Chapter 15 : Rumors

Simone I walked into the office feeling lighter than air. And sore as hell. Still, I was so happy to be entering the building with good news. It felt like I was about to walk into an amphitheater of cheering fans. Of course, the reality was that I was walking into a half-empty office full of frenemies. Mandy beamed at me when I entered–my own cheer squad. "Ladies and… ladies," she announced loudly as I approached, "Miss Simone Carter has officially got her first contract!" Everyone except Crystal whooped and hollered. She gave a nonchalant clap and rolled her eyes. "Congrats, girl," she said with heavy sarcasm. "We all knew you could do it." I rolled my eyes at her and basked in the glow of my success. It felt so good to finally have something professional to celebrate. There was a time when I was sure I would crash and burn. Now I was thriving and well on my way to a successful year. Jake walked into the room with a smile on his face. He opened his arms to me, and I stepped into an awkward embrace. He was absolutely a great guy, but we really didn't have that kind of relationship. Still, it was nice to be on his good side. "I'm so proud of you, Simone," he said genuinely. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Once this contract was ready, I had two more down the pipeline with Rob. Then, hopefully, I could nail Nick down. In a strictly professional way, of course. I smiled and did a little curtsy, getting a little uncomfortable from all the attention. It was nice to be appreciated, don't get me wrong, but ever since I quit modeling, I didn't like people to look at me too much. I felt exposed. "Tell us about the property," Mandy encouraged, thrusting me back into the center of attention. "Well, it's on Ocean Boulevard," I started. Everyone perked up at that. "But not the one I showed you," Mandy clarified. "No, he didn't like that one very much. The kitchen was too big," I laughed. Nobody else understood why this would be funny, but thinking about him automatically made me feel stronger. Even though he wasn't physically next to me, I was drawing on our memories together. Michael made me feel confident and sexy, like there was nothing that I couldn't accomplish. "Anyway," I continued, "The house he chose isn't too far away from that one, and still has killer views of the beach. It's just the right size for him, and the amenities are gorgeous. We put the offer in last night, and they accepted this morning." "That's awesome, sweetie!" Mandy squealed. "So many good things coming your way." She winked at me, and I sincerely hoped nobody noticed. I also hoped no one noticed Michael dropping me off a few minutes earlier. He was serious about not wanting me to leave last night. He dropped me off a block away from the office, but I was still paranoid that one of my co-workers might spot us. "Ooh, an ocean view," Crystal called excitedly. "Was it one of ours?" I was automatically suspicious of her question, but I was in too good of a mood to let her get to me. "Actually, no," I said. "I had to call the listing agent to meet with me. He's been dying to get the place sold." "Why is that? Is it a total dump?" she grinned wickedly. It was like she was baiting me. "No, it's actually a gorgeous bungalow-style mansion. But most people in that area were looking for something bigger. Clearly, bigger doesn't always mean better." "Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" she challenged. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked pointedly. "If you have something to say to me, just say it." "Oh, no sweetie," she said in a mocking tone. "I have absolutely nothing to say to you." With that, she got up and walked out of the office. I had no idea what had crawled up her butt and died, but whatever it was didn't concern me. When it came to Crystal, the best thing to do was ignore her and keep it moving. She never had anything nice to say, and though I wished that meant she'd say nothing at all, that was rarely the case. She'd had a target on my back from day one, and I literally hadn't done anything to her. Mandy just rolled her eyes and squeezed my shoulder. "Just because she's a miserable bitch, she thinks everyone else should be too. Don't pay any attention to her. We're getting drinks tonight to celebrate!" I smiled tightly. "Actually, I can't do tonight. I'm having dinner with… a client." She raised her eyebrow at me. "Is this a real dinner with a client or like, 'dinner with a client'?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows. I laughed and batted her away. "That's for me to know, and you to probably find out the next time I have a nervous breakdown in the office." She swatted at me playfully. "Girl, you know you love me and tell me everything!" I giggled at this. I did tell her most things, but I had a sick feeling in my stomach that she wouldn't be so understanding if she knew I was going on a date with a different client. *** I was grabbing my lunch out of the fridge when Holly grabbed my arm. I jumped in fright. