12. Parker
12
PARKER
B lake received an ear full as soon as I got back to the office. I knew that no matter how hard I protested against “Operation Get-Dylan-Back,” he would do something stupid, and he did not disappoint.
I really did try to tell Dylan the truth about Olivia, but she left little room to get a word in. I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that she won’t let me tell her the truth or the fact that she thinks I’ve turned into the guy who willingly skirts on the line of flirtation with other girls who are not my girlfriend. I am, and always have been, a one-woman kind of man, and thanks to Olivia, it’s proven to have bitten me in the ass.
Ever since our stroll through Central Park, Dylan and I have exchanged a series of passive-aggressive emails. I’m doing my best to play nice, but her responses are always short and to the point. As of yesterday, we finalized the last of the edits for Evelyn’s book, which means it’s ready to go to print, and it’s time to ramp up marketing. We’ve got a meeting this afternoon, and I’ve felt a sense of dread from the minute I woke up.
It’s not that I don’t want to see her. Hell, there’s nothing I’m looking forward to more than meeting with Dylan. However, I am fully prepared for it to be like pulling teeth. Thank god Evelyn, Katherine, and Blake will be there as buffers to save me from the pain of sitting in suffocating silence while she does her best to ignore me. Although, I don’t trust Blake not to do something wildly stupid to help get us together. I can only hope he’s professional enough to know that he shouldn’t meddle when we’re around a client.
As I make my way into the all-too-familiar Thrive office, I’m met with a frightening smile from Katherine, standing at the front desk, hands on her hips, as if she’s been waiting for me to show up.
“Ten minutes early? I’ve always loved a man who takes showing up on time seriously.” She bats her eyelashes at me, and I refrain from shuttering at the motion. She’s laying it on thick, and the meeting hasn’t even begun. What are the chances I can get through this without a call to HR to report harassment? Slim to none, but I try to remain wishful anyway.
I throw a timid grin her way, hoping to tame the beast. “I know how important this meeting is. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Dylan has to present and how Evelyn feels about it all.”
“I had Dylan share her work with me this morning. It’s all very impressive, really. We’re so lucky to have her.”
She’s lying straight through her teeth, but I don’t call her out for it.
I’m not privy to much of Dylan’s life lately, but we have spoken about work, which includes her relationship with Katherine. Or, as she sometimes refers to her, the Wicked Witch of the East. It doesn’t sound like the relationship has improved since our last meeting here a few weeks ago, which frustrates the hell out of me.
Not only can I not say a word because I could lose my job, but I also know that Dylan doesn’t want me fighting her battles. I lost that right, and I don’t foresee getting it back .
I do my best to mirror her smile, willing it to look natural despite the fact that I want to be as far away from this office and Katherine as possible. “Dylan is quite good at her job. I don’t doubt that she’ll blow us away.”
Her face twists into a sneer of what I can only assume is jealousy. But as quickly as it appears, it’s gone. So the ice queen doesn’t like it when I compliment Dylan. Interesting. Maybe I will have a little fun with this meeting after all.
“Why don’t you follow me into the conference room? Once everyone arrives, we can go ahead and get started.”
“Of course, lead the way.”
I follow her into the conference room, where Blake is already sitting, scrolling through his phone. He hears us enter and lifts his head to cast us a shit-eating grin. I try to look good by getting here early, and this asshat still has me beat.
I sit down next to him with an icy glare. At least I don’t have to endure more of Katherine’s flirting while I wait for the others to show up. I would rather sit through hours of Dylan’s terrible reality TV shows that she stays up late binging than sit through that torment. I don’t know if that’s saying much, though, because there’s something weirdly addicting to Love Island… but I digress.
Katherine leaves the office without another word.
“You would get here earlier than me. Kiss ass,” I murmur under my breath.
“Just remember that the next time you wonder why I’m your boss.”
“Whatever. I’m just glad you’re here. I’m not sure I could stomach sitting here in silence while she makes eyes at me and shows me pictures of her three cats. She hit on you, too?” I tilt my chin up in question.
