A Heart to Trust

by A. L. Brooks

  She watched as Chrissy finally approached Derek and laid a gentle hand on the small of his back to get his attention. Unseen by anyone but Jenny, Olivia scowled briefly, then set her face in a mask of calm poise. When Derek dismissed her with a short wave of his hand, she strode away toward backstage, her entire posture rigid with tension.

  Before she could overthink it, Jenny moved, walking behind the stage along the small gap left for them to cut from one side of the stage to the other without going around the runway and tables. She caught up with Olivia just as she headed for the exit that led to the cold December air outside. “Olivia.” She kept her voice low, not wanting to attract anyone else’s attention.

  Olivia stopped with her hand on the door lever, paused for a moment, her head bowed, then faced Jenny, her face a picture of casual serenity. “Yes?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine,” Olivia said through tight lips.

  “I couldn’t help but see Derek was being pretty shitty to you.” Jenny dipped her head to meet Olivia’s eyes; she seemed reluctant to have the contact. “There is something going on, I can tell.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Olivia sounded deflated. She turned back to the door and yanked it open.

  A blast of cold air scurried into the space they shared.

  “Jesus, you can’t go out there!” Jenny placed a hand on Olivia’s shoulder and tugged her back. “You’ll freeze.” She looked pointedly at Olivia’s gold, thin, silky shirt. “At least get your coat on if you’re going.”

  “Yes, Mom,” Olivia said in an exaggeratedly American accent.

  Jenny shook her head but laughed. “Okay, yeah, maybe that was a bit of a mom voice. But seriously, it’s bitter cold out there.” She hesitated, then thumbed over her shoulder. “Come on, I know a quiet spot where you can still get away from things without freezing your ass off.”

  Olivia quirked one eyebrow but didn’t refuse when Jenny motioned for her to follow.

  Jenny led Olivia down the hallway, past the greenroom and dressing rooms, and finally to a small empty room around a corner.

  “The tech guys have been using this as their break room. There’s even snacks.” Jenny waggled her eyebrows.

  Olivia chewed on her bottom lip and walked over to one of the chairs arranged along the longest wall. After she’d sat, she huffed out a long breath, leaned her head back against the wall, and closed her eyes.

  While she still looked immaculate as ever, and her hair and light makeup were as fresh as at seven-thirty that morning, the hints of dark circles beneath her eyes gave away her tiredness. As did her posture; her body slumped pretty ungracefully in the chair. “This is such a long day.” Her voice was quiet.

  “It sure is.” Jenny sat in a chair a couple away from Olivia, reluctant to crowd her, though she longed to pull Olivia into a soft hug and comfort away whatever had put that sadness into Olivia’s tone. She shifted in her seat, unsettled with where her thoughts had led.

  “Derek isn’t very impressed with me today.” Olivia looked directly at Jenny. “And I have the lovely Chrissy to thank for that.” There was almost a challenge in her tone, as if she dared Jenny to defend Chrissy. Yet her eyes said something different. They said, “I need you to trust me, believe me, and support me.”

  Somehow, despite the distance that had crept between them—that Olivia had put between them—in the last few weeks, Jenny had no doubt that what Olivia was about to tell her would one hundred percent be the truth. And she would have to accept it, even if it did paint Chrissy in a very bad light. “What did she do?” Jenny held Olivia’s gaze.

  Olivia swallowed. “Told Derek I’d said something I hadn’t. He updated the master schedule, then ripped into me when I didn’t do the thing that the updated schedule said I would.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Luckily for me, my mother-in-law was super keen today and could come in at a moment’s notice. She was therefore only fifteen minutes later than the new schedule proposed. The sound guys she was to work with fell under her charms within five minutes and the problem was forgotten. But not by Derek.” She laughed bitterly. “Chrissy made sure of that.”

  “I noticed they’d been spending a lot of time together.” Jenny sighed, and the final strands of trust she’d had for Chrissy snapped. “I thought I could trust her. Especially after I spoke to her. But it looks like I might have been trusting the wrong person.” She looked up at Olivia. “I’m sorry. For not believing you before.”

