by Avery Laval
Dianne coughed politely. “Oh,” she said, her voice no longer excited. “An assistant. I see.” Jenna watched as Dianne looked at Grant helplessly, almost imploringly, as though he might somehow help her escape from this awkward situation. But Grant only stood there with a slightly amused look on his face.
In the silence, Jenna forced a smile, hoping it looked more genuine than it felt. “You’re looking very well, Dianne,” she said, saying the only nice thing she could think of in this situation. “You’ve hardly aged a day in six years.”
“Oh, has it been that long?” Dianne asked, innocently. “My goodness. You know how it gets—our busy schedules. So much to do, so many fundraisers, and committees, and then fashion week, and…well, you know how it is. Or at least, you used to.”
Hard as it was, Jenna forced herself to ignore the insult. She couldn’t afford to let her temper get the best of her on her first week on the job. “Of course,” Jenna said, as smoothly as she could, hoping her face wasn’t turning too red.
“One of these days we should really get together and catch up.”
That was the last thing in the world Jenna wanted to do, and for a moment she thought to tell Dianne so. But just then Grant seemed to come to her rescue, as though he sensed how close she was to breaking her composure.
“Jenna would never be so rude to say so, but she’s got an absolutely packed schedule in these next weeks,” he broke in smoothly. “The jewelers’ convention, you know. I’m counting on her to work long hours in preparation.”
“Yes,” Jenna echoed gratefully, though the thought of working long hours in such close proximity to Grant made her uncomfortable in a completely different way. “Very long hours.”
“I completely understand,” Dianne said more to Grant than to Jenna, sounding just as relieved for the out as Jenna was.
“Now then, if we can get back to business. Dianne needs to reschedule—” Grant started, but with a wave of her arm the other woman cut him off.
“I think I’d better just have my assistant call in. She does my calendar anyway. Grant, see you soon?” Dianne touched his bicep seductively—a move that seemed to Jenna to be one last power play before she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“Very well.” To Jenna’s surprise, he spoke curtly and pointed out the route to the elevator dismissively, bidding Dianne only the most businesslike of goodbyes. When she was gone, he turned to Jenna, eyebrows raised, a questioning look on his face. She thought of how he’d bailed her out just a moment ago and wanted to thank him, to explain why she and Dianne had such history, but he cut her off before she could get far. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you in the past,” he said brusquely, “and I don’t care. Just be sure to keep holding onto that temper of yours, if you wish to keep this job.” With that, he turned and stalked away.
About the Author
Avery Laval (a pseudonym for a women’s fiction author you might know) was not allowed to read romance novels growing up. We can all guess what happened as a result—secret rendezvous with Heathcliff, midnight trips to Manderley, and the development of a precocious ability to recognize Fabio in any possible period garment. Now she reads romance, mysteries, fantasy, and everything else she might desire, and she spends hours and hours in her own imaginary world, full of strong, smart, and passionate people who know nothing about love…at first.
Having spent a lifetime with her head in the clouds, Avery surrounds herself with other dreamers and loves big ideas and big plans, even when they seem utterly impossible. Avery loves writing to uncover the beautiful sameness of people in love—how even the hottest billionaire has insecurities, and even the strongest, most successful woman needs compassion.
Avery’s amazing group of strong female friends guides her work, friends who have seen her through the best and worst of times. You’ll see their fingerprints on all of her writing. When not writing, reading, or sharing a laugh with her besties, Avery’s editing, sailing, teaching, and squeezing in as much travel as she can justify. After all, it’s research!
Stay in touch with Avery through her author newsletter bit.ly/averylavalnews and her website www.averylaval.com.
