Chapter 6
six
Olivia
S tartled, I stare at the older woman. Although I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at her statement since I came in with Gabe. Ruckus though? That’s an odd word for the shambles my life is currently in. Thankfully her statement doesn’t have a damning tone and her smile is kind and genuine.
“I guess I am.”
Her gaze envelops me from head to toe and I resist the urge to squirm. It feels like I’m standing in front of my high school principal again, waiting for judgement on some infraction. That happened far more often than I want to remember. Usually because I was the butt of someone’s joke and of course the scuffle couldn’t have been caused by one of the ‘perfect’ girls.
Shoving those memories back into the dark, locked corner of my mind where they belong, I take a deep breath and attempt to relax. This morning already feels like it’s been a week long. How can so many life altering moments happen in such a short time?
“What can I do to help?”
Brenda nods sagely. “Keeping busy is one of the best ways to still your mind. I imagine you’ve got a brain full today.”
Her dry pronouncement makes me laugh. “If you only knew.”
“You don’t know me yet, but I’ve got a good ear and an open heart if and when you want to talk. For now, I really can use some help lifting these boxes to the desk so I can unpack.”
The contrast of her personalized space, and my drab cubby at Abbot’s highlights the dismal place I’ve gotten myself into. It’s busy work that I’m thankful for. The boxes aren’t heavy and I empty each one while she places the contents where she wants them. While we work I can’t help how my gaze continually drifts toward the wide glass wall and Gabe’s office. He and the attorney are in deep discussion, sliding a laptop back and forth across the desk. This looks like more than just some crazy landlord trying to extol money. I haven’t gotten him into some kind of legal trouble, have I?
If I have, I’ll fix it somehow. Pay him back for his trouble and any financial difficulties. I don’t have a clue how, but I will.
Brenda touches my shoulder. “It’s not as bad as it looks, dear. But from past meetings between these two, I’m guess it’s still going to be awhile before Walt’s ready to talk to you. Care to join me in some coffee? Hopefully there’s still some donuts left. Put food out in front of this crew though, and it’s like they’ve never eaten.”
“Thank you. Coffee, and a distraction sounds great.”
She leads me to the break room and even though I’m still full after the marvelous breakfast, I choose a cake donut from one of the many boxes. We sit by a window and share a moment of quiet.
Brenda stirs a large swirl of cream into her coffee. “I’m curious. Now, you don’t need to tell me anything you aren’t comfortable with, but I’m still going to ask.”
I like her straight forward way of speaking. “If I can ask questions in return.”
She chuckles. “Of course. I’ll go first. Age before beauty, and all that. So. What exactly did happen yesterday with the Abbot Agency?”
I suppose I’ll be asked this numerous times. “I’m not completely sure. I’m… I mean I was Ms. Abbot’s assistant, although I wasn’t much more than someone to tote her papers and get her coffee.”
“She always was a self-important bitch.”
The matter-of-fact statement makes me blink and I pause a moment before continuing. “While she talked to Mr. Winter, I was trying to look busy in one of the cubbies. Finally she called me into the office. She fired me. I’m not completely sure why, but Mr. Winter?—”
“Let me stop you right there. This is a casual work environment. Nobody calls Gabe Mr. Winter. No need to keep up that pretense. How about I tell you what I know.”
“Um, okay?”
“Abbot fired you because Gabe didn’t approve of her choice of models. He showed an interest in you which pissed her off. Did you know she’s been carrying a torch for Gabe for years?”
I stop tearing my donut into tiny pieces and stare at Brenda. “She… she never gave any indication she felt anything for him except contempt. Just like she did for anyone who had to deal with her. “Does… does he know?”
She nods. “He does. I warned him he needed to find a different agency, but his mother and Abbot’s uncle were friends, and there had been a long standing agreement between our companies.”
“Oh my god. I’ve ruined a long standing relationship.”
“You’ve done nothing—except maybe finally push Gabe out of a deep rut. He’s taking the company in a new direction. A profitable one that I approve of by the way. But he hesitates when it comes to breaking ties with those his mother had contracts with. The Abbot Agency is one of the last he needed to distance Angel Night from. So, my dear, you’ve done him, and the company a good deed.”
“It doesn’t feel like I have. I know how vindictive Ms. Abbot can be.”
Brenda waves away my concern. “Walt can handle it. Despite his dour expression, he’s one of the good guys. He knows what he’s doing. So don’t be nervous about talking to him.”
Easier said than done. My hand shakes when I lift my coffee mug. “I’ll try.”
We continue chatting and I tell her about the situation with the landlord. I swear, she looks ready to jump up and give the man a good talking to.
I knew I liked her.
When we return to her desk, Gabe is just leaving his office. His smile goes a long way to warm me and calm my apprehensions. “There you are. Ready to get this over with?”
I glance back at Brenda. She gives me a wink and mouths, ‘go on’. Huffing out a breath, I nod and follow Gabe. He shuts the door and motions for me to sit in his fancy desk chair. “I’ll be right here if you need anything,” he says as he moves toward a small grouping of chairs by the window.
Walt officially introduces himself, asks if he can record our question and answer session, then taps his pen against a yellow legal pad. I bite back an insane need to giggle. Attorneys really do use legal pads. Instead I nip at my lower lip to focus and we begin.