  Olivia waved her hand. “Why would you? She was super nice to you, from the get-go. But she seems to be excellent at the fine art of manipulation…”

  “Yeah, a friend of mine said that too.” Jenny rubbed a hand across the back of her neck. To her surprise, Olivia’s gaze tracked the movement.

  “She did?” Olivia’s voice was low, almost a whisper, her gaze still locked on Jenny’s hand as it moved back and forth over her neck.

  Goose bumps erupted up and down Jenny’s arms at the sound of Olivia’s voice; she dropped her hand. “Uh-huh. She said she’s seen enough office politics and games to know a manipulator when she sees one.” Jenny forced herself to break Olivia’s gaze. “I’ve been trying to step back a little from Chrissy, watch her as if I’d not known her before. I’ve seen a few things that, well, make me realize I was a bit naive to trust her so much to begin with.”

  “I’m sorry.” Olivia pursed her lips. “Like I said to you once before, I didn’t want to come between the two of you. You can choose your own friends. But I think she’s working very hard to make sure one of us, probably me, gets fired by Derek before he has to make a choice as to which three of us he keeps. I can only assume that’s because she’s scared that, on performance alone, she’d be the one heading out the door.”

  “It’s funny, I’ve been thinking it’s Maxwell at risk. He’s just not motivated enough to do what C&V does.”

  “True, but if you’re as insecure as Chrissy is, you don’t see that. You only see your own failings and you work hard to deflect attention away from them.” Olivia tipped her head back, gazing at the murky ceiling. “I wonder if she even realizes what she’s doing. It’s quite sad, in a way. Nasty, but sad nonetheless.” She looked at Jenny.

  “What a crappy situation we’re all in.” Jenny’s annoyance at the whole mess came to the surface. “Fuck Derek and his dumb idea to make us all play off each other. I mean, seriously, what the hell did he think would happen? Asshole.”

  Olivia blinked, then moved onto the empty chair between them.

  The move was so sudden yet graceful, it left Jenny breathless.

  Olivia was now only inches from Jenny, and her hazel eyes studied Jenny with an intensity that made something throb low in Jenny’s abdomen. “Your eyes go this incredible color when you’re angry,” Olivia whispered. “It’s literally like the darkness of a storm cloud brewing on the horizon. It’s absolutely breathtaking.”

  Jenny swallowed, and a part of her brain thought she should move or back away. But she was glued to her seat, her limbs frozen, her entire being yearning for—

  She’s married, a voice in the back of her head whispered. A voice that sounded a lot like Tamara.

  “Olivia.” It was all Jenny got out before Olivia’s lips pressed against hers and kissed her with both softness and heat that, together, sent shockwaves coursing through Jenny’s limbs. She froze for a millisecond. Then she returned the kiss, unable to fight the desire that swept over her at Olivia’s touch. It had been over a year since she’d been kissed, and she hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it until this moment, right here.

  Olivia increased the pressure of her mouth and parted her lips.

  Jenny moaned, soft and low, as Olivia swept her tongue delicately over Jenny’s top lip and sought permission to enter her mouth. She gave it, alarms screaming in her mind while she simultaneously craved the hot wetness and
the sensual feel of Olivia’s mouth claiming hers.

  Olivia kissed her with a strength that was as surprising as it was arousing, and Jenny moaned again. At the sound, Olivia clutched at the waistband of Jenny’s pants and pushed even closer.

  “Olivia?” a woman’s voice called. “Are you back here? I thought I saw you walk this way.”

  Olivia pulled back so fast Jenny very nearly ended up on the floor. In the next second Olivia stood and brushed at her clothes. She rushed toward the door.

  Jenny stared after her, her mind taking forever to catch up to what had just happened.

  Katherine Sinclair appeared at the doorway just as Olivia reached it. “Oh, there you are, darling.” She leaned in and kissed Olivia’s cheek. “I just wanted to catch up with you before I go on stage. Isn’t this tremendously exciting!”

