Page 7

Rosie stared at the car door after Jessica closed it. As principal architect, Jessica needed to be there, surely. As chief executive, she could do whatever the fuck she wanted, clearly. Maybe that was where Rosie was going wrong in life. She never did stuff like that. It was in her DNA, it felt, to always make sure other people were happy and comfortable at the expense of herself. But where had that got her?

Des pulled out of the drop-off bay as Jessica swanned into the train station. They headed through the town. It very much spoke of a place that prosperity had left behind. She couldn’t picture someone like Jessica growing up here. The fancy car carried them along the streets, but even its top-of-the-range suspension and attentive driver couldn’t mask the heavily potholed road. They bumped around almost as much as Rosie’s thoughts. Why wouldn’t her beautiful and mysterious boss just admit that she was from this town?

They weren’t communicating well. On one hand, Jessica’s micromanaging wasn’t making her feel trusted to do her job and on the other, she wasn’t sure she could handle the whole project on her own, or, with a principal architect whose head was somewhere else. But then, it was a good sign Jessica was happy to let her do the thing tonight. It showed she had confidence in her. There was so much to discuss but Jessica was always imperceptibly mentally and emotionally detached somehow. It was like the real Jessica was locked away somewhere impossible to get to. And Rosie did want to get there. Except she didn’t know how to be herself around Jessica, let alone get to know Jessica’s true inner self. So, she settled on professionally on-point. Efficient.

For instance, there was no way Jessica could have built up one of the best architecture companies in the UK while being stubborn and defensive with clients. It had to be something to do with Jessica’s connection to the area, and by default this particular project. She was emotionally involved. This meant her judgement could be off. Rosie didn’t know Jessica well, but it was clear that she wasn’t acting like herself. She was pretty sure that being super defensive with the clients and abandoning her chauffeured car and project team at an important engagement session was not a good sign. Given her true connection to the area, Rosie understood why Jessica was acting erratic. She wanted to help her somehow. She wanted to help her talk about how hard it must have been when her father was sent to prison. That it was understandable to be independent because of it. She wanted to climb inside her icy heart and help thaw it.

They pulled up outside the town hall, a late Victorian building with an ornate clock tower. It must have been one of the few buildings that survived the blitz that Jessica had told her about.

She needed to go over the discussion guide for the focus groups, now that she was filling in for Jessica. Tara and Tom would get here soon. All the stuff was in the boot of the car for them to get the place set up: posters, booklets, retractable banner stands, pinboards, pins, pens, and papers.

There was a café across the road that looked so inviting right now. “Would you like a coffee or anything from that café?” she asked Des.

“No thank you. I just had some tea.”

“Okay. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. I need a moment.”

***

Rosie stared at her screen and the design platform she was working on. Only when she looked up did she realise that everyone in the office had gone home for the evening, and she was the only one left. Carla had worked from home today and not many people had spent much time at their desks. The company was busy with lots of high-profile projects and site visits and client meetings. Getting some space to sit at her desk in the office and focus on a design was one of her favourite things about the job.

The light was on in Jessica’s office; the closed vertical blinds glowed. Rosie’s pulse quickened at the idea of it being just the two of them left. Spending this much time with her was amazing. She was learning so much. The fact that she was close enough to have challenging conversations with Jessica gave Rosie goosebumps. Jessica telling her off about something only fed her fantasy of being dominated by her in the bedroom, of Jessica taking control and tying her to the bedframe and having her wicked way with her.

Or something like that.

Rosie felt a throb between her legs. She had to put these exciting thoughts away as they had a situation on their hands. Unsurprisingly, the design for their project had fallen through. The go-ahead was on hold until the design was approved. Patrick had called yesterday to say that a slight majority of the steering committee were unconvinced and asked if Jessica and Rosie could come up with a modified version by the end of next week. Hence, Rosie had cleared her schedule and was supporting Jessica to make some changes. It was a good sign Jessica was letting her work on it. Although it could have been down to the fact that Jessica had other major deadlines this week and had no other option but to delegate it to Rosie. But still, Rosie was relishing the opportunity, and she was going to do her best to take advantage of it. She desperately wanted to prove herself given that she’d fucked up at the meeting, in Jessica’s eyes. Because she knew she could bring something to the table if given half a chance. The focus groups had gone well and been highly illuminating. Tara and Tom had been brilliant and both stepped in to talk to more people and help facilitate the discussions. There had been some real characters present, and no one was shy about giving their opinion. The best thing and most important takeout from the night had been that they loved Jessica’s design. Like, loved it.

When she’d told Jessica that the design went down well with the locals, the smile that grew on Jessica’s face was so beautiful, Rosie had hardly stopped thinking about it since.

And they did love it. They wanted the space to be for the local community rather than just turning the place into luxury flats or a huge shopping centre and cutting the site off from the town. Honouring the heritage through the visitor attraction and maritime theme was a big hit. As was opening up the bandstand again and building a space for community groups and a nice café or two. They were fine about the cycle paths, although most said they weren’t sure they’d use them. Some said they might be interested to take a walk along the promenade, if the weather was nice.