Almost an hour later, we’ve gone over both my firing and the run in with my landlord. Walt seems pleased, and his stern expression eases. I remain at the desk while he packs up his notes and laptop, then meets Gabe at the door for a hushed conversation. I’m exhausted and don’t even care what they might be talking about.
Turning the chair so I face the window, I watch Walt’s reflection as he stops at Brenda’s desk then moves toward the elevators. There’s so much I still need to do today. Finding somewhere to stay at least for the night. Making sure I can unwrinkle some of my hastily packed clothing so I don’t look homeless when I start applying for jobs tomorrow. Trying not to think of how much I enjoy watching Gabe’s reflection as he moves around the room behind me.
Finally he sits in the chair Walt vacated and rests his palms against the shiny desktop. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m numb.” I swing the chair around, plant my elbows on the desk, and rest my chin in my palms. My fingers brush the bruise on my cheek and I wince and wonder what it looks like. Just a little discoloration? Or like I’ve been punched. Doesn’t matter. It was just a slap. One I hope to forget as soon as possible.
Which isn’t going to be easy since Walt insisted I report the event—I don’t dare call it an assault even in my mind—to the police. An officer is supposed to be on the way.
“I should have thought about a police report sooner,” Gabe says.
“Are you reading my mind?”
“No, but your expression speaks volumes. As soon as we’re done with that, I’ll take you home.”
I flop back in the chair and stare at the high ceiling. “Home? I don’t have a home right now.”
He stands, circles the desk, and turns the chair as he crouches before me. “I’m doing this wrong. Olivia, I’d like to invite you to stay with me. In my home. For as long as you need.”
Is he suggesting…? Propositioning me? Is this how he expects me to pay him back for helping me out? Isn’t this just the kind of situation he rescued me from? The memory of our kiss tingles my lips. If only the circumstances were different.
“No, that sounds wrong, too. Olivia, I have a huge, mostly empty apartment with four extra bedrooms. I’m offering you one of those. Come and go as you like. The place is big enough, we might hardly ever see each other.” He frowns as though he dislikes that thought as much as I do.
There’s a hint of desperation in his voice when he continues. “We’ll simply be sharing an apartment. We can work out the logistics later.” He stands and after retrieving a folder he’d left on the side table, returns to his chair. “I have another offer for you.”
“Another?” I’m so tired I can barely think.
“Yes, an employment offer.” He pulls a stack of clipped together pages from the folder. “I’m offering you a modeling contract for our upcoming Christmas catalog. This contract is usually made with an agency. Since you’re currently unrepresented, some of the clauses will need to be rewritten. Before we do that, I’d like you to look this over in case there’s other changes you require.”
I must be hallucinating. “You’re offering me a job. As a model?” I sweep my hands up and down indicating my body. “But I’m…”
“Perfect. You are exactly the type I imagined when I started planning the catalog. Unfortunately, that’s what got you fired. I’m not offering this to make up for my part in that, although if you accept the offer I will feel better about the whole situation.”
He slides the contract in front of me but the words and the pages are blurry. I can’t think. I can’t keep up with the speed of changes in my life. “I can’t think about this now. Later, okay. When my head is clearer.”
“Of course, Livi. I don’t expect any major decisions today. You’ve had a lot to deal with.” He returns the contract to the folder and taps it with his finger. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you. Oh, no,” I say as Brenda moves past the doorway to greet a pair of uniformed officers. “I’m not ready for this either.”
The officers are kind and take my statement with only a few questions to clarify. While one talks to Gabe, the other takes photos of my face then asks me to remove my minimal make up and repeats the shots. After they leave Gabe turns toward me and his eyes narrow for a moment.
Self-conscious, I cover the tender area with my fingertips. The bruising must be more pronounced than when I’d peeked at my cheek earlier.
“We should probably put a cold pack on that,” Gabe says.
“I’m so tired, all I want is to rest.”
“Come home with me. I’ve got cold gel packs. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll order in food. Please, let me…” His voice trails to silence.
I’m in no mood to argue. “Yes. For today. For tonight. I don’t have the energy for anything else.”
His eyes light up with his smile. I’m a sucker for eye sparkles and take his outstretched hand. I gather my purse from Brenda’s desk and start toward the elevators. Behind me, he circles the workspace, moving from person to person and stopping for brief conversations. At the elevator he explains. “The move up here’s been hectic and since it’s Friday, I told everyone to go home early.”
“You’re a good boss.”
“I hope you’ll still think that when you’re on the team.”
“Pretty sure of my acceptance, aren’t you?”
“Hopeful, Livi. Simply hopeful.”
The elevator moves and it takes me a moment to realize something’s off. “We’re going up? I thought we were going to your home.”
“We are. Top floor of this building.”
“Oh. A penthouse?”
He chuckles. “I suppose technically it is. I don’t consider the height of the building to be tall enough to be topped with a penthouse. It’s where I make my home.”
“My suitcases. I’ll need some of my things.”
“I’ll have security bring them up.” The smooth movement halts and after a soft ding, the door slide open. “Welcome home, Olivia.”