And then, before she had time to brace against it, Addison found herself entertaining the memory of Katie crawling across her bed, up next to her and making herself comfortable.
The vision was exciting. Enticing. And more arousing than she cared to admit.
With a clearing of her throat and a very literal shake of her head, Addison yanked herself back to reality. No, those types of thoughts would not do. At all. Enough of that. “I have some things here for you to do.” She held up a piece of paper with the notes she’d written earlier.
Katie crossed the office and took the sheet, smiled a half-grin. “College-lined notebook paper. Old school, huh?”
Addison looked up at her. “Pardon?”
Katie’s smile slid off her face and she wet her lips. “Just that…you usually send me an email. The handwritten notes were unexpected.”
Addison nodded but said nothing, noting by the uncertain expression on Katie’s face that she, Addison, was being rude and not at all forthcoming, but feeling in the moment that it was necessary.
Katie glanced at the list and Addison could actually see her deflate just a bit. Almost in the next second, a wave of guilt washed over Addison, and before she could second-guess herself, she was reaching for her keys, holding them out. “You can take the Benz. I know you like driving it.”
Katie took the keys without making eye contact.
“And, Katie?” Addison waited until she had those brown eyes on her, then softened her voice. “Thank you for the snacks.”
Katie’s expression eased just the tiniest touch, but that was enough for Addison. “Sure.”
Addison watched surreptitiously as Katie gathered her things back up and headed out again. The fact that she yearned for her to stay reminded her that sending Katie away was the right decision.
Even if she was a little sad and second-guessing herself about it now.
* * *
“Okay, so driving this car doesn’t suck,” Katie muttered as she adjusted the seat. Addison’s taller frame left the driver’s seat so far back, Katie could barely reach the gas pedal. She fiddled with the buttons and knobs until her five-foot-five body was in a much more driver-friendly position. Her bag was on the passenger seat, so she opened it and pulled out her phone and her charger. Addison’s Mercedes was less than a year old and had a thousand more bells and whistles than Katie’s old jalopy—including a USB for her phone charger.
The fall was slowly turning toward winter, the chill in the air much more noticeable of late. Katie started the car and let it run, taking special pleasure in the heated seats and heated steering wheel. She glanced at the list Addison had given her, disappointed that all her help yesterday had apparently meant nothing because she was back to doing mundane things and running silly errands. While she didn’t want to complain, as it was a very easy job for the money, she wondered, not for the first time, why Fairchild Enterprises would hire Addison a personal assistant if she wasn’t going to use it. Katie was smart. She was good with people and very organized. Addison was barely scratching the surface of the help Katie could offer her. What was apparent was that she didn’t care. She didn’t want the help. Which seemed woefully unfortunate to Katie, as Addison so obviously needed it. The woman was underwater.
That was too bad because, if Katie was being honest, Addison didn’t seem to be healing as quickly as she could be if she’d share the burden. Oh, yes, she was always dressed nicely, professionally. Her hair was shiny. Bouncy. She smelled good. She smelled really good, actually, like lavender tinted with vanilla…the same scent Katie could sense in the car at that moment. But the slight shadow under her eyes hadn’t lightened at all. Her energy was low and she looked like if she put her head down on her desk, she’d be asleep in seconds.
Katie sighed, willed herself to stop worrying about a woman who didn’t care if Katie worried about her. She glanced at the list, was amused by the loopy, unexpectedly flowery quality to Addison’s handwriting.
Pick up dry cleaning.
Coffee and extras for break room. (We have an account. Charge to that.)
Drop off manila envelope to Ed Hayes at F.E.
They were easy, mindless, unimportant tasks and Katie allowed herself another two minutes to be annoyed about them before shifting the car into gear and heading toward the dry cleaner, the first of her stops.
