by A. L. Brooks
Jenny patted his back. “Don’t ever change, man.”
Maxwell blinked. “Huh?”
“Hey, you two, you can take off.” Derek smiled down at them. “Good job all around, but the rest of the cleanup will be done by the hotel’s staff.” He looked at Jenny. “Nice work. We’ll have the final numbers by end of Monday, but it looks very good.”
“Thanks, I’m pleased to hear it.” She stood, bone-weary, and glanced around the mostly empty room.
Chrissy talked to someone on the far side, but there was no sign of Olivia.
The event starting so soon after their moment backstage had done Jenny a huge favor—she hadn’t thought about Olivia and her lips more than maybe eight times in the whole evening. But now, though she was exhausted, she wanted to find Olivia, talk about what had happened and what it meant. She said a quick goodbye to Maxwell, then wandered around the room.
Chrissy waved at her, then motioned she was leaving.
Jenny returned the wave and mouthed a goodbye, thankful Chrissy didn’t want to linger. She still had strong feelings about her colleague’s behavior toward Olivia and didn’t need a confrontation to finish off her day.
She made her way to backstage, wondering if Olivia was helping with tidying the greenroom. The room was empty as were the dressing rooms.
One of the technicians wandered by, a guy she’d worked with a few times during the day. “Hey, Dixon, have you seen Olivia?”
He shook his head. “You just missed her. She and the host lady got a cab together.”
Jenny’s heart sank. “Ah, okay. Thanks.”
She left without saying goodbye. Jenny guessed she shouldn’t be surprised, but it still caused a little jab of pain in her chest. She made her way to the small room where they’d all stored their jackets and bags, retrieved hers, and made her way out the back door to the alley that ran up to the street. It was freezing out, and she turned up her collar as she walked to the subway.
Do I call her? Message her? Or take the hint and leave her alone?
The latter didn’t feel right at all. Sure, stepping back and pretending nothing had happened would be sensible. But not after a kiss like that. A kiss that said so much, even as it left her more confused than she’d ever felt in her life.
She boarded the subway carriage and found a seat. After a moment to gather her thoughts, she pulled out her phone and tapped a quick message. She might not get an answer. She might not like the answer she got if she did get one. But doing nothing, not at least trying, was not an option.
Chapter 23
“Are you okay?” Broderick asked as soon as Olivia walked into the apartment at around midnight. “Your message said you had something urgent to talk about, but what can be so bad that it can’t wait until—”
“I kissed Jenny.”
Broderick’s guppy-fish impression was remarkably on point. After a few moments, he found his voice. “What?”
Olivia hung her head; her purse slipped off her shoulder and fell to the floor with a loud thump.
“Maybe you’d better sit.” Broderick’s voice was gentle. He took her by the arm and led her over to the couch, urging her to sit.
She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. Those tears held all her sadness, frustration, and fear.
“Start from the beginning.” Broderick sat next to her.
She told him everything. The initial coldness between them at work that had somehow morphed into a healthy respect for each other, which managed to become an attraction that was obviously mutual. And then, Olivia’s weakest moment: allowing herself to be drawn to Jenny’s defense of her earlier that evening, Jenny’s anger simmering so beautifully in her eyes making Olivia forget who and where she was and… she’d kissed Jenny.
“Oh.” Broderick rubbed at his face with his hands, the stubble on his chin making it sound like sandpaper against wood. “I mean, on the one hand, I’m glad you found someone, because I know the last couple years haven’t been easy for you. But the timing…”
“I know.” Olivia grimaced. “But I am sure we can trust her not to say anything.”
“Definitely?”
“One hundred percent.”
“Did anyone see you?”
Olivia snorted. “Nearly your mother, but thankfully not.”
“My mom?” Broderick’s eyes widened to comic proportions. “Seriously?”
“Relax.” Olivia patted his leg. “She called out from somewhere, looking for me. Actually, her timing was impeccable. Her appearance certainly brought me to my senses.” She swallowed down the ball of regret in her throat.
Broderick slumped back against the couch then turned his head to look at her. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I put everything at risk with a stupid kiss. But honestly, I do trust Jenny not to tell anyone. I think we’re safe.”
“But you like this woman, right? I mean, maybe we should be thinking about bringing forward our divorce plans, so that you’d be free to date her and—”
Olivia held up a hand. “Hold on a moment! Just because I kissed one woman does not mean we have to put our entire plan in jeopardy. You know your mom would never believe it if we broke up so soon. Never mind you still need to get that extension from the sponsors before we set the divorce in process.”
“But if we—”
“No!” Olivia glared at him. “No, it’s not worth it. Really, it isn’t.”
She wasn’t sure who she tried hardest to convince, him or herself. His offer to bring their plans forward was wonderful but scared her. It was just one kiss. One kiss isn’t a reason to change all of our plans.
Even if that kiss had melted every bone in her body.
“Olivia, dear, you seem a little down today. Are you missing your mother?” Katherine clasped Olivia’s hand in hers. “You know you’re more than welcome to call her from here. I mean, it’s Christmas Day, you should be able to spend some time with her, even if by phone.”
