by A. E. Radley
Two glasses of wine were placed on the bar, and Georgina tapped her card on the device offered to her. She tucked her purse under her arm and took a deep breath as she carried the glasses over to the table.
“Thank you,” Kate murmured.
“Least I can do,” Georgina said. She sat opposite Kate, thankful they had the relative peace of a booth at the back of the pub.
“Yes, it is,” Kate said firmly.
Georgina blew out a breath. She knew talking to Kate wouldn’t be easy, but she owed it to her.
“I’m sorry, about the elevator thing.” Georgina waved her hand, trying to dismiss the whole incident. “Actually, I’m sorry about a lot more than just that.”
Kate frowned. She sipped at her wine, regarding Georgina suspiciously over the top of the glass.
“I’ve behaved awfully,” she confessed. “It all suddenly seems so petty.”
“I’ve hardly been on my best behaviour either,” Kate admitted.
Georgina smiled. “Don’t try to downplay how terrible I’ve been. The things I said to you last week—”
“I’d really rather not revisit that particular scene,” Kate said.
Georgina pushed her wine glass to one side and leaned back. “I’ve always wanted to be the best,” she admitted. “Ever since I was a little girl. I wanted to be something. Marketing ended up being the key to it all. I was good at it, I understood it, and I built my career on it. I always thought I was special, unique. I convinced myself that I, and I alone, had established a process of working that was perfection.”
She tucked a fallen lock of hair behind her ear. “And then, I heard about you. Kate Kennedy and Red Door. And in the back of my mind, I realised I wasn’t so unique. I wasn’t so special. You’d done exactly the same things that I’d done. You’d built up an empire in this male-dominated shit fest of an industry that we call home.”
Kate looked at her curiously. Guarded but interested.
“I guess I thought you took some of my uniqueness from me. Unintentionally, of course. But then the media started to compare us. We were practically pitted against each other. I opened a new office, you signed a multi-million-dollar deal. You won an award, I had a building named after me at my alma mater. Without even thinking about why, we were in competition.”
She snatched up the wine glass and took a fortifying sip. Explaining oneself was more complicated and exhausting than she remembered.
“And then Pink Blossom happened. I remember it so clearly.” She plucked a tissue from the pack in her bag and casually wiped at the condensation on the table left by her cold glass. “It was a Monday morning. I had just had a marvellous weekend away. I’d had an idea for a client, I was eager to call them. But when I got into the office, I knew something was wrong. Michael told me that we’d lost Pink Blossom, and I was floored. When he told me we’d lost it to Red Door…”
“You were angry?” Kate guessed.
“Livid,” Georgina confirmed. “In my mind, you had deliberately gone behind my back and seized the contract out from under me. It kick-started a chain reaction where the competition turned nasty. Now that I think about it, it sounds ridiculous.”
“It doesn’t,” Kate said. “I’ve always felt the same. I remember feeling that I’d arrived when the trade press wanted to write about me. I started reading articles about myself, and was shocked to find that the journalist referenced you in the text. Directly comparing us. I was furious. I’d built my company up, I was a success, and there was some journalist, some man, placing a picture of you alongside my article.”
“Exactly.” Georgina nodded. She was so relieved that Kate understood.
“But I never stole the Pink Blossom account from you,” Kate said seriously. “I may have disliked you, but I would never have done that.”
Georgina licked her lips and looked down at the table. As much as she wanted to move on, to finally have this rift over with, it was still hard. The anger at the Pink Blossom account being lost to Red Door was still hot within her.
“I’ve been friends with Rosie for years,” Kate explained. “When she set up Pink Blossom, I had no industry experience that I could offer her. And she was setting up in New York. Neither of us ever thought anything of it. Then, I attended her daughter’s wedding, and we naturally started to talk about work. She told me that she was consolidating her businesses in London. She was hoping a grandchild would be on the way soon, and she wanted to be nearby.”
Kate twisted her glass around, staring thoughtfully at the liquid. “She told me that she’d seen one of our campaigns for Grantleys and loved it. Asked if we’d be able to do some work for her. Just that, some work. I’d had champagne, it was late, I didn’t really think much more about it. The next thing I knew, she was moving the entire account to us.”
She chuckled. “I’ll admit, I was happy to get one over on you. But I didn’t think anything of it, because I hadn’t set out to steal an account. I hadn’t even known it was happening until Rosie was practically ordering me to write up a contract so she could sign it.”
Georgina shook her head. “From where I was sitting, it all happened very differently.”
“I can see how it must have looked.” Kate sipped her wine. “Positions reversed, I would have thought the same.”
“It wasn’t the money,” Georgina reassured her. “It was the pride. The fact I didn’t know. And then the fact that Pink Blossom was such a high-profile account. It was everywhere, we had to do a lot of damage control. Other clients left because of that.”
“I never knew that,” Kate breathed.
“We haemorrhaged money,” Georgina confessed. “Not at first, but a couple of months later. Rumours swirled. It was a terrible time. And at the epicentre of it all—”
“Was me,” Kate guessed.
