by Louise Bay
Published by Louise Bay 2015
Copyright © 2015 Louise Bay. All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.
ISBN - 978-1-910747-05-6
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Playlist
Acknowledgments
Other Books by Louise Bay
The Empire State Series
Hopeful
Faithful
Let’s Connect
Haven
I loved my city but I didn’t love the traffic. I was never late. And with a promotion to Deputy Editor of Rallegra, the UK’s premier glossy weekly woman’s magazine, on the horizon I needed to be on time to the Monday morning staff meeting. I was currently Features Editor but I’d been working hard to position myself for the next step. Just thinking about the possibility made my heart skip.
My eyes kept flicking to the clock as I stripped off my coat, checked my make-up in my compact and smoothed down my hair. I scanned the tops of the cubicles. No one seemed to be making their way to the conference room yet, thank goodness.
I picked up my pad, pen and drink, and took a deep breath, releasing the muscles clenched in my stomach.
I filled my lungs again as I opened the door. I was always first to this meeting and it meant that I always got to sit in the same place, but today someone unfamiliar had beaten me to it. Equally unsettling was my boss Robert, sitting at the head of the table. He was normally ten minutes late to everything.
“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said as they turned toward me.
“No, come in. We were just catching up before the meeting. This is my good friend Harry who is going to join us. Harry, this is Haven, Features Editor. Prompt, as usual.”
The stranger in my seat uncrossed his legs, stood up and held out his hand. “Very nice to meet you, Haven.”
He was smooth and confident and the way his eyes locked on mine and crinkled at the corners made me think he assumed that everyone he introduced himself to was delighted to meet him. He was way too pleased with himself. But most of Robert’s so-called “friends” were way too pleased with themselves. Robert came from money and was one of those people who had been to school with the whole world. Or at least he knew the brother or dated the sister of every person that was worth knowing.
His family owned some huge estate in Scotland and I imagined he didn’t have to have a real job, but unlike most of his friends that he’d introduced me to, he worked hard and was good at what he did. He was everything I wasn’t: from a good family, well connected and wealthy. I wanted to resent him for it but he was so bloody charming I just couldn’t. I was sure he’d had a little help from Daddy’s cronies along the way, but I couldn’t deny he was a talented editor and a great boss. No doubt Harry was one of those friends who dabbled in various “projects” which was code for spending time holidaying and partying.
I shook Harry’s hand and managed a tight smile. “And you.”
I set my things down on the table opposite Harry as the rest of the office began to file through the door. All eyes were on our interloper.
Robert continued to chat with Harry as everyone settled down. I kept my head down, focusing on the to-do list in front of me but I was concentrating on Robert and Harry’s conversation. I was trying to work out who he was and what he was doing in this meeting, but they just seemed to be discussing mutual friends. No doubt they’d be comparing the size of their trust funds later. Did he have an accent? There was a trace of something mid-Atlantic in the way he spoke.
“Good morning,” Robert said. “I hope everyone had enjoyable weekends, your hang-overs have passed and everyone is ready for a busy week. We’ll go around the table in a minute, but I have a couple of pieces of good news that I want to share with you. First, Harry is going to take over for Brad and handle our photography until we find a replacement. He’s very talented and a great friend of mine, so I’m sure you’ll make him very welcome.”
A small wave of tittering came from the other end of the table and Robert turned to Jenny. “But not too welcome.”
“Don’t worry,” Marie said. “We’ll help settle him in.” The laughter started again. The guy was being picked over like fresh meat.
I rolled my eyes and locked gazes with Harry. Shit, no one was supposed to have seen that. My cheeks burned. Harry cocked his head at me and I smoothed my hair, checking it was still tightly captured in its bun. I refocused on my to-do list.
“And that leads me to my second piece of good news, which is that we got the Sandy Fox interview and it’s going to be big.”
People started clapping and my heart began thumping in my chest. I didn’t do celebrity, but I wanted this and Robert knew it. It would be really high profile and whoever pulled it off would be well placed for any promotion. Robert hadn’t told me we had managed to secure it, so perhaps he’d given it to Emily. She was our celebrity editor and Sandy Fox was as A-list as it got. I couldn’t look at Emily for a clue, I couldn’t bear to see her face if she knew she had it. She had made it clear after I joined Rallegra that we’d never be anything but competitors, and she had been true to her word. I caught myself chewing the inside of my cheek and reached for my Diet Coke as a distraction.
“It’s going to be a huge feature. We have access to her on set for the new movie she’s in. It’s going to be shooting mainly at Pinewood Studios. She’s keen we see the real her. She’s also agreed that Harry goes along and takes some candids.”
What? It’s Harry’s first fucking day and already he’s on the story of the year? What kind of celebrity agrees to candids? Her representation must suck.
“The feature will run across a number of issues, so it’s going to take a lot of work.”
