“If I have some time, I’ll stop by your office,” she states, giving me a clear signal to leave her alone. Simply nodding, I close the door.
Dina’s desk is currently vacant, which is unfortunate, because I’m dying to tell her about my discovery. Well, not really a discovery, because she probably already knew Audrey was Cooper’s daughter. I actually want to tell her that I know, too, so we can be on the same page. She was right, this could throw a kink in our plans. I don’t want to work closely with Audrey Cooper, beauty queen aspirant and major cheerfulness inhibitor. What if she doesn’t agree with the way I’m handling Project Cooper and she complains to her father? Everything I’ve accomplished so far could go right down the drain.
I slink into my office and close the door, picking up the phone and dialing Katie’s number. Maybe she’ll have some insight into the situation. If nothing else, I would just like to hear a friendly voice.
“This is Katie Green,” she calls cheerily. Apparently no one informed Katie that it was Monday morning, either.
“Katie, it’s me,” I say quietly into the phone, not wanting Cooper to overhear my conversation.
“Maddie, how are things on the top floor? I hope you had a good weekend.”
“Yeah, it was fine.”
“Mine too. Not much going on, but it’s always nice to relax, right?”
Yeah, yeah, cut the chit chat. I need information and I need it now, lady!
“Uh-huh. Hey, what’s the story with Audrey Cooper?” I listen for a second to be sure I still hear Cooper’s voice conversing with Dina.
“Audrey Cooper? Oh, the new girl upstairs. I don’t know much about her. Nora took care of that one herself. She was in here the other day, but I didn’t get to talk to her.”
“Well, you’re not missing much,” I whisper. “Did you know she’s Cooper’s daughter?”
“No she’s not!” Katie exclaims. I can almost envision her mouth hanging open.
“I assure you that she is.”
“That grouchy girl with the bad dye job? We must be talking about two different people here.”
“Chubby cheeks, too much makeup, completely inappropriate clothing. That sound like her?”
“Yes, that’s her, but she can’t be Cooper’s daughter.”
“She can, and she is. What is she doing here? Cooper says that she’s going to be working directly with me.”
“I’m sorry, Maddie, but I really don’t know. I’m as astonished as you are.”
This is not good—not good at all.
“Well, I’ll let you know when I find out,” I whisper, placing the phone down.
Great! Things have gone from bad to worse. Not only do I have to work for that insane Cooper, but now I’m going to have to babysit his spoiled grown daughter. What did I do to deserve this? If it’s true that hard work pays off, I will gladly give a refund for this type of payment.
Ding-dong.
Oh, how I hate that contraption!
“Maddie!” Cooper calls out, not waiting for me to come to the door.
“Yes?” I reply.
“Why don’t you run across town and get me one of those cinnamon rolls with the icing on top?”
So I’m a babysitter and a gofer. What’s next, the laundry? Perhaps his house needs to be painted?
“Oh, and a mocha double latte with extra foam!”
What a way to start the week.
Grabbing the keys to the Tahoe, I prepare to head out the door. I’ll go get Cooper his breakfast, and then I’ll come back here and work like mad on the blood drive before Audrey gets involved. Who knows what kind of mess she’ll make when she starts adding her two cents.
“Maddie, one more thing!” Cooper blurts as I pause just inside the door. “Why don’t you take Audrey with you? It will be a good chance to get to know one another.”
Drat.
Chapter Seventeen
There are probably worse things than spending a morning trapped in a vehicle with Audrey Cooper, but none are coming to mind at the present moment. To say that the girl is difficult could be the understatement of the century. Carrying on a conversation with someone who doesn’t even want to be with you, much less have to speak to you, is not an easy task. I tried all the tricks the experts recommend, and was very careful to only ask questions that had to have an explanation for a response rather than a simple yes or no. She still managed to answer most of them with a grunt, much to my dismay. I really hope Cooper doesn’t try to ask me anything about her later, because I’ve got nothing, quite literally.
Well, I take that back. There was one topic she was happy to discuss, and that was her fiancé, Derrick. She even dug a picture out of her purse to show me, as well as several taken on her cellphone. To be perfectly honest, I was a little surprised when I saw him. Given her appearance and attitude, admittedly I had a certain impression about the type of guy who would be attracted to her. This fiancé of hers is actually very good looking, and a successful businessman from what she told me.
Oh, and dogs. She wouldn’t stop talking about dogs. Apparently she loves them above all else.
Maybe there is something to Audrey Cooper that I haven’t quite seen yet, hidden beneath the surface and the prickly shell. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but after our adventure this morning, I have my doubts.
You would think a trip across town to get a cinnamon roll and a latte would be an easy task, but not with Audrey in tow. After we picked up the items for her father, she insisted that we stop at a convenience store so she could get a snack. I waited in the Tahoe for what seemed like ten minutes, and she finally emerged with nothing but a large bag of cheesy puffs. When she got in the vehicle, she started complaining because that particular store did not have any frozen diet cola. There was no satisfying daddy’s little princess until we drove even further across town to a place that she knew had frozen diet cola. It seemed like it took forever to get back to the office, and I’m sure Cooper’s latte was disgusting by that time. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it, now that I think of it.