  The older woman’s eyes shone, and a small part of Jenny thought it was kinda cute she was so pumped up for the event. The rest of Jenny was still back in Olivia’s embrace, her mouth being plundered in a way that had left her too weak-kneed to stand.

  “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was here,” Mrs. Sinclair said. “Hello.” She gave Jenny a winning smile.

  “Hello, Mrs. Sinclair. Jenny, I work with Olivia.” Wow, I almost sound normal. How was that possible?

  “Am I interrupting something?” Mrs. Sinclair looked sincerely concerned.

  “No, not at all,” Olivia said. “But I’ll be out in a moment, okay?”

  “Of course, dear. Take your time. I’ll be in my dressing room. Come visit, if you have time?”

  “I do. Two minutes.”

  If Katherine Sinclair suspected anything, she hid it well. She gave them both a wave and walked off in a swirl of taffeta and expensive perfume.

  Olivia took a moment to turn back to Jenny. When she did, her expression said it all: fear and regret fought for control.

  “I’m… I should never have done that.” Olivia’s voice was raspy. “Please, forget I ever did that.”

  “I don’t understand.” Jenny was determined not to let her off that easy. “It’s obvious there’s something between us. There has been for a while. But you’re married, so what the hell was that?”

  Olivia pressed a hand to her chest; she looked like she was trying to calm her breathing. Or stop herself from crying. “It’s complicated. Which I know is the biggest cliché in the book.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I should never have kissed you. It won’t happen again.”

  Before Jenny could respond, Olivia turned and hurried out of the room.

  Jenny slumped back on her seat, her mind a tornado of confusion. What the actual fuck had just happened?

  “Jenny Quinn to the stage,” a voice said from her radio earpiece. “Jenny Quinn to the stage.”

  Yeah, it was probably a really good thing she still had to work because God knew she didn’t want to sit and think about Olivia’s kiss for the rest of the evening. Not if she wanted to retain her sanity, at least.

  Oh my God, what did I just do? Olivia hurried down the corridor to Katherine’s dressing room, then slowed her steps as the door came into view. Breathe, just breathe. She pressed a hand to her abdomen and inhaled deeply.

  I kissed Jenny. And it was incredible. Admittedly, it had been well over two years since she’d kissed anyone, so maybe any kiss right now would feel that good. But she didn’t think so. It was Jenny, and how she felt in Olivia’s arms, how her mouth felt on Olivia’s. The only trouble was, Olivia had no right to go around kissing anyone—never mind Jenny—given where her life was right now. I could have blown everything for Broderick. Her stomach roiled at the thought.

  And yet she was still regretful at having to tell Jenny to forget what they’d shared. The confusion and hurt on Jenny’s face also turned her stomach. I need to find some antacids—I’ll never survive the evening otherwise.

  A few moments later, her breathing was back to normal, and she was fairly certain her face was its regular color. She took one last, deep breath and rapped on the door of Katherine’s dressing room.

  “Come in!”

  She pushed through the door and inwardly winced at the scene that awaited her.

  Katherine paced the small room, one hand holding a glass of water and the other pressed against her chest. She muttered as she paced, and Olivia caught the odd word here and there.

  “Just like the old days.” “You can do this.” “Broderick would be so proud.”

  Olivia’s heart clenched. “Are you okay?” She stepped farther into the room.

  “Oh! Oh, darling, yes, I’m fine.” Katherine chuckled, her fingers fluttering against her chest. “Just a tad nervous.”

  “You are going to be great.” Olivia smiled at her. “I saw your rehearsals, remember? You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Oh, you are a dear.” Katherine inhaled deeply, then set the glass down. “Now, how does my hair look? I do like the style, though it’s not something I would normally do.”

  “It looks amazing. You look absolutely beautiful, trust me.”

  “Thank you.” Katherine’s cheeks pinked. “How long is it to go?” She glanced up at the clock on the wall and a small squeal escaped her lips. “Oh gosh, only five minutes!”

  Olivia took her hand and squeezed. “Sorry, but I have to get out there, get in my position. Will you be all right here until they call you through?”

