Chapter 5
“B unny, you have to know how upset I am about this decision of yours,” my mother spews into the phone as I briskly jog up the steps from the T station.
I’ve been avoiding her phone calls and texts all weekend.
It’s Monday morning, eight thirty, seven thirty Texas time and she’s already called ten times.
“Mom, it’s done. I have a job. A studio space. I went and saw some apartments yesterday and I think I might have one lined up near work. This is where I’m choosing to stay. I don’t want to be in Texas and there is no way I’m moving back to LA with Tod and Ava there.”
She huffs, but other than making her displeasure at my life choices abundantly clear, she can’t do or say anything about it. I’m an adult with my own resources. And truth be told, yeah, I’m still a little pissed at her.
That notwithstanding, Octavia emailed me back almost immediately on Saturday, telling me I was hired with what I believe to be a competitive salary and full benefits even though I’m only set for thirty-five hours a week. The caveat? I start first thing today.
I told her I was in.
Why? I don’t even know. I have no experience with this. I’ve never been an executive assistant. I’ve never worked for a charitable foundation. It has close ties to Kaplan and after a lot of soul searching, I decided I definitely don’t want to open that can of worms again.
But I still said yes.
Truth, I figure Octavia has to be as crazy as I am. The woman offered me a job in a ladies’ room while I had makeup smeared down my face wearing a ruined wedding dress. I’m trying to take the gifts I’m being handed and roll with them.
“I wish you could be happy for me.”
“Happy?” she shoots back. “I would have been happy if you had come back home to Texas with me. I don’t like you there in Boston.
It’s far and it’s cold and you don’t know anyone.
” She pauses. Clears her throat. “I’m worried about you.
After what happened this weekend, I’m worried your emotions are getting the best of you and you’re not thinking rationally. ”
“I’m thinking rationally,” I quasi lie. I’m honestly not sure if I am. “I’m excited about this, Mom. This could be the start of something incredible for me. I’m on my own for the first time ever. Never in my life have I been more than half an hour from one of my parents. This will be good for me.”
Another huff, but I ignore it, trying to get my bearings as the icy Boston wind whips all around me. I looked everything up on a map and I know where to go but talking with my mother is messing with my focus.
“Mom, I have to go. I don’t want to be late on my first day and I can’t talk to you and find my way in a strange city.”
“Just promise me one thing, Bunny?”
“What’s that?”
“If it gets to be too much or you’re unhappy, you’ll come home to me. Or if you need me, for anything, you’ll call, and I’ll fly in.”
A smile hits my lips. My mother isn’t always the easiest person to be around or talk to, but I never doubted her love for me. Even if I’ll never be the person she wishes I were.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Call me tonight so I know how your first day went.”
“Will do.”
“Love you, Bunny.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I slip my phone back into my purse, wrap my arms around myself, duck my head against the wind and barrel through the streets until I come upon what appears to be a restored warehouse in the North End. The trendy burnished copper plaque affixed to the brick facade says The Abbot Foundation.
Opening the door, I practically moan out a hallelujah at the welcome blast of warm air.
This isn’t what I expected for a nonprofit charitable foundation, but then again, it’s run by a family of billionaires.
Instead of old, worn furnishings from two decades ago, everything is new, modern, and brightly colored.
The walls are exposed brick adorned with expensive art, the floors a sleek gray concrete, the stairs metal.
“May I help you?” a young, impeccably dressed woman with a tighter than tight bun on top of her head asks with a professionally polite smile affixed to her ruby lips.
A flash of nerves has my insides flip-flopping as I step toward the main desk. “Hi. I’m Bianca Barlow. I’m here to meet with Octavia Fritz.”
“Oh. You’re Bianca.” The girl practically leaps out of her chair, zooming around the large metal-and-glass desk.
“Hi! I’m Charlie. I’m one of the other admins.
” She shakes my hand. “I’m just covering the front desk until Juan Carlo comes in.
” She sighs dramatically, fanning her face.
“Wait till you meet him. Anyway, come with me. I’ll take you upstairs.
Octavia isn’t here yet, but she asked that I show you around.
I expect her by nine. She’s never late. That’s something you should know.
The Fritzes are never late for anything. ”
“Okay.” That’s as far as I get before she continues.
