Calendar Girl

by Georgia Beers

  It was true. Sophie was one of the most calm, laid-back people Addison had ever known. Next to nothing fazed her. She was excellent in a crisis because she didn’t freak out.

  “I need you to let her help. I need you to delegate some of your work to her. That’s why your mom hired her, you know?”

  Addison picked up her mug of decaffeinated tea, which Sophie had made for her, claiming she drank way too much coffee. Which was true, Addison knew. And terrible for her ulcer, which she also knew. She sipped, was surprised by the light cinnamon flavor. “I know.”

  “It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a sort of plan. Like, just map out the things you’re willing to hand over to her. I know you hate giving up one iota of control, but…” Sophie shrugged as if to say, “Too fucking bad.”

  “Actually, she did that already.”

  “Who? The assistant?”

  With a nod, Addison reached for her laptop, called up the email Katie had sent, and turned it so Sophie could see it.

  “Wow,” Sophie said as she scanned the document. “She’s got everything listed, when you meet about things, when she takes care of your emails and which ones. I love how it’s all organized by date and by days of the week, right up until the end of her gig.” She looked up at Addison with a grin. “You’ve got your own little calendar girl.”

  “Ha ha.”

  Sophie pointed at the screen. “Seriously, though. This is good stuff. It’s a solid plan for how she can help you. She did this herself?”

  Addison nodded.

  “Yeah, let her help you.” When Addison didn’t respond positively, Sophie asked, “Okay. What’s the deal here? I mean, I know you’re a ridiculous control freak, but this is a) about your health and b) only temporary. Tell me what’s going on.”

  Addison picked up her mug and sipped, using the time to gather her thoughts, to choose what she should say. One glance at Sophie, though, and she gave up. She could never pull a fast one on her best friend. Sophie knew her too well. She’d ferret out any disparities and pounce; it’s what made her such a good trial lawyer. Addison blew out a breath. “My mom is going to retire at the end of the year.”

  Sophie’s face remained neutral as she nodded. “Yeah, you told me that already.” She waited for Addison to continue. When she didn’t, Sophie prompted her. “Okay. So what does your mom’s retirement have to do with—wait a second…” Addison grimaced. “Are you freaking out? About who she chooses? Still?”

  Addison turned so her body was fully facing Sophie, feeling suddenly animated. “I’m the best qualified. Right? I mean, Jared’s young. He does a decent job taking care of the malls, but it’s pretty straightforward. Katrina…” She let her voice trail off as she thought about her younger sister and their rather complicated relationship.

  “Is the competition. Right.” Sophie inhaled slowly, then let it out as she focused on Addison. “None of this is news. I don’t understand why you’ve let it tie you all up in knots. Your mom’s gonna do what your mom’s gonna do. She always has.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Would she ever consider hiring from outside the company?”

  Addison gave it some thought, but not much because she knew her mother well. “No. I don’t think so. She built the company from the ground up. She’s not going to want someone who’s not a Fairchild running the whole thing.”

  “And you think that giving up some of your crap to the assistant—what is her name, anyway?”

  “Katie Cooper.” Addison deadpanned.

  “Aw, that’s cute. So, you think giving up some of your crap to Katie Cooper will…what? Eliminate you from the running? Give Katrina the advantage? Explain your logic, please.”

  Addison groaned. “I don’t know! I can’t explain it. It just…is.”

  Sophie stared at her for what felt like much longer than it probably was, and finally rolled her eyes. “You’re such a damn weirdo.”

  They moved on to other subjects, thank God, but when Sophie left about an hour later, her parting words were, “Let Katie Cooper help you.” And at Addison’s impatient look, she added, “I mean it. Don’t make me rat you out to your mother again. You know I would. In a New York minute.”

  Flopped back down on her couch after that, Addison took a moment and tried to simply breathe. Just breathe. She wasn’t feeling great. Her heart had been racing and her stomach was killing her, but she hadn’t told Sophie because she didn’t want to be rushed to the hospital again. She was fine. It was fine. She just needed to relax a bit.

