The Hourglass

by K. S. Smith

  Two days passed and I was still infuriated with my doctor’s office. Scanning through emails I deleted all of the junk and tried to answer what was left based on priority. I’d usually been great with keeping up at work, but these past two weeks I felt like everything was out of whack. I was penciling in a shoot that was coming up next week when my assistant rushed into my office. “Savannah, I have Isabella Salvatore on the line. She is extremely upset that you are more than an hour late to their shoot this afternoon.”

  I jumped up out of my seat shooing my assistant back to her desk so she could transfer the call into my office, grabbing the phone when it finally rang through. “Isabella, this is Savannah, I think there must be some confusion, I don’t have anything scheduled on the calendar for today.”

  Shouting in Italian came from the other end of the phone and then she began again in English. “We scheduled you last week. My assistant spoke with Lisa, she assured me that you would be here, and I don’t see you anywhere!”

  Cupping my hand over the phone I ordered my assistant to track down Lisa and figure out what had happened just as Brooke walked by. Glancing at her, I could see her visibly assessing my state of panic.

  She snickered. “Pregnancy brain must suck,” she mumbled under her breath just loud enough for me to hear. I felt my body tense and I instantly knew that she was the one who had made the call to my doctor’s office.

  I’d deal with her later. First I had to regain control of the call. “Isabella, it appears that there was a lack of communication on our end. I apologize for this. Hourglass will compensate you and your models for your time as well as your travel expenses. I can assure you this will not happen again. In the future, please only book appointments with my assistant.” Hearing the relief in Isabella’s voice when she responded, I thanked her for understanding and hung up then hightailed it into Brooke’s office.

  Brooke was sitting smugly in her chair filing her nails when I crashed in, slamming the door behind me so we wouldn’t be interrupted by Monica this time. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you realize how much money you just cost Hourglass by not telling me about that shoot? Isabella Salvatore is one of our biggest clients and we nearly lost her because of you!” I spewed my venomous words toward Brooke as she just peered up, smiling.

  “Why Savannah, I have no earthly idea what you are talking about, I’m not sure what has you so upset, but I can assure you I had nothing to do with it. After the whole debacle with the annual reception files disappearing, I personally ensured that Lisa forwarded you a confirmation email. See here? She even copied me on it.”

  I could feel my temperature rising inside, and I had to remind myself that we were at work, and I couldn’t risk losing my job over my vindictive ex-best friend. “Brooke, I’ve had it with you and your bullshit. This entire situation is ridiculous.” Her eyebrows scrunched together and I could tell her brain was going a mile a minute trying to figure out how to respond. “You need to grow the hell up. Neither one of us is going anywhere, so we need to learn how to be civil with each other so we can both keep our jobs here at Hourglass. And as for Luke, you need to get over him. He doesn’t want you.”

  Her jaw fell open, but before she could form a response, I rushed out, not wanting to hear a single word that would come out of her mouth.

  The rest of the week I chose to work from home. I’d had it with Brooke after her childish stunts, and I wasn’t in the mood for another knock-down, drag-out office fight.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Brooke

  AS LUCAS LOADED up the Range Rover, I sat in the passenger seat still griping about Savannah. “It’s just so hurtful, why would she say you don’t want me, I don’t get it. What happened to my best friend?”

  Lucas slid into the driver’s seat and gave me a sorrowful look. “Brooke, babe. Let it go. I don’t know who Savannah is anymore. Really, I didn’t before, she was just a fun piece I got when I didn’t know what I was looking for in a relationship. Before you,” he crooned as he caressed my cheek. “Now like I told you when you came rushing up to my office on Wednesday, I love you. I want you. Don’t let her hurtful words get to you. Let’s get out of town for a few days and just enjoy our time together. It’s you and me.”

  Nodding in resignation, I said, “I know, I know. I’m sorry. No more Savannah. Hey speaking of, the property manager of the condo called and I can get in sooner. I’m moving into the condo next weekend. Do you think you can help me?”

