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

than he had been a few minutes ago. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Aw.” Jenny slung one arm around his wide shoulders. “Look at you, all humble. For once.”

Roz snorted while Carl glared.

“Come on, I’m only teasing. I’m proud of you.” Jenny squeezed his shoulders.

He ducked his head. “I’m kind of proud of myself.”

As Jenny looked at him, all her own worries disappeared for a moment, and warmth flooded her.

Carl had been busting his ass for years to get this kind of break, and she couldn’t have been happier for him. His jewelry—stainless-steel pieces for men that didn’t always conform to the expected chunky, masculine shapes and styles—had gradually won him plaudits in the fashion press over the last couple of years. Getting his items into Bloomingdale’s should rocket his reputation skywards.

“You’ve come a long way from that disgusting little studio back in Pittsburgh.” She laughed when he mock-vomited.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Tamara shuddered.

Roz held up her hands. “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. We had some good times there, didn’t we?”

Carl’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Oh God, remember the day of the rats?”

“No!” Tamara’s eyes were wide as she shoved her chair far away from the table. “No, no, no, we are not reliving that story!” She slapped her hands over her ears. “Can’t hear you, la la la.”

Jenny and the others shook with mirth, Tamara still la-la-laing until Roz took pity on her and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Whatever she said in Tamara’s ear got her to drop her hands, then kiss her in a way that made Jenny rush to look away.

“You’re so cute. Always getting all flustered whenever those two give us a little show.” Carl gestured in Roz and Tamara’s direction.

The heat on her cheeks intensified, and she growled. “Whatever.”

He squeezed her arm. “So, how was work this week?”

Everything about the last two days crashed back down. Jenny picked up her drink, downed the rest of it in one long swallow, then looked around for Tomasz.

“Jenny?” Carl’s concern made her throat tighten.

After making sure Tomasz had seen her signal for another margarita, she took her time turning back to Carl. When she did, three frowning faces looked at her.

Resting her chin in her palms, elbows on the table, Jenny exhaled loudly. “I don’t want to burst your bubble.” She looked at Carl. “But we found out yesterday that TC has been sold to a bigger company and they took over first thing today.”

“What?”

“No!”

“Holy shit!”

Now she looked at three faces with their mouths wide open.

“And the worst of it is, my job’s not guaranteed.” She filled them in on what Derek had said in the meeting.

“So, you’re in some playoff for a job?” Roz frowned. “How fucking cruel is that?”

“I know.” Jenny rubbed her face, not sure if she wanted to cry or just lay her head on the table.

Carl pressed closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

In the next moment, Roz and Tamara were there too, enveloping her in a group hug that helped ease some of the pain.

“Thanks, guys.” She let their warmth wash through her.

A margarita was placed on the table before her, and before she could thank him, Tomasz walked away. He would get a larger tip than usual for that sensitivity.

She wriggled out of the hug and motioned everyone back to their seats. “Come on, let’s drink. I can worry about all that crap tomorrow. Tonight, we’re celebrating Bloomingdale’s signing one of New York’s hottest talents.” She tipped her head toward Carl, then raised her drink. “To our star!”

Roz and Tamara repeated the toast, and they all clinked glasses with a beaming Carl.

The second margarita, finished at lightning speed, definitely helped with that numbness Jenny had been looking for.

The third and fourth were even more successful.

Chapter 5

At lunchtime the next day, Olivia and Broderick took a cab to Katherine’s apartment. Olivia was less amenable to the visit than she normally would be—her night had been spent tossing and turning from one strange dream to another. She knew why, of course: the bloody job situation. It pained her that she’d gone from working as something akin to a production manager in some fairly large theaters back in the UK, to a lowly TV production assistant here in the US. Despite her best efforts since arriving to find work on Broadway, she’d got nowhere, even with her small amount of London theater experience.

“Olivia?” Broderick interrupted her musings.

“Hm?”

“I asked if we should stop off at that wine store en route and pick up a bottle of the Chablis Mom likes so much?”

“Of course. That sounds like a lovely idea.”

Olivia waited in the cab while Broderick dashed into the store and made the purchase. She gazed out the window at the New York traffic trundling by and was once again filled with excitement about living in this incredible city. Even as a little girl, she’d dreamed of living here. Okay, it had happened in a way she would never have imagined, but the result was worth the effort, despite her lack of career progress. The past year had been a little nerve-wracking, always wondering if someone would figure out what she and Broderick had done to further his career. The longer their charade had gone on, however, the easier they had found it to live the lie.

She sighed. That was the biggest drawback to the entire thing: the lying. They’d lied to so many people, both here and back in the UK. Yes, Olivia’s mother and her best friend, Gemma, both knew the truth, but they were the only two people she’d trusted with the knowledge. Broderick’s family were, of course, over-the-moon he’d finally found ‘the one’ after being alone all those years. She’d never criticized him for not coming out as ace/aro to them, but sometimes—especially when they visited Katherine, like today—she wondered if it would be better for them all if he did explain who he really was.

Come on, get your game face on. You’ve done