Title: Life Happens When You're Drinking Coffee at Starbucks
Rated T for sarcasm and adult situations
Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter four: A funny thing happened at the Starbucks.
Why did she think finding a new assistant would be easy. It wasn't. She had a migraine from reading the resumes before she even started the actual interview process. Most of the candidates Quinn would not be willing to leave her teenage daughters with for long periods of time. At least one of the applicants reminded her of that creepy guy who kept hitting on Tiffany during the teacher strike in high school.
Others she wouldn't leave around her children for the sake of the applicants and to prevent a lawsuit. Most people didn't stand a chance with the two most creative and manipulative people Quinn has ever met. Others were weeded out due to providing false information on their resume or trying to ask her out on a date during the actual interview. Quinn is pretty sure a certain friend of hers who will remain nameless changed the ad into a personal ad.
After being asked out three times by one particular applicant, Quinn pulled Jane and her father in for the rest of the interviews. Jane was down from New York that weekend so that they could go through all the thousands of notes she received regarding the graphic novel. Unfortunately, the interviews were keeping that from happening.
Quinn now realizes asking for help was a bad idea. Although, Quinn did get a chuckle when Jane started asking applicants if they were turned into a food product by mystical means, what food product would they be?
"It wasn't this hard last time to find a personal assistant." Quinn said, with a sigh as she sat down in her usual seat at her new Starbucks. This one was far enough away from the house that her father could not walk there but close enough that she could. Her daughter Bianca and Jane sat down beside her in the busy coffee shop.
"I think it has something to do with everybody coming to LA to break into show business but being forced to becoming a personal assistant to pay the bills. You get a bigger talent pool that way." Bianca said with a snicker.
"All the good assistants in this town already work for politicians in DC. Have you considered changing the job description? You could just get a cleaning service and there are companies that deliver precooked dinners to your house. One of Trent's old band-mates runs a service or rather is the delivery person. Monique does it all the time because she doesn't trust my brother or Madison to work anything higher than the microwave and well you remember how clean my house was in high school." Quinn let out a little sigh remembering what happen that one weekend she stayed at Jane's house.
"For 20 bucks and your promise to keep certain relatives of ours from asking me if I have a boyfriend or girlfriend for that matter, I will pick up your dry cleaning and clean after Grandpa Jake without complaining. That way you really just need someone to proofread the stories and do all the research that your new editor is forcing you to do on the new story to make it more 'authentic'. I would be willing to do your proofreading again if you will let me read the sex scenes before the book hits Books by the Ton. I really don't know why you try to keep it from me." Bianca said dryly drinking her coffee.
Her daughter did have a point although she still wasn't letting her read the unedited version early. Thanks to the ridiculous demands of her new editor who was completely clueless, she did actually need more help with the next book to meet her deadline. It would also be good to have somebody other than her father to bounce ideas off of. She was sure he almost had another heart attack when he realized her stories contain sex scenes. That was not a pretty conversation.
"Girlfriend?" Jane asked raising an eyebrow as she took another drink of her coffee. Quinn was already sighing. She was pretty sure Bianca was referring either to Aunt Rita, Erin's new husband Robert, Bianca's biological maternal grandmother, or Eric as being the family member without tact.
"I was unfortunately adopted into a family that has issues and unfortunately stupidity seems endemic. I don't know why everyone thinks I am a lesbian because I don't date any one. For me to be a lesbian I am pretty sure I need a girlfriend. Then again everyone thought Lindsey was straight because of all the guys she made out with on MTV, when in reality she was a closet case." Bianca said on the verge of an angry rant that was dangerously close to becoming about her biological mother. Quinn had enough stressful things to deal with.
"You have a multimillion dollar trust fund. You should hold out for more money." Jane said fortunately changing the subject to safer ground. Quinn mouthed a quick thank you to her friend.
"I'm not rich, yet. I don't have full access to my trust fund until I turn 25. Currently, I get $300 a month that I refer to as my pizza discretionary fund. Quinn is trying to keep us from becoming a spoiled little rich bitch like Alexis." It was more like Quinn was trying to keep her kids from making the mistake she did. Her first month at Pepper Hill on a budget was how she ended up Lindsay's assistant in the first place.
