A/N: It won't let me put breaks of any kind into this story, so I'm going to go to bed before I throw my computer against the wall. I hope it comes across clearly.
Starting Over, Chapter One
by superscar
"Nathan, how can you possibly find anything in this?" Lucas waded through his brother's office.
"Why do you think I'm trying to find an assistant, dumb ass?" Nathan rolled his eyes, "Oh hey, speaking of that, do you think I could use your office for the last few interviews? I don't want to scare them off or anything."
"What's wrong with the conference room, dick hole?"
"She'll know I have something to hide!"
Lucas tried to push the drawer to the file cabinet back in. "Why's it a she? What if you hire a guy?"
Nathan laughed. "Yeah. I'm sure I'll do that."
"You ever consider basing your decisions on ability rather than cup size?"
"Of course. But then, I'm a leg man." Nathan smiled.
"You realize you're hiring someone to assist you, Nathan, not date you?"
"Don't believe in multi-tasking, Luke?"
"Is that what you looked for on their resume?"
"Only because I wasn't allowed to ask for a picture."
"God," Lucas finally got the file drawer back in, "You're a sexual harassment case waiting to happen."
"So was that a yes or no on your office?"
After hours in the conference room, Nathan was down to his second to last interview with... he checked his list, Haley James.
Why did that name seem so familiar?
The door opened and the receptionist led in his next victim, as Lucas referred to them. Or, play mate, as Nathan preferred.
He stood up to meet her and held out his hand, "So you must be..." Her eyes hit him and he knew. It all came back in a flash and it was like that day in high school was yesterday.
"...Nathan Scott?" she breathed and he smiled.
He wasn't alone in the recognition, thank God. That would be awkward. "Good to see you, Haley."
"Did you know it was me, I mean," she sat down in the chair he offered her. "... it has to have been what, ten years?"
"Something like that...I'm glad to see you survived high school," he'd meant it as a joke, but the light in her eyes dimmed.
"Yeah. You too," she squirmed in her seat and wondered if he should assure her that despite seeing an extremely small picture of her naked, he didn't think any less of her? But he liked to leave the 'condescending ass' gene to Lucas. He got into that kind of crap.
"So!" Nathan decided to change the subject, "Why would a smart girl like you want to be my administrative assistant?"
"Oh, I'm just looking for a change of pace," she shrugged.
"Cool. When can you start?"
"Just like that? Don't you want to see my resume or something?" she goggled at him.
"Haley, you were my tutor. God, you're smarter than me... shut up, I know what you're thinking. Anyway, as I recall, you used to alphabetize your books inside your locker. Or am I thinking of someone else?"
Haley blushed, "I only did that...once...maybe twice."
"Oh yeah?" he was doubtful.
"Fine!" she gave in, "Yes, it was me. I was a total nerd."
"So, I ask again... When can you start?"
"How's now?"
"Perfect," he held out his hand, "Welcome to Scott Enterprises."
As he led her through the office, making introductions, Haley couldn't help but notice how things had changed for him since high school.
Well, not really changed, apparently once on top, always on top. He probably wouldn't even know how to function in any other environment.
Haley's normal reaction to seeing anyone she'd known in high school was to hide, or even pretend to be someone else. But she could see it in their eyes, the pity, amusement, even outright curiosity about her after 'the tape incident.' With Nathan Scott, there was none of that. She wasn't even a hundred percent sure he had still been there when it happened. It might have even...did he leave that same day?
She hoped so, the thought of just being able to relax around someone who thought she was normal was a relief.
"And THIS," Nathan wound down his tour, "Is my office."
Haley laughed. The question of why he needed an assistant was very clear. Actually, a maid service would be a more accurate assessment.
She gave Nathan a big smile, "I'm gonna need a raise."
Nathan grimaced, "Very funny."
"I thought so."
"Okay, obviously, the first order of business is to get things all...fixed."
"Organized?"
"Right, that," he agreed. "And then it is just regular like, phones, files, e-mail, that kind of stuff."
"All the crap you don't want to deal with?" Haley translated.
"Well, as you can see, I don't do it either way, so if you could, this would work a lot better. And it would keep my ass employed."
"Your ass employed?" Haley was amused, "I didn't know this was that kind of company."
"Don't you have some cleaning to do, smart ass?"
Haley was almost exactly how he remembered her, which was strange. She had to have changed in the decade since he'd seen her, but other than the obvious physical changes, she still managed to retain that sweetness she'd had then.
It was good to know they hadn't broken her.
