Maybe she could talk it out with Justin. “Well, the problem is that I sort of have two bosses, and… well, they don’t getalong.” Understatement of the year. The EOD would love to arrest Smirnov, and probably her, if they found out what she was doing. “I basically feel like I have two jobs, and I just started yesterday.”
Justin waved it off. “That’s not your problem. You can’t be responsible for whether they get along or not.”
In theory that was true, but in practice… “I’m kind of in the middle. How can I satisfy both of them?”
“First off, work on setting your boundaries. Tell people no.”
When she laughed off his advice as preposterous, he said, “Just say the word, Gabs. It’s easy.” He directed her with a big flourish of hands like Mr. Barnes, her old choir director, and mouthed it with her. Together they said, “No.”
“Okay, good. Tell people no at least three times today. If you let them run over you on week one, it’s only going to get worse later.” He raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. Maybe she could stand up for herself more. This might be a good moment in time to work on that skill.
“Now, what do they want from you? Is it reasonable?”
“They’re very… gossipy. It almost feels covert.”
He laughed. “Oh god, I love a good office intrigue. Are they attractive?”
When she blushed, he put his hand over his heart. “Just let me know how you need me. If I can plan a celebrity wedding in under a month, I can help with this.”
He was probably right.
“Are the jobs your bosses want you to do mutually exclusive?”
“Um, actually no.” A lightbulb came on. Now that Justin brought it up, the EOD and Smirnov had completely separate tasks for her. In theory, all she had to do was 1) get evidence of money laundering for the EOD, hopefully at the party, and 2) findthe codes for Smirnov. No one at the EOD had even mentioned “codes,” meaning they probably weren’t even aware. There was no reason she couldn’t do both. Neither one would be the wiser.
“You’re right, Justin. I can handle it.” So what if it was the mob and the EOD? She just had a to-do list with two things on it. End of story. She gave Justin a quick hug. “Thanks for talking it through with me.”
“Anytime, babe. Here to talk you off a cliff whenever.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind staying while I walk the dog? Last night turned out a little chaotic, and he missed his nightly.” She wasn’t going to let a mobster keep Mr. Bubbles from his morning constitutional. She needed to establish boundaries and live her life, and that started with walking the dog.
Justin picked up on her vibe and gave her a snap. “That’s right, girl. You walk that dog. Don’t let anyone stop you.”
She laughed at the situation. Justin had no clue, and he was still being supportive. Now that was a friend.
Bubbles started bouncing on his hind legs with excitement. With Gabby working all day, he needed a walk. “When I get back, I need to catch up on you. I’ve been all me, me, me the past few days. Do you have any shows soon?”
He shimmied a little. “Actually,” he said, “there is something big coming up.”
“Oooh!” She yelled, “Kids, listen to Justin. I’ll be right back!”
The kids didn’t look up. Justin waved her off.
She and Bubbles took a left onto Avocado Avenue and headed for the jogging path at the base of Avocado Mountain. It probably had a different name, but that’s what her family called it. The trail was a dirt path sandwiched between some green space on the mountain and their backyards. At this time in the morning, it wasall people walking dogs before their nine-to-fives and triathletes, not Gabby’s usual people.
“Bubbles, do you have to pee on everything?” Phil had refused to neuter Bubbles when he was a puppy, and that had led to a few bad habits, including pissing on everything and leg humping. Pretty much like a tiny Phil in some primal way.
Gabby looked up to see a woman jogging toward them. It’s not like she wanted to be jealous. That was counterproductive to female empowerment, but no one should look that good at six thirty in the morning. It was a law—a law Gabby was following. So yeah, she was still shuffling around in Crocs and the robe she’d been kidnapped in. When was she going to do laundry with her schedule? Never.
As the walking ad for Lululemon got closer, Gabby gasped—Valentina. Talk about work following you home. One day in the office and she got kidnapped by the Mafia and accosted by Valentina, all before the next morning. How was a person supposed to eat breakfast and shower, not to mention sleep?
When she reached Gabby, Valentina dropped to her knees and made a show of tying her shoes.
She didn’t have any privacy anymore. This must be how Jennifer Aniston feels.
Mr. Bubbles, like most men, assumed it was all about him, and trotted over to Valentina with a “wassup, girl” attitude.
