“I’ll give him a call,” Dad continued. “See if I can’t get him to ease up.”
“No,” I blurted. “It’s fine. I just didn’t know he was like that. I thought he was, like, cooler.”
“Before his divorce, he was more devoted to that job than his own wife. After, he took it to an inhuman level. Everything he does is for that company. He makes time for me when I drive into L.A., but it’s because I’m one of his only friends and I don’t do it often.”
I pulled at my bottom lip. Dean had still been at the office when he’d dismissed me for the night, and I’d only seen him leave long enough for a meeting partway through the day.
“But you’re just a temp, Alex. I don’t mind telling him to lighten up on you.”
“No,” I said, my mind made up. If Dean Brittany thought that job was too much for an eighteen-year-old, I’d prove him wrong—I’d be the best damn secretary that office had ever seen. “It’s just a few days. I can take it.”
“All right, then. Your call. Your mother says hello.”
“Ask her why she sent me to Ann Taylor for work stuff. I’m the youngest one in the office by probably ten years, but I look the frumpiest.”
“We’ve talked about this,” Dad said in his attempt at a stern tone. “You need to cut back on the shopping. It’s enough that we’re paying all your expenses on top of your tuition. Don’t you have a little money saved from your birthday? Maybe you can get a few outfits with that.”
I glanced at the blouse on the floor, wondering why I cared when everyone I knew was gone the whole week. “Never mind,” I said. “I’m there to save money, not spend it. I’ll make it work.”
“And, um—how are you, you know,feeling?”
I sighed. “Fine, I guess. Work is actually a good distraction. I only thought about Trey about a million times, which is an improvement.”
“It’ll get easier,” he said. “I know sometimes a breakup can seem like the end of the world, but trust me, you’ll get over it quicker than you think.”
I shook my head. It didn’t matter. Once Trey saw me inthe dress, everything would change.
When I hung up the phone, I checked my texts, e-mails, and missed calls. Even though Trey was out of the country, I was tempted to send him a message. I’d hoped he’d have realized his mistake by now and called. I sniffled back the tears trying to break through, checking one last time to make sure I hadn’t overlooked anything.
Fight it as I did, I couldn’t help picturing him sprawled out under the Mexican sun with all our friends—tan, laughing, and chugging ice-cold Pacifico from the bottle. I should’ve been there too, but when he dumped me the week before we were supposed to leave, one of us had to stay behind.
The answer to getting him back was the dress. A few days earlier, during a well-deserved session of retail therapy, I’d locked myself in an oversized, white dressing room and stepped into gold. That’s when I found the cure to my despair. The gilded sequins illuminated my tan, and my illuminated tan made me look thinner, fitter, and radiant. It hugged in all the right places. It was short without being indecent. It was a miracle dress. Against the sparkling metallic shine, my blonde hair was silky, smooth, and bright.
The night after I’d tried it on and been denied the money by my parents, Dad had mentioned Dean’s temporary position. I knew then—the universe wanted me to have that dress. It wanted me to knock Trey Richards off his feet so I could be there to help him back up.
CHAPTER 3
Tuesday morning, with my vow to impress my new boss fresh in my mind, I arrived at Brittany Industries twenty minutes early. Dean’s closed door told me he was not to be disturbed—I knew this from a highlighted note left by Grace. I slunk into my office chair sheepishly, annoyed that his being early made me late.
My computer dinged with a message almost immediately.
Mr. Brittany
Welcome back, Ms. James.
I stared at the blinking box on Grace’s computer. Did he think I wouldn’t return?
Admin
Thank you. Can I get you coffee or anything?
Mr. Brittany
Got it already.
I read the message twice. Tomorrow I would just have to arrive early enough to have his coffee waiting for him. When he didn’t continue, I picked up on Grace’s list where I’d left off the night before.
Mr. Brittany
