I looked at my hands and laughed. "I think I've made my mind up."
"I think she needs time. You know how dysfunctional her relationship with Richard was. And I think she feels like a fish out of water sometimes, given her background. I can see her point of view, Jacks. Is she going to be worth it?"
Yes. Every time.
I avoided people on Monday, including my brothers. As well as managing the practice, I still had a moderately sized caseload, one of which was about to go to court and required documents to be submitted. I put a note on my door to not be disturbed and buried myself in papers.
Two days.
I was giving her two more days. And then I would start to teach her that I wasn't like she thought my sort could be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vanessa
Monday
When one aspect of my life went beyond my control, I clung to the rest like a toddler with its teddy. Work needed me; we'd had a bundle of new contracts, we needed at least two new creatives and potentially an office manager and a competent administrator. I walked into work on Monday with my head held high and my hips definitely not swinging.
And I became the boss from hell.
We'd decided the previous week to rebrand ourselves with a new name, new design and new, bigger drive. As well as starting off and delegating tasks regarding the new contracts, I had decided to throw myself into the rebrand.
It took precisely two and half hours before Alice walked into my office and demanded to know why I was acting like such a bitch.
I sat back in my chair and tried to feel in control. I smiled, tapped my nails against my desk and then burst into tears.
"Shit, Vanessa," she said, hovering around me like a mother hen, passing tissues and the switching on my coffee machine. "I didn't mean to upset you. You're not normally like this – I should've realized that there was something bothering you. It's not Richard, is it? He's not changed his mind?"
I shook my head, tears still streaming and then I blubbered out what happened on Thursday and the real reason why I wasn't in the office on Friday. Then I'd spent all weekend working or in the gym. And got exceedingly drunk on tequila with Sophie before passing out for most of Saturday.
"Hang on," Alice said. "You ended it with Jackson because he told old family friends that you were his girlfriend and showed them the copies of the ads we've done for his company and said how good they were? Van, I've just recommended Seph to a client who's having issues with one of their suppliers and raved about them. Was that the wrong thing to do? Oh, and I did the same with Simone's restaurant – I told Denis Hoffman to book it for his wife's anniversary."
"Richard used to do this. If I secured a contract with someone he knew through his family, he'd always take credit. I didn't want to always have to be thankful to someone; I wanted to succeed on my own merit and to not have someone else trying to take that away from what we do," I said, wondering if it was too early to start drinking the wine a client had dropped off for us to say thank you.
Alice put a large cup of strong coffee on my desk and sat down, her eyes like two lasers boring into me. "Vanessa, you have singlehandedly brought this company from being four weeks short of closure to being impossibly successful. Yes, the odd client might have come our way because of who Richard knew, but they wouldn't have agreed unless what you were doing was bloody amazing. Look at our portfolio. Look at the campaigns we've done. That's your leadership, business sense, and skill. No one's trying to take that from you. Jackson was telling someone he's probably known since he was in short pants that you're his girlfriend and he's proud of that, that he's with someone who's talented, successful and gorgeous."
"I've cocked up, haven't I? There's no way he will want me back after this. I wouldn't." I wiped my eyes, spreading mascara everywhere.
"You need a plan," Alice said. "You always have a plan, so where's your plan for this?"
"I don't know. I need a few days I think. And I could do with stopping crying. I must be more dehydrated than the Sahara."
"You want me to cancel the meeting with Little Bears?"
Absolutely not. I needed to do what I knew I did best and then at some point I'd decide what to do about the mess I'd made with Jackson.
***
Wednesday
Gran: Have you sorted yourself out with Jackson yet?
Me: Not yet. I've been busy at work.
Gran: Shall I send you up a new vibrator?