“Was you.” Georgina nodded. “I didn’t set out to get Yannis and Atrom, but the opportunity arose and I took it. I bent everything into shape to get him to sign with us, but then he got preoccupied by Mastery working with Red Door. Thinking that if he had the two best agencies in the business, it would be marvellous.”
“That’s Yannis.” Kate rolled her eyes.
“And then here I was, and I thought, ‘Why don’t I just cause mayhem? I might not get the account, but let’s just cause trouble while I’m here’. So, I did. I was utterly blinded by this feeling of competition. And I was angry, so angry at myself for losing Jessica. I was so consumed with my desire to beat you, I didn’t even notice myself losing the one good thing I had.”
“Surely not the only—”
“The one good thing I had,” Georgina emphasised. It was important to her that Kate understood exactly how important Jessica was. And how important the right partner was.
Kate closed her mouth and nodded.
“I thought you’d spoken to Jessica,” she explained. “That’s why I overreacted at the press launch. I heard about the job, I heard about your involvement, I put two and two together and got fifteen.”
“I swear to you, I had no idea Jessica had been offered that role. All I heard was that the role had been filled.”
“I know, I spoke to Jessica. Too late, of course. By then I’d already said what I’d said to you. I cannot apologise enough.”
“It’s fine—”
“No, it isn’t. I was extremely hurtful and in such a public way. I knew it the moment I’d done it. And then Sophie came to see me and tore a strip off me as well.”
Kate’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Sophie? Sophie Young? Nervous cardigan Sophie?”
Georgina laughed. “Yes, that one. She’s got quite a temper. She definitely told me what she thought of my actions. Which only confirmed something I had already suspected.”
Kate held up her hand. “Please, not this again.”
“I saw it from the moment I saw you two together. It gave me an instant flashback to Jessica and me.” She frowned contemplatively. “I can’t explain it, it’s not like you’re shooting heart ar
rows at each other. It’s more than that. The kind of connection you can only understand when you’ve experienced it yourself.”
“You’re wrong,” Kate drawled. She chuckled to herself before taking a sip of wine.
Georgina smiled. “Maybe I am. But I don’t think so. I think you feel something for her, and you’re terrified of it. I felt the same way about Jessica. I’m too old for her, I’m her boss, I’m hard and acerbic, she’s sweetness and light. Everything was telling me that I had to stay away. If for some ungodly reason she did like me, then I knew that I’d destroy her career, break her heart, treat her terribly.”
She pulled the wine glass closer, using it as a barrier.
“I’d buried my feelings for months. And then, one day, we got stuck in an elevator.”
“Oh my God,” Kate said. Georgina didn’t have to look up. She could feel Kate’s eyes boring into her skull.
“It was over an hour of talking. I just… opened up. Nothing much at first. I spoke about my career, my feelings, my likes and dislikes. She did the same. It was the first time we had talked about anything outside of a boss-employee relationship.” She picked up the glass and took a drink. “She asked me out. Very specifically, it was a date. I panicked, blurted out every reason it was a bad idea. Never once did I say I didn’t feel that way about her, so I was essentially broadcasting my feelings to her. I was blindsided by the whole thing.”
“You? Blindsided?” Kate laughed. “Now that I’d like to see.”
Georgina smiled again. “I agreed to the date. I thought it would be awful. I’d planned for her to walk out the next day, I had HR looking for a replacement. But it never happened. We had another date. And then a standing date every Friday. And then Wednesday and Friday. It just happened so easily. I could never have hoped beyond my wildest dreams for a partner that just snapped into place next to me. It made sense, she’d been watching my every move for months. Anticipating my needs. But I found that I knew her, too. Somehow, in that time, I’d gotten to know about her favourite colour, her style of music, her taste in movies.”
At that moment, a waiter bounced up to their table. “Can I get you ladies anything to eat?” he asked cheerfully.
“No,” they both replied sternly.
He quickly backed away.
Georgina took a breath, finding her footing again. “I saw the look in Sophie’s eyes. I wasn’t sure, but I had an inkling. Then I saw the same look in yours. So, I asked her out. It was petty, but I was out to cause havoc. And I was lonely.”
“Did you…?” Kate asked meaningfully.
“No.” She shook her head. “A small kiss, nothing more.”
Kate nodded. “Not that it matters, of course.”
“She loves you. She wasn’t necessarily aware of it to start with, but she is now.” Georgina took a drink. “It’s scaring her. I don’t know what she’s going to do, though I suspect that she’s going to run away because that’s the easiest thing to do. Now that she’s become aware of her feelings—”
“I don’t want to be the person who has to guide her through her first crush on a woman,” Kate observed. “I’m not the right person to do that.”
“I don’t think it is a crush. I think she’s been infatuated with you for a long time, maybe thinking it was something else.” Georgina leaned forward. “I stupidly thought that putting you together in a confined space would have the same result that it had for me and Jessica. Obviously, I neglected to factor in that you are not me and Sophie is not Jessica. I’ve made a mess of things, but I want to help.”
“Why?” Kate shook her head. “Why this sudden desire to get involved in my love life?”
“Because you got involved in mine, when I needed to hear some truth.”
