Which was something she’d never done in her entire life, Katrina knew, because she was pretty sure Addison had no idea how.
Ending the call, Addison tossed the phone onto the couch next to her.
“Drink your tea before it gets cold,” Katrina told her, then sipped her own. “How are you feeling?”
“I’d feel better if people stopped asking me how I feel.” Addison’s eyes never left her computer screen.
“Quit being a bitch. People care about you. Though who knows why lately.”
That got Addison’s attention. Her gaze snapped up, met Katrina’s, held. Addison broke first, blew out a breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m feeling okay. I’d rather be in the office, but—”
“Mom insisted on you staying home?”
“Yes! What am I, twelve? And the personal assistant? Really?”
Katrina shrugged without mentioning that she thought the personal assistant had been a fabulous idea and took another sip of tea. Addison followed suit. “She’s worried about you, Addie. We all are.”
“Did she send you to check up on me?”
Katrina tilted her head to the right and just looked at her sister.
“Yeah, I just heard it. Sorry again.”
“I don’t know what’s going on with you lately, but I wish you’d just take a breath. Lighten up a little bit. Work isn’t the be-all and end-all, you know.”
“Not for you,” Addison muttered, but before Katrina could respond, Addison’s phone rang and there was a knock on the door. Addison answered the phone, met Katrina’s eyes, and jerked her head toward the door, eyebrows raised.
“Of course, Your Highness,” Katrina said under her breath as she crossed the living room, shaking her head.
The woman on the other side of the door was, Katrina noted without even thinking about it, the polar opposite of Addison lately. She was smiling, open. Her stature was average—she couldn’t be more than five foot five—but the energy she exuded was palpable. Katrina had heard about people like that, people whose energy and kindness were apparent from the second you met them, but she couldn’t really think of one she knew. The woman’s hair was dark, a little past her shoulders, her eyes brown and slightly almond-shaped. She wore black dress pants, a simple mint green sweater under a black pea coat that was too big for her, and minimal makeup.
“Oh, hi,” she said, her smile faltering slightly. “I’m here for Addis—er—Ms. Fairchild?”
Katrina grinned. “Please. Call her Addison. Ms. Fairchild is our mom.” She held out a hand. “Katrina Fairchild. Little sister.”
“Katie Cooper. Personal assistant.” They shook.
“Oh, right. Got it. Come on in.” Katrina stepped aside and made room. Katie Cooper entered, shed her coat, and hung it on the coat tree. Then she took her briefcase and crossed the room to where Addison was just finishing up her phone call.
“Hi,” Katie said.
Addison responded in what was little more than a grunt.
Katrina gave her a look that Addison pretended to ignore, then sat back down in her chair to finish her tea. “So, Katie, what do you think of working with my sister? Has she driven you to drink yet?”
“Ha ha,” Addison said, typing.
“Not to excess,” Katie replied. “Yet.”
“So, like, a shot a night?”
“I’m up to three, actually.”
Katrina laughed, and Katie chuckled quietly, not looking at Addison. Interesting. Addison looked completely unamused by both of them.
Katrina stood, took her cup into the kitchen, and left it in the sink. As she walked back toward the living room, she slowed her steps, stopped and watched the two women on the couch, their backs to her. They were quiet, each typing away on her laptop, but there was an added element of a chill in the air coming from her sister; nobody could pick that up better than Addison’s little sister, having been on the receiving end of it her entire life.
What’s that about?
She stood for a few seconds more, but no words were spoken and Katrina needed to get back to work. With a clearing of her throat, she walked back into the room and grabbed her coat from the back of the overstuffed chair.
“All right. I need to get back to my office. Budget meeting at one.” She put on her coat. “Addie, please take it easy. Okay?”
Addison barely acknowledged her.
Katrina slipped into the high-pitched, snarky voice she always used when doing an impression of Addison. “I will, Katrina. Thanks so much for coming by to check on me. It means so much to me. I’d get up and hug you, but I’m super busy here because I’m ultra-important.”
A snort of a laugh burst from Katie, whose expression went immediately to did I make that sound out loud? Her dark eyes widened, and she rolled her lips in and bit down on them. That face alone made Katrina laugh.
“You two are hilarious,” Addison said, shook her head, and went back to her laptop.
“I like you, Katie Cooper.” Katrina pointed at Katie. “Maybe we’ll see each other again.”
“Maybe we will.” Katie smiled, and Katrina felt an odd sense of being split. On the one hand, she loved the idea of somebody helping her sister out while she recovered. On the other hand, part of her felt bad leaving somebody as instantly likable as Katie with somebody who’d become as miserable as Addison.
Interesting, she thought again.
With a wave, she left the loft, and the strange certainty that Katie Cooper would be around for a long time, behind and headed back to the hospital.
* * *
Well, that had been unexpected.
While Katrina Fairchild looked very much like Addison—physically, it wasn’t hard to tell they were sisters—she was also remarkably different. First and foremost, Katie had found her friendly, something that seemed to come and go sporadically with Addison, and instantly likable. Second, she was much more relaxed than her big sister, something that was surprising given the fact that she oversaw the running of a very large research hospital.