  A glance at the coffee table didn’t help, and she turned away from it pointedly, doing her best to focus on something besides work, at least for the few minutes she needed to calm her body down. She closed her eyes.

  Deep breath in.

  Slow breath out.

  Deep breath in.

  Slow breath out.

  She kept that up for several moments until she felt her heart rate slow, her blood stop racing so fast. Her shoulders moved as a quiet chuckle escaped her. Meditating was not something she ever would have predicted herself doing. Too still. Too hokey. Too crystal-gazing-spiritual for her. She was a businesswoman who relied on numbers and reports and sales and facts, not chakras and energy. But when she’d been in the hospital and felt her stress climbing, a nurse had asked if she ever meditated. Addison wanted to roll her eyes, but she was too alarmed by her body’s betrayal and didn’t have the energy to shoo the nurse way. Instead, she found herself oddly riveted by the instructions the nurse gave her, and before she knew it, they were breathing in slow tandem, focusing on nothing but the filling and emptying of their lungs. Addison was shocked by how well it had worked.

  In addition to the controlled breathing, Addison was supposed to also clear her mind. That idea still made her laugh because clearing her mind was not something she’d ever been able to do. Not as a kid. Not as a teenager. Not now. There was always something in her head. Mostly work, but sometimes other things. Point being, wiping her brain clean, even for a few minutes, was next to impossible.

  But the breathing definitely helped.

  When she felt a little better, she reached for her laptop without looking at the rest of the piles of crap strewn about. She needed to get to bed soon, but she wanted to take a last look at Katie’s calendar. The phrase “calendar girl” zipped through her head again and she made a mental note to smack Sophie the next time she saw her because that name was going to stick now.

  It wasn’t bad, Katie’s plan. In fact, it was quite good. It made sense. It was very organized. She didn’t like to admit that—and she probably wouldn’t out loud—but it had some salient points. It also had some suggestions that Addison mentally crossed off immediately, but…

  Her phone interrupted her thoughts with a beep, indicating a text. It was Katrina.

  How are you feeling?

  Addison narrowed her eyes, wondering if her anxiety over who their mother would choose as a replacement had conjured Katrina up. She quickly fired back.

  I’m great! Super! So much better. Thanks for asking.

  She attached a smiling emoji and hesitated over the Send button. With a sigh, she deleted the message and typed out a less snarky one. Her panicked weirdness lately was not Katrina’s fault. Addison had no idea if Katrina even wanted to take her mother’s seat—because Addison hadn’t asked her—but why wouldn’t she? Addison certainly did. Plus, she was the big sister and the job should be hers.

  Closing her laptop, she hauled herself off the couch and headed to the bedroom.

  She had to prepare for Monday when she’d return to the office. She had to be 100 percent.

  More than 100 percent, if she could.

  Chapter Five

  The main offices for Fairchild Rentals were smartly located in the center of the city. This made it easier for the maintenance guys, as well as the office personnel, to get to the five separate apartment / condo / townhouse complexes across the county at any given time. Each complex had its own on-site
staff, but the next tier up was housed in the main office building.

  Low and slightly peaked, the building looked to have been constructed in maybe the 1980s, Katie speculated. Freshly stained cedar siding and what looked to be a brand-new roof tugged it closer to present day, and Katie noticed how neat and tidy everything was outside. The lawn was perfectly manicured, the landscaping bursting with pops of color in the form of mums, large pots of them, even as fall was sliding toward winter. Yellows and oranges and deep brick reds. The windows were spotless and glinted in the occasional autumn afternoon sunlight as she pulled her car into the lot and parked next to Addison’s Mercedes. She got out and threw a loving glance at the Benz.

  “Hello, my old friend,” she whispered, reminiscing about gliding along in the car last week as if she were gliding smoothly across a perfectly calm lake. It was effortless to drive, Addison’s Mercedes, and Katie absently wondered if she should throw some dirt on it, mess it up so Addison might send her out to get it washed again. With a shake of her head, she pulled her focus back to the task at hand and tugged her coat more tightly closed against the chill in the air.