The only thing of substance that was said which went against Jessica’s original design was to include some affordable housing. They wanted slightly less space for the park to make room for a few blocks of affordable flats. It was a reasonable request, and Rosie was trying to work out a way to fit them into the design, doing endless calculations and adjustments on the design platform. If all else failed, she would go back over to one of the drawing boards and start again.

A door opening pierced the silence. Jessica came out of her office but instead of turning left like she usually did, to go to the meeting rooms or the kitchen, or for the exit, she headed straight into the open-plan office. Straight towards Rosie. She was wearing loose dark trousers and a fitted silk blouse, the top two buttons undone. The line of her neck as it disappeared into her chest made Rosie feel… warm .

Rosie held her breath.

Jessica came to a graceful stop by Rosie’s desk, towering above her. “How are you getting on?”

“Um, good, thanks,” Rosie said, finally exhaling. If Jessica was checking in on her progress, what did that say about her confidence in her to adjust the design? The thought settled in her chest like a black cloud. She knew Jessica would be something else to work with, but she hadn’t pegged her for such a micromanager.

“That’s good.” Jessica’s eyes were a bit unsure, as if she knew she was doing something out of the ordinary. And then her eyes softened. “I appreciate you working late on this tonight. I’ve seen how focused you’ve been. Thank you.”

The more she got to know Jessica, the more she could see the softer side of her. All that power stuff was such a front. “It’s honestly no problem. I just want to get this right.”

Jessica smiled, slowly.

Rosie held her eyes for a few seconds longer than necessary, but she couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to.

Jessica turned to the side, breaking the eye contact, reaching for Carla’s chair.

Rosie had never seen Jessica sit at one of the desks. It was a strange sight. Slightly jarring. Like something wasn’t quite right with the universe. Or maybe it was exactly right, and Rosie had never considered that Jessica might want to actually come out and sit with her minions.

Jessica swivelled her chair around, resting her forearms on the armrest, still somehow looking like a total boss. She looked like she was about to say something, but something else caught her attention. “Your desk is like a jungle.”

“I love my plants.”

Jessica leaned over and stroked the leaves of one of her peace lilies with her smooth and polished hands. The gentle jut of her collar bone was visible through the slight gap in her blouse. Her lips were softly pursed as she took her time examining it. Lips that would be beyond wonderful to kiss.

Rosie’s heart started beating a little faster.

“They’re in good condition,” Jessica said. “Very healthy.”

“I enjoy nurturing them.”

“You’re doing a great job.” Jessica let go of Rosie’s plant, smiling softly. “How are your other projects right now? I know I asked you to clear your schedule, but how is that going?”

In truth, Rosie had been working longer hours to keep up and was already feeling the strain. She couldn’t drop her existing work, not just yet. But there was no way she could tell Jessica this. “Um, getting there. Once I deliver on a couple more tasks I can focus exclusively on our project, give or take some small bits and pieces that might come up on other projects. I have to finish a technical design spec for the engineers and complete some quality assurance. Once I get these done, I can hand them over. It’s important to me to finish what I started. Also, Joe and Pamela would freak out if I jumped ship right now.”

Jessica shook her head. “There’s no way you can keep going like this, Rosie. I should have made sure your other projects found cover. I’ll figure something out. We have another project wrapping up so that team could pick up your work. I’ll speak with Joe and Pamela.” There was real concern on Jessica’s face.

Rosie was so taken aback. “I appreciate that, thanks.”

“Word of advice. You’ve got to start saying no, more, and especially when it matters to you. Even to me.”

No way was she ever going to say no to Jessica fucking Frost, but she appreciated the advice more generally. It was something she did have to get better at. “I’ll try.”

“That’s weak language. Either you will or you won’t.”

“Oh. Uh, then I will. Sorry.”

Jessica held her eyes. They were soft, in contrast to her words.

“What about you, Jessica? You said you were up against it this week.”

“Yes. We have another landscape architecture and urban design project that I’m trying to get off the ground. Once I get the team in place I’ll leave them to it, so I can focus more on ours. And we’re preparing for the opening of the Watsonian building. There’s a lot of press and comms around it. It’s good exposure for the company but if I could get out of it I would. That sort of stuff isn’t my favourite thing to do. Sometimes, I can’t delegate certain things.”

“It must be so hard to juggle your workload. Literally everything you do is a top priority.”

“That’s why I have Amelia. She keeps me on track.”

“She is amazing.” Amelia was the kind of person who got difficult stuff done and made it seem effortless. Her dress sense was always on point, a mixture of the latest fashions and professional. Everyone was also kind of terrified of her. She was the perfect assistant for Jessica.

Jessica looked around, as if thinking something. “The office looks different from this angle.”

“Well, life is all about perspective.”

“It makes me see the office in a new light.”

