looked at last week.
This can’t be right.
I glance down at her file laid out on my desk in front of me and the photo attached. The girl making her way over to me across the tile has had so much plastic surgery since this photo was taken that she’s almost unrecognizable.
Narrower nose. Puffier, plump lips that make her look like she just got stung by a bee and has some sort of allergic reaction that requires immediate attention. Eyebrows so thin they look painted on. And if I’m not mistaken, cheek implants and a chin adjustment of some sort.
Yikes.
Gone is the sweet-looking girl next door with the dishwater-blond hair. This bleached-blond version looks more like Plastic Surgery Barbie—all the things that made her her no longer visible.
I swallow thickly and plaster on a fake smile. “Hello.”
She flashes me a dazzling white smile. Too white. With teeth so perfect, they must be caps. “I’m here to see Archimedes Warren. We have a lunch date.”
Ugh…
The way she said that like she’s bragging to me about having a date with Archie makes me gag. This one isn’t going to make the cut. I can tell it immediately and have a feeling Archie isn’t going to be enthralled with the attitude she’s already throwing around.
But despite my shock, I maintain my composure and smile at her.
Her blue eyes travel over my desk, across all my Christmas snow globes, and then to my Rudolph sweater, complete with blinking red nose, and she smirks. “Well, you certainly have a unique…style. I can’t say I’ve ever met a grown woman so obsessed with childish things like Christmas who also enjoys dressing like a toddler.”
I bite back the retort at the tip of my tongue because it’s not in my job description to tell off anyone, and even though I think Archie would understand it in this case, I’m too much of a professional to let her get to me.
Instead, I rise from my chair and sweep a hand toward the black leather couch against the side wall of the small waiting area. It’s specifically for the executive floor that houses Archie and his father’s offices. “Please take a seat, and I’ll see if Mister Warren is ready.”
She gives me another fake smile and saunters over there, her attention zeroing in on the Picasso and Rembrandt hanging in the reception area.
Probably wondering how much they’re worth if she were to sell them…if she even knows what they are, that is.
I grit my teeth and make my way to Archie’s office. With his face buried in a stack of papers on his desk, he doesn’t even notice my approach, even though he could see me through the glass if he bothered to look up. I knock on the door, and he jerks up his head and raises an eyebrow.
His normally bright-blue eyes, clouded by stress and lack of sleep, meet mine. “She here?”
Depends on who he’s expecting.
The girl from the picture most certainly is not here.
I step in and let the door close behind me. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you just buzz me?”
“Well…there’s something I should warn you about first.”
He groans and leans back in his chair. “Oh, hell. I can’t handle any more surprises.”
I suppress a grimace and take a seat across from him. “Her picture isn’t exactly an accurate depiction of her current appearance. Let’s just put it that way.”
His brow furrows, and he narrows his eyes on me. “How much different can it be?”
It’s impossible to stop the chuckle that rises in my throat, and I shrug. “About ten surgeries worth is my light estimate.”
He scowls and shakes his head. “It can’t be that bad. My mom has had a couple of nips and tucks here and there, but she looks great.”
I open my mouth to say something but bite it back. He waits for me to speak, but I refuse. I don’t want to sound like a catty bitch in front of my boss. Even though things have definitely been more casual and comfortable between us lately, I’m constantly worried about crossing a line I won’t be able to come back from. One that would get me fired.
His mouth drops open. “Wow, is it really that bad?”
Yes. Absolutely yes.
I give him a look and shrug. “The words Plastic Surgery Barbie come to mind.”
“Oh, Lord.” He pushes to his feet and sucks in a deep breath. “Thanks for the warning. But appearances aren’t everything, right?”
“No, they certainly aren’t.”
But this one lacks a decent personality, too.
It’s what I want