CHAPTER FOURTEEN #2
She moved my long legs to the small table in the corner at the same time as Paddy who pushed his chair back to fetch the requested water. Her foot caught the metal leg, and she flew forward, outstretched hands flailing like a skipping rope.
‘Nora,’ I yelled, reaching out my hands despite being on the other side of the table.
‘Nora?’ Freddie whispered.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. ‘Nora is my name, I mean. I’m Nora, I asked for water. Corey Flemmington was getting me that water.’
This conference room was a circus tent, and Nora and I were the performers. Unfortunately, we hadn’t impressed the audience with our act. My father’s red face swelled with anger that couldn’t be released, and Nora’s curly hair resurfaced from the floor with fear in her eyes.
‘Do we need to take a break?’ My father’s tone suggested the only correct answer to that question would be ‘no’.
‘Apologies. Paddy, will you please fetch Nora her water. I’ll hop out of the way.’ Nora slunk back to her seat with mortified eyes.
‘Would you also like to take a seat.’ Mark glared at me.
I lowered myself, exchanging panicked glances with Nora. She needed to prove Corey Flemmington was a hard-ass in meetings, but her loyalty to Dreyton was bound to ruin everything.
‘Right, where were we?’ my father continued.
Freddie crunched numbers and Mark started negotiating a terrible discount.
Freddie had the decency to insist on a better offer and removal of some borderline illegal conditions, but I knew Nora’s reputation needed redemption after my outburst. The tiny morsel of concern I possessed wouldn’t let me leave her life in complete tatters for when we switched back.
When my father considered the deal done and dusted, I used Nora’s innocent voice to challenge the very line of the contract my father prided himself on.
‘I’d like to request a moment to discuss the conditions with my company privately,’ I said.
Nora’s shoulders straightened her black suit jacket at my request, and she gave me a subtle nod of approval. I wanted to wrap my arms around her waist and celebrate the opportunity to take my father down without worrying about my reputation.
‘I think our solicitors can handle that.’ Mark gave me the kind of smile you’d give a child that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
‘Do you really think Condition 4 sub section 1:3 is fair, though? It could have a huge impact on us financially should we need to claim. Not only in the moment, but for future payments and quotes as well.’
Mark flipped through his papers until he made it to the section I’d mentioned, then paused to read.
My dad narrowed his eyes at me then turned to Nora.
She shrugged at him, refusing to participate in the horrendous deal.
Emotions mixed in my stomach like oil and water.
Nothing would fuse to form a single opinion.
Watching my body stand up to my father was invigorating, but my brothers’ lives and careers depended on me.
They didn’t deserve to give their souls to this company.
In fact, no one did.
‘Take all the time you need,’ Nora assured us.
‘What the hell are you doing? I brought you in to take notes, not speak,’ Freddie hissed at me, his beady snake eyes full of regret for asking me to come along.
‘Well, you’ve raised an excellent point,’ Mark mumbled quietly enough that only I could hear.
I smiled triumphantly and tried to think of a Nora-inspired remark.
‘Questions are good for the soul.’ I cringed at myself. ‘We should take a few days to run numbers and comparisons,’ I whispered, my head angled to Mark so he could take credit for the final decision.
‘I appreciate your time and offer, but we’re going to take a few days to run numbers and comparisons before going ahead.’
‘What are you—?’ My dad’s rough voice was cut off by the squeal of Mark’s chair as he stood.
‘I’ll be in contact.’ Mark reached his hand towards my father.
Clamping my teeth into my tongue so I wouldn’t gloat, I caught Nora’s eye.
We smiled at each other while my father, Satan, narrowed his eyes even further like a fire-breathing dragon.
I needed to warn her that he’d tear her to shreds for not pushing the deal.
I jerked my head to the door, and she moved towards me.
‘In your office,’ she whispered as she passed.
‘I’m just heading to the loo,’ I told Freddie.
Stepping inside my office was like a portal to Nora Land. I stomped to my chair, arm outstretched, pointing at an object bound to ruin my reputation.
‘What the hell is that?’
‘A cushion,’ Nora smiled.
‘Why the hell is there a bright purple cushion on my chair?’
‘It’s comfy. I like it.’
My fingers clamped my nasal bone. ‘Corey Flemmington doesn’t have bright purple cushions on his chair. He also doesn’t have flowers in his office.’ I pointed to the pot of lavender by the windowsill.
