Chapter 13
HARPER
The phone rings, its internal light flashing to indicate it’s Alessandro.
I stifle a groan.
What have I done now?
I’ve been here four days. Four days that feel more like a lifetime. I’ve been ignored and growled at and had more work thrown in my direction than I ever imagined possible when I agreed to this position. My to-do list is getting longer, not shorter, by the day.
I pick up the phone, drawing in a shallow breath. “Alessandro. How can I help?”
“Brooke, can you come in here for a moment?” he asks.
Oh shit, what haven’t I done now?
Breathe…
Does he know Callie has left for the day? She has another appointment with her obstetrician to check on Little Button and her blood sugars.
It’s okay. Yesterday he said you were doing a great job.
But are you?
Maybe this is it? Is he going to fire me while Callie is away? Sweep me out of the building before she returns?
“Of course,” I say, putting down the phone and standing up, smoothing out the wrinkles in my dress as I go.
I inhale deeply before grabbing my notepad. It’s full of carefully collated notes, with Post-it notes sticking out of the sides and top to mark important sections.
I reach his door and knock.
“Come in,” he says.
The sound of his voice does strange things to my stomach.
I inhale and exhale, trying to calm my nerves before pushing open the door.
The man leaves me a jittery wreck. I now understand how people must feel when they meet Elijah, my brother, for the first time.
He’s an intimidating bastard, not only because he’s six feet six but also because he never used to crack a smile, or at least not until Pen returned.
Until then, he and Alessandro could have been formed from the same mould.
I step into the room, shoulders back.
“Take a seat,” he says, motioning to the chair opposite him.
I position myself carefully.
“How are you finding it, working at St Clair?”
His question surprises me.
“Erm, good. I’m learning a lot. Callie is a great teacher, and everyone I’ve met has been incredibly welcoming.”
All bar you, I want to add, but bite my tongue.
“Good,” he says, sitting back and steepling his fingers in front of his face. “I have a task for you.”
I clamp my mouth shut to stop my jaw dropping.
“Of course,” I say, leaning forward and opening my notebook.
He holds up a hand and reaches into his drawer, pulling out a new notebook.
“For this, you’ll need a new notebook,” he says cryptically.
He pushes it across the table, and I lean in, reaching for it. When I sit back, his eyes are locked on me.
“Right,” he says, as if catching himself. “Callie’s leaving party.”
A smile spreads over my face before I can stop it. Now this is something in my wheelhouse. Parties are my speciality. I’ve been helping my mother organise social events for years.
“Do you think I can leave it with you?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “Do you have any stipulations or requests…other than it’s going to be a surprise, I take it?”
“Yes, she’ll murder me if she knows we’re planning this. She wants to slope off in silence,” he says, and that’s when I catch a real glimpse of the affection he has for Callie.
He’s going to miss her and their working relationship.
For the first time, I realise I’ll never be able to replace Callie in Alessandro’s eyes.
That will be impossible. We don’t have the history or trust, so of course things will be different, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work well together as a team.
I just need to show him I can get the job done efficiently and effectively.
My grin widens. “Leave it with me. Callie will have a first-class send off.” I open the new notepad. “Budget? Catering? Venue? Do you have anywhere particular in mind?”
“I’m thinking here. In the Couture Salon.”
I frown, masking it when he looks across, although clearly not quickly enough.
“It’s used for in-house fashion events,” he explains. “It’s where we privately show our collections to clients, buyers, even editors.”
I nod, making a note to myself to ask where the hell the Couture Salon is.
“As for the budget, tell them to bill me personally.”
My pen pauses on the page.
“No expense spared. Callie has worked here for a long time. She deserves it.”
“Collection for mum and baby?” I ask, feeling for the first time that this is where I can shine.
Show Alessandro I’m not some young, inexperienced airhead.
“Yes. Bring me the total before you buy anything, and we can discuss.”
“Certainly. I’ll go down and see Sue in HR once I have a plan in mind and make sure, I’m not breaking any codes of conduct.”
His lips tilt slightly. “Good move,” he says, but it’s impossible to miss the glint in his eyes.
“Are you laughing at me?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“No,” he says, his smile spreading. “It’s just very by-the-book of you.”