Not quite ninety minutes later, Katie slid the Benz into a parking spot in front of Fairchild Enterprises. When she’d come here to be interviewed by Jack Saunders, she’d been instantly intimidated not only by the size of the building, but by the class and elegance within. Katie wasn’t a person who was ashamed of her own middle-class upbringing—far from it. But it was rare that she was surrounded by such…refined grandeur. The lobby was immense, with high ceilings and ornate light fixtures dangling from so far above her head, Katie wondered how they were cleaned. Which they obviously were, because they sparkled and shone beautifully, dust-free. The receptionist’s desk was a giant horseshoe, a brass rail around the entire counter, wood underneath in a rich, dark hue. Waiting areas were set up on either side of the double front doors, the furniture leather and soft-looking, something you’d expect in a high-end living room rather than for visitors to a commercial real estate firm. The marble floors were burnished to an almost unrealistic shine and Katie’s heels clicked as she approached the front desk to announce herself.
She didn’t have to wait long before she was surprised by the appearance of Samantha.
“Hey, you,” Sam said warmly and wrapped Katie in a hug.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” Katie said as she followed Sam down a hall and into the inner workings of F.E.
“I overheard the intercom when you were announced, so I said I’d come get you. I wasn’t sure which office’s intercom I heard, though. You here to see Jack?”
“Nope. Not today. Dropping some info off to Ed Hayes?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll take you to his office.” Sam’s desk was to the right at the end of the hallway, but they turned left instead. “How’s it going?”
Katie tipped her head from one side to the other and made a noncommittal sound, but before Sam could comment, they’d reached Ed’s office.
“We’ll revisit this later,” Sam whispered, then rapped on the door.
“Come in.”
With a turn of the brass knob, Sam pushed the door open. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Mr. Hayes, Katie Cooper is here to see you. Ms. Fairchild sent her?”
“Oh, good. Send her in.” That was not Ed’s voice. Rather, it was the voice of a woman. One Katie recognized.
Sam stepped aside, squeezed Katie’s arm, and said, “Catch you later.” Then she disappeared back the way they’d come.
“Katie, come in.” Meredith Fairchild waved Katie in, stood and grabbed a second chair. She was dressed beautifully, as always. Katie was used to seeing her photo in a lot of places around town. For Sale signs, newspaper ads, television commercials. But none of them did her justice. She was a strikingly beautiful woman, even in her sixties. Her blond hair had to be from a bottle, but it was gorgeous. Lustrous and shiny and nothing about it looked artificial. It fell in waves to her shoulders, resting gently on the navy-blue blazer she wore. It matched her skirt, the white shell underneath looking more elegant than simple. She wore understated yet expensive jewelry and just enough makeup to accent her natural beauty. It was obvious to Katie where Addison’s good looks had come from. “Sit. Sit.” Meredith gestured to the chair she’d moved. “Do you know Ed?”
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Katie replied, reaching across his desk to shake a meaty hand. Ed Hayes had kind eyes. It was the first thing Katie noticed. She took a seat.
“So,” Meredith said as she sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “How are things going?”
“Good. Fine.” Katie suddenly felt oddly nervous, so she reached into her bag and pulled out the manila envelope. Handing it across the desk to Ed, she explained, “This is f
rom Ms. Fairchild.”
Ed nodded, took the envelope. “Probably applicants,” he said, looking at Meredith when he did so.
“For Kyle’s job?”
Ed grunted.
“She did the right thing calling him and the girl in. One of them had to go.” Meredith shifted, crossed her legs the other way. “She didn’t really have a choice, given this political climate.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ed said, but his expression said otherwise.
“So,” Meredith said and turned her attention back to Katie, who now understood that “so” was her opener to uncomfortable questions. “How is Addison feeling?”
“Oh, um…” Katie shrugged. “I didn’t see her for very long today. Just popped into the office, she gave me a list of things to do and sent me on my way.”
“She’s in the office?” Meredith’s body stiffened slightly, and that was the only giveaway that she was surprised.
Shit. Katie suddenly felt like she’d tattled. “Yes?” she answered with uncertainty.
Meredith’s face hardened. “I specifically told her to stay home this week. All week. My God, that girl has the hardest head on the planet.” She ran her tongue between her lips and teeth while she thought. Turning back to Katie, she asked, “What does she have you doing today?”
