CHAPTER TWO
“I love fashion.”
I didn’t doubt it. Dressed in a sleek black designer wrap dress matched with heels that I would absolutely fall over in, Risa Corvi was very well maintained. Almost too put together. She didn’t have the effortless beauty that Alli carried, but nothing was out of place, from her shoulder-length jet-black hair to her fresh French manicure.
She came across as high-maintenance. I bet she got her eyebrows waxed like clockwork too. Sadly, I could probably take a few notes from her. I scanned her resume. For an entry-level candidate, she boasted some impressive work, but I was still skeptical about hiring a friend of a friend.
“I can see that. Tell me about some of the campaigns you’ve worked on.”
Risa pulled out a large portfolio case with sections of printed material organized by campaign. Every page was aligned perfectly and the content was equally clean-cut and professional. Lots of stock photo models sporting fake and perfect smiles, because their retirement accounts were making them that happy. The technique was overused and a far cry from who we were as a company.
“This is great, Risa. But to be honest, these are very mainstream. We want to be mainstream, but we also want an edge to our brand that makes it feel young, exclusive, and hip.”
“I completely understand. These are very safe. Obviously I was limited by what the client wanted here, but I could explore many more directions with Clozpin. We can do edgy high fashion and make it clean and elegant, you know? Simple but sexy.”
She talked a good game, but could she deliver? I flipped through the rest of the portfolio and studied her a moment.
“How do you feel about networking and sales? Landing new accounts is possibly the most critical component to this position. You can love fashion all day long, but you need to be able to sell it.”
“Agreed, but it’s really difficult to sell something you don’t love. I can sell this service, and if I have to do after-hours events for the networking effort, I’m totally fine with that.”
I sat back in my chair and weighed her words. She was hungry. No one could deny that. In the past couple weeks of interviews, I hadn’t come across anyone who exuded as much passion as she had in the past five minutes.
We had no real office culture, so I had no idea how she would gel with Sid and his new troupe of techies. More importantly, how would she gel with me? The clock was ticking on getting our newly funded plans in place, and I needed to make a decision. Hiring her on the spot seemed rash, but she was basically perfect.
She took a deep breath. “Listen, I understand this is your baby, Erica. You seem like someone who would be great to work with and learn from. The decision is yours of course, but I’d really love to be a part of this team.”
She bore into me with her dark blue eyes, waiting to pounce on the next interview question, no doubt.
“You’re fine with the pay?”
“Absolutely.” She waved her hand definitively.
I clicked my pen, stalling even though I’d already made the decision. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“Let’s do this.”
A huge smile spread across her face. “Really? Oh my God, you won’t regret it.”
I stood, and when we shook hands, hers trembled slightly in my own. Wow, was she that nervous?
“You can start on Monday. We’ll sort out the paperwork when you get in.”
“Awesome, thank you so much.” The smile plastered all over her face wasn’t going anywhere, I could tell.
*
Alli stretched out on the blanket beside me while I tossed crumbs to the ducks in the pond. The public gardens were just a few blocks from my apartment, and on a beautiful warm day like today, the park was alive with families, tourists, and people like us. I’d cut out of work early to pick her up, and we decided some sunshine was the first item on the agenda for her long weekend visit with me.
“I forgot how much I love summer here.” Her eyes were hazy and wistful, like her thoughts were here but also someplace else.
“You miss Boston yet?”
Alli propped up on her elbow. “I think I do. New York kind of sucks you into its vortex. Sometimes I have a hard time imagining my life outside the city, but I have to say, I am enjoying the change of scenery. I needed a break.”
The past several weeks had been an adjustment for both of us. After three years of sharing a dorm to being two hundred miles away, our friendship had been strained. But deep down, I knew distance alone couldn’t shake what we had.
“No doubt. Any news from Heath?”
“He’s doing well.”
“I thought maybe you’d go see him, you know, instead of me.” I was glad she hadn't, of course. After bringing her up to speed on everything that had happened between Blake and me and then having Mark show up seemingly out of nowhere, we’d both agreed that we needed face time.
“Friends first, biatch.” She smiled and gave me a little poke.