“She seems really nice,” Katie commented a few minutes after the door closed behind Katrina.
“Unlike me.” Addison’s voice was hard, her eyes fixed on her laptop.
Katie blinked at her in surprise. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” Addison turned to look at her then, and Katie was taken aback by her eyes, by the very strange combination of flashes of anger and glimpses of sadness. “Did you have fun tattling on me to my mommy?”
Katie’s eyes went wide. “I’m sorry?”
“I know you saw her yesterday. Was it necessary to give her a health report on me? Did you tell her I shouldn’t be in the office?”
“I told her no such thing.” Katie took a beat, swallowed, went on. “I can tell you this, though: Your mother is very worried about you. I didn’t have to say anything to her to pick up on that.”
Addison shifted her body slightly so she was facing Katie more directly. “She called me last night and she wasn’t happy. She said I needed to stay home and recuperate. She said I wasn’t letting you help. She said I was treating you like a gopher.”
Katie’s heart rate had kicked up and her stomach churned with nervous tension. She did not like confrontation, but she wasn’t about to sit there and be accused of something she didn’t do. “Look. All I did yesterday was follow your list. Your mother was in Ed Hayes’s office when I got there, and she asked me what you had me doing that day.”
“And you just had to tell her.”
Her calmness being slowly eclipsed by her simmering anger, Katie’s jaw tightened. “What should I have done?”
“Something else.”
“Like?”
“Hey, if you’re not smart enough to come up with something creative on your own…” Addison shrugged and went back to typing.
That was it.
“Excuse me?” Katie said, eyes still wide, but this time it was only anger. Anger at being insulted. Anger at this woman’s
audacity and at her condescending attitude. At her lack of enough respect to even offer up eye contact as she was slicing at Katie.
“You heard me.”
Katie closed her laptop with a loud snap that got Addison’s attention. Speaking through clenched teeth, she unloaded. “Let’s get a few things straight here, Ms. Fairchild. Number one: I don’t work for you. I work for your mother. So if you have an issue with how I do my job or how I answer questions posed by my boss, I suggest you take them up with her. Second, you don’t know a goddamn thing about me—not that you’ve ever asked—so don’t you dare presume that I’m not smart enough to go head-to-head with you. Just because I didn’t have a company handed to me right out of college, that doesn’t make you better, smarter, or more successful than me. And third…” She paused, the wind in her sails suddenly being shoved out of the way by emotion, as thoughts of her father with chili spilled all over his shirt and her mother with her hands in her hair trying to figure out how to take care of the bills assaulted her unexpectedly. “I need this job. And I’d be excellent at it if you’d just give me a chance. I need this job for the money and I need this job for my head so I can…” She cleared her throat, her face heating up with embarrassment. “So I can have five hours in my day when I don’t have to think about how sick my father is or how exhausted my mother is or how nothing will ever be the same in my family again.” Frustrated by the unshed tears in her eyes, Katie reached down deep, found the anger again, and hauled it to the surface. She looked directly into the startled eyes of Addison Fairchild and repeated quietly, “You don’t know a goddamn thing about me, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your judgments to yourself. All right?”
Katie had the sudden, glaringly loud certainty that Addison didn’t have people stand up to her very often. The expression on her face was priceless, an amalgamation of shock, shame, confusion. Overall, she just looked a bit…sheepish. Surprisingly, there didn’t seem to be even a hint of anger, which confused Katie because she was pretty sure she was fired. Which would suck, but you know what? She didn’t have to take this crap. From anybody.
Letting out a slow, quiet breath, she hefted her laptop and stood to gather her things.
“Where are you going?” Addison’s question seemed genuine, her eyes surprised.
Katie blinked at her. They stayed like that for a long beat, Katie standing, looking down at Addison in surprise. Addison looking up at her from the couch, eyebrows raised expectantly.
“Um…I’m leaving?”
“Why?”
Katie felt the divot form between her eyebrows, like it always did when she was confused. “Because I’m…fired?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.” Addison swallowed audibly and glanced down at her hands. “You were totally right. I was out of line. By, like, a lot. I’m very sorry.” When Katie didn’t sit back down, simply remained standing and blinking, Addison went on. “Please. Sit. I could use some help.”
“Well.” Katie’s eyes darted around the room as she searched for some purchase, now that things had veered in an unexpected direction. “So much for my big, dramatic exit where I stomp out and slam the door behind me.” She sat back down to a quiet chuckle from Addison. It was a sound she’d never heard before, and Katie liked it immediately. It was light. Higher-pitched than she’d expect. “All right. Should we start with email?”
And just like that, the heated conversation faded away. They worked steadily for the next hour, Addison answering phone call after phone call, putting out fires, listening to the issues of her employees, her tone not always brusque but rarely approaching friendly. Katie responded to Addison’s emails, having gone through each one in the inbox. She clicked Send on the last one and glanced at Addison just in time to see her end a call, then grimace, a hand across her stomach.
“When was the last time you ate?” Katie asked gently, and touched Addison’s arm.
