Chapter 4
“It reeks like fish in here.”
Clarissa’s voice grated on Jay’s already frayed nerves. “The caterer brought broiled salmon. It was delicious.”
“Better than the steak. That was a little overcooked.” Rebecca gave him a small smile, the first time she’d acknowledged his presence since he’d accused her of gossiping about him with Dorothy.
Clarissa took off her designer sunglasses and studied Rebecca, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. “So, this is the new girl. How’d she do today?”
Rebecca stiffened, probably expecting him to insult her. But he’d never throw anyone into Clarissa’s clutches, not even his worst enemy.
“She did great. Where are Marlise and Annette?”
Clarissa sighed, patting her dark hair back into place, though there wasn’t a strand that dared to move. “Some newly engaged girl accosted them in the parking lot. I’m sure they’re planning her whole wedding right now.”
“Well, let’s move to the conference room so we’re ready when they come in.” Jay went to his desk and gathered up his computer and notebooks, purposely ignoring Rebecca. In his shock at seeing Rebecca again, he’d forgotten what Clarissa’s reaction would be. He needed to be careful how he acted around the two of them.
When they were fully staffed, each of them—Jay, Clarissa, and Marlise—had their own assistant, sometimes two. There was a reason Marlise assigned Rebecca to him. Clarissa was hard on assistants, especially women her age or younger. Like the step-mother in Snow White, Clarissa liked being the most beautiful woman in the office. She’d definitely see Rebecca as a threat. As much as he hated it, Rebecca was better off working with him, rather than being tortured by Clarissa.
He readied the screen projector and pulled up their shared scheduling app so they could go over assignments for the next month. Clarissa parked herself in the chair next to him, so Rebecca sat across the table, attempting to look calm, though he could see the nervousness under the surface. It was strange to know her so well, and yet not know her at all.
“Sorry we’re late.” Marlise flashed a smile and came to sit down, followed by her assistant, Annette, and the secretary, Dorothy.
“Any last minute schedule additions from the bride in the parking lot?” Jay asked.
Marlise waved it off. “Her wedding isn’t until December of next year. Let’s talk about the three this weekend. How are Betty and George?”
Jay smiled. “Ready to get married. Betty seemed very taken with Rebecca. I think she should be there for their big day.”
Rebecca stared at him and then at Marlise. “Whatever you’d like me to do.”
Marlise nodded. “I’ll be there for the wedding in the morning. I need to oversee the photographer and videographer, make sure the florist has everything, etcetera, etcetera. James, you and Rebecca will need to handle the cocktail hour in the garden and the reception in the ballroom. I’ll be at a rehearsal dinner at The Yellow Rose that night for Sunday’s wedding.”
Jay glanced at Rebecca. She looked a little stressed, which was to be expected. Most assistants freaked out when they realized how much they were assigned to do right off the bat. As it was, Clarissa was borrowing Annette as needed, causing the poor woman to work more hours than anyone should at her age.
He turned his attention to the screen as Marlise went over Friday’s wedding, which Clarissa and Annette would be overseeing. Clarissa always handled the bridezillas, the pushy mother-of-the-brides, and the drama-seeking maids-of-honor. The phrase “it takes one to know one” had never been more fitting. Clarissa handled other people’s drama like a champ. If only she’d stop creating her own. He made the mistake of smiling at Clarissa as she explained her seating arrangement changes to keep the peace. She smiled back with an eyebrow slightly raised, a look he’d learned to dread.
Clarissa was well aware of how attractive she was. And while she cycled through boyfriends like loads of laundry, one thing always remained the same: her blatant interest in Jay. He figured she liked the challenge. Men never turned her down. Jay was the rare exception. He imagined it was like getting to hunt for food with a crossbow, rather than browsing the meat section at the grocery store.
Marlise slid to a new screen, and they all turned to look at the projector.
“Let’s talk about Sunday’s wedding at the castle,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ll need all of you. Five-hundred people have RSVP’d, many of them coming from out of town.” She divvied out the various assignments, and Jay added them to the schedule notes. Then they went over the day-to-day assignments leading up to the weekend. He looked up to see Rebecca staring at him, her eyebrows furrowed.
He was pretty sure he knew what she was thinking. They’d be spending an awful lot of time together, whether they liked it or not.
***
A headache beat a pulse between her temples, and Rebecca downed a couple of ibuprofen tablets before heading to her car at the end of the day.
What had started as such a hopeful, exciting morning had turned into an evening where she wanted to hide under the covers and pretend she was still unemployed. But that wouldn’t pay the rent, and there was no way she was moving back in with her parents.
Yes, she lived in a tiny basement apartment, below the loudest family she’d ever known, but it was all hers, and in L.A., that was saying something.
She waved to the Jepsons as she pulled in, parking around back. Mr. and Mrs. Jepson were doing yard work while their three-year-old son banged two pans together. It was the kid’s favorite pastime, but at least it was outside for the neighborhood to enjoy and not in the house, ready to push her headache toward migraine territory.
She got out and maneuvered her way around bikes and over jump ropes until she reached the stairs down to her apartment. The Jepsons didn’t believe in TV or electronic toys, so the kids did a lot of running and yelling.
Ah, there was the sound now. She stepped inside and immediately put on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, plugging them into her phone. The shouts of the older two kids chasing each other in the house disappeared into her favorite recording of gentle rain.