I retaliated by aiming a few breadcrumbs at her perfectly tousled soft brown locks falling down her back.
“Do you think you’ll visit him in L.A.?”
“No. He needs his time there, and frankly, I need time too. I finally got my own place, and the move has been strangely liberating. Every day I felt like I was waiting for him there. Now I’m finally starting my life in the city, without every moment revolving around him and us.”
I nodded, knowing full well how important independence could be in a new relationship. Keeping Blake at arm’s length was a constant struggle when I wanted nothing more than to be enveloped in the safety and security of his hyper-controlled world. Blake’s world was safe, but it wasn’t always reality.
“That makes sense. When does he get back from rehab?”
“Another month or so. Not sure yet.”
“What then? Are you going to pick up the pieces and try again?”
“I think so. We haven’t made any commitments, but—” She lay back and stared up at the trees above us.
“What is it?”
“I just… I miss him. That's all.”
I paused, not wanting to push her either way. She was struggling with their separation, but I still wasn't convinced Heath was good for her. Even if he was Blake’s little brother.
“Sometimes all I can hear is people judging us.”
I cringed a little, praying she hadn't read my expression or my mind.
“Like, what the f*ck am I doing wasting my time with someone like him? My friends, even you, think he’s trouble, and I admit it, he’s got problems. But I can’t give up on us. He deserves another chance.” She wiped away a tear before it had a chance to fall.
I lay down next to her on the blanket and waited for her to collect herself. Finding out Heath had a drug problem had been a shock, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that they were hopelessly in love. I’d never seen Alli so blissed out, and Heath had taken her there. I hoped she could do the same for him, enough to lure him away from an addiction that could ruin their chance for happiness together.
“Alli, I care about you, and I want you to be happy. If I come across as judgy, it’s because I’m worried about your well being, not because I question Heath’s value as a person. Trust me, I know full well that no one and no relationship is perfect. He’s got issues, but all hope is not lost, I’m sure.”
She turned her head and gave me a weak smile. “Thanks.”
“If he can get his shit together, you can still make this work. Just be smart about it. That’s all I want.”
She laughed. “I’m trying. I’m not very smart when it comes to being in love, I guess.”
“Maybe this break is good. Obviously he needs to work through some of his own issues, but also you both can have time to really think about your relationship without being so wrapped up in the intensity of it.”
“You’re right. I’m already getting into a better mind-set, you know, the more time we spend apart.” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, enough about me and my problems. What about you and Blake? Is he still driving you crazy?”
“You know it.”
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“Both, but we’re figuring it out.”
She gave me a grin. “I think Blake has met his match with you, Erica.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I’m sure you don’t take any of his shit. Mr. Software Billionaire probably has no idea how to deal with you putting him in his place.”
I laughed at the picture she drew of us. She might have been right. I couldn’t imagine many people challenging Blake the way I did. I did it for self-preservation though, not sport. Still, the tug of war drove us both crazy. Mostly good crazy.
“He keeps me on my toes, and he could probably say the same about me. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure.” I smiled to myself and my heart did a little flip at the thought of him. Blake was full of challenges. I never knew what the hell to expect from him, but that was just another part of our relationship that I couldn't get enough of. The rush, the negotiating, and when the occasion called for it, the sweet surrender.
“Okay, the look on your face is making me nauseous.”
I laughed. “Sorry.”
“Don't be. I'm just bitter and lonely. Anyway, stand your ground. I know you will, but those Landon men can be pretty damn persuasive.”
She looked serious for a minute, then a smile curved her lips and we burst into a fit of laughter.
*
Walking into the office still took me aback sometimes. The space looked great with the subtle lighting and sleek workstations. Sid sat next to two of the newest team members. I leaned on the desk they huddled around. They paused and looked up.
“What’s new, guys?”
Chris was about a decade older than we were. This wasn't his first job at a start-up, so he brought some experience that most of us lacked. A heavyset guy, he had bright red hair that was overgrown and curled up at his shoulders. Based on the past week’s attire, he seemed to have an affinity for Hawaiian shirts.
