Chapter 19
HANNAH
‘You’re late. Again,’ Andrea snapped before Hannah even made it to her desk outside Andrea’s office.
She was hot, flustered and irritable from a combination of New York’s smouldering early summer and power-walking from the subway station, thanks to TJ’s reflux causing him to need another day off nursery.
‘I’m sorry but TJ was sick and…’
‘TJ is always sick!’ Andrea retorted, storming into her office and slamming a bunch of papers down on her desk.
Hannah would usually back down because, ultimately, Andrea was her boss. But lately, her boss, her friend, whichever personality was turning up to work, was being a dick. And today… today Hannah was in the mood for a fight.
She marched into Andrea’s office, closing the door behind her. ‘What’s your problem today, Andi? Huh? Seems like there’s always something happening in Andrea’s world lately that means she has to treat everyone else like shit.’
Andrea stood behind her desk and crossed her arms. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard me. I’m seven minutes late to the office, after having to get an emergency sitter, waiting for her to arrive, then running for my train and missing it by one minute.
Then taking the next train and having to run for the subway, then running from the subway to the office. I’m seven minutes late!’
‘Don’t you have a husband? Isn’t the dad supposed to help? What the hell else are they there for? I bet Rod was on time for his new dream job, huh?’
‘No. You do not get to badmouth my husband and my family. I don’t care how long you’ve known me.’
‘I’m not badmouthing him more than any other man. That’s the truth, isn’t it? Women have kids and that’s the end of their life as they know it, while the man, oh he just keeps going to work, or on tour, and doing the things he loves, not giving a damn about you.’
Of course, she did take more weight than Rod.
He did swan off to work and leave her in the shit, too often.
And, yeah, she needed help. She really needed support with three kids, a hell of a commute, and a full-time job with a freaking cantankerous ass of a boss of late.
But she wasn’t going to cry on Rod’s shoulder and beg for help.
This was life. This was her life. This was a working mom’s life.
She could do it. Damn it, she could manage.
‘Rod gives a damn about me,’ she said. ‘Don’t you ever say he doesn’t.’
Andrea threw her hands in the air, uncharacteristically dramatic, and walked to the window, where the argument seemed to fade into nothing.
‘I know he does,’ Andrea mumbled. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just, if he did more, then maybe you’d have more time, for…’ Then she sighed, her usual straight back and broad shoulders seeming to deflate and taking with them Hannah’s fight.
‘For what?’ But Hannah didn’t need Andrea to answer that question. She never would and Hannah already knew the answer. Me. ‘Are we still talking about me being seven minutes late to work here, or is something else going on?’ Hannah asked.
The question seemed to fall on deaf ears, as Andrea continued to stare out of the office window.
As she waited, Hannah’s attention was drawn to the bundle of documents Andrea had thrown down on her desk just moments before and in particular, the name blazoned across the front of them. SANFIA RECORDS.
She picked up the papers, feeling Andrea turn and shift her attention to Hannah as she read the sub-heading Acquisition of Stock .
She turned then to face her boss, who stared at her silently. And she knew, this was Andrea’s way of telling her something, without telling her.
‘You’re trying to buy Sanfia Records?’ Hannah asked.
Andrea didn’t move or speak.
‘Silly question, maybe, but does your sister know?’
Andrea drew in a breath but didn’t speak.
‘I’ll take that as a no.’
‘I’m not trying to buy Sanfia Records outright, I’m trying to buy Jay out.’
‘Andi, I know you’ve been looking for something to make your mark at Stellar but?—’
‘It’s not about that,’ Andrea said calmly.
Immediately, Hannah understood. Andrea was trying to get rid of Jay from Sofia’s life, once and for all.
Hannah set the papers back down on Andrea’s desk and walked to the window, where they stood next to each other, looking out across the river. For long minutes, Hannah thought about the most appropriate response.
‘Andi, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve tried to look out for Sofia and do the best by her. I know that there was a part of you that made the move to Stellar to try to give Sofia and Jay space to make a go of things.’
‘I told him Stellar would buy his stock on the condition that he files for a divorce,’ Andrea said.
‘You did what?’ Hannah was unable to hide her shock. ‘Andi, that is not your call to make.’
‘And yet, I made it,’ she said, shrugging, with her hard-faced bitch persona firmly in place.
‘Andi, what the hell is wrong with you? You live in your own world sometimes. You aren’t God. You can’t meddle with people’s lives like this.’
