A Heart to Trust

by A. L. Brooks

  What the—?

  “Oh, look, here’s Maxwell,” Chrissy said cheerily, and she stood.

  Maxwell walked toward them and gave a goofy wave.

  Jenny snorted. Oh yeah, that’s Maxwell. “Hey!” She stepped up to offer a fist bump.

  Maxwell merely glanced at her fist. “There’s a sixty-three percent chance of rain today. I hope you all brought umbrellas.”

  Jenny laughed out loud as both Olivia and Chrissy looked at him, their mouths open like goldfish.

  Chapter 7

  At one minute before ten, they all filed into one of the meeting rooms.

  “Here, Jenny, sit next to me.” Chrissy motioned to the chair beside her.

  Olivia grimaced. What are we, teenagers back in school?

  Chrissy was a difficult one to figure out. On the surface, and as far as everyone else believed, she was a classic American cheerleader. Always friendly and chirpy. But there was something, something Olivia couldn’t quite put her finger on, that meant she didn’t one hundred percent trust Chrissy.

  Olivia pulled out the chair opposite Jenny and managed to smile at Maxwell when he sat to Olivia’s right. He was someone she couldn’t quite read, either, but for entirely different reasons. He was so…odd. No, that was unfair. He was simply not the type of person she’d ever interacted with before. Serious, with a floppy mop of dark blond hair, he was a huge bear of a man but seemed contained within himself despite his size. And the way he threw such strange facts and statistics out at random was bemusing, to say the least.

  She looked across at Jenny and held back a smirk. That one she’d figured out already. Goofy, unable to take anything seriously, and immature. She dressed like a teenager, for God’s sake. Absolutely not someone Olivia needed to spend any time with or think about.

  Derek appeared moments later and took the seat at the head of the table. “So, it’s good to all be together.” Once again, he wore a shirt size too small.

  Doesn’t his wife see him before he leaves for work each day and tell him?

  “Jenny, Maxwell, welcome.” He nodded in their direction. “And thank you all for being on board with what we need to achieve in the next few months.”

  As if we had any choice. Olivia startled as she caught Jenny’s small eye roll. Perhaps the vacant-headed one wasn’t quite so unaware. Don’t be judgmental. She could almost hear Broderick saying it. What was it he’d said? Oh yes, she needed to find that version of her that used to like people. Well, thanks to Sally and the stunt she’d pulled back in Bristol, that seemed a hard task. Trusting work colleagues was something Olivia would need a lot of time to work on.

  “So the first thing I want to do is apologize for the less-than-ideal working area you two were given.” Derek smiled ruefully.

  Jenny straightened in her chair and fixed her gaze on Derek.

  Olivia had to admit the steel in her expression was impressive.

  “My bad,” Derek continued. “I assumed office services could come up with something better, even at this short notice. But trust me, they will before the end of the week.”

  “Thanks.” Jenny flicked a glance at Olivia. “I’ve a couple more things I’d like to have on hand, so it would be good to have a desk a little bigger.”

  Oh God, what else has she got to add to her already overly tacky and nerdy collection of ridiculous knickknacks? Still, the more she added, the more unprofessional she’d probably appear and the more professional Olivia would look in comparison. So, let her have her fun. All Olivia had to do was concentrate on her own work and make sure she left no doors open for anyone to sneak in and steal her thunder. There would be no repeat of Sally and Bristol.

  “Sure, sure.” Derek clapped his hands together. “Okay, onwards. It’s time to talk about the project and what I expect from all of you over the coming weeks.”

  Olivia sat forward, picked up her pen and notebook, and gave Derek her full attention.

  Oh God, I bet she sat at the front of the class throughout school, didn’t she? Ugh. Jenny mentally shook her head and tore her gaze away from Miss Uptight across the table. What is it about her that keeps making me want to be so snarky? Is it the stick up her ass or the holier-than-thou look she wears all the time?