  “Say what?” alarm came through on Lucas’s voice. “Crap, babe – I’m out of town for work. I thought you were moving after that. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

  Defeated by the constant obstacles in my way, I placed a hand on his forearm. “Lucas, it’s okay, I got it. It’s probably better this way. Now, I can get it all set up and arranged before you see it.” Forcing a smile, I wanted the tension in the car to evaporate as we headed to the airport. “So where are we going?” I half begged, but Lucas just smirked and shook his head.

  I unlocked my phone so I could check us in and post we were going out of town, smiling as I pecked away at the keys. I basked in the bliss of a spontaneous getaway. In a flash my phone disappeared from my hands, and I followed the blur toward the culprit.

  “No way lady, we’re unplugging this weekend. No phones to steal you away this time.” He winked before slipping our phones into the glove box and slamming it shut.

  His hand at the small of my back ushered me to the ticket counter. The outbound flight monitor displaying endless possibilities gave me no clues as I tried to figure out which one we would be lucky enough to get on. Lucas spoke in hushed tones to the girl at the ticket counter. I tilted my neck trying to listen in, but no luck.

  “All set,” Lucas, said handing our luggage over and taking the carry-on bags. “Here, I got you this because I know you’re going to find out once we take our seats at the gate.” He handed me a small red gift bag. When I slipped my hand inside, I grasped a tiny item. First, I pulled out a small key chain of the Empire State building, next a small matchbox figurine of a yellow taxi, and finally an “I love New York” shirt.

  Laughing, I looked up to Lucas.

  “You know in case the key chain and taxi didn’t give it away,” he teased as he pulled me into his grasp.

  “Well Lucas Wellington, I am insulted,” I taunted back stepping up on tiptoes to place my lips on his. In a breath, his lips were sealed to mine, his tongue teasing and caressing my own. Just as quickly, he released me and spun us around, and we were off on our weekend getaway.

  The weekend had been amazing. We were staying at Lucas’s penthouse in downtown New York, and he had given me the full tour yesterday, hitting every popular spot in the city. Having such a great time, we decided to stay one more day before heading back to work and reality. Watching all the bustling people make their way to work on the black and white crosswalk was mesmerizing, but I severely missed the rustic feel Denver offered. It was the perfect mix of urban and country back home and I ached for a tree and some grass.

  “Hey, Lucas,” I called into the penthouse from the balcony.

  “Yeah, Brooke?” He came up behind me.

  “Can we go walk around Central Park? I need some nature,” I admitted with a smile.

  Lucas took my hand and led me out of the penthouse to my sanctuary with a carefree grin. The beginning of spring was upon us, and the new buds of leaves had just appeared on the trees. The grass was breaking through in patches where the snow had melted away. Pulling in a deep breath through my nose I closed my eyes and let out a contended sigh. Lucas let out a hearty laugh behind me. “My God, I need to get you back to Denver, huh? And here I was hoping to get you to move here.”

  Glancing around I tried to visualize living with Lucas, the busy life of our two jobs trying to collide together. A memory flashed through my mind from a day in college when a sorority sister had announced to Savannah and me that she was engaged.

  “Oh Savannah, I just can’t wait to fi
nd the one.”

  Savannah laughed out loud at my fantasy, swearing that I had watched one too many Disney movies growing up.

  “You just wait Savannah, he is out there, and when the day comes, I expect you by my side.”

  “No doubt. You are stuck with me for life, Brooke Reid!” she swore with a smile.

  A woman dishing out orders broke me from my bittersweet memory. “Get your skinny ass over there, I’m in charge, I say what goes,” she bellowed.

  Focusing my eyes on the scene in the distance, I saw some models and a photographer busy at work. Walking closer, I squinted trying to place the photographer in my memory.

  “Brooke, what are you—” Lucas’s voice began behind me before freezing. Turning to look at him, he was gritting his teeth in irritation.

  “She looks familiar, do you recognize her?” I asked, still trying to place her in my mind. Snapping my fingers as the realization came to me. “Oh I know! That’s the New York photographer, Kat. I haven’t met her just seen her in a photo of Savannah’s and spoke with her over the phone. I should go say hello,” I declared as I began walking over. Noticing the attention, Kat was now looking at me as well with an odd expression.

