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Briefly, I explained Lukas’s obsession with Petra and the co out the part about two of us losing our jobs But Trey was sharp, and he’d picked up not only on the tension but also the true effect the competition could have on our lives

"One of you needs to coh it aloud "That’s doable, isn’t it? What does this Byron guy have over you? Or Rhiannon? That’s a stupid na tier," Jackie said miserably "Hipper And Rhiannon is a beautiful name"

"Well, ‘hip’ is definitely a stupid word," Trey interjected "Why does Lukas have you following a book? Is it any good?"

I pulled Petra’s book from my work tote and handed it to Trey He stared at the cover for a long tih it while Jackie hobbled outside for a smoke (I told her to exhale in Mr Eckhardt’s direction)

When Jackie returned, Trey pushed the open book to the middle of the breakfast nook "She’s hot And British Did you notice?"

I slid the book toward me and flipped open the back cover "She is? I hadn’t noticed"

"Why should we listen to someone who isn’t even A the principles of business don’t vary much, Western nation to Western nation," I said

"Frank would use her book as a coaster," Jackie said gri"

Trey’s addition to the conversation was, "She’s seriously hot"

A smaller photo of Petra Polly stared back at raphy aloud, "‘Petra Polly lives in the London area with her three kittens, two dogs, and pet cockatoo She is currently developing a line of business products based on her popular philosophy’"

Jackie rolled her eyes "Of course she is"

Trey paged through the book while Jackie and I drank another cup of coffee

"Check out what she has to say about the creative process," he said after a while "This Petra is pretty slick"

Chapter 5 I hadn’t read it, and from the look of mild interest on Jackie’s face, I could tell she hadn’t either I began reading aloud:

Petra’s Rules for Creative Engagement, Part 1

1 An idea has both a body and a soul, just like a human The soul is the initial spark The body is what you share to your group--the practicalities, the plans, the blueprint The key to success is retaining the energy of that spark through the life span of your project After a while it will becoreater than you, and only then will you achieve success

"Does she think she’s the freaking Dalai Larumbled "Come on That doesn’t ," Trey said "Keep reading, Mo to please both of them, I rolled my eyes in solidarity with Jackie, but cleared my throat and read on:

2 How does one enrich the soul? Reveling in nature Falling in love Eating a delicious meal This is how you prepare your idea to live in the world Expose it to the elements Share it with others so that they may become entranced Feed it with the contributions of your peers