Chapter Ten
CHAPTER TEN
TONI
I have no idea what Audrey and Willa’s presentation is about. I’m sure it is excellent; the department heads around the table ask questions and everyone seems pleased with the answers. All I can focus on is watching Audrey and thinking I’m the luckiest dirtbag in the world. When she walked out early Saturday morning, I didn’t think I’d ever see her again yet here she is, starting a months-long project at my family’s company, somehow even sexier and more beautiful in buttoned-up business expert mode than she was in sexy scorned lover mode.
I think I’m in love.
Tamp it down, Danzig. Audrey has set professional boundaries, and you are going to respect them. Outwardly. Inwardly, I can pine and long and admit that these are going to be the most excruciating six months, or more, of my life.
Greta says something in her irritated bossy voice, and I tear my gaze away from Audrey. Yep, Greta is staring at me and is not amused. And everyone else is staring at me with expectant expressions. Audrey is looking down at her notes, her cheeks pink. Willa looks like her birthday came early.
“I’m sorry, what?” I say to Greta.
Her narrowed eyes tell me I’m going to hear about this later. “Welcome back,” she says, and I’m not sure if she means from the field or from my daydream.
“Thanks. It’s great to finally be in the office.”
Everyone around the table laughs. My disdain for office work and all business bureaucracy is well known. Audrey purses her lips and looks disapproving.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, laughing with them. “I mean it. By this time next year, the adventure division will be the fastest growing adventure company in the United States.”
Greta waves her hand at me. “Great. Let’s hear it.”
“Hear what?”
“Your plan.” She crosses her arms. She’s tapping her foot impatiently. I can’t see it, but I can tell.
“Um, well…”
My mind goes completely blank. What are my plans? I have them. I’ve been thinking about them for months. I’ve got dozens of voice memos on my phone with ideas I had while leading tours but not one of them will come to mind. Audrey’s watching me, and when I catch her eye, she smiles and nods in encouragement. Warmth surges through me. At least someone is on my side.
“I have lots of voice notes, I just haven’t put them all together yet. It’s number one on my to-do list for the week. I’ll have it for you next Monday. But don’t expect a PowerPoint presentation like the professionals gave.”
“I’m sure whatever you put together will be wonderful, Goat,” Ned Stevens, our head of manufacturing says.
“Goat?” Willa says. “As in Greatest of All Time?”
“No,” I interject before Ned can say anything. “It’s a childhood nickname that turned into my trail name.”
“She’s always been like a billy goat on the trails,” Ned says. “There was this one time?—”
“No stories, Ned,” I say. “This is where you end the meeting, Greta.”
I can tell she’s thinking about doing some good-natured teasing of her own, and I’m ready for it. I live for sparring with my sister. But Greta’s professionalism wins out, as usual.
“Now, for the most important item on our agenda,” Greta says, “the holiday party!”
All the department heads cheer as the HR director talks about plans for the company party for all employees and family members in three weeks’ time. It’s the highlight of everyone’s year, including mine. Nothing makes me happier than dressing up like Buddy the Elf and helping Ned as Kris Kringle hand out presents to the employees’ kids, and seeing the looks on the employees’ and their partners’ faces when they get to take their pick of the new clothing items for their own holiday present.
Once all the details are discussed, and Audrey and Willa are invited and accept, the meeting is adjourned. Greta pulls Audrey aside and they are immediately in deep conversation.
“Great presentation,” I say to Willa, keeping one eye on Audrey.
Willa scoffs. “You didn’t hear a word we said.”
“That obvious?”
“Yeah. I was shocked Audrey didn’t spontaneously combust from your laser-like focus, but that’s Audrey for you. All business.”
“Yeah,” I say, watching Greta and Audrey. Both remarkably alike in their all-business demeanors. I’ve always found it off-putting in Greta, but damn if it isn’t a bit of a turn-on when I switch my gaze to Audrey. That’s going to take some unpacking with my therapist, i.e. Max, tonight over a beer.
Willa finishes packing her computer. “So how do you and Audrey know each other?”
The question sounds innocent enough. Too innocent. I’m determined not to say anything that would give me the pursed lips and disapproving stare from Audrey again.
