of factly.
“Leave the woman alone. Hi, Victoria.” Quinn’s singsong voice tells me she’s living her real-life fairy tale.
“Hey, Quinn.”
“Hold up, I’m putting you on speaker,” Jagger says.
A second later, the sound of crashing waves is the backdrop to our conversation. I miss the ocean. The warm weather, sand between my toes and the sun made me a happier version of myself.
“How is Jade doing?” Quinn asks. “Adjusting?”
Plates and cups clatter in the background and I’m guessing they’re putting out breakfast on the deck.
“She is.” I turn on my computer because Hannah could come through the door at any moment. “So, you’re not sick of your new husband yet?” I ask in jest.
Quinn giggles and then I hear her squeal followed by kissing noises once again.
Stab me in the heart, why don’t you? Between school and work and Jade and my mom, the most tongue action I’ve gotten lately is from my mom’s cat, Moe.
“Well, I hate to interrupt, oh that’s right, you called me.”
“Sorry,” Quinn says with a soft chuckle. “We’re still in that can’t keep our hands off each other phase.”
“No apologies necessary. I’ll just go back to daydreaming about your latest hero and wishing someone like him enters my life.”
She laughs. “You liked Van, huh?”
Quinn’s a romance novelist and I’m lucky enough to get all her books pre-release.
“How could anyone not?” My stomach clenches remembering the hot moment when he cornered her against the wall, the urgent kisses and sultry lovemaking.
“Is he based on me, too?” Jagger asks.
I laugh.
“No, babe,” Quinn says.
“You’re imagining what other guys would do to you?”
Quinn laughs now. “I’m not the heroine. It’s fiction, babe. You know…not real.”
“Even so, tell me what Van does, I bet I rock your world tenfold,” Jagger says with his usual cocky arrogance.
“Good luck with that.” I type in my password on the computer and click open my email.
“Right here on this table.” Jagger’s voice is faint like he’s walked away from the phone, signaling my cue to hang up.
“Okay you two, thanks for calling to check up on me. Gotta go. Talk soon.”
I press end as Quinn tries to say goodbye and based on her giggling I’m guessing that Jagger’s probably undressing her.
The silence of the office still feels strange to me having gone from a company of hundreds to an office with three to five people in it, depending on the day.
Jagger’s friend, Hannah Crowley, a multi-millionaire in her own right, decided to start a foundation to empower young girls. Knowing I had to relocate due to my mom’s declining health, Jagger scored me an office assistant position with her charity. It is less responsibility than I’m used to having, but I work daily with two amazing women and at this point in my life I couldn’t ask for a better place to be.
I’m responding to a few emails when the glass door swings open and the louder of my two co-workers rushes over and collapses in the chair across from me.
“Holy hell, did you hear what happened last night?” Chelsea asks.
Chapter Three
Chelsea is gorgeous. A few years younger than me with shoulder-length blonde hair that’s straight as pin one day, curly the next and who has the fashion sense of a New York City high end designer. Her nails are always painted, her makeup flawless, and her clothes wrinkle-free.
Kind of like me pre-Jade.
I’m not complaining. I’ll take my stained Target clothes, smeared makeup self any day as long as Jade’s there when I get home.
“Happened last night to whom?” I remove my hands from the keyboard and give her my full attention.
She throws her bag on the other chair and crosses her legs. “Hannah. And her son of a bitch ex.”
“What?” I lean closer, my elbows propped up, a pen between my hands.
“That slimy fucker slid in under Hannah’s nose at the venue we were going to have the gala at and stole our spot for some hospital fundraiser. She called me last night and said we have to start our search all over.”
“Now we have nowhere to hold the gala?” I shake my head.
“I looked up a bunch of places and I’m thinking we head north of the city.” Chelsea’s leg bounces up and down while she speaks.
“Will people travel that far?”
I’m not sure if it’s Hannah’s own money that’s keeping RISE afloat right now, but she’s putting together a huge black-tie event with a silent auction to be held at the end of summer to raise money for the various smaller charities that our