  Katherine gripped her hand, then let it go. “I will. Go! Go do your job.” She blew Olivia a kiss.

  Not for the first time in the last couple of years, Olivia was overwhelmed with guilt for lying to this lovely woman about her relationship with Broderick. Before those feelings could derail her, she spun round and left the room, her heart pounding.

  Out front, the room was abuzz. The warm-up act, a comedian who seemed to have gotten everyone relaxed and feeling jolly, was just walking off stage.

  “Okay, folks!” the MCs voice boomed over the sound system. “We’re nearly ready.”

  Olivia bent low and crouch ran to her allotted station on the left side of the stage.

  Jenny had the right side; she must have taken up position while Olivia had been talking to Katherine.

  Olivia worked hard to keep her focus on the room, not on the woman she’d kissed only minutes before. A glance into the depths of the room told her Chrissy was behind the main body of tables in close proximity to the director’s desk, with Derek hovering in the background.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your host for the evening,” the MC said. “Katherine Sinclair!”

  To rapturous applause, Katherine stepped onto the stage. Actually, glided was the better descriptor. She waved gracefully, a broad smile on her face, and Olivia’s heart swelled with pride for her mother-in-law.

  After a couple minutes of loud applause, cheers, and whistles, Katherine managed to quiet the audience. “Honored guests, thank you for that lovely welcome.” More cheers and hoots. “Oh, hush now.”

  The audience laughed, and Olivia hoped Broderick, Philip, and Mallory had made sure to watch the show from the very start so they could all witness Katherine having the room eating out of the palm of her hand.

  A few minutes later, after all her introductions and explanations of the evening’s structure were complete, Katherine introduced the first model. “He needs no more introduction than his name,” she said with an extravagant opening of her arms.

  Olivia snorted to herself. She knew very well Katherine had no idea who half the models were, not being a sports fan at all, but she had to give her mother-in-law credit—she was certainly faking it well.

  “Please give a big welcome to Chad Bauer!” Katherine cried.

  Bauer entered the stage from Olivia’s side.

  She held open the heavy curtain for him and was rewarded with a cheesy wink. She nearly tutted but decided
to ignore the hulking quarterback, then watched with grudging admiration as he strode down the runway as if he did it every week.

  The audience went wild as he threw up his arms and encouraged them to cheer more, all the while strutting his way down the illuminated runway like a peacock in heat. It was over-the-top but absolutely perfect, and pride swept over Olivia at what they’d made happen. At what Jenny had made happen.

  She risked a glance over to the other side of the stage and her breath caught in her throat.

  Jenny clutched at the curtain on her side of the stage, hidden from most people’s view. Her expression said it all—pure joy lit up her features. She was so caught up in what was happening, she nearly missed her cue to step aside for their second model, the golfer, Kyle Copeland. He laughed good-naturedly as she nearly tripped him up by stepping back too quickly. Jenny slapped her forehead as she ducked back behind the curtain.

  Olivia wished she could go to her. Wished she could tell her how fantastic this whole thing was, because of her, but knew that wasn’t an option. Not so soon after what had happened backstage. Maybe later. When it’s all over. Except she knew the temptation to hug Jenny would be too strong—as would the temptation to kiss her again. No, I need more time. A little distance between us again. I’ll tell her one day.

  Jenny slumped onto the edge of the stage, groaning in relief as her tired feet didn’t have to support her weight any longer. She leaned back on her hands and stretched out her legs. Jeez, how long has this day been? Still, it was done now. Although her adrenaline was on the decline, she was still pretty buzzed from all that had transpired.

  “Did you see how much we raised?” Maxwell asked as he took a seat next to her.

  “No, did you?”

  He shook his head. “Not officially, but someone backstage said 2.5 million.”

  Jenny sat up straight. “For real?”

  “I think we’ll find out for sure on Monday. Your idea was excellent. I’m sure it raised much more than if we had used the original plan.” He tapped his chin. “I wonder if there is any way to calculate that? Some forecast analysis, perhaps. If I could get the original data the marketing team was basing their calculations on…” He pulled out his phone and tapped a few keys in a notes app.