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you! I actually was thinking maybe we could go have lunch together?" This was certainly unexpected. All of my interactions with Holly had been pleasant so far, but we really hadn't spent a lot of time together. She was a nice girl, but I was suspicious of everyone lately. Besides Mandy, I was never quite sure who I could or couldn't trust. Mandy did trust Holly, though, so I figured this was a safe bet. "Let's go," I said cheerfully. Rather than focusing on the negative energy I was feeling, I decided to focus on the positive. I was going to have lunch with my colleague and hopefully get a chance to know her better. We walked down the street to a fancy sushi place. It was the kind of restaurant that would've been way out of my family's budget when I was a kid. To be fair, everything except McDonald's was out of our budget, unless a restaurant would accept food stamps. "You're so quiet," Holly observed. "You always look lost in thought." I blushed. "Sorry," I responded. "I'm just always wondering what my inner child would think about my life now." "What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely curious. We sat down at our table and unfolded our menus. "I didn't grow up anywhere like this," I said vaguely. Again, I wasn't entirely sure that I could trust her. "Me neither!" she said cheerfully. "Honestly, I'm grateful. Crystal grew up in LA, and I think it poisoned her brain. Where most people have compassion, she just has bitchiness." I laughed at this. Maybe Holly was someone I could trust. "Thank goodness it's not just me," I sighed. "She really has it out for me." "Girl, you have no idea!" she said. At that moment the waiter came to take our order, so I didn't have a chance to ask her what she meant. By the time he left, it felt awkward to bring it up again. Instead, our conversation shifted to more neutral territory. Holly told me she'd been working at the firm for three years but dreamed of starting her own boutique real estate office. "I know it's a lot of work, and I see how much money Jake sinks into Owens Group, but I'm done letting men tell me what to do! I left home when I was a teenager because I was fed up with my dad. I'm pretty sure my attraction to women was born out of my hatred of men." At this, I snorted and the wasabi from my sushi got into my nose. I started choking, feeling uncomfortable from the spice of the wasabi. It took me a full minute to get myself back together. "That was the funniest shit I've ever heard," I said when I'd finally gotten control of my breathing. "Oh, you don't know the half of it," she said. "Honestly, my dad kicked me out when he found out I was gay, and I just never looked back. I decided that I would never let a man dictate my life. Yet, here I am working for another man." "It seems like you and Jake have a pretty good setup, though. You guys get along well." "Yes, but the second I stop bringing him money, he'd throw me out on the street," she answered darkly. "I mean, okay I'm probably being dramatic because my parents literally traumatized me. Still, I know what I'm capable of, and sometimes Jake doesn't let me be great. Or he says that my success is our success. Bitch, no it's not, my success is my success!" I giggled again, understanding her frustration. "I'll tell you what, though, if I ever do branch out on my own, Crystal better stay her ass at Owens Group." This seemed like the opportune time to circle back to what she'd said before. "Yeah, you were saying what a bitch she is." "Can you believe she's been telling everyone you're sleeping with your clients?" she asked in amazement. I felt my blood run cold, and suddenly, I had no appetite. "She said that?" "Yes! And she totally doubled down when she found out about your deal. She said something like, 'I wonder how many times she had to screw him to get him to agree to that.' Like, who says shit like that?" I hummed, not really able to respond. "And now she's saying you're probably sleeping with that Silicon Valley guy. Oh, and she said the only reason Nick Morgan asked you to be his agent was because you gave him head in the bathroom. Seriously, Crystal? He was at my open house with his girlfriend!" She stopped talking long enough to see that I was pale and looking a little ill. She gave me a sympathetic look and patted my hand. "I wouldn't let it get to you. She's just jealous that your clients are so hot. Don't let her fool you; Crystal has had more than her fair share of scandals." I smiled weakly, but I was so ready to end this lunch. I knew Holly meant well. She was a sort of loud, tell-it-like-it-is type. I could tell, though, that she didn't tell me all of this to hurt me. In her mind, she was looking out for me. When lunch was over, I lied and said I had a meeting. I really just wanted to get the hell out of there and cry my eyes out. I ordered an Uber and spent half of the drive trying to breathe deeply and keep it together. About a block from home, though, it all let loose. I was tired of being Crystal's punching bag. I was tired of her treating me like shit and getting away with it. Most of all, though, I was tired of her getting so close to the truth. I was sleeping with Michael. I was going on a date with Rob tonight. There was a small amount of truth in the lies she was spreading. Speaking of Rob. I didn't really feel up to going tonight. I collapsed in my bed and cried for an hour, then took a post-breakdown nap. I woke up bleary-eyed and exhausted. I didn't want to cancel on him, though–not just to keep him from pulling his listing, but because he was exactly who I needed right then. I got out of bed and took a shower, putting as much effort as I could muster into getting ready, slipping on a little black dress and braiding my hair. By the time he knocked on the door, I looked perfectly fine. Inside, though, I felt shattered to pieces.