"Hurry up Carrie. We are going to be late!" Elle yelled from the bathroom of her New York City loft as she desperately tried to pull her hair into an elegant ponytail.
"Don't yell at me that we are going to be late. It's your fault. Where are my sneakers?" Carrie yelled back.
"I don't know where your sneakers are." Elle retorted. Seconds later, Elle tripped over a pair of faded white tennis shoes. "Here they are Cars, now get your butt in the car. How do you feel about McDonald's drive thru for breakfast?"
"Sounds good." Carrie replied as both she and Elle ran down to the parking lot and climbed into the navy blue 1994 Jeep Wrangler. After a quick stop at McDonald's, Elle dropped Carrie off at school and just barely made it to work on time.
"Elle, has anyone ever told you about alarm clocks?" Caroline, Elle's secretary asked.
"Not in the last 20 minutes," Elle laughed back. It was just two days before the interview and already Elle had butterflies in her stomach.
The conversation was brief. Elle was due in Conference Room #4 in one hour to talk about facts and things to avoid, what to wear and important questions to ask. Elle was completely prepared. Even though she felt strange, she already had an entire notes sheet on each one of the Boys. She knew that Howie spoke perfect Spanish and that Nick's favorite food was pizza, but would these facts be enough to get her through an hour of live interview plus a 30 minute brief before taping? "I guess that I'll just have to wait and see," Elle thought to herself.
The interview prep went well. Maranda had commented on the wonderful organization and thoughtful preparation. Francesca, the fashion editor for The Monthly Jive, had offered her best ideas as to the wardrobe problem. Rich had given the overall layout. "Now all that was left was 48 hours until showtime," Elle thought as she walked to her car and drove off into the five-o-clock-rush-hour.
"What if I totally screw everything up?" "What if I sound like a complete fool?" "What if Nick has absolutely no clue who I am?" A sudden ring of her office phone brought her back to reality.