  “Brooke, no,” Lucas adamantly insisted. “I mean, we said no work. That’d be work, you’re going to get all involved in this shoot and talk layout. And this is our last day,” he whined as he pulled me away. Over my shoulder I heard Kat’s camera shutter start up again as she got back to work, and I agreed Lucas was right.

  Our flight home was long, and by the time we landed, it was only five in the evening thanks to the time change. Lucas dropped me off at my apartment and helped me in before quickly dashing back out the door, promising to call later.

  Curling up onto the couch, I pulled a blanket over me and flipped on the television to fill my time. Channel after channel of shows with hard core romance stories about Mr. Perfect, and all I could notice in each one was the best friend. I wanted things with Savannah to be fixed, but we had both let them get so out of hand I wasn’t sure how to even begin to repair things. I stood and moved to grab my phone from my purse, figuring I’d shoot a text to Lucas thanking him for a great weekend. But on digging around in my bag, I turned up nothing. Crap! My phone was still in his glove box.

  Restless I paced my living area, feeling suddenly cut off from the world and alone. I needed to go for a run to clear my head and get myself back on Denver time. After throwing on my workout clothes and running shoes, I grabbed my iPod and headed down the stairs stretching my upper muscles as I went.

  The trail was bustling with all the joggers getting in their runs after work. After plugging in my ear buds; I selected my running playlist and stretched out my legs before taking off on a steady pace. Sole to gravel, I let my thoughts and troubles drift away with each stride. I was finding my inner peace, just as the biggest cause of my stress came bouncing toward me. With a deep breath I continued jogging in her direction, staring at her until her eyes found mine, and then I smiled.

  She slowed her pace, and Savannah and I met in the middle, for the first time in weeks without snarling, growling, or attempting to claw each other’s eyes out.

  “Brooke,” she greeted tersely. “I see you’re back in town.”

  “I am, just got back in. I couldn’t just sit, and I didn’t want to go to sleep early,” I rambled on, feeling the distance between us.

  “You always hated traveling for that reason,” Savannah mumbled wistfully with a small smirk.

  “Savannah, I miss us. I don’t get how we got here, I mean I know how. But… I just hate it.” I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes; refusing to be weak in front of Savannah. “You gave us your blessing, and then just couldn’t stand by while I was happy with a man. You had to go and ruin everything, destroy us.” The tears were beating on the storm door begging to be released, and I knew I had to get out of there. With a firm shake of my head I pushed them back once more. “I just never thought you would hurt me like this, that you would betray me.”

  As I stared at Savannah’s face, she just looked blank, completely void of emotion. “Look I’ve got to go get my cell and make sure I don’t have any missed calls. I’ll see you at work I guess.” I took off again, pouring everything into my run until my muscles burned like the fires of hell. After unlocking my apartment door, I fell into my home and turned into a giant puddle of tears as soon as I latched the deadbolt.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Savannah

  I WOKE UP the next morning exhausted. All I could think about was seeing Brooke running in the park the previous day. I missed my best friend, but I knew by the conversation from yesterday she was still hurting way too much to repair things. I couldn't bear to tell her about Luke and me just yet. I needed to do something to show her I valued our friendship without pushing our relationship in her face.

  Swinging by Starbucks, I picked up my usual and ordered a Chai Tea for Brooke. I figured I'd start with a small gesture and we'd go from there. Walking silently into Brooke’s office while she was on a telephone call, I leaned over her desk, setting the tea down with a smile. Her reaction was blank, I couldn’t tell if she was going to drink it or chuck it across the room at me. Heading for the door, I peered over my shoulder just as she smiled at me, mouthing the words. “Thank you.” A grin crept over my face as I made my way toward my office. It didn’t fix it all but it was a step in the right direction, one step closer to having my best friend back.