“We met Friday night at the Dew Drop Inn. She got on stage and sang a fuck-you break-up song to her ex. Brought the house down.”
“She what ?”
Greta and Audrey join us. “Toni, Audrey is going to help you pull together your business plan this week.”
I could kiss my sister right now. “Great,” I say in as professional a voice as I can muster.
“Gather whatever you need and meet me back here once you’re done meeting with Greta,” Audrey says.
I can’t tell if she’s happy about this change in her project timeline or not.
“Sounds good.” I know I have a goofy grin on my face, but I mean, seriously? Spending the next week working one on one with Audrey is a freaking gift. I might just have to kiss my sister. Instead, I follow her down the hall to her office. She tells me to shut the door and drops her iPad on the desk a little harder than she probably should.
“What the hell, Toni?”
“What do you mean?”
“I would say I can’t believe you came to the meeting with nothing prepared, but this is you we’re talking about.”
“Hey. Just a minute. I’ve been out in the field. I haven’t had time to sit at a computer for hours putting together some stupid presentation to go over all the ideas I’ve been telling you about for months.”
“Oh, really? What did you do this weekend?”
“Had fun. It was the holidays. Thanksgiving? Remember the big-ass turkey we ate with Mom and Dad? Let me guess, you worked all weekend.”
“It was Black Friday; of course I worked. And a good thing. Our servers crashed with all the traffic.”
“Our business was just fine before you decided we needed to compete with?—”
Greta holds up a perfectly manicured hand that hasn’t clutched a rock face in at least a decade. “I’m not going to have this argument with you again. Besides, didn’t you just say we would have the biggest adventure business in America in a year? You’re as ambitious as I am, you just have your whole”—she waves her hand—“devil-may-care mountain woman aesthetic to maintain.”
I open my mouth to respond but clamp it shut instead. There is no point in fighting with Greta. Our personalities are night and day. She’s all structure and rules and I’m a hippie dirtbag who knows nature laughs at structure and rules and can adapt to unexpected situations on a moment’s notice. Greta keeps me in line, and I keep her from taking herself too seriously all the time. Or at least we try. We fail more often than not, though.
“Why were you staring at Audrey like a kid with a Christmas puppy?” Greta asks.
“I wasn’t.”
Greta scoffs. “You’ve slept with her before, haven’t you?”
“No.”
Greta sighs and sits down, and motions for me to do the same. “When?” she asks.
“When what?”
Greta gives me the big sister stop with the bullshit expression.
“Friday night,” I confess.
“As in two days ago?”
“More like sixty hours, but yeah.”
Greta puts her head in her hands.
“I had no idea who she was, and she didn’t know who I was,” I say.
My sister sighs and shakes her head. “You live in a whole other world than I do.”
“Yes, I get laid regularly and you don’t.”
“I don’t want to just get laid , Antonia.”
“No need to pull out the full name, Gertrude .”
“Not my name,” Greta singsongs. She flips open her iPad and taps on the keyboard. “Is this going to be a problem? Working with her? You didn’t ghost her, did you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Were you planning on seeing each other again?”
“Not exactly. But not because anything bad happened. The opposite, if you want to know the truth.”
“I actually don’t want to know about your sex life. It’s bad enough I’m going to have a visual of you two every time I see you together.”
“Look at you, straight girl, having lesbian fantasies. Though keep me out of them, please. That’s a little creepy, Gertie.”
“Oh my God. I’ve changed my mind. You’re better suited to be in the field, not the office. Feel free to move your trip to New Zealand up to tomorrow. Or tonight would be even better.”
“Ha. Wild horses couldn’t drag me out of here now.”
Greta narrows her eyes. “Seriously, Toni. Your relationship with Audrey Adams needs to be just business while they’re working with us. Once the project is done, you can have as many spectacular nights with her as you want.” She puts on her reading glasses, which is her non-verbal way of dismissing people.
“For the record, Audrey and I have already talked about it.”
Greta looks up in surprise.
“Boundaries have been agreed to. Professionalism promised, on both sides,” I continue.
“I’m not worried about Audrey. Do not let your libido interfere with her job.”
“I thought I was her job.”
“Only for a week. Now go, get to work. I want to be wowed next Monday.”