Page 39 of Meet Me in the Vines
Snap out of it, Audrey.
“Okay, everyone, let’s take our seats. Mr. Vanguard is here, so let’s get started,” says Derek Franz, VP of marketing for Vanguard Hotels. The blonde stays standing as everyone settles in, and I quirk an eyebrow the longer I look at her face. Do I know her? She turns on the projector and holds a clicker in her hand, squaring her shoulders to the room with a million-dollar smile.
Oh my god. Idoknow her.
“Hello everyone. Thank you for being here. My name is Jessica Taylor, sales director here at SuiteSync Systems,” she announces.
Jess freaking Taylor. Is here. This would happen to me. Of course, she would be the director of something. This is the queen of getting what she wants in life. Persuasive, beautiful, smart. The whole package. I slink down subtly in my chair, tucking my eyes behind my screen in hopes we don’t make eye contact. I’m hard to avoid, considering we are the only two women in the room.
Kellan sits across from me, his eyes laser focused on Jess. Meanwhile, I’m not registering anything coming out of her mouth as I turn myself on autopilot to catch these notes.
I can feel Jess’s eyes on me in my peripheral vision. I look up from my screen for a split second to see her expression slightly change from “I’m in control” to “Oh, fuck.” Or, at least, that’s what it seems like. I’m positive I’m mirroring her, my neck flushing with heat as I tug on my collar. Suddenly, I’m itchy everywhere and I need to get the hell out of this room.
“Any questions?” Jess asks, looking at everyone else in the room but me. Yup, nothing’s changed since high school. Scattered applause erupts around the table as Jess nods and smiles, thanking everyone in a sweet tone. I can see why she’s good at sales.
I quickly shut my laptop when Kellan knocks his knuckles against the table, garnering my attention. “Little bird, grab me a coffee? The one here tastes like shit. I want the place on 5th next to Magnolia’s. You know my order,” he demands. Jess walks by, stopping right by Kellan to steal our attention.
We stand from our seats as Kellan flashes her his best grin. She looks over at me, stoic and expressionless. A fake smile at best. “Mr. Vanguard, what did you think of the presentation?” she asks sweetly. If this were Donovan, I’d claw her eyes out over the table. I clutch my laptop close to my chest, as if I’m shielding myself from her, hoping she doesn’t see me. Too late.
“It was very impressive, Ms. Taylor. We’ll be in touch soon,” Kellan replies. “Ms. Taylor, meet my assistant, Audrey Winthrop.” He gestures me to come around the table.
Kill me now.
What’s worse than embarrassment? Humiliation? That’s it. My body might as well shrivel into a little ball and sink below the earth, hiding away from everyone in this room. I’m a pathetic assistant, going nowhere.
Jess smiles politely when I approach, extending a polite handshake. This is fucking weird. I grasp her hand in mine, giving a weak shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Winthrop,” she croons. Her bright blue eyes gleam in the sun’s rays peeking through the window. She doesn’t look like a girl who had her life torn up by her father’s bad decisions. The eyes I see before me are bright and thriving. Envy creeps up my neck. I shake it away and smile back. “It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Taylor,” I reply curtly.
“Audrey was just going to fetch a coffee. Did you want anything?” Kellan offers. The heat burns my cheeks, my palms damp and clammy. There’s no way I’m fetching coffee like a dog for Jess Taylor too.
“Actually, I need some air. I can accompany you, Ms. Winthrop?” she beams.
Why is this happening to me?
“Uh, sure. It’s just down the block,” I mumble, earning a glare from Kellan like I’m a petulant child. “Alright. Get anything you want, Ms. Taylor. It’s on me,” he says politely. “I’ll be in my office. Ladies.” He dismisses himself to finish conversing with the remaining men in the room. Jess and I share an awkward glance as I gesture for her to exit the room first.
I watch her saunter in front of me, her high-waisted slacks hugging every curve like a second skin. I’m eighteen again, slinking in the shadow of Jess Taylor. Briggs sneakily paces behind us, as he usually does. I never know when he is lurking. Once Jess and I are walking in stride together, her eyes remain on our heels clacking the floor.
“Who’s that burly man following us?” she asks, tilting her head slightly to catch a glimpse of Briggs. I smirk, sensing her discomfort.
“That’s my bodyguard. He’s harmless. That is, if no one touches me,” I tease, my lame attempt to break the tension. Shehuffs out a chuckle, craning her neck all the way around to look at Briggs.
“Wow, a bodyguard? You must be important to have one of those,” she retorts, quirking her eyebrow at me.
Something like that.
The line at Sweetners is annoyingly long today—heavy on the annoying because Jess Taylor won’t stop staring at me like I have something in my teeth. I give her a cautious sideways glance, totally weirded out that she’s standing next to me. Last I remember, Jess loathed me. This isn’t exactly a wholesome high school reunion for me.
My eyes flicker back and forth between Jess and the lone barista, speeding to make everyone’s coffee order. “Jess, why do you keep staring at me? Why are you even here?” My tone comes off harsh, but I’m not really sorry about it.
She pinches the bridge of her nose before responding. “Audrey, I’m sorry I acted like I didn’t know you in there. I just…wasn’t expecting to see you. It caught me off guard,” she sighs, biting her bottom lip as we slowly shuffle up the line. “I wanna talk. Could we sit in a booth for a bit?” she asks, incessantly rubbing her palms up and down the sides of her pants.
“Okay, just stop fidgeting. You’re making me nervous,” I mutter. A grin tugs at the corner of her lips as she mouths, “sorry.”
After what seems like hours, we finally get our coffee and quietly slip into a booth against a window. I settle in and see Briggs standing outside, pressing his back against the brick wall of the coffee shop.
“So, he really follows you everywhere?” she asks, hiking her thumb back.
“Yup.” I pause. “So…what’s up?” I ask impatiently. I’m not in the mood for small talk with an old high school mean girl. Her eyes get shiny, like she is on the verge of crying. I’m confused and uncomfortable.