‘You sound like you need to inhale their calming fragrance,’ she tutted.
‘We’ll talk about this tonight, but I wanted to let you know my father is going to tear you to shreds. You didn’t push that deal and he’s not happy about it. I can tell by the murderous gleam in his eye.’
‘That deal was theft.’ She didn’t seem concerned.
‘Obviously. How do you think the rich stay rich?’ I said.
Nora’s mouth popped open in surprise. ‘That’s disgusting.’
‘No shit, Sherlock. You think I’m arrogant, but really, I just hate everything this job stands for.’
‘You’re in a position that allows you to change that. Why aren’t you doing something about it?’
I’d given up my illustration dream so my brothers could live theirs, and doing something about it might jeopardise that. Nora wouldn’t understand. Not when her family didn’t have a soul-crushing role that someone had to fill.
‘We need to get it together. We looked ridiculous in that meeting,’ I changed the topic.
‘And with these qualifications?’ Nora pointed to my degrees on the wall, refusing to be distracted. ‘Corey, you could be doing anything. Nothing you say makes sense. You could take your life in any direction you wanted!’
I tried to smile, but my lips barely lifted. ‘Forget those qualifications. I’m a nepo baby, remember?’
Nora’s eyes softened and she stepped closer. ‘Corey,’ she sighed, ‘I am so sorry. Even if you got the job because of your dad, you are more than qualified for this role.’
‘You’re— Wait, what?’ I stared at her, waiting for hysterical laughter or a snarl.
She lowered her gaze and shrugged. ‘I wish you’d tell me what was going on. You could go anywhere you want and do anything you want, yet you’re here and miserable.’
It felt like Nora had draped a warm blanket across my shoulders.
I was wrong, she would understand. She was experiencing my dismal life, and she noticed every blemish in something I worked so hard to appear picture perfect.
I stepped closer, ready to share another part of my life with her. ‘I’m doing it for my br—’
‘You!’ Paddy pointed at Nora from my doorway. ‘I knew there was something going on.’
My widened eyes glanced to Nora, who stared back at me with the same look on her face.
‘Ha! You guys look terrified at being caught.’
Every organ in my body melted. Paddy had us figured out, and I didn’t know how or what or who or anything.
‘It was very simple, Corey,’ he continued. ‘I mean, come on, this office has a woman’s touch at every turn. Not to mention there was no missing your weird eye contact in that meeting. How long have you two been seeing each other?’
My organs slowly reformed and my brain rebooted. He thought we were dating. ‘Not long?’ My answer became a question.
Nora nodded. ‘Not long at all. Very new. Very… life changing. Still figuring things out.’
‘I’m Paddy, by the way. Assistant and best friend.’ He held out his hand and mine shot to it like a magnet.
Too long. It had been far too long since I spoke to him. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘You guys have to come to mine tonight. I want to meet you properly,’ he said to me.
‘Uh, su—’
‘We have that dinner with your parents tonight,’ I reminded her.
Spending an evening with Paddy would be a terrible idea.
‘Oh, right. Tomorrow?’ she said.
No.
Before I could stop either of them, Paddy agreed and walked out the door. We may survive tonight at my parents, but Paddy will have us figured out before dinner hits the table tomorrow.
‘Corey.’ My dad’s bald head burst through the office.
The chaos wouldn’t end.
‘I’m in a meeting,’ Nora snapped.
My lungs stopped working. Breath wouldn’t come in, and it wouldn’t go out, either. I’d never spoken to my father like that. His chest puffed with air and, for a moment, I thought he might barge over and push Nora out the window to fall ten stories to her death.
‘Your meeting is over.’ His jaw clenched.
‘Don’t speak to me like that.’ Nora crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I’m not an animal that takes orders from my master.’
Her words hugged my heart knowing she really meant, ‘Don’t speak to Corey like that’, but she didn’t realise her words would send me to my grave once I returned to my body.
The fine line between sticking it to my father and keeping my job became a blurred mess, and I wasn’t sure how much trust I had in Nora to establish a new boundary with him.
At the same time, I didn’t have much trust in myself to establish a new boundary. I breathed deeply and excused myself. Perhaps Nora knew what I needed more than I did. Perhaps she could save me from this mess I’d created.