When You Don't Have The Solutions, Offer The Deception

Day 172 of The Andie Chronicles

There was a tentative tap on my office door. With the wooden structure slightly ajar, the office hum and Douglas' rambunctious phone meetings rendered me unable to concentrate. 

James' head appeared. "Do you have a sec, babe?" 

I put down my pencils and tucked away my designs. I wasn't ready for anyone to see these sketches, especially since the last time I pushed my agenda, I ended up on the nasty end of an email trail I shouldn't have seen. 

"Sure do. What do you need?" 

He perched on my desk and handed me a plastic mailer as he made himself comfortable. "What do you think of this?" 

It was this offensive, flimsy plastic satchel with Highway printed across it in crude lettering. It was white, too, plain and unappealing. I took it into my fingers and felt the cheap material. As it moved back and forth under my motion, the smell of pungent plastic wafted through the air. It smelt and sounded cheap, too, I bluntly concluded. 

"Is this the mailer? This thing?" 

"Yup. Douglas brought them in on Monday, and this was the best of a bad bunch." 

I looked back down on it, thinking this one was awful. "How bad were the other ones if this was the winner?"

"Pretty fucking bad, if you ask me." I was relieved James shared the same thought as me. If he thought this was good, I don't know what I would have said. 

I handed it back to him. "Why didn't you just say no?" 

James rolled his eyes. "Really, Andie? Could I have just told that beastly man this wasn't good enough? How do you think that would have gone down?" 

I couldn't believe James called him beastly. I mean, that's what I thought of him; I didn't realise James had jumped on the hating Douglas bandwagon with me. 

"Ok," I said, seizing the packaging and feeling it again, "Here's what we have to do." 

James raised his eyebrows at my assertion but didn't interrupt me. 

"Get one of the sample hoodies from the board room, a heavy one, put it in the mailer and send it back to yourself. Send it express, too, so you can have this all sorted by tomorrow, yeah?"

James' eyes lit up with agreeance.

"My prediction is it will have a hole in it and be covered in crap by the time it arrives. And then you can show Douglas, with proof, how bad it is."

I brought the bag back to my nose. "And then he can also smell how the clothes pick up on the scent of the bag, too." 

"That's genius." James beamed at me. "How did you think of that?"

"I dated the man, remember? He's the type of guy who can't be told. You have to show him before he believes you. And he might not get the picture, it could all be a bust, but at least you've tried. No one can say you didn't try."

No one could wipe the smile from James' face when I said that, either. "Do you need anything else?"

James leaned into me, still perched on the desk, and hugged me. My second hug in a matter of days.

"Thanks, babe. Are you free for lunch? My treat." 

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You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.

By the way, this all started when Andie turned thirty-five, and her then-boyfriend didn’t call her.

Or the day after that.

Or the day after that, too. 

Everything started to unravel when her BFFs got into bed with her ex, too… ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

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DAY 1: Tales Of People Forgetting Your Birthday And Lovers Who Don't Materialise

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Just a moment! 1 Lovelock Drive is a reader-supported publication (I can’t do this without you!). If you love what you read, and want to receive the next instalment and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!

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A little lost on what’s happening at 1 Lovelock Drive?

Well, you see, Andie’s break-up started back in February and so much has happened since then. These stories will help you catch right up! xx