"I let you buy whatever you want within reason. I'm trying to teach you fiscal responsibility. I didn't understand that until my parents forced me to work after school after an unfortunate incident involving a credit card and the Mall of the Millennium. If you're willing to do things like pick up dry cleaning and dinner, that will be your after school job." Quinn said thinking of all sorts of jobs around the house to torture her child with.
"$16.00 an hour and you will increase my monthly allowance by 100." Bianca said negotiating her price.
"$13.00 an hour but I will let you include cleaning your room in your billable hours. If I increase your monthly allowance, I have to increase your sister's monthly allowance." She said knowing that Bianca would not want that to happen.
"Deal, but you have to promise to keep the fashion club zombies away from me at all times." Bianca counter offered.
"Deal, but I will probably have to increase your sister's allowance for that reason alone."
"Maybe if you do she can buy some friends that have a higher combined IQ then hers." Bianca shot back.
"Be nice to your sister. Not everyone can be as lucky as you and find their platonic soul mate before they turned 16. I'm surprise Madison didn't come with us." That caused Jane to start chuckling.
"I'm just appreciating the irony of the situation. Madison is being forced to attended a Lane family reunion which I got out of by saying I had a work commitment. Since we were so busy on this wonderful Saturday trying to find your perfect assistant and didn't get to talk, what did the publishers say about the first few panels for the graphic novel? Do they like it or are we going to have to come up with something completely different?"
"You really don't want to know. I hate my publisher and the ass hole that they put in charge of the new book. I think he graduated from college last week. He is the boss' misfit child. They are worse now that I'm living on the other side of the country or maybe that has something to do with the new owners. I probably am going to have to hire someone just to proofread and do research to help with the hundreds of revisions that they want me to do to the new book. As for the graphic novel, they'd love your art work, they hate my story. Apparently, the idiots at my publishing house are convinced that, comic books are still a male dominated market and they don't think a graphic romance novel will sell." Again, Quinn really doesn't want to talk about it. Just then, Quinn felt her daughter playing with her hair.
"What are you doing?" Quinn asked as she pushed her daughter away.
"Dr. Yummy just walked in. Do you have lip-gloss? Here use mine." Bianca said handing the tube to her. Quinn felt it was best to humor her daughter.
"Who is Dr. Yummy?" Jane asked.
"He is Dr. Madison's replacement at LHS. Your sister-in-law is his boss and I'm pretty sure your niece wants to sleep with him. Actually, I'm pretty sure Chloe wants to sleep with him because I really don't think she needs three sessions a week. My other daughter is currently trying to set me up with him even though we haven't met yet."
"Yes I know about Dr. Dave. I've heard many things about him from Madison. Don't worry about my niece or your daughter. Trent threatened to castrate him if he was less than professional with Madison or your Chloe." She started laughing at the imagery.
"Trust me. Chloe doesn't want to sleep with him or any other male for that matter. She actually does have issues. However, we wouldboth be happy if he becomes our new step daddy. A live in psychologist would be a great addition to this family circus. Also, bonus points for any guy I can have a decent conversation with. You need to date someone who is your intellectual equal unlike Jonathan who makes Alexis look like a Rhodes Scholar." Bianca said as she pulled Quinn's blouse down to show more cleavage. "I really wish you would have worn the push up bra today." Bianca mumbled under her breath.
"I almost think you planned this." Quinn said with a sigh. She was tired of being fixed up. The entire reason they were at Starbucks now was she ran away from her mother when she stopped by to set Quinn up with one of her junior associates again.
"I would never do such a thing mom especially during major negotiations to increase my allowance." Bianca said with a smile that was too innocent.
"I should have never allowed you to live with your aunt Daria for two weeks when I was doing that book tour in Australia right after the divorce. Who knows what she taught you. I probably should meet the man who is treating both my daughters anyway. At lease you haven't scared him away yet like all the other doctors." She acquiesced to her daughter's demand as Bianca waved Dr. Yummy over. If she was paying attention instead of taking another drink of her hot chocolate she would have noticed exactly who Dr. yummy was.
"Dr. Sorenson I would like you to meet my mother Ms. Morgendorffer." Quinn extended her hand only to realize it was him, the first guy she ever really cared about. She should have known this was going to happen. It was her life after all.
She knew it was him instantly. The clothes were of a better quality but the same style just more modern. David's glasses were nearly identical but it didn't matter because somehow he actually managed to get hotter with time. If not that, maybe her taste has improved after being completely screwed over by Jonathan. She was not a shallow 16 year old anymore.
