Page 35 of Is It Casual Now?

thirty-five

“Ingrid.” Siena smiled, walking into the restaurant and flicking her hair over her shoulder. She needed to hang out with her more often than she had been. But they seemed to be crisis buddies right now instead of simply just friends. Wrapping her arms around Ingrid’s wiry shoulders, Siena hugged her tight. “Let’s get dinner, just you and me sometime.”

“Uh… sure.” Ingrid gave her a worried look. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” Siena stepped away. “In fact, everything is great.” Siena squared her shoulders and looked Ingrid over. She looked a whole lot thinner than she usually was, which was saying something, since she was as lanky and wiry as Siena. “Is everything good with you?”

“Mostly.” Ingrid sighed. “We can talk about that later.” Ingrid nodded toward the door. “Your applicant is here.”

Siena spun around to find Jamie coming inside, knocking the water off the umbrella she’d just closed and fluffing out her hair in the entryway. Siena’s lips curled upward in a sweet smile. She would never get over the fact that they were together now. It truly was unexpectedly perfect .

Walking right up to Jamie, Siena took her by the hand and kissed her quickly. “Hey there.”

“Hey,” Jamie said with a worried smile. “You do realize that Ingrid Brett is the one who was trying to get me fired for months, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Siena gave her a smile. “Trust me?”

“Always…except maybe when it comes to this.” Jamie chuckled lightly. “But I’ll sit through a free meal.”

Siena took Jamie by the hand and walked closer to Ingrid.

“I’d like to officially introduce you two. Jamie, this is Ingrid, Ingrid this is Jamie Kettlehouse.”

“Good to meet the infamous gossip writer,” Ingrid said, extending her hand.

“I prefer notorious.” Jamie quirked her lips up in that brilliant smile that made Siena weak in the knees.

Ingrid’s voice trilled with a laugh before she nodded her agreement and shook hands with Jamie. They were led to a table toward the back, per Siena’s request, and sat down. It hadn’t taken Siena very long to toss the idea to Ingrid. It had, however, taken her much longer to convince Ingrid that this would be anywhere near a good idea.

After they’d ordered some drinks, Siena settled in to help facilitate this. Not that she felt she needed to be here for the conversation—or rather interview—but she hadn’t seen Ingrid on a more personal level for a while, and it was a good excuse to get out and see her while things were still calm, or as calm as either of their lives got.

“As much as I love your CV,” Ingrid added an extra snark onto the love when she spoke, “I do have a lot of concerns about hiring you.”

“Fair,” Jamie answered, putting her foot right against Siena’s under the table.

If Siena could be there for emotional support, then she would be. “I’d have the same concerns.” She picked up her coffee and sipped it, the hot liquid glorious, especially with that added hit of caffeine in it that she needed after a late night with Harley. Those nightmares about kindergarten were no joke. Tori had tried to warn her, but Siena hadn’t quite believed her until she experienced it herself.

Ingrid shot Siena an interesting look, one that was telling her to shut up but was also intrigued. “I read the interview you published with Bunny and Piper. It was excellent. But I don’t have the same…sway… as your previous contract.”

Jamie grinned. “No, you don’t. Nor would I ask you to. I wrote that article in part as a favor to Siena, but also because it was a lifelong dream to have an exclusive interview with Bunny and Piper. I couldn’t turn down that opportunity.”

“No one could. Exclusives with them are rare.” Ingrid again looked at Siena. Was she trying to size Siena up? Or was she simply trying to figure out why Siena had made this proposal? “And it was good timing.”

“Yes, it was.” Jamie shifted a glance to Siena as well, definitely trying to judge what exactly she should be saying and not saying.

“It was an attempt to sway public opinion, and to turn it back to what we wanted it to be.” Siena sipped her coffee again, eyeing Ingrid over. There was definitely something off about her.

“That’s definitely something I need, and someone who can think about where those gaps are and where they can be filled.” Ingrid thanked the waiter as he brought her a mimosa that she’d ordered. They each placed orders for their brunch and then went right back to it. “How much experience in PR do you have?”

