Page 56 of The Dis-Graced
“My consciousness is drawn to efficiency, design, and good sense. Classical music has intelligent design; therefore, it is my favorite music.”
“Oh…okay.”
At this point, I’m bored out of my freaking mind. It’s been nearly a month since I’ve taken on the assignment, and after the fateful night of Annabelle’s near choking and the late-night kiss, I might see Drake for a total of ten minutes a day, if I see him at all. Day-in and day-out, ALAN is my only company, not taking into account the very few times I’ve spoken with Stephanie.
Even Luke has all but abandoned me to the project, but his reasons are entirely fair. Between work and the new baby, his hands are full, and with Annabelle nearly choking on Amanda’s earring, it’s made their life significantly harder due to the fear and stress. They’re getting even less sleep, and Amanda’s second-guessing her ability to parent, and instead of hiring one nanny, she wants to hire three. Luke has indicated she can’t even hold the baby without fearing she’ll do something to harm her. I hope it gets better for them.
As much as I try not to dwell on Drake, it’s impossible to keep him at bay. I think about our kiss a countless times a day, desperate to feel his plush lips against mine again. It felt like so much more than a kiss, and I swear, the way he looked at me made me believe every word he uttered. It felt so right, so wonderful—until it wasn’t.
I’ve replayed the scene in my head hundreds of times since. No exchange has ever made me feel so good and so bad in the same moment. It was torture, but so sweet in its delivery.
But he couldn’t have actually meant those things. That would be insane. Why would Drake Dallanger ever want to be seen with a dis-graced woman on his arm when his company is so precious to him? It’s more likely that he would help me get by, pay for my expenses for a time, and keep me in the shadows as to not sully his pristine reputation.
Maybe instead of being so offended, you should actually tell him the truth about how you were setup?
It seems like an easy thing to do until you realize there’s no way to prove it, and the truth essentially means you were played for years by the man who you thought loved you. Just uttering Frank’s name is still devastating to me. There’s no way I can approach telling my version of the story. Not yet, anyway.
“Well, ALAN, I guess it’s time for me to start actually doing some reporting.”
“Reporting on what?”
I pull out the laptop Drake issued me, logging into the mainframe and opening the Office Suite. Then I grab the journals I’ve been taking notes in so I can properly catalog my findings. “As you know, I’m here to study you, and it’s time I start recording my findings.”
I begin going down a timeline when I receive a text from Stephanie.
Stephanie:Hey, girl, what’s shakin’?
Grace:Just trying to remember how to actually do my job. How are you?
Stephanie:Great! I’ll be in New York City in a couple days, so get ready for me!
I smile, excited about meeting up with a friend until I remember all the paperwork I signed with Dallanger Tech’s legal team, and how I actually value my assignment.
Grace:I’d LOVE to see you, but I can’t. I’m swamped, and I literally don’t have a single moment to spare.
Stephanie:There is NO WAY I’m going to NYC without seeing you! We’ll meet up for coffee.
Grace:Can’t.
Stephanie:Fine, I’ll come to your hotel. Where are you staying at again?
Grace:Look, I can’t go into the details of my assignment, but it doesn’t allow me to make use of my free time.
Stephanie:Are you on the space station or something? Did the scandal literally scare you off the planet?
As much as any reference to ‘the scandal’ pains me, it’s hard not to chuckle at the joke.
Grace:I’m sure you realize how hard it was for me to secure this job, so I have to play by the rules, and right now, I’m basically on-call 24/7. In a month or so, I’ll be able to travel, and we can get together, but until then, I just can’t.
Stephanie:I wasn’t going to say anything, but I might have an assignment for you. A good one.
For a moment, hope feels very real in my mind, but it’s hard to be optimistic considering it’s been just over a month, and there are still articles being written about me. Who would ever want to hire me after I’ve been so badly shamed?
Grace:An assignment?
Stephanie:Yeah, it’s not covering the Olympics, but it’s a good one that will pay well. It’s not a one-off either. It’s long term.
Grace:Tell me about it.
