Somerset Maugham Rushing, rushing, always with the rushing. That's how Claire felt whenever she left her contract job at Madison and Franklin in the Loop and made her way to the Gazette building several blocks away, doing her best to get there by half past three, especially on Thursdays so she could catch Dianne's staff meetings. Turns out, it was the highlight of her week. The eclectic bunch was usually gathered around a conference table before she burst in, but they had grown accustomed to her late entrances. And she was growing accustomed to them, learning their names and becoming part of the team. Nancy Braley, the assistant food editor, was very friendly and super eager. Aubrey Thomas, a travel writer, was somber and guarded, which Claire thought odd considering her area of expertise—until she shared with Claire details about her extreme sport-loving husband's untimely death. Then there was Sara Cleff with her dyed black hair, heavy makeup, and too cool for her own good persona.