Olivia made every effort to make her smile seem genuine. “That’s sweet of you, but honestly, I think I’m just tired. That project took it out of me. Besides, I had a good long chat with my mother this morning before we left the apartment. She sends her best, by the way.”
“Oh, lovely! And yes, I can quite imagine you’re tired. I saw you all, running around all day at everyone’s mercy.” Katherine leaned in and kissed Olivia’s cheek. “I was so proud of you.”
“You were?” Olivia was surprised at the level of emotion Katherine’s words engendered.
“Of course! Seeing you in your element, so focused and organized. I can see why you do what you do. You made so many people in that room look completely useless by comparison. That blonde woman, for example, the one with too much makeup. What exactly was she there for?”
Broderick winked at Olivia from his perch on the armchair opposite and raised his sherry glass in a toast.
Olivia grinned at him. She’d actually rather dreaded coming to Katherine’s today. Short of having a serious illness—plague level or above—Katherine would never have accepted a declination to her yearly invite for Christmas Day lunch. However, right up until late the night before, Olivia had seriously considered asking to be excused.
After telling Broderick what had happened with Jenny, Olivia had gone to bed and, much to her surprise, fallen asleep immediately. Also to her surprise, she’d slept for twelve hours. When she awoke, she’d almost forgotten the drama of the previous day until she switched on her phone and saw the text from Jenny.
Can we talk?
Olivia’s stomach had flipped and everything came back to her in a rush. The kiss. Katherine interrupting them. Jenny’s forlorn face as Olivia told her to forget everything. It took a few minutes to compose the right response, and as she’d sent it, a part of her withered inside.
I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Please, forget what happened.
She’d felt so much guilt about so many things. Pushing Jenny away, when she was the one who’d kissed Jenny. Lying to so many people about her relationship with Broderick. She’d spent the rest of Sunday holed up in her room, watching one trashy TV program after another.
Broderick had tried to tempt her out to lunch, but she’d begged off, needing to wallow in her self-pity for a few hours more.
Now Katherine was being so sweet and kind, and while it made Olivia feel wonderful in some respects, it also made that guilt claw at her once again. “That’s lovely of you to say so.” Olivia gave Katherine another big smile. “I definitely do enjoy what I do.”
Philip and Mallory arrived moments later. Mallory was already showing and couldn’t seem to help holding a hand over her rounded belly at every spare moment.
Olivia couldn’t blame her; she knew how long they had tried for a baby.
“Here she is!” Katherine rushed over to Mallory and held her gently but closely. “How are you? Still sick? Do you need a comfy chair? What about water, do you have water?”
“Mom,” Philip and Broderick said in unison, and everyone laughed.
Katherine blushed and waved her hands. “Oh, stop, all of you. I can’t help it. My first grandbaby!” Then she rushed out of the room and returned a minute or so later with a large Christmas-themed sack in her hands. “Now, I know we don’t normally go silly over gifts, but I couldn’t help it!”
Mallory caught Olivia’s eye and shook her head. “Here we go,” she mouthed.
Olivia laughed, her worries about Jenny and lying and guilt—momentarily, at least—forgotten.
“You’re here! Merry Christmas!” Tamara cried as she opened the door and ushered Carl and Jenny in from the cold hallway.
Roz appeared, and the four friends exchanged long hugs.
Jenny made sure she kept her game face on and smiled for all she was worth, though she was as cold inside as the December weather was outside. The last thirty-six hours had passed in a numb blur; she’d tried a million times to get the memory of kissing Olivia out of her head, but no such luck. She’d also worked hard to push away the hurt she felt that Olivia wouldn’t even talk about it. The rejection stung, even more so because no matter Olivia’s marital status, she had kissed Jenny as if she absolutely meant it.
“Hey, you.” Tamara jabbed at Jenny’s bicep. “You with us?”
“What? Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry, must have just drifted off there for a moment.”
Tamara gave her a crooked grin and Jenny’s heart sunk. Yep, busted. Tamara would track her down for a private chat sometime during the day, of that Jenny was sure.
They set to work drinking eggnog, opening gifts, and teasing Carl about how serious things seemed to be with Solomon. Then it was time to finish the cooking, set the table, open the wine, and share once more the joy of a Christmas with their chosen family. My real family, Jenny thought, not for the first time.
After stuffing themselves with the delicious meal Tamara had cooked—some roasted chicken and vegetable dish Jenny couldn’t stop eating even after she knew she was full—Jenny and Tamara slouched on the couch. Their feet were up on the long coffee table, glasses of wine still in their hands, while Carl and Roz cleared up in the kitchen.
“So,” Tamara said, “what’s up?”
Jenny didn’t pretend not to know what Tamara was talking about, so after one deep breath, she told her what had happened with Olivia.
“Oh. Shit.” Tamara ran a hand over her face. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. That she’d resist you, though I can see how hard that would be and that you wouldn’t give in if she did crumble.” She shook her head. “So, what now? She won’t talk about it. She’s told you to forget it. What are you gonna do?”