  Jenny forced herself to concentrate on Derek and what he’d said. Wasting her energy on trying to figure out Olivia’s problem wouldn’t get her anywhere in the fight for her job.

  “So, the project we’ve lined up is something we’ve been working on for some time. But now it’s at a point where you can jump on board and help push things along.” Derek leaned forward. “Its in-house name is Project Catwalk. It’s part of a televised charity gala that will be broadcast live on Saturday, December 23. C&V has overall production responsibility, but we’ve subcontracted some segments. You don’t need to worry about those. What I want you to focus on is our main contribution to the event.”

  Across the table Olivia had written “Project Catwalk” in large letters across the top of a fresh page in her notebook and underlined it. Twice.

  Jenny wanted to laugh.

  “We’re running a fashion show but with a difference,” Derek continued. “Instead of a single presenter introducing the models and what they’re wearing, we’ve lined up twelve top sportsmen, each of whom will present one model. The TV audience will phone in and vote on their favorite duo, pledging a minimum of five dollars to our charity pot. The audience who are in the room will also be able to pledge and vote, but their minimum will be one hundred dollars.” He smiled. “Of course, we expect them to pledge a hell of a lot more than that, given they’re all going to be very rich and famous.”

  “I love this!” Chrissy gushed.

  Derek grinned. “Yeah, we’re pretty proud of it.”

  “Which charities will benefit?” Olivia’s expression was completely neutral.

  “We have a variety. Some for the homeless, some for veterans, some for animals. All the things that pull at the heartstrings around Christmas time.” Derek smirked.

  Jenny couldn’t help the grimace that twisted her mouth; his cynicism turned her stomach.

  “Jenny?” Derek narrowed his gaze as he looked directly at her.

  Jenny plastered a fake smile on her face. “Yes?”

  “Problem?”

  Feigning confusion, she said, “No?”

  He stared at her for a moment. “Okay. Any more questions?” When no one said anything, he gathered his papers. “Great. You’ll receive the production packs later today outlining all the details of location, people, timings. Your tasks will focus on location services, planning transport for both people and equipment, and generally doing anything I tell you to. Understood?”

  All four heads nodded, but no one said a word.

  Derek stood. “We’ll meet twice a week, but I expect you to keep me updated with progress. And as soon as you hit an issue, I want to hear about it.” He looked around at them all. “We’re on a tight timeframe, so don’t try to fix something that isn’t yours to fix. Got it?” His tone brooked no arguments.

  Jenny’s heart sank—Derek’s working style certainly didn’t compare to Adrienne’s. She rubbed at her chin and watched as he strode out of the room. He’d been nice as pie about the desk situation, then treated them all as glorified office juniors. Which side of him was real?

  Adrienne had always pushed Jenny to learn new things, improve the skills she had, and contribute much more than just photocopying and coffee making. If Derek was one of those production managers who wanted her to do nothing more than be a taxi for overpaid stars and pick up his dry cleaning, then maybe she didn’t want this job after all.

  “Ready to get back?” Chrissy asked.

  “Oh, sure.” Jenny smiled as brightly as she could manage. But pretending to be happy would get really boring, and fast, if things didn’t improve.

  As she stoo
d, Olivia moved at the same time and their gazes met. Jenny startled; Olivia looked at her with a question in her eyes Jenny couldn’t begin to interpret.

  Chapter 8

  Olivia sucked in a deep breath as she exited the elevator on Tuesday morning. Today was the official start of Project Catwalk. Whether she liked the project or not, she needed to grit her teeth and give it her all. She’d spent all Monday evening reading through the production pack, making copious notes on all the areas where she suspected she and the rest of the team would be asked to contribute. It wasn’t an exhaustive list—all PAs knew they could be asked to do absolutely anything. But at least it helped get some of the key things embedded in her mind.

  She’d sent a meeting request for ten this morning to the rest of the team as soon as she’d finished working on her notes so they could start forming a plan to split the tasks between them. Better that than running around like headless chickens working on everything all at once. She inwardly groaned as she thought about what they’d be working on. While it was great to be a part of a big project like Catwalk, the actual concept more than rankled her feminist principles. Women parading for the enjoyment of beefy sportsmen was not her idea of entertainment.