Another thing she hadn't lost was the innate ability to organize him. Files were going into the actual cabinet and she had mentioned something about alphabetizing that would probably be helpful as well.
"Nathan, I know this may be a stupid question."
"Now, Haley, you know there are no stupid questions."
"Oh yeah?" Haley countered, "How about 'Who's the left fielder for the Chicago Bulls?'"
He grimaced, "Stop, you win. What's the question?"
"What do you DO? What's your job?"
"V.P. Public Relations."
"Do you have to relate to the public a lot?"
"Well, the whole advertising department is under me-" Nathan tried to ignore how dirty that sounded.
"Lucky them," she muttered and he could tell she was thinking the same thing.
"Not like that!" he snapped, "Well, for the most part."
"Yick," she made a face.
Lucas was right, he couldn't stay appropriate in the work place to save his life. "Whoa, hey, it's ten past five."
Haley glared at him, "You just had to drag that ten extra minutes out of me, didja?"
"Nah, I was just so into cleaning that I lost track."
"Right. You haven't changed that much since high school."
"True. Guess you're just good company."
"Well, that is true," she admitted, "So! I'll see you Monday, then! 8? 9?"
"9:00. I don't believe in waking up before the sun."
"Good policy," she picked up her purse, "Well, I guess I'll see you then!"
"Yeah. Nice to see you again, Haley."
She gave him a little wave and left. This would work out, he couldn't help but thinking. The only risk in hiring Haley was that she'd be too good and he couldn't afford her or that she'd get a better job and leave him. They'd only had time to just start going through his office and it was already looking better.
"Whoa, what happened here?" Lucas asked from the door, "Did I go back in time?"
"New assistant works fast."
"Why didn't you introduce her?"
"Now, why do you automatically assume it's a woman?"
Lucas banged his head against the wall.
"You were on the phone with Dan."
"I hate that man," Lucas sighed.
"Me too," Nathan agreed, "It's fairly pathetic that we're both somehow employed by him."
"He wants us to stay late and go over the quarterlys."
"OR we could go drink," Nathan suggested.
"Much better plan, I'll get my coat, you call a cab."
Nathan looked around at the place Lucas dragged him to. It was fairly classy for it's type, but he was still shocked that Lucas, of all people, had wanted to frequent it.
"I heard they have good food," he shrugged innocently.
"Right, and you go to Hooters for the chicken wings?"
"No, should I?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah, they're awesome."
The music pumped around them as strippers twirled around a pole and Nathan admired their flexibility.
"Can I offer you fine gentlemen a drink?" a waitress approached them and Nathan didn't even bother to turn.
"I'd like a scotch, neat," Lucas answered her, "... and my brother here would like a mango daquiri with a fun little umbrella."
"Shut the fuck up," Nathan turned to deck Lucas, "Just give me a beer," he told the waitress, but she didn't move and he looked at her for the first time.
His stomach fell as his eyes roamed over her barely there bikini top, flat, naked stomach and skin tight leather pants. At any other time, it was a sight he would have liked, but he felt too ill to enjoy it.
"I'll just...get your order," Haley whispered, spinning around immediately, sending her hair flying out in a fan.
How could Haley James work in a strip club? He wanted to follow her and ask, but all he could do was sit down and try to catch his breath.
"You okay?" Lucas asked.
"Fine. She just looked familiar."
"Why? Fuck her already? Small world," Lucas laughed and Nathan wanted to punch his face in.
You didn't just fuck Haley, she was a lady, she was...apparently working at a strip joint. Was she a stripper? How was that possible?
Another waitress put their drinks on the table and Nathan found himself ignoring the girls attempting to get his attention in order to look for her.
"You're acting totally spastic, just FYI, man," Lucas told him helpfully.
"Thanks, dick. Shut up," he spotted her over by the bar and was out of his seat, "I'll be right back."
He didn't wait for a response, he had to talk to her, no matter what little right he had to do so. "Haley?" he saw her back stiffen and she slowly turned around.
"Nathan," she forced a smile, "My lucky day, what can I do for you?"
"You don't have to pretend this isn't awkward."
"And you don't have to come over to talk to me," she pointed out, not incorrectly. He was the one making things weird. Or weirder than they had to be. They should be ignoring each other like normal people, but he was pushing the issue.
"What happened after I left Tree Hill, Haley?"
"I have to go," she escaped into the women's bathroom to get away from him and Nathan sank into the bar stool.
They'd broken her more than he'd thought.
To Be Continued