewhere about an hour ago, and he had no idea where she’d gone.

What’s the deal here, am I supposed to go get her food?

After their small misstep this morning over the tv show, he was keen to see the day out on a more positive note.

Ryan’s stomach rumbled again. He’d just retrieved his jacket from the coat closet when Camille appeared in the doorway. She had a tray of coffees in one hand, and a large paper takeout bag in the other. On the side of the bag the words Royal Resorts Manhattan were printed in bold letters.

“Sorry I took so long, but the kitchen was pumped during lunch service, and I had to wait for our food,” she said.

The mention of food had his stomach rumbling loudly in anticipation. Camille raised an eyebrow. “Someone is hungry. Come on, let’s eat.”

A relieved Ryan followed Camille into the kitchen. “I was just wondering if part of my job was to go and get your lunch each day.”

From out of the bag, Camille produced two tubs, and set them on the counter. “It’s Friday which means it’s Korean day. So we have egg drop soup for starters. Then we have Korean egg drop sandwiches, which are so delicious.” She paused for a moment, then laughed. “I think the chef was on a bit of an egg drop theme today.”

Ryan quickly searched the cupboards and after locating some plates, he divided the sandwiches between them. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake as he had the other day and eat more of the food than he should.

“Don’t worry about going to get lunch for us each day,” said Camille placing some napkins on the countertop. “We get fed by the hotel each day. They usually deliver it here, but as I was already in the area seeing Bryce, and the Human Resources people at Hudson Yards, it made sense for me to stop by and collect our order.” She folded up the oversized paper bag and put it in a recycling box.

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