"Quinn?" She will admit to herself if no one else that her inner teenager was slightly excited that he actually remembered her. If he remembered her then she was important to him.
"Hi David. It's been a while." She said keeping her voice even in an effort to hide her inner teenager with a crush. Not that she still had a crush on him but she completely understands why her daughter and her best friend referred to him as 'Dr. Yummy'.
"I had no idea that you were Bianca and Chloe's Mother despite the grandpa Jake stories. You're a writer now?" The way he asked that question bothered her. It was like he was shocked she could do something that required intelligence. Most people who knew bouncy popular high school Quinn usually said the same thing in the exact same way. Apparently, everyone back then believed she was as smart as Brittany Taylor. That irritated Quinn now that she was okay with being intelligent.
"According to my agent, yes but I'm not so sure. I currently have four books on the New York Times bestseller list and I am working on two new projects in between dealing with my father and my children. You sound so surprised?" Quinn asked taking great pleasure in her accomplishments.
"I'm only surprise because high school you dreamt of being a fashion model and found reading boring. Your biggest goal in high school was getting into a party school. I never saw you becoming a New York Times bestseller." Okay now he just pissed her off.
"I found reading history books boring. In college I found out that was because they cut out all the good parts. I manage to acquire a certain amount of depth since high school." She said, nearly quoting his exact words he used to reject her almost 12 years earlier. Just then her daughters mouth opened wide as she mumbled, "oh my god, he is that David." Bianca instantly became quiet when Quinn gave her the mom glare of death.
"Junior and senior year I worked my ass off so that I could go to Pepper Hill on partial scholarship. To pay for the rest of Pepper Hill I worked as a glorified celebrity baby sitter for a boss who was demanding and slightly psychotic. This led to me writing my first book. Then I adopted two wonderful children due to circumstances that you probably know about from therapy sessions. I wrote a couple of books, fell in love with a guy I wish I never met who I married then subsequently divorced for cheating on me, then I wrote a few more books. I guess that's a great accomplishment from somebody who made Paris Hilton seem ambitious during her formative years. I think I need more hot chocolate." Quinn said as an excuse. Her cup was still full. She just wanted to get out of there. She was angry. Unfortunately, her graceful exit was destroyed by the adorable designer handbag she 'borrowed' from Chloe this morning. She tripped on the handle and fell into the person behind her. Making matters worse was she spilled her entire cup of chocolate on the individual. Her inner teenager was beyond mortified that her former crush saw her make a complete fool of herself. Then again, at the moment she thought he was a complete asshole.
"I'm so sorry." Quinn said grabbing the last napkin to help keep the chocolate from staining. This resulted in the woman's companion quickly leaving to get more. "I will pay for your dry cleaning."
"Oh my god Quinn is that you?" Quinn heard a voice squeal in her ear that she hasn't heard in almost eight years.
"Stacy," Quinn said right before she was enveloped in a hug. Just then she felt the telltale sign of a baby bump.
"You're pregnant?" The thought of Stacy from high school having a child seem almost surreal. Then again she had teenagers and Sandi had a stepdaughter.
"20 weeks. You look great. I haven't seen you sensed Tiffany died. I've tried to call you when Lindsey died but I couldn't get through. After that all the numbers were disconnected." Stacy said babbling like she did in high school.
"We had to change all the numbers because the press kept calling nonstop. Even Lindsey dying did not put an end to the circus." She could see David give Bianca a curious look when she referred to her biological mother by her first name.
"You look familiar." Stacy said looking at Bianca for a moment.
"Hi I am Quinn's daughter, Bianca." Bianca said extending her hand.
"You have a teenage daughter." Stacy said looking puzzled for a moment before she got it, sort of. "You're a stepmom like Sandi. You must be Quinn's husband." A hot chocolate covered Stacy said as she walked over to David. Quinn covered her face with her hands. Jane had her phone out most likely recording this embarrassing reunion for posterity and possibly black mail.
