The Hourglass by Megan C. Smith, K. S. Smith

across my desk. The first lie, or was it the second? Throwing my hands in the air in anger I scoffed. It was all lies. My eye caught my assistant, Lisa, standing in my doorway looking a frazzled mess.
    “Ms. Reid, I apologize. Umm, I was just bringing you a few messages and seeing if you needed anything.” Looking back at the photographs on my desk, I thought of a lot of things I needed, but one clicked in my head. Maybe it was because the best-friend gloves were off, or just my irritation with her at the moment, but this really wasn’t Savannah’s best work. It was good but I could tell she had been distracted, probably daydreaming about my boyfriend, while she was taking these photos and it showed.
    “Yes, can you get these back to Savannah and tell her they are just not up to the level of workmanship I expect from her. The lighting is far too dark for a spring photo shoot. I need her to edit them or give me something I can work with besides this.” I picked up a few of the proof sheets and tossed them at my white-faced assistant.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    Savannah
    SITTING IN MY office shuffling through photos, I leaned back in my chair, releasing a giant sigh just as Brooke’s assistant walked in. I glared up at her for a moment then lifted an eyebrow, questioning her presence. “Is there something I can help you with?” I snarled.
    Her body froze, and it took her a minute to remember her reason for being in my office in the first place. She scurried over to my desk and set down a group of photos from my New York session. “I’m sorry to bother you Ms. Prescott, but Ms. Reid asked that you revisit these pictures. She believes that you can do better. The lighting is not working with her layout. She asked that you fix these or prepare new photos.”
    My mouth gaped at her words, and my body instantly seared with heat. I leaped from my seat and snatched the photos off my desk. With barely a glance, I stormed past Brooke’s assistant.
    When I arrived at Brooke’s office, I shoved her door open and tossed the photos across her desk. “What in the hell do you mean I can do better? You and I both know these pictures are perfect. Bad lighting my ass.”
    Brooke leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “Savannah, I know your work and these just aren’t up to par. You either need to adjust your edits or re-shoot; they simply won’t go with the layout as they are.”
    My blood boiled. “Listen, Brooke, I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not, but I am the lead photographer for Hourglass and my work is perfect. Don’t act like these haven’t been approved by Monica. If she saw something wrong with them she’d have already pointed it out.” My voice growing louder as I continued. “You need to figure out how to make these photos work, because there’s no way in hell I’m making any further edits, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste money on another shoot.”
    Brooke thrust herself out of her chair, slamming her hands against the desk, and I could tell she was getting ready to lash out at me just as her eyes grew to the size of golf balls. Snapping her mouth shut she stood there, silent, until I heard a throat clear behind my back.
    Spinning on my heels I came face to face with Monica. “Ladies, is there a problem?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
    Shaking my head I answered, “No, we’re just reviewing photos.”
    Adjusting her glasses she glared at the both of us. “The last time I checked, reviewing photos does not require shouting like lunatics. You two need to pull yourselves together before you’re both looking for new jobs.” In the blink of an eye she spun around and left us.
    Before I could turn around Brooke muttered under her breath. “Fix the damn photos, Savannah.”
    Furious with her, I whipped around and glared at her. “Kiss my ass, Brooke,” I chided, before storming out of her office. I unlocked my phone and sent a text to Luke.
    Early lunch?
    I didn’t