On the other end of the spectrum, we had hired James as our dedicated designer and front-end developer. He was a different brand. With a mop of nearly black wavy hair, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes, he was by far the most naturally outgoing of the entire crew. Well-built with a touch of bad boy about him thanks to some ink that peeked out from his button-downs, he wasn't hard to look at either.
“Morning, Erica.” He flashed a smile that caught me off guard.
I smiled back, surprised at being greeted with such enthusiasm so early in the morning. Good hire, I thought.
Sid blew out a breath, apparently not sharing James’s mid-morning peppiness. “We’re trying to figure out a plan for rolling out the upgrades we talked about, but it’s a little hard with this band of misfits trying to take us down twenty-four hours a day.”
“Uh-oh.” I cringed a little, having no idea how to go about technically fixing this problem beyond harping on Blake to work his magic. He’d been frustratingly vague about his association with M89, but clearly, due to whatever he’d done to piss them off so royally, the hackers were not going to give up easily.
“Anyway, we’re figuring it out. Don’t worry about it.” He scowled and focused on the monitor, stopping periodically to jot down some notes.
“Can I help?”
“Nope.”
His answer was predictably curt. For the Sid I’d come to know, who was regularly grumpy due to his erratic sleep schedule, being met with challenges at ten in the morning was unacceptable. I rolled my eyes and caught James smirking.
“Keep me posted.” I pushed off the desk and disappeared behind the Chinese curtain partitioning my office from the rest of the space. Due to the size of the room and the budget, I’d decided to forgo the privacy that a build out would afford, and in the end, I was grateful Blake had honored that wish with his secret remodel. I felt secluded enough to do my work in peace but still connected enough to tap into whatever Sid and his crew were up to. Plus, Risa would be joining us soon, and we’d likely have a lot more regular communicating to do. At least we spoke the same language.
When their informal meeting ended, I Skyped Sid to come talk to me. He came in, his tall frame towering over me at my desk. He settled into a chair across from me.
“What’s with the attitude, Sid? We’re on the same team here.”
“I realize that, but I’m getting really sick of patching holes in a sinking boat.”
“We’re sinking?”
He sighed. “No. But constantly patching vulnerabilities and fixing shit they’re breaking while trying to roll out new development is becoming pretty f*cking tedious, Erica.”
I sat back, stunned. Sid rarely swore, so his nerves were frayed. When my nerves were frayed, I cried in the privacy of my room or channeled my anger into being obsessively productive. When Sid’s nerves were frayed, everyone suffered.
“What do we do? I want to help. I just have no idea how, Sid.”
“Talk to your boyfriend. Doesn’t he have all the answers?”
“Most of the time he does, yeah. But he doesn’t have a magic pill for this. I’m at a loss.”
Blake’s strategy thus far had been to simply make the site completely impenetrable. Because I’d refused to let his team of programmers take over the site, the responsibility fell squarely on Sid. Now Chris and James shared the burden.
“On the ground-level, there are improvements I can make to the site. At some point, we’ll need to redevelop it anyway to accommodate large-scale growth. The only thing I can think of is to work on that instead of doing these upgrades. Then at least we’re working with a more solid foundation, since clearly we’re going to be under attack for the foreseeable future.”
“Sid, you’re scaring me. Rebuild the site from the ground up? There has got to be another way. We’re coming up on a critical marketing push.”
“I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear. I suggest you talk to Blake. Whatever he did to bring this on, he should know how to fix it because this isn’t what I signed on for.”
Sid’s response punched me in the gut.
“Okay, how about you get the guys squared away with their work for the day and you can take the day off. Come back refreshed, and hopefully I’ll have some answers tomorrow.”
I tried to keep my voice steady even though I wanted to tell him to grow the f*ck up. Work was full of challenges. I had taken on the brunt of the ownership responsibilities, leaving him with the task of focusing on only what interested him—the development. Yet he marched around like the entire world was plotting against him. True, a small faction was in fact plotting against us, but he was being a little dramatic.
He huffed and left my pseudo-office. He mumbled some things to the guys and slumped back into his chair.
I smiled. Deep down, Sid was just as obstinate about giving up as I was. We had that in common.