Jamie shrugged. “A bit, but not extensive. My main experience is in the newspaper and media world, the gossip writing you could say. I didn’t write the tabloids, but sometimes it was pretty close. Well, once I did, because I needed a few bucks to pay my cell phone bill.”

Siena raised an eyebrow at Jamie over that one. She hadn’t realized that she’d done that, and now she really wanted to know what that article involved—or rather who. Jamie locked their gazes and shook her head.

“You don’t want to read it.”

“I kind of do,” Siena countered. “I want to know what depths you’ll go to for a few dollars.”

Jamie snorted and laughed. “It was about a dog, and ninety percent of it wasn’t true. But the cash came in handy. I felt so gross after doing it that I refused to even pick up the phone when they called again.”

“But you had minutes,” Siena said.

“I had minutes.” Jamie’s eyes twinkled.

Siena would track down the article some other day, or maybe when she got back to the office. She’d just have to figure out what name Jamie had written it under first, because Siena had no doubt that she’d used a nom de plume. Especially if she didn’t even want Siena to read it now.

“I’m looking to undo the effects of what you did to my client a few months ago. I need to restore her image.”

Jamie frowned. “That’s going to be hard unless she becomes a little nicer.”

Ingrid’s lips curled up at that. “That’s where good PR comes in handy.”

“I won’t lie to my readers.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Ingrid pushed back, a glint in her eye that had scared Siena more times than she cared to admit. Most of the time, it came out all right, though. “I’m asking you to write what’s real and what’s not. Exactly like you did with Bunny and Piper. ”

Jamie looked suspicious. And rightfully so. Siena would also be hella suspicious of what Ingrid was saying if she didn’t know her. Ingrid’s moral standards were nearly as high as Siena’s, she was just a little more willing to take on ethically questionable clients and push them to bigger and better things. It was why she was more successful than Siena overall.

Siena thanked the waiter when their food arrived. Ingrid and Jamie were still having a bit of a stare down, and Siena was damn sure that it was not her place to get in the middle of that.

“I think you’re walking a fine line in what you’re asking of me.” Jamie pursed her lips in thought.

Siena resisted the urge to jump in and play mediator. She wanted Jamie to get this job, not just because Jamie needed it but because Ingrid also really needed someone, especially with her current client list. It was getting difficult for her to wrangle them all on her own. It would also be nice to at least have Jamie on their side more often than not.

“How many hours?”

“It’s full time,” Ingrid responded. “Salary.”

Jamie narrowed her gaze. “Then I won’t work over forty hours for you, and I get to keep my outside media jobs, the ones I run and my contracts.”

Ingrid shook her head. “No.”

“Then I won’t work for you.” Jamie leaned back in her chair with a sigh of relief. Then she bent over her plate and took a huge bite. “I won’t be owned by anyone.”

Ingrid raised an eyebrow at Siena and pointed at Jamie. “She’s good.”

“She is,” Siena agreed. Watching Jamie in action like this was hot as hell.

Ingrid faced Jamie. “I will approve your other contracts, the people and presses anyway. I don’t want you to be working for anyone who conflicts with me. As for your own business ventures. You’re more than welcome to continue those.”

Siena knew that was what Jamie really cared about. The only other contract she had right now was with her, and that one wouldn’t conflict. She and Ingrid did enough business together to make sure of that. Siena ran her fingers through her hair and pushed her leg against Jamie’s in support. She wanted Jamie to know that she was there for her no matter what.

“You have to respond to those requests in forty-eight hours. If I hear nothing, it’s at my prerogative whether or not I sign a contract.”

“One week,” Ingrid countered.

Jamie shook her head. “No, this industry moves far too quickly for that. I’m tempted to make it twenty-four hours.”

“Twenty-four? Jesus, I do have to sleep you know. Maybe take a piss.”

Jamie laughed lightly. “The gossip never ends, and if I miss a story because you’re too slow, I’m not going to be a happy employee.”

