"Oh, hey, there you are!"
It's Mary, or Miss Braces for everyone else in the office, greeting her in the only way she knows.
"Oh, hi, Mary," Claire, as Bella, says. She was trying to put on a semblance of work, typing a "memo" on her workstation, when Mary walked by. Gabriel hasn't arrived yet. He's supposed to. He must, because if he doesn't show up, Claire would feel like this is a sorry waste of an entire day. "That floral dress looks great on you."
"Oh, this?" Mary giggles. "Claudia gave it to me last Christmas. She really has great taste in dresses."
"That's so nice of her. What else has she given you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Has she given you her long-promised promotion?"
At the mention of "promotion," Mary's face crumbles. She sighs. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I have to go. There's some paperwork I must complete before Claudia arrives."