‘She isn’t people,’ Andrea said calmly. ‘She’s my sister and I know what’s best for her.’
‘What if what’s best for her is Jay? He’s getting help now.’
Andrea turned to look at Hannah. ‘Hannah, you know everything I know. He’s bad news.
He always has been and, thankfully, I don’t believe Sofia loves him any more.
How could she? My sister is afraid of being alone, afraid of letting people down and, most of all, afraid of admitting that sometimes, being family just isn’t enough to stop bad things from happening. ’
Hannah scoffed. Andrea was unbelievable. ‘You know, for years, I have defended the way you behave. For years, I’ve thought that the way you are with Sofia is maternal instinct. But this… This is too far, Andi. I mean, God, is this really just about Sofia?’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’
‘You know exactly what it means. Is this about you not wanting to let go of Sanfia Records and wanting to prove something to the exec board at Stellar? Seems funny that Sofia finds a chart hit with Seth Young and you’re all of a sudden interested in buying the label.’
‘How dare you? You of all people should know that this isn’t about me! I want to give Sofia a way out. She’s tied to Jay financially, in business, in misplaced loyalty.’
‘And that’s her decision. Not yours.’
‘If I don’t help her, who will?’
‘You’re bang out of line, Andi, and when this thing backfires, I won’t help you pick up the pieces.’
Andrea glared at Hannah, her nostrils flared. ‘You have work to do.’
Hannah laughed sardonically. ‘That’s right. The truth isn’t easy, so let’s run. Typical Andrea.’
They stared at each other, each of them breathing hard with anger, until Andrea said, ‘There’s a memo on your desk to be typed up.’
Hannah finally took up her post at her desk and felt drained. Her morning had been frantic, made worse by Andrea’s revelation. She had been put in the middle of Andrea and Sofia again.
She was tired of it. Tired of everything. She did need help.
How was it that Rod could wake up, get dressed, and swan off to work without a care in the world, whilst she panicked and fretted about everything in their lives?
What on earth was she supposed to do about Andrea’s latest move? Did she tell Sofia?
Why did she constantly have to think about everyone else and no one ever thought about what she might want or how she might be feeling?
Her cell phone chimed with a WhatsApp message…
Ros
Lunch, ladies? I have so much to tell you. Rx
And the next thing, Andrea shot out of her office running in the direction of the bathrooms. Hannah replied to the message.
Count me in.
She could use a lunch catching up on Rosalie’s latest shenanigans. Nothing took Hannah out of her real life quite as easily as a catch up with Rosalie and her distinctly un- average life.
She set her phone on her desk and picked up the memo that Andrea had scribbled all over. As she read, she noticed Andrea come back out of the bathroom, pale and wiping her mouth with a tissue. A number of things occurred to Hannah…
First, the arguments she had endured with Andrea over the last few weeks about heartburn and inappropriate lunch choices.
Second, Andrea had replaced her three mugs of coffee each day with tea.
Third, Andrea had been way more irritable and emotional than usual lately.
Fourth, it seemed she was throwing her guts up in the morning.
Fifth… She scrutinised Andrea’s breasts as she passed by, the way they now tugged at the buttons of her blouse, which usually fit perfectly.
Oh, shit.
She turned to find Andrea’s eyes already on her and in a look, Andrea confirmed Hannah’s thoughts. She was pregnant.
Oh God, was it Hunter’s? Was there a chance it could be Tommy Dawson’s? The rock god whose snake was generally in a new cave every week, or the asshole, cheating scumbag CEO.
Suddenly, nothing else mattered. The arguments, the bickering, the slanging matches; they were forgotten because Andrea needed her.
But before she made it to Andrea’s door, the asshole, cheating scumbag of the hour was making his way along the corridor toward Andrea’s office.
Did he know?
‘You wanted to speak with me?’ he said, entering Andrea’s office.
Andrea glanced from Hannah to Hunter, with a look that said Help!
‘Yes, but not here.’
Hunter knocked the office door, which began to slowly shut. ‘Well, I haven’t got time for anywhere else. What is it?’ he said, clearly still sour about the break-up.
The door shut and Hannah felt helpless. She didn’t want to stare but she couldn’t look away either.
She wanted to go inside and put her arms around Andrea.
This would rock her world. She never spoke about kids, except negatively.
Her only maternal instincts were in respect of Sofia and were otherwise non-existent.
Andrea was terrified of commitment, and a child was the antithesis of non-committal.