  As usual, the day was filled with nothing but chaos. I’d hoped that Brooke would come down and talk to me, but she was just as busy as me, running around like a chicken with her head cut off. The day was almost over when we unexpectedly met in the bathroom.

  As I stepped out of the stall, I came face to face with her where she stood washing her hands.

  “Hey,” she said softly, “Thanks for the tea this morning.”

  Breathing in a heavy sigh I studied my best friend through the mirror. “You’re welcome, I’m glad you liked it.” I leaned over the sink and turned on the faucet to wash my hands. An awkward silence ensued as we both stood there staring at each other in the mirror. Deciding there was no way she was going to be the first one to break the silence I piped up, “So, I was thinking we could grab drinks sometime this week?”

  Her face lit up, but quickly faltered. “I, umm, I don’t know. This weekend is crazy busy. Tomorrow is my last day in the office because I’m taking off Thursday and Friday for the big move.”

  Hurt by her excuse, I swiped a paper towel, dried my hands and made my way to the door. “Yeah, no big deal, forget I even asked.” I had tried to extend an olive branch, but it seemed like Brooke wasn’t ready to latch on, and who could blame her, I’d been just as terrible to her as she’d been to me.

  The rest of the week came and went in the blink of an eye, only allowing me one more uncomfortable run in with Brooke before she was out of the office for the remainder of the weekend.

  Mid-afternoon Friday, Luke surprised me by coming down to my office. “Hey babe,” he whispered, pulling me out of my chair and into a frenzy of kisses. “What do you say we get out of here early? I’ve got a surprise for you.” Squealing with excitement, I grabbed my things and waved goodbye to my assistant as Luke pulled me toward the elevator. We jumped in his car, and he headed straight for the airport.

  “Luke, where are we going?” I asked anxiously.

  As the two of us sat down in our first class seats he pulled me into a tight embrace, swiftly kissing my lips before whispering into my ear. “Somewhere I’ll get to watch you prance around in a tiny bikini all weekend.”

  Stepping off the plane, my nose was assaulted with the smell of saltwater as I let the warmth envelop me. “Sunny California, I’ve missed you so.”

  Luke hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me to the town car that was awaiting us. We spent all Saturday lounging on the beach, sipping colorful drinks with fruit and umbrellas as decorations. The sun was beginning to
set and Luke was off getting another round of drinks when my phone rang. “Hello,” I answered.

  “Savannah, what the hell? Is your phone broken?” Kat asked with frustration growing in her voice.

  “I don’t think so, what’s up?”

  Kat huffed into the phone, “I’ve been calling you all week, but for some reason I kept getting your voicemail. Listen, is Brooke still dating that Luke guy or does she have a new man?”

  Shrugging my shoulders I responded, “I’m not sure if she has a new boyfriend or not, we aren’t exactly back on speaking terms just yet. But I know for a fact she isn’t dating Luke, why? What’s going on?”

  Kat answered quickly, “Well I was in the middle of a shoot on Monday, and I noticed Brooke strolling through Central Park. She was with a guy, and I could have sworn this man was the spitting image of Luke. But who knows, they were far away, so I could have just been seeing things. Are you sure they weren’t on a trip together?”

  Shaking my head, I cut Kat off as I watched Luke approach me. “No, you were definitely seeing things. Listen Kat, I’ve got to run, I’ll call you later.”

  Luke sat on the edge of his lounge chair. “I thought we agreed to no phones.”

  Smiling up at him, he handed me my fruity drink. “We agreed to no work. That was just Kat.” The frozen wetness chilled my throat as I took a sip and I noticed Luke’s body flinch at the sound of her name. “You okay?” I asked, curious as to why he was suddenly on edge.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, let’s just turn the phones off. This weekend is all about you and me.” Pulling the phone out of my hand he pressed the power button and then slid it into my beach tote.

  Overthinking the conversation I’d just had with Kat I decided I’d do my best to find out exactly what Luke was up to while he was away on business. “Where did you say you were last weekend?”

  His expression faltered for a split second, and then a smile spread across his face. “I wasn’t where I should have been, that’s for sure.”