I want it, I want it, I want it.
The interview, if I managed to pull it off, would land me the promotion. My brother would be so proud and I hoped I would finally feel safe and established.
“We still have some wrinkles to iron out, but we hope the first session will happen this week while she’s still in rehearsals. Right, let’s go round the table. Haven, what do you have on?”
“The piece on our Top Ten Speakeasies had turned out well and then today we’re finishing up the first in our Summer Detox plan. I’m working up a proposal for a feature on dating that will run across a number of issues.” I heard a number of people groan when I mentioned my plan. Robert didn’t look impressed. Articles on how to meet your match weren’t uncommon. “I’ve been looking at a number of agencies where your net worth has to be over a certain amount. Basically Match for Millionaires. I think it could be good.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll take a look at your proposal when it’s done,” Robert said. It had potential but I’d have to convince him.
The rest of the meeting seemed to pass in a blur. All I could focus on was what I was going to say to Robert to convince him to give me the Sandy Fox feature.
Finally, things wrapped up and I got up a
nd gathered my notebook.
“Haven, can you stick around? I’d like a quick word,” Robert said.
Shit, this was where he was going to tell me that he’d given the Fox piece to Emily. I always tried to prepare for bad news. I forced a tight smile and sat back down as everyone else filed out. Harry stayed seated too, and I watched him as he leaned back, put his hands behind his head and observed people leaving. As if he knew I was watching, he turned his head toward me and looked me in the eye.
His eyebrows lifted and his eyes widened like he was asking me if I was done looking at him. I got the feeling he was used to being looked at. I could imagine if I was one of those girls, I might be distracted by that strong jaw and those sparkling eyes. The difference was, I wasn’t ogling him as I imagined most people would be. I wasn’t interested in his long fingers that periodically swept through his dirty-blond hair or the way his shirt seemed to skim over his tight body. I simply wanted to figure him out.
I took a deep breath and refocused as the door closed. I resisted every instinct that told me I should make a last minute plea to Robert for this feature. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to stop myself if Harry hadn’t been there, I couldn’t imagine Harry had ever been desperate for anything in his life. In that moment my pride overruled my ambition.
“Haven, I want you to work on the Fox piece with Harry.”
Shit. The. Bed. I had not been expecting that. I wanted to jump up and hug Robert, but I restrained myself and checked my hair for stray strands, smoothing it into my bun.
I nodded. “That’s great. Thank you. I hope Emily’s not too disappointed.” I meant it. Although Emily and I were competitors, I didn’t wish her ill.
“She understands and she’s completely supportive. I think you’ll be the best . . . shall we say, fit, with Sandy.”
What did that mean? Robert was looking at Harry, avoiding my unspoken question. I glanced at Harry but he was focused on Robert, nodding.
“Yes, these celebrity interviews are so much about the chemistry between the interviewer and interviewee, and from what we know of Sandy, we think you’re more likely to get on with her. You know she’s got quite the reputation,” Robert said.
I nodded and the muscles in my stomach clenched. There was a lot riding on this.
“I understand. I’ve seen some of the research, but I’ll immerse myself in it today. Do you need help making the final arrangements? Shall I speak to legal?” I offered.
“No, I’m almost there with everything. I need to ensure you’re free Thursday and Friday anytime of the day or night so if we get the green light, you can get your ass over there.”
Of course, I’d drop everything.
“And I want a de-brief after each meeting. We’re not going to fuck this up. We don’t want another Beckham incident.”
I nodded resolutely and stood, leaving Robert and Harry. Robert was worried if he mentioned the Beckham incident. No one ever dared speak of it. We hadn’t had A-List celebrity co-operation for about a year after Emily ran a piece on his alleged extra-marital affairs alongside a week in the life article that he’d co-operated on.
I headed back to my desk, mulling over what Robert had said. My initial excitement was overtaken by a sense of confusion over what he had said about my fit with Sandy. What had he meant? I knew Robert thought I was a bit uptight, he was always telling me to relax. Maybe Sandy was the same?
Jake
“So Harry, you think Haven will work?” Robert asked. He called me Harry as everyone, other than those closest to me did. It was a nickname I’d acquired in college, and not the most creative one, given my surname was Harrison.
I shrugged. “I think so. It’s hard to tell. She’s blonde, which helps. I remember Sandy saying she thought blondes were tacky. But she’s not as unattractive as I expected.”
“But you wouldn’t call her attractive. I mean she dresses like . . . I don’t know what. She’s not exactly beating them off with a stick.”
It was true, Haven was dressed like she was going to a funeral, in a black turtleneck and gray skirt with thick black tights and flat shoes. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun and she wore the expression of someone ready for a fight. But she was undoubtedly attractive with delicate features and something curious behind her eyes, and Sandy didn’t like anything overshadowing her.