"He is not my step dad, yet." Bianca mumbled that last part under her breath so low that Quinn hoped only she heard it. "He is my therapist. Quinn adopted me and my sister after the egg donor was killed by some stuck-up socialite who got a slap on the wrist for killing Lindsey and her bodyguard." By this point Stacy had a curious but confused expression, Jane was laughing, Dave was looking for the exit, and Quinn wanted to crawl under a table and die. Did she mention Jane was also taping this? She knew this would be in Daria's inbox by morning.
"I'm supposed to meet a friend in 20 minutes at café Park. Quinn it was good to see you again. I'm sure it will happen again very soon. Bianca, please stop by my office before classes Monday at 7:00 AM." She knew the lunch thing was an excuse considering how fast Dave was out the door. She wished she could join him.
"Great now I have early morning therapy."
"You deserve it for that little stunt. Stacy ignore her, she's like Daria but with lip gloss. You remember my sister's friend Jane. Don't scare the pregnant lady, Bianca. This is my old friend Stacy Rowe from high school." Quinn said formally introducing her daughter to Stacy. She seems so different in her light blue business suit and short hair.
"It's Rowe–Ruttheimer now. You remembered Charles from high school?" she asked, introducing her husband who just returned with more napkins. It really was Upchuck but with better clothes.
"Why didn't I go to the high school reunion? Great, I miss all the best stuff. How the hell did this happen?" Jane asked the question that Quinn was thinking.
"It's a long story." Stacy said as her cell phone started chirping. She grabbed her phone but her husband took it from her before she could read the message.
"The slave driver is angry." Charles said as he read the text.
"What did Sandi want?" Stacy said with a sigh.
"High school Sandi?" Quinn asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. She is worse now. After Stacy was kind enough to put in a good word for Sandi at the station, Sandi paid her back by sleeping with the boss to get ahead and demoting Stacy to the position of lackey."
"I am her research assistant." She was half tempted to mention that she was shocked Stacy was doing any type of job involving research but then she remembered how upset she was at David a few minutes earlier. Stacy wasn't stupid she just pretended to be. Sandi was intimidated by anybody who was better than her, which explains why she apparently kept Stacy under her thumb now.
"You do all the work for the bitch." Charles said angrily.
"We can talk about this later Charles. What does she need me to do?" Stacy asked.
"It doesn't matter. You're not doing it. Let the bitch take care of her own child for once." Fortunately,Chloe called at that moment babbling about the idiotic thing Alexis just did at the mall. She had a good idea why Sandi just sent Stacy two more text messages that had Charles screaming. She quickly called Brooke to arrange legal representation before she interrupted the arguing couple. Quinn was just glad David was gone because he would have a field day with this. He would find out about it Monday anyway.
"I think I know why Sandi keeps messaging you. Alexis, Chloe, and the rest of the fashion club were just arrested at the Fashion Connection for shoplifting." Quinn said with a touch of irritation.
"She is in so much trouble. Can I take pictures?" Bianca asked smiling.
"Not now Bianca. One more word and you have to spend the entire day with grandpa." Quinn sternly told her daughter.
"Ruin all my fun." Bianca mumbled under her breath.
"You know Chloe?" Stacy asked hesitantly.
"She is my other daughter and the reason why my colorist is now dealing with gray hair." Quinn said with a sigh.
She was going to kill her. She was taking after her biological mother. This seemed like something Lindsey would do. Actually, this was something Lindsey did a lot back in the day. Quinn kept it out of the papers because she secretly made deals with all the stores to pay for any of the missing merchandise.
"That explains why Sandi hates her and Alexis sees her as a rival." Charles told her.
"High school really never ends. Jane, could you please take Bianca home?" Quinn asked her and she quickly nodded yes.
"Why can't I go with you?" Bianca asked.
"Because if you want your allowance increase by $100 a month you will do as I say and not ask any questions. Also, if grandma is still there don't say anything." Quinn said using her mom voice.
"Find." Bianca acquiesced.
"Do you want to ride together to the police station? Quinn asked, turning to Stacy. "You can tell me all about how you ended up working with Sandi again."
"I ponder the question myself sometimes." Charles mumbled under his breath.
"That works. Can we stop off at my house first so I can change?" Stacy asked pointing to her hot chocolate covered suit.
"Sure." Quinn said walking back to get the bag that led to her earlier embarrassment and her reunion with her old high school friend.
To be continued
The good news is I have the next chapter written. Originally this was going to be one huge chapter but when it reached almost 12,000 words I decided to divide it in two chapters.