In any case, I really have managed to get a lot done today, and Audrey never has stopped by to help me on the blood drive. I’m fairly certain she has nothing else to do, so she must simply be sitting in her office, looking in her mirror and talking on the cellphone. Maybe she’s playing on the Internet or something. Whatever she’s doing, it must be more appealing than spending any more time with me.
Ding-dong.
I’ve got nothing else to say about the bell. Every time I hear it, I just drop my head and mutter a prayer to find the strength not to tear the little box from the wall as I walk by.
“Yes?” I ask, poking my head in the doorway. He puts both his hands up and plasters a surprised look on his face.
“You’re not going to say it?” he whines. Some days I would swear I work for a six-year-old.
“You rang?” I say halfheartedly. Cooper doesn’t seem to mind. He smiles and motions for me to come in.
“How are things going with Audrey?”
Wonderful—the very conversation I was dreading.
“Fine,” I reply.
“Has she been very helpful with your project?”
What am I supposed to say? No, I think she’s more interested in the consistency of her lip gloss?
“Actually, I haven’t seen her since our outing this morning.” An unfamiliar expression crosses his face…disappointment, maybe? I can’t place it.
“You told her that she was to work with you?” His voice is quieter than I have ever heard it–still not as quiet as some people, but definitely subdued for the loud, boisterous Cooper.
“Yes, I did.”
Cooper stands up and pulls on the bottom of his jacket, as though he’s trying to make himself appear taller, and then marches out of the office.
Great. Now Audrey’s in trouble, and I’m the snitch. She’s going to be a real joy to be around after her daddy yells at her.
I go back to my office and try to busy mys
elf with the newspaper ad I’ve been writing. The blood drive is drawing ever closer, and everything seems to be going well. I’ve been able to get several other businesses involved, and the city has been very cooperative. Plus, I’ve got these ad spots going into the newspapers, and the local media outlets have agreed to provide airtime for the cause. If everything goes as planned, the event will be a huge hit. I will have something great to put on my résumé, and Dina and I will have successfully staged the first portion of Project Cooper.
A graphic on my computer screen is holding my interest when my door suddenly swings open. Audrey stands in the doorway, cheeks red and neck a bright shade of pink. I can see Dina directly behind her, eyes wide and shaking her head. Looks like she’s here to help at last. Lucky me!
“Hi, Audrey,” I say as she walks in and shuts the door. It’s only after she comes closer to me that I notice that her fingers are bright orange with cheesy puff dust. Daddy must have interrupted her afternoon snack.
“Well, what is it you want me to do?” she growls as she sits down next to my desk.
What is it that I want you to do? Nothing. I want you to turn around and leave my office and never come back. In fact, keep walking to the elevator and just exit the building entirely.
“Maybe I should start by briefing you on what I’m working on,” I suggest. She drops her head a bit and glares at me.
“Why don’t you just give me something to do and then I’ll go back to my office, and we won’t have to sit here and stare at each other.”
That’s a great idea. Get out.
If only it were that easy. Besides, if anyone is getting a raw deal here, it’s me!
“I wish it were that simple, but there are some things I would have to tell you first, before I just sent you away with something to do.”
“What’s this?” she wonders, picking up an ad layout I’ve been preparing. She looks at it for a second and then tosses it back to my desk, bright orange cheesy puff dust now adorning the edges. She begins tapping her cheese-stained fingers along the corner of my desk.
“Actually,” I say, watching her disgusting fingers and fighting the urge to lunge at her, “that’s an ad layout for the blood drive, which is the project you’ll be helping me with.”
“Blood drive? That sounds lame.” The little orange spiders are reaching for another ad layout when I snap.
“Look, Audrey,” I blurt, snatching up all the papers on my desk and protectively placing them behind me, “I’m sure you’re working here for a reason. Whatever the problem is, that is between you and your dad. The last thing I need right now is for you to take it out on me. I have a lot of work to do on this project, so you can either stop fighting me or I can go tell Cooper you’re not cooperating. It’s up to you.”
Her eyes widen and her nostrils start to flare, but she just sits silently, not saying a word. After a minute, she leans back in her chair and looks at the floor. Obviously she doesn’t want me to go talk to her father. At least she’s not mouthing off anymore, which is a start.
“Why don’t you go to the restroom and wash your hands, and when you come back I’ll brief you on the project,” I suggest. She pauses a couple of seconds and then stands up, walking toward the door. Right before she turns the doorknob, she flips her hands over and stares at them in disbelief.
Honestly, you’re a grown woman, Audrey. A short supply of cleanliness is certainly in order.
I fight the urge to beat my fist against the desk after she shuts the door, angry that I’m going to have to redo that ad layout simply because of those cheesy puffs. If Cooper ever sends me out with her on an errand again, she is not getting a snack. Absolutely no puffed cheese of any kind, and no frozen diet cola either. Good grief!
Now, what am I going to have her do? This has been a one-woman show. I haven’t shown anybody the things I’ve been working on. Cooper just seems to take it in stride that I know what I’m doing, and I really don’t want her to mess anything up. If only Cooper gave me some normal, day-to-day work, I might be able to pass that off on her. How can I, having nothing to do, keep someone else busy?