“I don’t know. Last night? I haven’t been very hungry.”
“I know. It’s one of the symptoms of an ulcer, but you have to eat.” Katie set her laptop aside. “I’ll be right back.” In the ridiculous gourmet kitchen, Katie opened the fridge and was relieved to find a dozen eggs and some skim milk, along with two small yogurts, some mustard, a jar of pickles, and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that hadn’t been opened yet.
Back in the living room, she looked down at Addison.
“What?” Addison asked, but her voice didn’t carry its usual tone of impatience.
Katie took Addison’s laptop and closed it. Setting it on the coffee table, she pointed to Addison’s feet. “Take your shoes off. You’re working from home, for God’s sake, why are you wearing heels?” She kept her tone playful, and it worked. Addison’s mouth turned up slightly at the corners and she kicked off her shoes. “Good.” She turned to the enormous windows, where it was definitely looking like the end of fall. “Just sit here and look at how gorgeous it is outside. The colors of the leaves that are left, the crazy blue of the sky. No laptop. No phone.” She reached down and snagged Addison’s phone, slid it into her back pocket. “Just for a few minutes. Okay?” She waited for Addison’s reluctant nod. “I’ll be right back.”
Fifteen minutes later, she carried a plate of scrambled eggs out to the living room and handed it to Addison, whose eyes widened.
“Wow. These look great.”
Katie grinned. “They’re just eggs. Eat them, please.” She sat down on the overstuffed chair.
“Are you going to watch me eat them?”
“Yes, I am.” Katie nodded, perched an elbow on the arm of the chair and her cheek against her fist.
Addison cocked her head slightly, as if she was going to argue, but decided against it. Instead, she picked up her fork and began to eat.
“So,” Katie said, as Addison chewed, “I got an email from your mom that said to remind you about charity. No details. Care to fill me in?”
Addison groaned, gave an exaggerated eye roll. “Fairchild Enterprises is very big on giving to charity, as you know.”
Katie nodded.
“My mom says that writing a check is nice, but making an appearance is better.”
“Oh…so, like, it’s great for Fairchild Enterprises to donate money, but it’s even better if there is a visible member of the Fairchild family donating his or her time.”
“Exactly.” Addison scooped another forkful of eggs into her mouth and Katie did her best to hide her happiness, especially given that Addison “wasn’t hungry.”
“And do you have specific organizations you donate to?”
Addison searched the space above her. “We do, but Mom always lets me and my siblings choose an additional one if we want to.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
With a shrug, Addison said, “Not really. I haven’t really thought about it.”
“Would you mind if I came up with some ideas?”
“Are you kidding? I’d love it. One less thing for me to worry about.”
Katie feigned a gasp and sat forward.
“What?” Addison asked, confused worry on her face.
“I think you actually, finally just used your personal assistant. To personally assist you. There may be hope for you yet.”
Their gazes held for a beat before a grin tugged up one corner of Addison’s lips. “Ha ha. You’re very funny.”
But she did think it was funny. Katie could see that, not only by the half-smile but by the softening of Addison’s gorgeous blue eyes.
Addison finished her eggs, and before she could set the plate down, Katie was up and holding out her hand for it.
“All right. Next, I want you to turn sideways and put your feet up on the couch.”
“Katie. I have work to do.” Interestingly, while protesting, Addison turned sideways and put her feet up on the couch.
“Yes, yes, I know. You’re super important and can’t take any time off, even if your stomach has a hole in it. I hear you. But guess
what you have?”
Addison looked up at her then, a sparkle in her eyes. “A personal assistant?”
“Ding, ding, ding!”
“Again, very funny.”
“Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitress. Now stay just like that. I’ll be right back and we’ll get to work.”
By the time six o’clock rolled around, Katie and Addison had gotten a ton done. Two meetings set up for the following week, which Katie would be attending with Addison; nearly thirty emails responded to, twenty more sent; sixteen phone calls made. They’d gone through and organized Addison’s calendar for the month—Addison’s eyebrows had risen in surprise when Katie bluntly pointed out, “Wow, you really do need me. Your calendar is a mess. Double-book yourself much?”—and each of them now had a copy. The best part, as far as Katie was concerned? Addison was still reclined on the couch. Even better, she appeared more comfortable and relaxed than Katie had ever seen her.
With a glance at her watch, Addison turned to look at Katie, who was still on the overstuffed chair, but with her stocking feet crossed at the ankle on the coffee table and her laptop perched on her thighs. “You should get home. We got a lot done today.”
“We did. See what happens when you let me do my job?”
“I do see.”
Their gazes held and Katie realized that was, like, the third or fourth time. She liked this version of Addison. Very much, if she was being honest. But she also knew not to get attached because chances were, Crabby Addison would be back tomorrow.
As Katie gathered her things and slipped her shoes back on, Addison surprised her. “Hey, since we’re working here all week, why don’t you dress comfortably tomorrow? Nobody is going to see us.” Addison wiggled her stocking feet to punctuate her point, then she shrugged as if to emphasize how nonchalant she was being, and Katie smiled at the obvious effort.
Calendar Girl Page 10
