I stand and hand him the cloth, but when he reaches to take it, he takes hold of my hand instead and pulls me closer to him. “Thank you,” he whispers.
I smile and kiss his cheek. “Call me if you want me, okay?”
“We’ll be fine. Will you please come straight back from work? One of the boys will make sure you’re okay.”
“Yes, I’ll come straight back.”
The ride to work is quiet. Jack and commando sit up front, and although Jack knows Tara is in safe hands, the worry and restlessness coming from him is very evident. He chews on the skin around his fingers and drives with one hand. I can see in the rear view mirror that the deep frown line in the center of his forehead is still there.
Out of nowhere, a man steps off the curb and in front of the car, causing Jack to swerve and slam his foot on the brake. His hand pummels the horn and it makes me jump so hard I drop my purse into the footwell. When Jack starts to yell at the unsuspecting pedestrian, I feel my insides start to tighten. This is all we need after what has happened already this morning. Maybe I should have stayed in bed. It makes me nervous to see someone like Jack, who is usually the epitome of calm, start to lose their temper. Yelling makes me nervous.
“Hey, hey, big fella,” Commando interrupts Jack’s torrent of expletives, and pats him on the arm. “We’re good, man. No harm done. Let’s just get the lady to work, eh?” he suggests.
“Shit,” Jack hisses under his breath. “I’m sorry, Miss Fraser,” he offers, turning in his seat to look at me. “I’m sorry,” he repeats on a whisper and my heart clenches for him. Something about Tara’s state this morning has knocked him off kilter, and as much as I want to know what it is, there’s a selfish part of me that wants to take an ostrich approach and pretend it didn’t happen. The outcome is going to be the same whether I know, or not.
I just nod and smile kindly, not knowing what else I can do. I don’t want him to feel bad. The last couple of minutes of the journey is completed without drama or disaster, and I thank the lords. I hold my breath as I push open the doors to the boutique not knowing what I’m going to be faced with and hoping that Denham remembered to call Beth and smooth things over with her. I’m not entirely sure I’ll know what to say if she asks me why I’m late.
“Good morning, Beth. I’m so—”
“Morning, Arianna. Lots to do today. Here,” she says shoving a stack of papers under my nose. “We have two meetings this morning. These are the designers. Read up. Get familiar. We need to be showing them why they should stock their garments with us, and not with that tart on Sahara Avenue.” She curls her lip to accentuate her distaste, and it’s the first thing since this morning to make me smile.
“What time are the meetings?” I ask nervously.
“Eleven and two thirty. On site. I’ll make coffee.”
Beth fiddles around with the coffee machine in our office, and I flick through the folders before opening the first one and getting lost. I don’t really have time to feel nervous about these meetings as they are imminent, and I’m using as much of my brain power as I can absorbing the words on these pages. It’s times like this that a good memory comes in very useful, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t overwhelmed. I’m so grateful for the distraction though, that I get stuck right in.
Luckily, I didn’t need to worry. The first meeting goes very smoothly. Beth led them around the shop floor like the pro that she is. She also let me hover in the wings, prompting me only when she knew I would be comfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. I surprised myself at the amount of natural knowledge I have for the fashion industry, and they seemed impressed with my opinions, too.
By the time they leave, I’m buzzed. I have just completed my first official meeting, and it feels great.
“You were fabulous, darling,” Beth praises. “Go, call your man. Then I’m taking you to lunch before we need to turn on the charm for round two.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I delve into my purse and check my cell before calling Denham. Beth exits the room to give us some privacy, although I don’t expect her to as this is her office also, I’m grateful that I don’t have to speak in code.
“King,” he answers abruptly.
“Hi, it’s me,” I say, my voice is small as I’m a little taken aback by his tone, especially as my name should have come up on the screen.
“Ari, I’m sorry. My cell has been ringing off the hook and I didn’t even check who it was. Are you okay?” he asks concerned.
“I’m fine. How’s Tara? Has she woken up yet?”
“No, she’s out for the count. I’ve had a doctor out to her, and her vitals are fine, she just needs to sleep it off. I don’t know what she’s taken this time, but it’s knocked her out, much like I will when she’s back ’n’ bouncin’.”
“Areyouokay?”
“No,” he answers quietly. “No, I’m not.”
My heart breaks at his admission. He didn’t even try to hide it. He’s not alright. I feel guilty. I should be there with him. Iwantto be there with him. For him.
“Do you want me to come back? I could tell Beth I’m not feeling well or something…”
“No. No, I don’t want that. I want you to tell me what you’ve been doing today. Tell me something normal.”
“Um…I had a meeting this morning with a potential supplier,” I say, picking up the enthusiasm in my voice.