“Of course. But are we surprised? Look at me.” He sweeps a hand up his body. “Who wouldn’t want to hit on me? After all of this is said and done, I may have to take her up on her offer to grab drinks.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind? She’s as evil as they get.”
“That remains to be seen. Besides, she’s hot.”
“You’ve officially lost it.”
“What can I say? I like a challenge, and I like older women even more.”
“This is why you’re going to be alone forever.” I shake my head in disbelief.
“As long as my bed stays warm, I have no problem with that.” The smile on his face turns into a self-righteous smirk that makes me want to deck him.
If he hadn’t proved to me that he does have a heart–albeit very deep down–there’s no chance we would’ve stayed friends this long. My relationship with my mom has always been rocky, but she instilled values in me from a young age. She went out of her way to raise a gentleman, and if she saw how Blake talks, she’d have a heart attack. While I’ll never deny that I would love to be as detached as Blake sometimes, it’s not in my genetic makeup.
The door to the conference room opens back up, and Evelyn walks in, followed by Katherine and Dylan. Evelyn is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. Her snow-white, freckled skin is contrasted by her auburn hair, and her large dark brown eyes resemble those of a deer. But it’s not her that takes my breath away.
Dylan is wearing a red cardigan paired with a black skirt, and she looks angelic. The sweater’s scarlet hue brings out the rogue coloring of her cheeks, and her lips look extra sultry, thanks to whatever kind of gloss she’s wearing.
I can’t tear my eyes off her as she sits beside Evelyn. When she finally returns my stare, I see the corner of her lips lift before she looks back at Katherine. Out of my peripheral, I see Blake staring me down. My phone, which is sitting facing up on the table, lights up with a new text.
Blake: Dude, stop staring. You’re making it way too obvious
I swiftly shove it in my pocket, thankful that Dylan is sitting too far to read it . Real subtle, I chastise myself . Fortunately, I don’t have time to think about how overt I’m being because Katherine begins the meeting.
“Evelyn, thank you so much for meeting with us. We’re very excited to share everything we’ve been working on these past few weeks. Dylan, why don’t you fill her in on the marketing strategy you’ve put together?”
“Of course, thank you, Katherine.” She stands up and begins AirPlaying her screen onto the projector at the end of the room. “As you know, Evelyn, I’ve put together your content calendar for the next few months. We’ve also gotten approval for your site redesign. But we’ve also been working on a lot of other things that we think are going to help make publishing day as successful as possible.” She clicks through the slides.
“The new site will be unveiled at the end of the week. I’ve already set up a drip campaign along with a newsletter sign-up pop-up ready to gather as many emails as possible. Once the site is live, we will post a giveaway of sorts on your social media platforms to help gain interest from the get-go. The first 100 people to preorder the book through your site are guaranteed a signed copy. The following 500 people to preorder are entered to win a signed copy. We want this to feel exclusive–help your audience feel a little competition. When they preorder the book, we’ll also ask them if they want to join the newsletter where you’ll share behind-the-scenes snippets, quotes, sneak peeks of the next book, and more.”
As Dylan is speaking, a rush of pride swells in my chest. She’s come a long way since she was that girl in college in our small town. We spent countless late nights talking about our goals and what we wanted in life, and here she is, making them a reality. She’s kicking ass at it too. I gaze over at Evelyn, who is enthusiastically nodding, noticeably impressed.
“I’ve been emailing with Parker for the past week, and we’ll be sending physical copies out to select influencers. We also opened advanced reader copy sign-ups on Monday, and the requests have already started flooding in. Your videos help with the marketing, but theirs will, too. Lastly, we’re putting the final touches on a party to celebrate the publication. I included all of the details in the email I last sent you, but as of right now, it’s looking like it will be two weeks from now at Somewhere Nowhere. Do you have any questions on anything so far?”
“No, this is great. The social calendar you’ve put together is already getting so much attention. I’ve gained another 5,000 followers in just the past week. I can only imagine what everything will look like on release day. Everyone seems super excited. Myself included. Thank you so much for your help, Dylan. I wouldn’t have been able to do even half of this on my own.” Evelyn offers a genuine smile.
