Reluctantly Yours(5)
“Lacey had her baby early.” She’s gathering signatures on a congratulatory card and offers it to me to sign.
“That’s great.” I smile, feeling happy for Lacey, but also wondering what that means for her position during maternity leave.
I have been subtle—and not so subtle—about wanting the job whenever JoAnna brings it up. This has got to be it and it’s what I’ve come to New York for.
JoAnna summons me from her office with a quick email that reads “Come see me, please.” I quickly stop by the kitchen to grab her a coffee with two hazelnut creamers, the way she likes it, and a black coffee for me—definitely not the way I like it. But today I feel like being like those book editors I’ve always read about, drinking black coffee and smoking cigarettes. I refuse to smoke but I’ll try the coffee.
“So, I’m sure you’ve heard that Lacey had her baby early,” JoAnna says as I place both coffees on the desk.
“Yes. I saw Lindy in the hallway. That’s exciting!” I grin at her. I take a sip of the warm black liquid, trying not to grimace. Black coffee is gross.
JoAnna pauses—probably from the look on my face—but doesn’t say anything. She continues, “I had hoped for more of a transition period, but babies are unpredictable. I have decided that you will be taking over for Lacey while she’s on maternity leave.”
“Yes!” I say a bit too loud and JoAnna looks at me with an amused smirk. Come on, Chloe, keep it together. “I mean, thank you!”
“This won’t be easy. You’ll still be performing all your editorial assistant tasks on top of filling in for Lacey, as well as helping me with the upcoming Books 4 Kids event.”
I should be intimidated by the workload. She’s right, it won’t be easy, but being an assistant editor is my goal, and if I don’t take this chance now, I don’t know when I will get another opportunity.
“Speaking of which, where are we on the Books 4 Kids event?” she asks.
I smile and grab my tablet. My hands still shaking with excitement from JoAnna’s news.
And while I had been slightly intimidated by JoAnna initially, beneath her sophisticated demeanor and flawless appearance, she’s got a heart of gold and is fairly easygoing, unless you’re incompetent. She really has zero tolerance for that.
“Everything is on track. We’ve got all the major sponsor tables accounted for. I just need to collect sponsor checks from a few.” I glance down at the list.
SCM, the event’s main sponsor, and St. Clair Press’s parent company, is one of them.
In an ideal world, the check would magically appear in my inbox.
If it sounds like I’m dreading the trek to SCM to retrieve the fundraiser check, you’d be correct. In the same two years I’ve enjoyed working for JoAnna at St. Clair Press, I’ve not had the same pleasure when it comes to interacting with her son, Barrett, the Executive Vice President and CEO of SCM.
While JoAnna is warm and personable, Barrett is a robot in a suit. His cold, dismissive eyes could refreeze the melting polar ice caps. With one glance, he could put an end to global warming. He’s obnoxiously handsome, which maybe isn’t his fault. Barrett is a spitting image of his father, but where I’ve seen pictures of the elder St. Clair with a devilishly handsome smile, Barrett’s media shots are in the running for “Most Expressionless, Yet Devastatingly Handsome Man” category.
“Anything I can help with?” JoAnna asks.
Asking JoAnna to get the check from Barrett would be the easy way out, but I don’t want her to think that I can’t handle an easy task like collecting a check. She’s just offered me a shot at my dream job with far more demanding duties, I don’t want her to think I’m not capable of something so simple. Barrett won’t likely be the one I need to talk to anyways. He’s much too busy and important for that kind of thing. He’ll have his assistant, Bea, help me out.
“No,” I shake my head. “I’ve got it handled.”
“Perfect.” JoAnna smiles. “One more thing I need you to handle. Would you please make a reservation for two at Sea Fire Grill for twelve thirty on Thursday?”
“Of course. Under St. Clair?”
“Yes.” She nods.
“I’ll add it to your calendar once it’s confirmed.”
“No need. It’s for Barrett and Tessa Green. A lunch date.”
“Oh,” I say, a little shocked that JoAnna is having me arrange lunch dates for her son now, but it’s also completely understandable. With his icy demeanor and brooding attitude, I’m sure she’s determined she has to resort to matchmaking if she ever wants grandchildren. They’d likely be half-robot, but I hope for JoAnna’s sake, that skips a generation. “Should I forward the details to Bea?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She nods.
I continue through the week’s calendar, highlighting appointments and important meetings. JoAnna has me block off time in her schedule for a Pilates class.
“Your flight on Friday to LA is at seven. I’ve arranged a car to pick you up at four thirty.”
She nods. “What are your plans for the weekend?”
“It’s my childhood friend’s bachelorette party.”
“That’s right. You mentioned you were hosting them. That sounds like a fun girls’ weekend.”