Audrey returns, opening the door slowly and stalking to her chair before sitting down. I casually glance over at her fingers, which are now clean, thankfully. Sorting through a few papers, I ponder where to begin.
“My dad hates me, you know,” she says quietly, staring at the floor. My eyes fly up to her face, but I can see that she’s not joking.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I offer. She shakes her head slowly, intertwining her fingers and rubbing them together.
“No, it’s true. He hates me.”
I’m not sure why, but at this precise moment I’m reminded of Nancy Olsen from Little House on the Prairie, always telling people that everyone hates her. Her mother always believed her. Sometimes others believed her, too, even though they knew deep down she was lying.
I admit that I feel a little twinge of sadness right now looking at Audrey, but I also get the strong sensation that she might be playing my emotions to her advantage.
“Come on now,” I reply, “why would your dad hate you?”
“Because I’m not perfect,” she states, eyes welling up with tears. “Everything around him is perfect. My mom is perfect. Derrick is perfect. This office is perfect. You’re perfect. Even my dogs are perfect.”
I watch her for a moment as she swipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. It’s not hard to imagine Cooper demanding perfection from those around him. He’s certainly competitive enough to cause him to lean in that direction.
“Nothing you mentioned is perfect,” I counter. “Look at your mom, for instance. My trainer at the tennis club said that she’s not the best player he’s ever seen.”
“That’s true, I guess,” she agrees with a sniff.
“And what about Derrick? There’s got to be something about him that is less than perfect.”
“Well, he does get really irritated when his hair is out of place. Oh, and he can’t say probably. He always says probly.”
“See? So he’s not perfect either. And this office…well, it echoes in the hallway if you talk too loud, and sometimes the elevator sticks.”
“Yeah, and you’re not perfect either. You snapped at me earlier.”
“No need to throw sticks and stones.”
“But what about the dogs?” she asks.
“Oh, come on, they’re dogs. They eat their own poop. What’s so perfect about that?”
She stifles a giggle and looks at the door to her dad’s office.
“So, no more nonsense,” I suggest. “We’ve got work to do, so you just have to cheer up and forget about it.”
“I’ll try,” she sighs.
You better, because I’m not a psychiatrist and I don’t feel like offering any counseling today.
“Okay,” I relent, gathering my papers and setting them in front of her. “What I’m working on is the Halloween Bloodfest.”
“Bloodfest?”
“Bloodfest.”
“That sounds disgusting,” she says, wrinkling up her nose.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the point. See, if we hold it around Halloween and have a gimmicky theme like this, people are more likely to remember it. Basically, it’s just going to be an enormous blood drive with our company as the main sponsor. One of the major medical centers has signed on to help us, and we’ve also got several companies around town that are going to provide food, drinks, door prizes, and games for the kids.”
“Sounds like a big deal,” she states, leafing through the papers.
“It will be. The whole community will be involved. What I’m working on now is the advertising. These are the print ads. I still have to write something up for the radio ads, as well as the television spots.”
“We get to be on TV?” she asks incredulously, her eyes brightening.
“Well, not us exactly, but our words will be, so it’s very important that everything is just right.”
�
�I can’t believe that my dad would trust me with this type of important job!” she exclaims. I nod my head and begin going through the print ads one by one, showing her what I’ve done so far. She is finally starting to loosen up when the unthinkable happens.
Ding-dong.
“What was that?” Audrey asks as I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“That’s just your dad,” I respond, walking over to the door.
“What does he think you are, a dog?”
Apparently, yes.
“You rang?” Yeah, that’s getting really old by now, but if I don’t say it, he’ll just torment me until I do.
“Everything going okay?” he asks.
I nod and begin to shut the door, but Audrey closes in behind me.
“The bell is a little over the top, don’t you think?” she wonders aloud to her father.
He jerks a little in his chair like he’s taken aback, but then he laughs.
“Why, that’s nonsense. This method works very well for us. You like the bell, don’t you, Maddie?” He stares at me from behind his monstrous desk, and Audrey looks inquisitively into my face.
Of course I don’t like the bell. Audrey’s right, I’m not a dog. I wonder how you would like to answer to a bell, like a little kid at recess responding to a whistle. That bell is an embarrassment to me, to you, and to your company. Frankly, Cooper, it’s downright insulting.
Instead, I force myself to offer a shrug. “It’s just a bell.”
That thing flying out the window? Yeah, that’s a little bit of my dignity.
Chapter Eighteen
It is completely fangirling and decidedly uncool, but I am so excited to see Camdyn Taylor tonight, I might even pee my pants. Okay, not really, but I am jittery and nervous like I’m going on a blind date or something. She has provided stories that made my heart swell and reaffirmed my belief in true love, and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say this evening.
Hazel wanted to pick me up, so she’s coming around at 5:30. I’ve dressed myself in a new pair of jeans that fit me perfectly, and I’m wearing a navy blue top with purple jewels sewn into the neckline. I opted for flats so I wouldn’t tower over Hazel, and I’m convinced that Camdyn will think me fashionably cute if she does happen to lock eyes on me.
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