“I don’t want to make a mistake.”
“This is a party, but if it makes you feel better, you can run everything past either Sue or myself. She can also arrange for one of her team to introduce you to the various department heads. With Callie leaving in a week, there’s not much time.
I think there’ll be a lot of people wanting to attend. ”
I scowl as the scale of the task begins to sink in.
“No pressure, then,” I say under my breath.
Some of my earlier excitement is waning. This could be my downfall in one fell swoop.
I purse my lips, but then I remember this is for Callie.
“I’m on it,” I say, standing up. “Anything else you need or want?”
He stares at me before inhaling. “That will be all. When you go downstairs to speak to Sue, switch the phone so it diverts to your mobile. You do know how to do that?”
I hold up my initial notebook and wave it in the air. “In here. Callie, as I said before, is a great mentor.” I turn to leave before spinning back around. “I’ll try hard not to screw up.”
I don’t wait for an answer, although I could swear I hear “I know you won’t,” under his breath.
* * *
I spend the next hour listing everything required to organise a successful party. Now I simply need to identify who will oversee each task. A week is not a long time. Is Alessandro setting me up to fail? Is this the perfect ‘I told you so’ moment?
I call Sue to see if she’s available.
“Hi, Sue, this is Brooke, Alessandro’s PA,” I say awkwardly.
“Brooke, how’s it going? I’ve been meaning to pop up and see you. How are you settling in?”
“It’s been a steep learning curve,” I admit, wanting her to know I’m not blasé about my position.
“Callie is an amazing mentor, which is part of the reason I’m calling.
Alessandro has asked me to contact you with regard to the leaving party he wants me to organise for her,” I say.
“I was ringing to see if you have a moment to go through my ideas. He mentioned you might be able to have someone assist me and introduce me to the people I need to approach?”
“Of course. Do you have time now? I have an hour before my next meeting,” she says.
I’m sure everyone was surprised when Alessandro said I got the position, though maybe not too shocked since Sophia had introduced me to them.
“On my way,” I say.
I grab my notebook and head to the elevator.
Shit, the phone.
I run back and switch the number to my mobile, sliding a pen into my pocket. I don’t want to be asking for one if I do get a call.
Sue is waiting for me and ushers me into her office, closing the door behind us.
“So, what do you have?”
I list the items I’ve already noted, including speaking with the cafeteria about catering for the event.
“That’s a pretty comprehensive list,” she says with a smile.
She opens her computer and gives me a list of names to contact, before firing off an email to each head of department telling them to expect me.
“I’d say catering is number one. They should be finishing up after the lunch rush. Ask for Monty. He’ll be able to assist you. Ensure they add it to next week’s food order,” she says.
“What about numbers? Surely they’re going to need to know how many people will be attending?”
Sue laughs, a full-bellied chuckle. “This is a party for Callie. People will be rearranging their schedules to attend.”
I smile. I can understand why. It would be the first thing I’d be doing.
“How many people are we talking about?” I ask.
“At least seven hundred and fifty,” she says. “As for the collection and gifts? Do you have any ideas?”
“I’ve made a list of all the things Callie has talked about over the past few days, things she and David still need to purchase. I know they need a crib and which one, along with baby grows, soothers and so on. I was thinking any spare money could be put aside for the baby?”
If seven hundred and fifty people donate towards a gift, that’s going to be one hell of a lot of money!
“What a lovely idea,” Sue says. “It sounds like you’ve got it all in hand. I’m impressed.”
My chest swells with pride. Harper has always been good at winning people over and organising things, but that’s because her name opened doors. Brooke, as a plain Jane, lacks that advantage.
“I hope so,” I say. “I’d hate for anything to go wrong.”
Organising this party is going to put me in the spotlight. I’m going to go from invisible to centre stage in a matter of hours if I’m not careful. Then there’s keeping this hidden from Callie, as well as continuing to learn all I can before she leaves next Friday.
“Head down to the cafeteria, speak to Monty. I’ll call down so he knows to expect you.”
“Thank you for your help,” I say, getting up and moving towards the door.
“Brooke.” I stop and turn around. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I give her a nod and smile before turning and leaving.
Next stop, the cafeteria and Monty.