Shit, shit, shit. Yeah, this was definitely approaching tattletale territory, and Katie had no way out of it. Addison didn’t sign her paycheck, but Katie still felt a weird loyalty to her. That being said, she really didn’t have an option other than to tell Meredith what she wanted to know. Stifling a sigh, she pulled out the list and handed it over.
As Meredith scanned it, her lips tightened into a straight, bloodless line. “She has you picking up dry cleaning and going shopping?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Katie felt awful. She couldn’t explain it. She didn’t owe Addison anything. The woman certainly hadn’t been warm and inviting. Well. That’s not entirely true. She was completely different yesterday at her loft. Katie gave her head a mental shake.
“Goddamn it.” Meredith said it softly, but her ire was glaringly apparent as she looked up at Ed. “Why? Why does that girl insist on overdoing everything?”
Ed’s ruddy face softened, and Katie got the impression he and Meredith had known each other a long time. “She’s always done that, Mere. You know that. She’s not acting any different than she ever has. What is different is that you can’t take it anymore.” He winked at her, which seemed to take any sting out of his words.
“Because she’s going to work herself into an early grave.” This time, Meredith’s anger was replaced by parental anguish.
“Let’s not get carried away,” Ed said, and Katie felt like she shouldn’t be there, like she shouldn’t be privy to this conversation, like she was intruding. “Addison’s a smart girl.”
“Well, you’d never know it from the past couple of months,” Meredith scoffed, but her body language relaxed. She turned to Katie and handed the list back. “Don’t tell her we talked. And tomorrow? You go to her loft. She will have real work for you to do. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Katie stood to go, but Meredith stopped her with a hand on her arm from her sitting position.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean for you to be in the middle. It’s terribly unprofessional.”
Katie nodded.
“Alas, that’s the nature of a family business.” She gave Katie’s arm a squeeze and released her. “Thank you.”
Katie could not get out of there fast enough, and once back in Addison’s car, she let out a breath that made it sound like she’d been holding it for several minutes. Maybe this job was more trouble than it was worth. The last thing she wanted was to get caught up in some twisted family drama, some mother and daughter battle. She could find another part-time job easily. No big deal. She vowed to call Sam later that evening and see what she thought. Maybe Katie was overreacting. Maybe she’d just never seen this kind of family dynamic and that’s why she felt so weirdly uncomfortable.
She shifted the car into gear. Whatever it was, she needed it to stop. Or she had to make it stop.
Katie was still thinking about possible other part-time jobs, which would inevitably mean less money, but also—hopefully—less awkwardness, when she got home that evening. Her father was in his La-Z-boy, apparently napping, while Judge Judy rolled her eyes at either a plaintiff or a defendant in her courtroom. Maybe both. Her mother was at the kitchen table, papers spread about, one hand in her hair. By the way some of it was sticking up on its own, Katie guessed she’d had her hand there a lot.
“Hey, Mom.”
Liz looked up, startled for a split second before smiling at her. “Hey, sweetie. How was work?” She looked a little bit like a cartoon character as she extended her arms and quickly scraped all the papers into a messy pile in front of her, then shoved them into a folder as Katie came in and sat down.
“Eh. It was okay. How was Dad today?”
“It was a pretty good day,” Liz told her. “Why eh?”
Katie shrugged. “Oh, no big deal. Just the usual.”
“Running errands again?”
“Yep. I am the errand girl, apparently.” She dropped her chin into her hand.
“You’ve never been good at coasting by. You like to be challenged. I learned that about you when you were in fourth grade.”
“Really?” Katie smiled, knowing it was true. “Well, the pay is ridiculously good, so…”
Liz’s expression grew serious as she closed her hand over Katie’s forearm. “Honey. You do not have to stay in that job for the money.”
“I want to help, Mom. That’s why I moved back in.”
“You moved back in to help me care for your father, not to pay our bills.”