Kate frowned. Then understanding swept over her face. “You called Jessica again.”
“I did. I don’t think I would have done it if it wasn’t for you.” It was a lie, she knew she wouldn’t have done it. “I owe you, Kate. If there’s a fraction of a chance that you can have what I have, I want to help you. I know we’re not the same people, but…” She blew out a frustrated breath at Kate’s stony face. “Damn it, I know that look!”
“Fine,” Kate bit back. “I do have feelings for her. But I’m completely wrong for her, I know that.”
“Let her decide,” Georgina implored.
Kate shook her head. “She’s so young, Georgina.”
“She’s not as young as you think. There’s a bright, mature, passionate woman there.”
Kate leaned back and sighed. “I’ve been awful to her. The things I said to her when we were stuck in the elevator. I can’t imagine that it escaped your eagle eye that she ran away from me?”
“It’s not like your usual interaction with her is so sunny. She ran because she realised I’d caused the elevator issue and knew it was her move. She panicked. You… were you. The question is, are you willing to try?”
Kate looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, God, I don’t know.”
“I have an idea, if you’re interested,” Georgina fished.
Kate looked at her. “What kind of an idea?”
“Something that will help us all out of this very sticky situation. Yannis will be happy. I’ll be happy, in New York with Jessica. And, hopefully, you and Sophie will be happy.”
Kate licked her lips. Finally, she was breaking down her walls. Finally, she was ready to admit her feelings. “Okay, tell me more.”
“Absolutely, but first, let’s order. I’m starving.” Georgina picked up a menu from the table. “The service in here is terrible.”
“It is,” Kate agreed. She searched for a member of the staff. “We’ve been left to waste away.”
Chapter 37
Sophie turned in her seat and looked towards the meeting room door for the third time in under a minute. She gnawed her lip and turned back to face Yannis. Not that he noticed, he was fully focused on his MacBook, as he had been from the moment he turned it on.
That was one of the things Sophie liked about Yannis, he wasn’t afraid to start up his laptop and get stuck into work no matter where he was. He was often seen in a meeting room, or on public transport, tapping away.
“Are you sure I can’t get you a drink?”
Yannis looked up at her. “No, thank you.” He smiled and returned his attention to his work.
Sophie swallowed and chanced another glance at the door. She couldn’t believe that neither Kate nor Georgina had shown up for the meeting. She looked at her watch; they were now both fifteen minutes late.
She’d seen neither woman that morning. Mainly because she was trying to avoid them after the awkward elevator incident of the previous evening. The morning meeting with Yannis was a perfect opportunity to get away from them. She’d decided to go straight to the meeting and use it as a protective shield against any awkward conversations that might have come up.
But now she was alone with Yannis. No sign of anyone else. And the clock kept ticking by.
She’d rung them, texted them, emailed them. She’d even phoned upstairs and asked someone if they could see them. Both women were nowhere to be found. She looked at her phone again, still no reply from either of them.
“I do have a meeting after this,” Yannis commented.
Sophie felt her heart starting to pound in her chest. “Oh, um, I’m sure they’ll—”
He returned his attention to his laptop. Yannis was a patient man, but that patience was eventually going to run out. Sophie walked over to the laptop stored under the large television screen on the wall. She figured that she could log in and maybe show Yannis some of the assets she had seen, just to kill time until Kate or Georgina showed up and took over.
She booted up the laptop and used the remote control to turn on the television. She leaned forward and tried to remember the password for the presentation room laptop. She tried a couple of passwords, both incorrect.
It was then that she realised that Yannis was looking at her. He had closed his
laptop. His pen and notepad were out, and he was looking eagerly at the screen. With horror, she realised that he had assumed she was about to present.
“Um,” she tried to think of a way to backtrack. Or to run away altogether.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing these new ideas.” Yannis folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. His eyes were focused on the dark TV screen, waiting for it to spring to life.
Sophie looked down at the laptop. She still couldn’t remember the password. Her hands were poised over the keyboard as she wondered what to do. This wasn’t what she had imagined when she was younger and studying to work in a big marketing agency.
But this had always been her dream. To be in a meeting room with a client, presenting ideas. Her eyes drifted to her bag. She looked at the clock on the wall. Yannis’s time was limited. If she didn’t show him something, then he would up and leave.
“This laptop battery is low,” Sophie lied. She shut the lid and yanked the projector cable out of the back. She put the computer back where she had found it and pulled her bag onto the table.
“I’m so sorry that Kate and Georgina are running late, I know they really wanted to be here. But I’m happy to go through the basics of the campaign with you now. I’m sure you’ll love what we’ve put together.” Sophie could feel her confidence building as she spoke.
She plugged her own laptop into the projector and quickly accessed her personal folders. Kate and Georgina might kill her for what she was about to do, but it was better than Yannis walking away.
She clicked on the presentation she had created a couple of nights before. It had been a culmination of weeks of work. Sitting in meetings with some of the most creative people in the world, she felt inspired to gather ideas. She spent many hours either at her desk, or at home, creating her own presentations. Using assets from work to develop full campaigns. It was a learning experience like no other.
