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

He nodded sadly.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Olivia was grateful for the work she still needed to do on the cooking show because at least it took her out of the office and kept her mind occupied. By the end of the day she still hadn’t heard anything from Jenny. Well, I suppose that’s what I get. I mean, I did tell her to forget everything, so I suppose she has every right to shut me out.

It stung, though. As hard as she’d tried all week since they’d been back from Christmas break, forgetting Jenny and how she’d felt in Olivia’s arms had been impossible. Every time she’d looked across her desk and seen Jenny, all she could remember was those lips, that tongue softly stroking hers. And every time Jenny laughed at something Maxwell said or made yet another intelligent observation about any of the projects they worked on, Olivia cursed her situation. If only we were another four or five months down the track. If only we—

Well, yes, she could do the “if only” thing until the cows came home, but it wouldn’t get her anywhere.

She left the cooking studio that evening with a heavy heart.

The next morning, Friday, Olivia entered the office with dread weighing her down. She’d slept badly; it was the day they all found out if they had a job, and there was her concern over Jenny and her worry that Chrissy had somehow sabotaged her own chances of a role with C&V.

Broderick had forced her to eat some breakfast before she left home, insisting she’d feel worse if she tried to push through it all with nothing to fuel her body. She knew he was right, but at the moment that breakfast sat like lead in her stomach.

Jenny was at her desk.

Relief at seeing her, looking physically okay, washed over Olivia. “Hey, everything okay?”

“All good.” Jenny gave her a weak smile, then very obviously turned her chair and looked back at her laptop.

Ouch. Okay, Sinclair, careful what you wish for—this is the result of telling her to leave you alone. Ugh.

It was neither the time nor the place to talk to Jenny about it, to emphasize they could still be friends, work together, keep it amicable. But she made a mental note to have such a conversation with Jenny as soon as she could.

By nine-thirty, Maxwell was at his desk, but there was no sign of Chrissy. This was a little frustrating for Olivia as she and Chrissy were supposed to collaborate on a transport schedule for a new project starting in a week or so. Olivia had set up a meeting request with Chrissy late last night for eleven this morning, to which Chrissy had yet to respond. Where the hell was she?

Jenny got up at around ten and walked over to the coffee station.

Olivia tried hard not to look, not to stare at that perfect ass and those strong legs, but she failed spectacularly and sighed as her libido reminded her once more what her marriage situation had cost her.

As Jenny returned to their desk area, a steaming mug in her hand, a commotion broke out near the elevators.

Everyone turned to rubberneck what was happening, and Olivia couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped her lips at the sight of Chrissy being escorted toward them with a security guard on one side and Zoey, the HR manager, on the other.

Zoey held an empty cardboard box in her hands.

Chrissy talked loudly, and angrily, waving her arms in the air. She got nearer, and some of what she said became clearer. “You’re all assholes! You have no idea what happened. I can’t believe you’re doing this!” Her face was beet red, her eyes wild.

“Please, Ms. Gillard, don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” Zoey said calmly just as they reached the desks. She placed the cardboard box on the desk and stepped back. “Please.” She gestured to the box.

Jenny walked up from behind them. Her face was ashen, and the coffee mug trembled in her hands.

“Oh, come to enjoy the show, have you?” Chrissy spat. Then she glared at Olivia. “This was you, wasn’t it? You scheming bitch!”

“Ms. Gillard!” Zoey’s voice was loud. “If you don’t calm down and immediately pack up your desk, I’ll have you escorted out of here right now without any of your possessions.”

Chrissy threw Zoey a vicious look, then huffed and stepped over to her desk.

“What’s going on?” Olivia mouthed to Jenny.

Jenny looked away without answering.

Another commotion began by the door to the stairwell. This time it was Derek escorted onto the floor, with a security guard and another senior manager from HR. Derek stomped over to his office without giving anyone a glance, then appeared a couple minutes later with a box in his arms.

“You stupid asshole!” Chrissy yelled at him. “I might have known you’d try to lay this all on me!”

Derek scowled at her. “Fuck you.” He turned away and followed the security guard to the elevators.

Olivia glanced around. Staff stood everywhere she looked, either singly or in groups, staring at the drama unfolding before them.

“What are you all looking at?” Chrissy said to no one in particular, her face a deeper shade of red, as she threw her possessions into the box. “Fucking idiots. All of you.” A minute later she was done and picked up the box. She turned to Jenny. “Call me, okay? I still want to keep in touch. This is all bullshit and I’m going to sue the ass off them, but I’d like to meet up with you sometime, okay?”

“Sure,” Jenny said, but the lack of conviction in her tone was crystal clear.

Chrissy seemed oblivious. With one last evil look at Olivia and a sneer twisting her mouth, she turned on her heel and marched off toward the elevators with the security guard striding along beside her.

Zoey turned to face Olivia, Jenny, and Maxwell. She raised her hands