  Jenny’s reaction to the project reappeared in her mind’s eye. She’d been quick to cover it, but there had definitely been a frown of disgust that crossed her features as Derek elaborated on what Catwalk involved. Could it be the green-haired woman had at least one admirable quality? Or was she merely disappointed by what her role would involve? Either were possible, Olivia supposed. She’d tried to gauge more as they’d stood to leave, catching Jenny’s gaze and trying to read what hid in its depths. Then she’d become distracted by the color of Jenny’s eyes, a deep, smoky gray she’d ever seen before. It had mesmerized her, and for one long moment, she’d completely forgotten where she was. She shivered at the recollection.

  As she neared her desk, she spotted someone with bright pink hair at the copier nearby. Good God, not another person who couldn’t take office life seriously. She almost tutted out loud. Olivia knew she’d received a few looks from people in the wider production team for her smart dress sense. People didn’t seem to understand why she, as one of the lowest-paid members of staff, wanted to come to work in a suit. But appearance was important, no matter where you were in the food chain.

  She’d learned that the hard way back in the UK. Underestimating what people in important roles in theater production thought of her casual dress sense back then had lost her the biggest opportunity of her life. She’d transferred all that benefit to Sally—looking the part of serious businesswoman in her new suit and fancy haircut—as she stole Olivia’s idea for a new show. The same Sally Olivia had considered the first real friend she’d made in the theater business. Sally had turned out to be purely interested in furthering her career and didn’t care who she trampled over to achieve it.

  Olivia had raged against the unfairness of it all for a while, then hardened her heart and learned from it. Of course, it helped she’d married Broderick soon after and moved to New York. Starting from scratch with a totally new wardrobe and haircut to match had given her the best chance to put all that pain behind her. And yet, she still hadn’t found anyone willing to give her a decent job, something she could be proud of.

  And here I am, in a fight for a lowly PA role with a woman who dyes her hair green and a man who turned up to the meeting with Derek in jeans with holes in the knees. She ground her teeth so hard her jaw ached.

  She reached her desk and gratefully lowered her heavy purse onto its surface. Yes, she could invest in a laptop bag, but those things were always so ugly. The black, oversized purse suited her, and it looked good with whatever she happened to wear.

  “Morning.”

  Olivia looked up and to her astonishment the person with pink hair stood before her. And the person was Jenny. Olivia looked at the hair, then met Jenny’s gaze. “Pink?” Olivia quirked an eyebrow.

  Jenny smirked. “Nice, isn’t it?” She dropped a pile of papers onto her desk and sat.

  Olivia tutted and returned her attention to her laptop. Pink. For God’s sake.

  “Good morning!” Chrissy announced as she arrived at her desk. “Anyone else have fun on the subway this morning? I had to wait ten minutes for a six train and it was gross once it arrived.”

  Jenny chuckled. “I guess I just missed that. Lucky me.”

  “Oh, you are so right. Hey, I love your hair!” Chrissy said, then turned. “Good morning, Olivia.”

  Resisting the urge to scowl, Olivia presented her fake smile. “Good morning, Chrissy.”

  Chrissy gave her a penetrating look.

  Olivia coolly held her gaze until Chrissy turned away.

  “Wow.” Jenny stared at her laptop screen. “Talk about being…” She cleared her throat.

  “What’s up?” Chrissy asked.

  Jenny looked around. Her glance lingered for one moment on Olivia, then shifted back to Chrissy. “Um, nothing. Coffee?”

  Chrissy nodded enthusiastically.

  “Want to join me?” Jenny stood, picked up her laptop, and pointed to the coffee station.

  “Sure!” Chrissy bounced back up out of her chair and followed Jenny.

  Olivia watched them go, her irritation dissipating. Whatever they were up to, they were welcome to it. She wanted no part of their juvenile let’s hang out by the coffee station so we can gossip behavior.