God, she was stubborn. And Katie knew if her dad was aware of the conversation, he’d feel the same way. They’d never had a lot of money, but Katie had never gone without as a kid. That being said, she knew she’d never win this argument, so she simply nodded. “Okay. Okay.”
“Thank you.” Her mother sat back, looking relieved. “There’s some chicken in the fridge if you want. Your dad was hungry early today, so we already ate.”
“That sounds good.” Katie got up and headed for the fridge just as the phone rang. Liz answered it and it was soon obvious that she was talking to her sister, Katie’s Aunt Beth. Katie listened to her talk, then lower her voice as she glanced into the living room. Then her volume would increase, and it would happen again. As she popped her plate into the microwave, she said, “Mom. Go talk upstairs. I’ll watch him.”
Liz grinned at her, mouthed a thank you, and was gone.
Once Katie could hear her directly above the kitchen, she immediately opened the folder her mother had been fretting over.
Medical bills. Utility bills. Etcetera.
Unsurprised, Katie shuffled through them, trying to make sense of the line items on the medical bills, of what was covered by insurance and what wasn’t. Finally, when her brain hurt enough, she simply focused on any line that said, “currently due.” Slipping three of them out of the pile, she stuck them in her bag to pay from her own checking account tomorrow. Her mother would have a conniption, but that was a risk Katie was willing to take, she decided, because her parents needed her help. Whether her mother would admit it or not, it was a fact. If I have to steal bills to pay them, so be it, she thought as she looked at her father. When he was sleeping like this, it was as if he was back to normal. It could be any regular day two or three years ago, him napping in his chair after dinner like he always did. There was no illness, no angry outbursts, no sudden sobbing, no lack of recognition. He was just her dad.
Eyes welled with unshed tears, Katie pulled herself together and made a decision.
She’d tough it out with the weird Fairchild family dynamics as long as she had to.
Chapter Eight
Katrina Fairchild had fallen in love with her big sister’s loft the first time she’d set foot in it.
It was trendy without being obnoxious, roomy without feeling like a warehouse, and surprisingly warm and inviting for such a wide-open space. You’d expect it to be cold with its high ceilings that were a maze of pipes and cylinders, all painted black, combined with the hardwood floors and enormous windows. But it wasn’t. It was comfortable and almost cozy.
She finished brewing two cups of tea and carried them in to the living room where Addison was sitting on the couch. Her feet were on the coffee table, crossed at the ankle, and her laptop was perched on her thighs. Three folders were strewn nearby, one open with papers spilling out. Katrina set one cup of tea down on the table near the overstuffed chair and the other on the end table next to her sister’s left arm.
“Where’s the lap desk I gave you for Christmas last year?” she asked.
“Bedroom,” Addison answered without looking up. Her cell rang and she scooped it up, barked a hello.
In the bedroom, the blinds were closed, and the bed was a rumpled mess. Katrina squinted at it, shook her head, and made the bed. Addison was a fairly neat person, and one of the things her siblings had always teased her about was the fact that she made her bed every morning without fail. Seeing it unmade in the middle of the day was slightly unnerving and a good sign that her sister was not herself. Bed made, Katrina opened the blinds to let in the daylight, scanned the room until she found the black lap desk with the hard top and bean bag bottom, and took it out to the living room.
“You’re gonna kill your neck,” she muttered while Addison talked on the phone. Lifting the laptop off her sister’s thighs, she slid the lap desk underneath and adjusted it. Addison looked up at her, gratitude in her eyes, and gave a half-smile, already looking more comfortable.
Katrina took a seat in the overstuffed chair, which sat at an angle in the room so one corner of the coffee table pointed at it. She picked up her tea and sat back, relaxing while waiting for Addison to get off the phone.
She was worried about her big sister. She had been for a while now, just like her mom. Addison looked tired all the time. Her patience was near zero with everybody—employees, clients, and friends and family alike. She worked like a fiend and barely seemed to have time for anything or anybody that wasn’t directly associated with her job. And now, with her ulcer and a couple of scares, she really needed to take a step back.
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