“Have you never sat out here when everyone has gone home?”

Jessica shook her head.

“Not once?”

“Never.”

“I guess people always come to you.”

“I see your desks as part of you. It’s your space, not mine. No one wants their boss hanging around. Hopefully Carla won’t mind my using her chair.”

Rosie had no idea Jessica saw things that way. “I think people would be more than happy for you to stop by. I’m enjoying it, for instance. And I’m sure Carla wouldn’t mind at all.”

Jessica smiled but with her lips pressed firmly together. Her eyes dimmed. “I’m a lone wolf, I’m afraid. I work better on my own. Always have.”

“That sounds kind of lonely.”

“It can be.”

“I’m glad you’re here now.” Jessica was reserved, that was for sure. It drew Rosie in so strongly. She wanted to make her smile and laugh. It was that simple. “Maybe you could work at a desk out here one afternoon? It’s mostly just chat about who’s getting up to make the next coffee. Or which client has the biggest ego.”

Jessica stroked her chin, as if considering it. “Thank you but like I said, I really don’t think anyone wants that.”

Something about Jessica’s dismissal of her suggestion got Rosie right in the gut. She was beginning to think it was exactly what Jessica needed. It couldn’t be good for her to be locked away in her office all the time. Reserved CEO or not, everyone needed a little social interaction now and then, didn’t they?

“There was one other thing I came over for. I wanted to apologise for the other day after the meeting.”

Rosie’s breath caught in her throat. “For what?”

“I was unfair to you. You did a great job at salvaging the situation. I was unusually… emotional at that meeting. I found myself getting very defensive. But you stepped in and did an excellent job. Thank you.”

Jessica Frost was apologising to her? Jessica Frost was opening up about her emotions, to her ? Was there a tear in the space-time continuum or something? Rosie took in a shaky breath. “It was no problem. I did capitulate a bit too much.” Rosie leant forward, compelled to ask about the boss’s emotional state and connection to the area, to see if Jessica would open up to her. “Why were you getting emotional at the meeting? If it’s okay to ask?”

Jessica held her eye, her stare turning cooler. Rosie saw the icy gates close. “No reason.”

“Ah, okay.” Rosie felt the need to backtrack as soon as possible. She wanted to say that Jessica being more open with the steering committee would help, but she didn’t dare. Not taking any shit from people was mind-blowing. She wished she could be more like that but could never seem to follow through. Being more assertive was something she was working on, though.

Jessica folded her arms. “I do think that holding your ground more would be good for you, but it came across more like a criticism and for that I apologise.”

“No, I do pander to clients too much. I’m a people pleaser.”

Jessica swivelled her chair to face Rosie square on. “And I am far too abrasive sometimes. I have no patience for bullshit. Sometimes it gets me into trouble. Other times it wins me awards.”

Rosie smiled. “So perhaps we would do well to act a bit more like each other?”

“Perhaps.” Jessica unfolded her arms.

“Perhaps.” Rosie smiled back, loving this new connection they were making.

“I tell you what. If you catch me tearing a client’s head off and I catch you pandering, we’ll let each other know?”

“We have a deal.”

“Okay.” Jessica stood, and smoothed her thighs. She faced Rosie again. “Please don’t work too late though. It will all be waiting for you in the morning.”

Jessica was doing the dance. They both knew that Rosie needed to get stuff done so they could present it next week. But Rosie appreciated the sentiment. “It’s fine. I wanted to finish a few things. I’m nearly done.”

Jessica gave her a stern look, as if telling her to go home again through telepathy. Rosie found it cute, even though it was a rather fierce look. The lights on the other half of the office switched off, on their timer. No one had moved in that area in long enough. “I think that’s a sign you should go sooner than that.”

“What about you? Do you often work this late?”

“More often than I should, yes. This company is my whole life. Has been since the moment I started it up.”

For the first time, Rosie got a glimpse of the real Jessica. Who was telling Jessica not to work too late? Did she have someone waiting for her at home? From what she knew, Jessica was single. But did she have a cat? A goldfish, even. Any life outside of JF Architecture? Rosie had so many questions. For some reason, she seriously wanted to understand her on a deeper level, it felt essential, somehow, that she did. But that was never going to happen. Rosie didn’t expect to get that level of intimate access to the boss just because they were working on a project together.

But maybe with this chat, hopefully they could start to communicate about the project a bit better now. Them communicating well was critical. A fact Rosie was well aware of. Clearly, Jessica knew it too. It must have been why she came over for a very out of the ordinary chat. Maybe the project wasn’t doomed after all. “I can see that you give it everything,” Rosie said, treading carefully, feeling as if she was playing with fire. “It must be hard to find a work-life balance when you own a company.”

Jessica gave her an icy stare. But it seemed like she was more embarrassed than angry. “It is, Rosie, and we all need a work-life balance. That’s why you should go home.”

And with that, Jessica Frost walked away and closed her door leaving Rosie wondering if Jessica would venture out for a chat again.