  The first thing Katie noticed when she pushed through the glass double doors of Fairchild Rentals was the warmth. It smelled like fall, the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and crushed leaves hanging in the air, though she couldn’t seem to locate a candle of any sort. The walls were a creamy ivory and decorated with tasteful paintings of outdoor scenes. Oak hardwood floors gleamed beneath a few scattered throw rugs with burgundy and baby blue accents. The ceilings were higher than Katie had expected when looking from the outside, and there were skylights and a couple of ceiling fans that turned lazily in the sporadic rays of sun.

  A classy wooden desk was situated to Katie’s immediate left, obviously meant as a welcoming station for visitors. Behind it sat a small woman in her sixties with salt-and-pepper hair and a slightly hesitant, yet somehow inviting smile.

  “Can I help you?” she asked as Katie approached.

  “Hi, I’m Katie Cooper. I’m working for Addison Fairchild. Can you point me in the right direction?”

  An expression—something that looked an awful lot like sympathy to Katie—zipped across the woman’s face before she seemed to grab it, tuck it away, and return to her usual, welcoming look. “Oh, sure.” She pointed behind her and to her left. “Just follow this row and head to the back corner. She’s in the last office on the left.”

  Katie smiled her thanks and headed that way, taking in the rest of the place as she did. The area was all open-concept, cubicles with low walls so the employees manning the eight desks could still see one another. Four desks were occupied, three of those people with telephone handsets against their ears. Four were empty, chairs pushed in neatly. Along the wall on Katie’s left was an open space that looked like a large break room, complete with two tables, a soda machine, a fridge, and a coffee station. There may have been more, but that was all Katie could make out as she passed the open door and glanced in the window that looked out onto the rest of the office. Addison’s office was laid out much the same way. Katie first passed a large window. The vertical blinds were drawn, but not closed, and through the slats, she could see Addison sitting at her desk.

  When she reached the doorway, Katie knocked softly on the doorjamb.

  Addison looked up, black-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose, those blue eyes snagging Katie’s, and one eyebrow arched up. She looked a bit better, more rested, and Katie had the sudden vision of a sexy librarian about to shush her. It was not unpleasant.

  “Hi,” Katie said. “How are you?”

  Addison gave one perfunctory nod. “Fine. You?”

  “I’m good.” Katie hovered, not sure if she should enter, not sure if she should put her bag down, not sure if there was a spot for her in this office, though it was quite roomy, with a small, round conference table in one corner and a black leather sofa against the wall. As she let her eyes roam, Addison’s voice yanked her back.

  “You can work there.” She indicated the round table with a jerk of her chin. “Just set yourself up and get comfortable.”

  “Okay. Great.” Katie took off her jacket and draped it over the back of one of the wooden chairs. She set her bag down and pulled out her laptop, booted it up. “Is there Wi-Fi?” she asked.

  Addison was focused on her computer monitor and several beats went by before she shifted her gaze to meet Katie’s. God, those blue eyes can look icy. In that moment, it occurred to Katie that Addison and the rest of the office building were polar opposites in almost every way, the building being warm and inviting, Addison being cool and a little standoffish. It was too bad, really, because Addison had serious potential to be hot. If only she was, maybe, a tiny bit nicer. If only she’d relax a bit. If only she smiled once in a while.

  “The code is at the front desk. Ask her for it.”

  Okay, then, Katie thought, noticing that Addison didn’t even use the woman at the front desk’s name. Did she even know it? Katie got up, carried her laptop with her back to the salt-and-pepper-haired woman, then held out one hand. “Hi, again. I didn’t catch your name,” she said.

  “Oh,” the woman said, surprised if her expression was any indication. She put her hand in Katie’s, and this time, her smile wasn’t at all hesitant. “I’m Janie. Katie, was it?”