I peer over at Katherine and see her fake grin plastered on her face as she does a mediocre impression of a boss who’s pleased with their employee. This only fuels my pride even further. Dylan’s not only made our client incredibly happy, but she’s also sticking it to Katherine, which is just the cherry on top of the sundae.
Dylan returns Evelyn’s friendly expression. “Of course. We still have a lot to do, but I think all of these efforts, combined with your existing social media following, will make this a huge hit. I’ve already got a copy downloaded and plan on spending the rest of the evening curled up with a glass of wine reading it.”
“I like you already. I have a good feeling we’re going to be great friends.” It’s not hard to see the gleam in Evelyn’s eye.
“Thank you for that, Dylan. Excellent job.” Katherine responds snappishly as she stands up, cutting Dylan’s chance to respond in the bud. Dylan sheepishly tucks her chin before sitting down and folding her hands into her lap, morphing into the timid girl I see her transform into every time Katherine is around.
I know that we’re not friends, but after this meeting, we need to have a discussion about this. She’s better than cowering from a soon-to-be has-been. If this keeps up, she’ll be taking over for Katherine in no time. I just hope I’m around to see it.
“Does anyone else have anything to add?” Katherine looks around the room in question.
“I would just like to say a quick thank you to Dylan as well. That was an extremely well-thought-out presentation. You’ve made Blue Bird proud to be partnering with Thrive.” I give Dylan a sincere smile of my own, and I’m rewarded with the same. Meanwhile, I can feel the venomous daggers Katherine’s throwing my way. Poking the bear may not be the smartest, but I couldn’t help myself. What’s the worst she’s going to do? Fire us? We’re the ones who hired her agency.
“Yes, we’re very lucky to have her. Anyways, thank you so much, everyone, for coming by. We will all be in touch soon,” Katherine signals, officially ending the meeting.
As everyone begins shuffling out of the conference room, I lightly grab Dylan’s arm, preventing her from leaving. She immediately looks up at me, and I can see her eyes soften as they register who’s touching her. My heart jerks at the touch, and the idea of pushing her up against the wall and finally kissing her runs through my head like a semi-truck. I remove my hand before I can do anything I’ll regret.
“I just wanted to pull you aside and tell you how proud of you I am. I know I said it in the meeting, but that was primarily to kiss Evelyn’s ass and piss Katherine off.” She lets out a low huff of a laugh. “I meant it, though. That was perfect. Evelyn seems thrilled. ”
“Thank you, that means a lot. I thought I was going to throw up the entire time.”
“Well, I couldn’t tell. You looked like you’ve been doing that your entire life. Regardless of how the release goes, I think you just solidified your place with Thrive. Katherine is going to have no choice but to promote you when this is all over.”
“One can only hope.”
Her eyes dart back to the door as if she can’t wait to get as far away from me as possible. The gesture, though miniscule, cuts through me like a knife. I just wish we could end this hot and cold routine once and for all. It’s giving me whiplash. However, I’m not one to accept defeat that easily. All I can do moving forward is prove to her that I’d never hurt her again.
“Hey, before you go, I just want to say that you shouldn’t let Katherine treat you that way. You deserve better. I saw you crawl back into your shell in that meeting when she dismissed you. I’m sorry that she made you feel that way. You proved that you’re good at what you do. You should own it.”
“Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done. She is my boss. I say one wrong thing, and she can fire me. I need this job, at least for a little bit. I don’t plan on staying here forever, but if I can blend into the background long enough to get some experience, my life will be much easier. Then I can move on.”
I brush my hand against hers as we slowly head toward the door, a small motion of support. “I know. You’ve always been the one to keep the peace. It’s admirable. Just don’t let her walk all over you, alright? You’re better than that.”
“I’ll try not to. Thank you. It was good to see you, but I’ve got to get going. Publication party planning calls.”
I give her a nod and a small smile as she walks toward her desk. It may be in my head, but I swear, as she’s walking away, she’s standing a little taller. And that’s all I can hope for.