I didn’t know Sandy well, but I’d met her a few times at parties and we had a mutual friend, Gay Dave, who I went to college with. She’d tried to kiss me once. She’d been very drunk and trying to piss off her boyfriend. I’d pretended I hadn’t noticed and she hadn’t held it against me. I hadn’t seen her much since her first album had been released and gone double platinum, but I’d dropped Dave a text to say that I’d be the photographer on the article for Rallegra if she signed up for the piece and she’d emailed me to say she was excited to see me again. She was a fun girl—as long as she was the centre of everything. Haven seemed to be exactly the opposite, which I hoped would mean that Sandy wouldn’t see her as a threat. I’d suggested to Robert that he use a male journalist for the interview if possible, or a woman who wasn’t going to outshine Sandy. It was curious to me that he’d chosen Haven. She wouldn’t have been my choice.
“Do you want to grab lunch today?” Robert asked.
“Actually, I have a thing with some investors. Later in the week?”
“Sure, you know where you’re sitting, right? It’s by the small meeting room, so if you need to make calls . . .”
“Thanks man, I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me, you know you’re doing me a massive favor filling in like this. I should have made Brad work his notice, but he was such a pain in my arse.”
“You never know, I might become a professional photographer at this rate,” I said.
Robert laughed and I headed toward my newly allocated seat. Not that I would be in it a lot. I needed to check my email and then I’d head to my lunch. I wasn’t planning to be in the office unless we were meeting to discuss a feature. I was sure Robert would have Brad replaced within a month or so, and I was happy to help him out while I finalised the funding on my next project.
I fired up my laptop and started working my way through emails. There was an overwhelming amount to do to get things off the ground. Unlike my last business, this required coordination of scientists and computer geeks, but it could lead to something really special. I hoped this Sandy thing didn’t take up too much time.
My phone started to vibrate on the desk as Haven approached. “I’m sorry Haven, I have to get this. Can I come and find you?”
She nodded and headed off. I wasn’t sure where she was sitting, but I’d find her.
“Hello, lovely girl,” I greeted my sister.
“Hey, Jake. How’s your first day going? Did you find what I left you?” Beth asked.
“You put something in my bag?” I reached under the flap and rooted around and pulled out a sandwich box. “You made me lunch?”
Beth laughed. “A snack really. A juice box, an apple and an energy bar.”
“You’ll make someone a lovely wife one day.”
“If I was there, I’d hit you.”
“If you were here, I wouldn’t say it.” I laughed. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course, it’s fine. Stop fussing,” she said.
“I’m not the one calling.” As much as my sister accused me of being over protective, she was made the same way. “I’ll be home early, though, and I can tell you all about it. Unless you’ve got plans?”
“Nothing other than a House of Cards marathon. I’ll see you later. Try not to break any hearts before you get home.”
“No promises.”
“Loser.” It was her typical sign off.
“Likewise,” I replied.
I hung up and went to find Haven. I didn’t have to search very hard. She was in the cubicle next to mine.
“Sorry about that, did you want to talk?” I asked.
She ke
pt her eyes on the computer screen. “I don’t want to interrupt any emergency you’re having, so please, in your own time.”
I couldn’t help but grin. She had clearly overheard my telephone call and was being a little bitchy because she thought I was prioritising my personal life over work, which I was. Beth would always be top of my list. “My emergency’s over, so if you want to talk, you know where I am.”
She pressed her lips together and turned. She looked at me, narrowing her eyes and paused as if she was deciding whether or not to say what was on the tip of her tongue. “Okay, let’s go into the small meeting room.”
“Lead the way.”
As she had done when she came into the earlier meeting, she set her pad, pen and drink on the table in front of her and smoothed down her hair before she started speaking. I wondered if she ever wore her hair down? Was it long? And did she always wear those turtlenecks?
“Are you American?” She asked. I hadn’t expected that.
“Yes. From Chicago. But I went to college over here.”
She put her hand up as if to stop me from revealing any more information. “So, as an American, you won’t be offended if I speak frankly?”
Jesus, this girl. I wasn’t sure whether I should laugh or shake her. She needed to loosen up. I shook my head. “Please, go ahead.”
“I understand you’re friends with Robert, like most of the rest of the world. And I get that this is no big deal for you, and that you’re probably playing at photography until the next part of your trust fund pays out, but I need this job and I really want this feature to be a success. My job is important to me. I work hard and I’m good at what I do. I really can’t have you mess this up for me.”
“You think I’m going to mess this up for you?” I stared at her, not quite believing what was coming out of her mouth.
“I know men like you. You’ve probably never had a real job have you? You’ve done a series of so-called freelance jobs at friends of Daddy’s companies. And that’s fine. Good luck to you. I just need you to take this feature seriously. Please. I need you to turn up when you say you’re going to. I need you to be available to discuss the article, not constantly on the phone to whichever poor girl you’re shagging this week.”