A Heart to Trust by A.L. Brooks (romantic books to read txt) 📗

station. She took her time, not actually having any work to do this morning. She’d been asked to start on some general run-around work after lunch on a new quiz show C&V was filming in a studio uptown, and that would keep her occupied for the rest of the week. She wondered if Derek was calling them together to talk about Catwalk or about the future of the team. Or both. A sudden thought hit her like truck: if it was about the team, would she even have a job by the end of the day?

Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try to look busy and needed this morning, just in case. And maybe it would be worth reaching out to Adrienne and other people she knew who were currently, or recently, in the business.

Just in case.

Olivia followed everyone into the meeting room at ten o’clock and chose a seat down the table from Chrissy. As long as she didn’t have to look at the woman, she could maintain her calm exterior. She still seethed following her confrontation with Chrissy earlier, and, if she was honest with herself, she was concerned.

Chrissy seemed far too smug about things. What had she done, as she put it, to secure her future? Who had she sold out?

Derek appeared a few seconds after they’d all sat and shut the door before he took his usual spot at the top of the table. “Right, thanks for being so prompt. Time to catch up.” He rubbed his hands together. “Firstly, Project Catwalk. Huge success. This team looks very good with the guys upstairs right now.”

Olivia almost snorted. She doubted “the guys upstairs” knew her name. What Derek meant was he looked very good right now.

“So, we have two more projects to get started with in the next couple of weeks,” Derek continued. “However, first I need to complete my evaluations of you all and make my recommendations to HR as to who will stay and who, unfortunately, will have to leave us.”

“So, nothing has changed?” There was a hint of steel in Jenny’s voice. “One of us still has to go, even though Catwalk was that successful?”

Olivia couldn’t have been more impressed with Jenny’s boldness. She wanted to catch her eye but didn’t dare.

Derek shifted in his seat; a flush appeared on his neck. “Yes, well, one success doesn’t miraculously change the staff budget, I’m afraid. So, yes, the situation is the same—there are still only three PA jobs available.”

Jenny frowned but said nothing more.

The rest of them cast glances at each other and Derek.

Chrissy, Olivia noted, looked the calmest of them all.

“I know it’s not fair to drag it out, so I will decide by the end of this week, and you all will know by then too.”

“Thank you, Derek.” Chrissy came very close to batting her eyelashes at him. “I think that’s very fair.”

He gave her a big smile.

Olivia wanted to vomit.

Two seats down, Jenny made a strange noise that turned into a cough.

Olivia inwardly chuckled.

“All right, then, that’s where we are.” Derek stood. “I know each of you has a little work this week but probably not enough to keep you fully busy. So, ask around, see who needs help, make yourselves useful.” He turned to Chrissy. “I have something you could help me with. If you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Chrissy’s voice was so sickly sweet, Olivia cringed.

“Excellent.”

Derek and Chrissy left the room.

Olivia dared a look at Jenny and caught her and Maxwell staring at each other.

Jenny’s eyebrows were raised, a look that spoke volumes.

“Just to warn you,” Olivia said before she could stop herself. “I think Chrissy’s done something to give Derek a bad impression of one of us.”

Jenny and Maxwell turned to her.

Olivia shrugged. “I know, it sounds absurd. But she as much as admitted it to me in our meeting earlier. I honestly don’t know what she’s up to, but it isn’t good.”

Maxwell shoved his chair back from the table. “I hate office politics.” The words were spoken with a shocking passion coming from someone normally so balanced.

“I hear you.” Jenny ran her hands through her hair. “If I didn’t need to pay rent and, you know, eat, I’d be tempted to walk out of here right now. I hate this.”

Olivia didn’t know what to say to that and neither, it seemed, did Maxwell.

The three of them simply stared at each other as a heavy silence descended.

Jenny hurried along the street, dodging office workers and tourists in equal measure. It’s the first week of January and it’s freezing here. Surely there’s way better places to be a tourist?

She was late but knew everyone would forgive her. It had simply taken longer than she’d anticipated to get away from the quiz show and travel downtown. Plus, she didn’t know where she was going. This far downtown was a mystery to her, despite having lived in New York all these years. But she’d never been part of the Wall Street crowd, so it made sense.

Solomon, however, was a part of that scene, and he’d suggested everyone meet for some food after Carl had finished up a meeting at Bloomingdale’s. It was sweet how much Solomon made sure to spend time with Carl’s friends, and it only made her love him more for Carl.

She stumbled upon their meeting place, almost by accident, and gratefully pushed into the warmth of the bar, leaving the cold street behind. She found Carl and Solomon in a booth halfway down the room; Tamara and Roz were missing, and Jenny sighed in relief at not being last. She walked toward the two men, and they leaped out of their seats to embrace her. “Did you recover from the new year yet?” Jenny smirked at Solomon.

“Oh, you’re hilarious,” he said, but he laughed. He was dapper in a dark-blue, three-piece suit with a light-blue shirt and a silver tie. His hair, cropped short, looked freshly trimmed and, as usual, his brown skin