Jenny shrugged. “I have to respect her wishes, don’t I? I can’t force her to talk to me. Much as I’d want to.”
“Good. For one moment there, I thought you were gonna do something dumb. Like try and contact her again before work.”
Jenny coughed.
“Oh no, don’t tell me you—”
“Just one message!” Jenny pulled out her phone and scrolled to the messaging app. “See?”
Tamara leaned in and read the two-part exchange. “Okay. I guess I can see why you’d try once. But I’m proud of you for not doing more. You’re right, as much as it hurts, you have to do what she asks.” She inched closer and wrapped her free arm around Jenny. “But I am sorry. Truly. It’s been obvious for a while that you like her. Damn these straight women who mess with us, huh?”
“What makes you think she’s straight?”
“Huh?”
“She might be bi. Or pan. Just because she’s married to a guy doesn’t mean she’s straight.”
Tamara swallowed. “Damn, you’re right. My bad.” She exhaled loudly. “Wow, I just jumped to some big heteronormative conclusions there, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. No dessert for you.” Jenny held out her hands when Tamara scowled at her. “But hey, thanks. For listening. And not just now, but all the way through this saga. You’ve been there every time when I needed someone to talk it through with.”
“Aw, anytime. You know that. I’m just so sorry when a new woman appears in your life to light you up for the first time in a long while, and she turns out to be a mess you shouldn’t mess with.”
Jenny sighed. “Yeah, you’re right about that.”
“Does that mean dessert is back on the table?” Tamara asked with a sly grin.
Chapter 24
Olivia walked into work on January 2 with her emotional armor locked in place. Taking the holiday period off as a vacation had been, in hindsight, a brilliant idea. Time away from Jenny had done wonders. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but she had definitely come to terms with the fact they couldn’t be together; there was still so much more time needed before she and Broderick could get divorced. Her priority was to work to the best of her ability to secure one of the permanent roles and therefore set herself up nicely for life post-divorce.
To that end, the other thing she steeled herself for was a showdown with Chrissy. Olivia was determined to get to the bottom of whatever game she was playing. Today, no matter what, she would find time to get Chrissy alone and confront her about the stunt she’d pulled with Katherine’s arrival time during Catwalk.
“Good morning,” Olivia said as she reached her desk.
“Hello,” Maxwell said. “And happy new year.”
“And to you.” She beamed at him.
“Hi,” Jenny said.
Olivia took a moment before meeting Jenny’s gaze. “Happy new year.” She gave her a friendly-but-that’s-all smile; her stomach twisted with guilt as she did so.
Jenny nodded, then returned her focus to her laptop.
Chrissy appeared a moment later, a steaming cup of coffee in hand.
“Good morning,” Olivia said as politely as she could manage.
Chrissy smirked. “Hello.”
It was the smirk that did it. Olivia straightened to her full height and walked over to Chrissy’s desk. “Do you have a moment? There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“I…um…” Chrissy floundered; Olivia knew she’d caught her out. Chrissy’s laptop wasn’t on—hell, it wasn’t even out of her bag just yet—so she could hardly claim she was too busy to talk.
“Shall we?” Olivia pointed toward the meeting rooms. She turned and didn’t bother looking back to see if Chrissy followed.
Once they were in one of the meeting rooms, Olivia shut the door and turned to her. “So, let’s talk about what you did during Catwalk, when you blatantly lied to Derek about a conversation you and I supposedly had about a change to Katherine’s arrival time.” There was no point beating a
round the bush, and Olivia also hoped the direct approach might catch Chrissy off guard.
When Chrissy let out a cruel and nasty laugh, Olivia’s ire rose.
“Oh yes,” Chrissy sneered, “Derek wasn’t impressed with you then, was he?” She folded her arms across her chest and her mouth twisted into a disgusted snarl.
“No thanks to you!” Olivia stepped into Chrissy’s personal space. “So why did you do it?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“How about we go and see Derek and you explain it to him? We can also tell him about that catering schedule mess you set Jenny up for when she was at the dentist.”
Chrissy’s composure slipped a tad, her gleeful smile dimming.
“Oh yes, I know exactly what you did with that.” Olivia jabbed a finger in Chrissy’s direction. “And I’m convinced it was you who did something with Jenny’s Excelsior photos and notes too. Tell me, is it really worth alienating your friends and teammates just so you can suck up to Derek?”
“You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you? Miss High and Mighty, living in your fancy apartment with your rich husband.” Chrissy almost spat the words at Olivia.
“How did you—?”
“Hah! Yeah, you think you’re the smartest too, but I know a few things about you.” Chrissy leaned in, her eyes narrowed. “Little rich girl playing at working while the rest of us had to do it the hard way. The real way. People like you make me sick.”
The hatred in Chrissy’s expression and tone made Olivia physically recoil. My God, where is this coming from? “Not that it is any of your business, but my husband’s money has nothing to do with me. I pay my own way, and I’ve worked bloody hard to get where I am. Just what is your problem with me, huh? Is it you know I’m better at this than you? You feel threatened, is that it?”
