A Heart to Trust, A.L. Brooks [speed reading book TXT] 📗

them see you in a better light? Show you have something more to add?”

Jenny shrugged and sat up straighter. “If I had an idea, then maybe. But even then, I don’t know.” She sighed. “Derek is not Adrienne; that much is pretty obvious. With her I’d feel totally comfortable expressing my opinion about this, especially after all the encouragement she’s given me in the last couple of years. And C&V are much bigger than TC. Much bigger. There’s a whole hierarchy I don’t know yet, and all the politics too. Never mind I’m scared if I step even one inch out of line, Derek will use that as ammunition to say, ‘Oh, sorry, you’re out.’”

Tamara tapped her chin. “Yeah, I guess that’s the problem, isn’t it? You’re kind of on probation, and no one wants to rock the boat in that situation.”

“Exactly.” Jenny pointed her beer bottle at Tamara. “I just have to suck it up and get through this, doing the best I can, and hope that I get that job at the end of it.”

“And make sure you don’t let that Olivia woman get to you either,” Carl said. “You have to be the better person in this.”

“Yes,” Tamara agreed. “Whatever her problem is, you just have to rise above it.”

“While still playing nice and being all ‘yay for the team,’” Roz added.

“Oh sure, no sweat.” Jenny chuckled.

“And she’s British, you said?” Tamara asked.

“Yeah. No idea what her story is, though. And can’t imagine I’ll ever get told it.”

“Is she hot? Those icy women always are. It’s like a cruel joke of the universe or something.”

Roz and Carl made noises of agreement, while Jenny’s mind threw her, unbidden, an image of Olivia staring at Jenny at the end of the meeting on Monday morning.

She was, Jenny had to admit, gorgeous. Olivia had a heart-shaped face with pale skin, a small, upturned nose, and naturally pale-pink, full lips. With that amazing skin, she didn’t need any more makeup than enough to emphasize her hazel eyes. In that strange moment after the meeting, those beautiful eyes had held Jenny’s gaze in a way that made it impossible to look away. Olivia’s hair had fallen forward as she leaned in, and Jenny had wondered whether it was as soft to touch as it looked.

Jenny had no idea what Olivia sought in that searing look; she just knew she had to pull away before she did or said something really dumb.

“Earth to Jenny?” Tamara’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Uh, yeah?”

Tamara grinned. “Oh. I see.”

Chapter 10

“Oh my God, she’s a nightmare!” Jenny gratefully accepted the cosmopolitan Adrienne handed over. “It’s only been three weeks but I have no idea how I’m going to last until Christmas without appearing on America’s Most Wanted.”

Adrienne chuckled, then lifted her glass of champagne and tapped it against the rim of Jenny’s drink. “Cheers.” She took a sip. “You’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

It was the last Thursday of July. They were in Fitz’s, a cozy, old-fashioned cocktail bar two blocks from the TC offices, where Adrienne hosted drinks after completing her final day at the company. She had generously offered to buy everyone’s first drink and had waved off Jenny’s attempts to order a light beer.

Jenny drank from her cocktail, then placed her glass back on the bar. “I don’t know.” She groaned. “I think what makes her so infuriating is she’s actually good at her job. If she was this uptight and crap, I could ignore her. But she has such good ideas! And she’s, like, a demon at planning. You should see the schedules she’s put together already for this joint project.”

“So, what makes her such a nightmare?” Adrienne frowned. “Yes, you’ve mentioned a couple of times that she’s a little snooty, but surely that’s simply part of her personality. Rather like Maxwell’s penchant for throwing strange facts into a conversation.”

“I guess.” Jenny sighed. Olivia had got on every last one of Jenny’s nerves the last few weeks but the last thing she wanted to do was spend her entire evening talking about the woman. “Sorry, let’s change the subject. We’re supposed to be celebrating your exit from TC!”

“True, but you’re clearly upset about this situation, and you know I’ve always said I’d be here for you.”

“Yeah, but no. Not tonight. Olivia Sinclair is my problem, not yours.” Jenny raised her glass and waited until Adrienne lifted hers before continuing. “Here’s to you and your amazing new life in San Francisco. And thank you.” Jenny’s voice caught. “For everything.”

Adrienne’s eyes glistened as she clinked her glass against Jenny’s. “Thank you. And you’re welcome.”

“So, what happens first? I mean, you finished at TC today, but when do you head out there and how soon until you get the foundation up and running?” Jenny was in awe of what Morgan and Adrienne planned to do with a big chunk of Morgan’s money from her winnings and sponsorship from the women’s pro golf tour. The foundation they intended to start up—to enable more young girls to play sports—was something they’d announced to the world only a few months ago. Morgan’s status as number one in women’s golf, a position she’d held for over a year, had opened up all sorts of opportunities for her. That she’d choose to do something entirely for others wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew her.

Adrienne beamed and launched into a detailed explanation of what her next few weeks entailed.

Jenny grinned; it was great to see her mentor so fired up over this new project. Adrienne also had the prospect of finally living with her partner, Morgan, after over a year of doing the long-distance thing. Adrienne and Morgan were so happy; Jenny was both elated for and envious of them. Sure, she was only twenty-nine, and maybe some people would think that was too young to seriously think about finding ‘the one’ and settling down. But Jenny had always been a bit of a romantic, and she secretly yearned