  Maxwell appeared a moment later. Like Jenny, he wore casual clothes with a New York Jets T-shirt over stonewashed jeans. Although C&V didn’t have a strict dress code for staff lower than senior manager, it still shocked Olivia people would think jeans and T-shirt were okay attire. Especially people fighting for their job. Still, she shouldn’t complain. The more they didn’t take this seriously, the better for her.

  “What’s up?” Chrissy asked as soon as they were out of Olivia’s earshot.

  Jenny tried to keep her expression neutral. “Have you seen what she sent us last night?”

  “No, I didn’t log on last night. I was out in the park with my boyfriend.”

  “Nice.” Jenny frowned again. “It looks like Olivia was busy. She’s sent us a meeting request for ten this morning.”

  “A meeting request?” Chrissy looked confused. “Olivia?”

  “Yeah.” Jenny rubbed the back of her neck. It was early days to take sides, but Olivia’s request, or rather, the tone of it, had pissed her off. It could be a mistake complaining about her to Chrissy—for all Jenny knew, she and Olivia were best buddies. But somehow, she doubted it. That frosty “good morning” exchange hadn’t seemed like it was between two people who loved—or even liked—each other. “You know her better than I do, but the tone of it is…well, it’s kind of like she thinks she’s in charge of us or something.”

  “What does it say?”

  Jenny opened her laptop. The meeting request was open, and she let Chrissy read it over her shoulder.

  Dear Colleagues,

  As you know, we need to start working on Project Catwalk together. It seems there are a variety of tasks we can perform, and it would be best for all of us if we ensured we didn’t overlap. I have therefore designed a schedule and assigned roles, and I’ve arranged this meeting so we can go through the list and make sure everything is covered.

  Regards,

  Olivia Sinclair

  Production Assistant

  “Oh yes, that’s Olivia all right, from what I’ve seen so far.” Chrissy folded her arms. “To be honest, I don’t know her well. We started here within a couple of weeks of each other and between you and me, we’ve never hit it off.” She glanced around, presumably to make sure they were still alone. “But she’s a little, well, you know, uptight.”

  “I’m so glad it’s not just me.” Jenny kept her voice low. “She’s been less than friendly since this whole thing
was announced.”

  Chrissy pursed her lips. “Yeah, I’m so sorry about that. It’s not like I could have warned you or anything but yeah, she’s a hard one to work with. I mean,” she said hastily, “she’s good at her job. I can’t fault that. But she’s definitely not a team player, if you know what I mean.”

  “I’m beginning to see that.” Jenny sighed.

  By Wednesday, it was clear to Olivia she was not Miss Popular with the rest of the team. As if she cared. The good news was her preemptive strike in setting up the planning meeting on Tuesday had achieved what she’d hoped: they now had a fully detailed plan allocating tasks and responsibilities to each of them. Yes, there had been a certain coldness in the room as she’d gone through her ideas, even from Maxwell, but despite that, everyone had got on with things. She had to begrudgingly admit, even Jenny had contributed some good ideas and actually focused on the task at hand.

  All four of them now had their heads down, either working on their laptops or speaking on the phone. She had tuned everyone else out and pushed on with her work. She was part of two other large projects as well as Catwalk, but she was busy working on the list of transportation options for both the Catwalk event setup and the movement of people on the night of the gala, which was her main responsibility.

  “Over there!” said a man’s voice.

  The rumble of something large being wheeled across the floor followed, and Olivia dragged her gaze away from her screen to see what was happening.

  Two men pushed a large platform hand truck toward her working area. On the bed of the truck were two desks, stacked on their short ends.

  Maxwell stood. “Jenny, I think we need to take a break now.”

  Jenny whipped around and a wide grin broke out on her face. When she smiled like that, everything about her seemed to lift up, and her gray eyes took on an ethereal glow.

  Olivia caught that thought and sent it scurrying back where it came from.