Chapter 4

Coward. She was the biggest coward on the planet. Instead of staying there and listening to what Dante had to say, she had walked away.

Finally making it back to Kate's office with the coffee, Lulu was able to take a fresh breath of air without having to worry about hyperventilating. One thing she could say about the Crimson office, it was so filled with tension she could block out everything else that was going on in her life.

Maxie was having one of her "Crimson" meltdowns as soon as she walked into the office, so as soon as Lulu handed Kate her coffee, she was entrenched in the chaos that was the magazine.

Sitting at her desk, going through the fashion magazine proofs and the stories on highlights and the new spring trends were making Lulu crazy. Two years. Lulu had been stuck in this office for two years and her life – her professional life – had never changed. While Maxie had been promoted to Editor, Lulu was still an assistant. Not that Lulu cared about becoming an Editor of "Crimson," but it was still the point. Her life was just not going where she wanted it to.

And who can I blame but myself? Lulu thought to herself.

Dante had always encouraged her to move out of the Crimson fashion house and into something else. While they were together, Dante had always tried to persuade her to venture out, to get out of Kate's and even Maxie's thumb and try something that she enjoyed. Lulu had been toying with the idea of quitting Crimson and applying for the reporter position at the Port Charles Herald for the last few weeks. It appealed to her sense of adventure, but also she could put her writing skills to good us. Right now her writing classes were being put to typing emails and faxes. The daughter of the great adventurer Luke Spencer was sitting behind a desk.

Still pretending to read the article Maxie wrote about Capri pants and scarves for this coming summer, Lulu thought back to a conversation she and Dante had had many months ago.

****

"Why are you still working at Crimson again?" Dante had asked while they were at his apartment eating pizza from Martino's.

"Because …." Lulu began and paused. "Because I get free clothes?"

"Really, that is your biggest reason for working at the magazine, because you get a free pair of shoes?" Dante tried to joke.

"Hey, you should be giddy with excitement over some of the free clothes I have gotten. You remember those boots that I wore last night," Lulu implied, "the ones that you said "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," to … and I sure did .. well those were a nice gift to me for helping out on a photo shoot."

"Oh yeahhhhhh," Dante grinned, and a feral smile graced his lips , "well in that case maybe it isn't a horrible job, but come on Lulu. You are bored out of your mind there. Even I can see it and I don't even work with you all day. Maxie must make your life a living hell, let alone Kate."

Attitude spiked, Lulu raised her voice, "Maxie and Kate are both so wrapped up in the magazine they barely see the two Christian Louboutin they are wearing to work. Let alone my sparkling attitude."

"But you could do so much more with your life, Lu. I mean when you are working with your Dad or Ethan – helping them get out of the mess they are in, you light up."

"Let's remember what my dad and brother DO!" Lulu joked. "For some reason, I think there might be a problem with you and I if I started "working" with my father and brother on some of their "operations."

"You're probably right, but Crimson is not the place you should be," Dante said as he grabbed another piece of pizza and gnawed it away.

***

Lulu remembered that conversation like it was yesterday. He had so much confidence and was so convinced in her abilities; he didn't want her to waste away at this job.

And neither did she. It was time to make some changes.

"Kate," Lulu called into her office, "do you have a minute?"