  Katie nodded and returned the smile. “I need the Wi-Fi information and I was told you’re the queen for that. True?”

  Janie’s cheeks turned a gentle pink. “Well. I don’t know about that.” She opened a drawer and took out a laminated card. “Here you go. We change the password once every couple of weeks. Email me if you have any questions.”

  Katie nodded her thanks, set the card down so she could read it, and punched the info into her computer. She wondered if she’d get an email address. “I’m in.” She handed the card back. “Thank you, Janie. It’s really nice to meet you.”

  “Same here.” Janie continued to smile, and for some reason, that made Katie very happy.

  Back in Addison’s office, Addison hadn’t shifted her position at all, still focused on her computer screen, one hand on her mouse. Katie sat back down at her previous spot. I’m a Temp of the Round Table, she thought, then accidentally let a tiny giggle slip out. She glanced up and made a face, noticed Addison looking at her over the top of her glasses, and damn if it wasn’t stupidly sexy.

  “Hi,” Katie said. “Sorry. Um, I was wondering. Will I get a company email address?”

  Addison’s brow furrowed.

  “I mean, it would certainly make communication easier.”

  Addison scratched the side of her neck. “I suppose it would. That’s a good point. Are you online now?” At Katie’s nod, she instructed, “Go to the Fairchild Enterprises website, click on ‘staff,’ and scroll until you find Jose Garcia.”

  Katie found him in the I.T. category. “Got him.”

  “Click on his contact info and give him a call. Tell him what you need.” That was, apparently, all she was going to get because Addison went back to her computer screen. Two seconds later, her phone rang, and she snatched it up with a clipped, “Addison Fairchild.”

  With a mental shrug, Katie reached for the handset of the phone on her little round table, dialed the number on the website, and waited while it rang. Waited and watched Addison as she spoke about a lease somebody wanted to break. She was animated, used her hands to talk, scratched her neck more than once as she spun left and then right in her chair.

  “Garcia,” came the voice on the phone, and for a split second, it startled Katie.

  “Oh. Um, hi. Is this Jose?”

  “Yep.”

  “Hi. My name is Katie Cooper and I’m a new hire working for Addison Fairchild. I’m supposed to talk to you about getting an email address.”

  The rest of the afternoon went quickly enough, but it also gave Katie a pretty clear picture of how this temp job was going to go. She watched as Addison was pulled in several differen
t directions. Phone calls, meetings, maintenance issues, email, and things that had to do with the umbrella company of Fairchild Enterprises all battled for her time and attention. And while Addison handled it all remarkably well, Katie could see the toll it took as she observed from her corner seat. Her skin tone seemed to get a bit duller as the day went on and she blinked rapidly and often, making Katie wonder if her eyes were bothering her. The amount of coffee she drank was staggering—she sent Katie to get it for her four times—and Katie never saw her put one crumb of food into her mouth, though she caught her grimacing a couple times as she laid a hand across her stomach.

  “You okay?” Katie asked more than once.

  “Yeah. I’m fine,” Addison had replied each time with a quick nod.

  While Addison ran around putting out fires, answering a million questions, and barking orders into her phone, Katie did very little, and it began to get frustrating. Jose Garcia got her set up with her own email address faster than she’d expected, so that was good, but the problem with being given little to do was that even five hours felt like they dragged on for ages. By four, Katie was ready to throw herself out a window. Which wouldn’t have mattered, as they were on the ground floor, but still.

  When her computer pinged, indicating a new email, Katie blinked at it for a moment, not quite comprehending. When she opened it, she grinned. It was from Samantha.

  Saw your new email address come through and thought I’d say hello. Welcome to F.E.! How’s it going over there on the rental arm of things?

  Still grinning, Katie typed back, careful not to be too personal or too disparaging.

  Going well so far. Getting the hang of things. Trying to learn the ropes.

  She sent off her email and less than three minutes went by before her phone pinged, telling her she’d received a text. Samantha again.

  Tell me the truth. Do you want to kill her yet?