“I still can’t believe all this is happening. I mean, we knew it was going to eventually. Just not this soon.” She pauses halfway up the stairs, turning back to me. “Not that I’m complaining. I’m totally not. It’s just sad, right? The end of an era.”
My eyebrows scrunch together.
“The admin pool is the best. Most of the girls are supercool and nice. Some of us go out for drinks a couple times a month.” Her head swivels until her eyes meet mine over her shoulder.
“With the exception of one, and I am warning you about her now. She’s not happy you’re here.
I have no doubt you’ll meet her later.” She grimaces theatrically.
“Anyway, even though you’re not technically part of the pool, you’re still invited out with us.
Man. I’m just super jealous of you, you know? ”
My head spins as I try to take in all that information, landing on the last thing she said and feeling no less confused. “You are? Why?” My mystified expression causes her to laugh.
“If you have to ask, you’re either gay or haven’t met him yet.”
She gives me a conspiratorial wink and I have no clue who she’s talking about, but again, I don’t get the chance to ask because in her next breath, she’s opening a glass door that leads to a large open-concept room.
There are dozens of desks arranged throughout the space, along with walking treadmills, yoga balls, a couple of lounge areas with couches and coffee tables as well as an open kitchen along the far wall.
“This is the admin floor. There are about twelve of us down here plus the grant reviewers, social marketing team, and event planners, though we lost two of them the other day. They were a married couple and decided to retire to be with their grandkids in Arizona or something. Anyway, the floor above us is the main floor that includes basically everyone else from HR to the executives. It’s also where all of our conference rooms are located.
Your space will be up there since you’ll be working directly for the CEO. ”
I pause midstep. “I’m working for the CEO?”
She blinks at me. “Yes. You didn’t know?”
“I… um… I mean, Octavia mentioned something about being an executive assistant. She just didn’t get into specifics about it.”
She tilts her head quizzically. “Oh. Well, that’s surprising. But yes, that’s what I was told. I’m to show you the floor and then bring you up to HR and Octavia before the big announcement.”
“Big announce—”
“Is this her?” An insanely tall, thin Black woman with the most strikingly beautiful features I’ve ever seen comes prancing up to us.
“This is her.” Charlie beams, waving a hand in my direction.
“Wow. Yes, I saw the company-wide email this morning. Did you tell her we’re all insanely jealous of her?”
Charlie laughs. “I told her, but I don’t think she quite gets the punch line yet.”
The new woman waves me away. “Oh, honey. You will. Just wait. I promise, you won’t be sad about it either. I’m Greta.”
“Bianca.”
“Bianca, wow. Pretty name. And I love your outfit. Your boots are epic.”
I glance down at my knee-high studded suede boots with red soles. “Thank you. I have a small thing for clothes and shoes.”
Charlie and Greta exchange glances. “Us too,” they say in unison and all of us start laughing. And with it, some of the knot that’s been sitting in my stomach since Saturday unwinds itself. Friends. I could have friends here. I haven’t had friends other than Ava in so long.
“This is where we sit,” Greta informs me, pointing to two desks along the far wall. “Come visit us anytime, but you have to have lunch with us today. We’re going to need all the gossip.”
“Gossip?”
“I’m getting the impression she doesn’t know yet,” Charlie stage-whispers to Greta, cupping her hand over her mouth.
“You’re kidding me.” Greta’s dark eyes go comically wide before they give me a big once-over.
“I know!” Charlie squeals, grabbing Greta’s arm and shaking it excitedly. “Isn’t that just the best? I can’t get over it.”
“Well, that has to be why Octavia hired her, right? Because she doesn’t know?”
Charlie nods enthusiastically, leaning against the edge of a random desk. “Totally what I was thinking too.”
“You realize you’ve completely lost me, right?
Or more aptly, you never had me.” More people start filing in, walking past us while staring at me.
The moment they see me, they start whispering to each other in that obvious way people do when they don’t exactly care they’re being obvious while blatantly talking about you.
This feels like that dream where you show up to high school naked and you didn’t know you had an exam.
“This must be her,” a nasal voice snidely remarks seconds before yet another tall, thin, stunning woman appears on my side.
She’s a lot of blonde hair and blue eyes with incredible lashes I’m tempted to touch just to make sure they’re fake.
She takes me in from head to toe, the disdain on her face clear as a bell before she smugly grins.
“One look at you and I know why they hired you instead of promoting me.”