“I’ll have to think about the time on that one, and we can negotiate it after you decide if you’re willing to sign a contract.” Ingrid finally started to dive into her breakfast.

It seemed that Jamie had been hired. Right? Siena wasn’t entirely sure, but that’s what it felt like with the ping-ponging back and forth between the two of them.

“What’s the salary?” Jamie eyed Ingrid inquisitively.

“Seventy-five plus medical.”

Siena would refrain from comment on that. She really didn’t want to think about why the position was so low.

Jamie hummed a response and went back to eating. “We can negotiate.”

“So you’re interested?” Ingrid asked.

“I’ve always been interested. ”

“Good.” Siena grinned at both of them. “Then you two can set up a time to talk more business. Right now, I want to talk about life.” Ingrid and Jamie turned on her sharply. She knew that was going to happen. In some ways, the two of them were very similar—bullheaded and single-mindedly focused. But Siena wanted to catch up with Ingrid, and she wanted to share some of her news with Jamie.

“Life?” Ingrid pursed her lips. “I’m single again.”

“Are you?” Siena frowned. “Since when?”

Ingrid sighed and closed her eyes. “Since Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to mention it and bring everyone else’s holidays down.”

“It’s January.”

Ingrid shrugged. “Then I forgot about it.”

“You forgot you were single?” Siena looked at her dubiously. “You don’t just forget those things, especially you.”

“I’ve been a bit distracted with other things.” Ingrid flicked her gaze over to Jamie. “Work things that you’ll be welcome to know about once you sign a contract with me.”

Well, that ended that conversation. At least for now. Siena really was going to have to find some time to get together with Ingrid again. Because they really, really needed to talk. It sounded like there was so much more going on than she was letting on.

Sighing, Siena glanced to Jamie. “Well, you should know that Jamie and I are officially dating now.”

“You thought that was a secret?” Ingrid chuckled.

“No.” Siena shook her head. “But if you hire her, things will probably come up in conversation.”

“Oh, so you don’t want me to tell her all the stories of you from college.”

Siena tensed. “They really aren’t as bad as that statement makes them seem. ”

“Mm-hmm.” Ingrid winked at Jamie. “I’ll tell you those whether or not you decide to work for me. They’re just fun.”

“I look forward to hearing them.” Jamie sipped her coffee. “I always need more information about Siena. Somehow, she’s managed to find just about every single blog post and article that I’ve written. I have no idea how since some of them are on the dark web.”

“I haven’t found the one about the dog,” Siena said. “But I plan to. And it’s called just being really good at doing some internet searches.”

Jamie rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I think she’d be better at gossip writing than me.”

“Hmm, no, I wouldn’t be. I have zero tolerance for drama.”

“I love the drama.” Jamie’s eyes lit up excitedly. “I mean all of the drama so long as it doesn’t involve me.”

“Right?” Ingrid wrinkled her nose. “That’s why Siena and I are in management and not on the stage. We couldn’t handle the drama even if we tried. The spotlight isn’t for us.”

Siena wasn’t so sure about that. Ingrid had tried to be in the spotlight, and then she’d started working with the manager she was with now, and she swiftly pivoted to the behind-the-scenes work. She’d never gotten the full story as to why Ingrid had given up the limelight, and the excuses she’d gotten had never really sat very well with her either.

“It’s really not,” Siena agreed. Again, those questions were for another time, when it was just the two of them talking with no one else around, and probably a bottle of whiskey split between them. God knew they needed it after the last year.

Ingrid nodded. “You ever want the spotlight, Jamie?”

“No. My goal isn’t awards or accolades. I couldn’t care less about those.” Jamie finished off her plate and wiped her lips on the napkin in her lap. “I just want people to have access to information and to have the real story behind celebrities and what they claim they stand for. If they really follow through on that or not.”

“Hmm, seems we’re not all that different then.” Siena smiled, then she used the top of her foot and slid it along the back of Jamie’s calf. This could all work out exactly how they needed it to.