These will be relatively short chapters as I'm working on some other things at the same time. Guest, thanks so much for your review!
Aubrey sent Chloe back to her room to put her things away. There was still a little bit of work she had to get done before she could turn her attention to more pleasant pursuits. The owners of the retreat had put her in complete control of the day to day operations and corporate relations. The tasks sometimes required a certain social delicacy that had not been her forte in the past.
She learned to manage it. People and information were hard to oversee but in the time between graduation and getting this job she'd put a lot of work in on her mental state. Her control issues were only troublesome if she didn't have coping mechanisms in place. With some help, she was able to get a handle and develop a more balanced considering which impulses to act upon. It allowed her to be more able to see the big picture of how her words and actions affected people. Under her anxiety and fear lay a person who was genius at handling people, being a competent manager, and taking care of a flourishing business.
One last email, a short missive confirming an appointment, and she was ready to go. She'd taken the next two days off, a rarity. The demands of her job made her proud but recouping from them was sometimes problematic. The nature of her work was such that even when she was off, she was on call. So, there wouldn't be a complete break. If there were any major issues she would be right back in the office.
She reached out, flicking off the monitor and retrieving her keys from the top drawer. The office held confidential client information. Even though it was locked in her desk, she felt the need to lock the door as well. She twisted the knob to check that it was locked and walked down the hall and past reception.
"I'm leaving, Mona. Call me if there's an emergency but otherwise don't" She pinned the girl in her gaze. Sometimes Mona was a little too quick to make a small situation into a real issue. Aubrey liked the girl. She had a silly sense of humor and her intelligence was deceptive. Still, Aubrey was also Mona's boss and that relationship took precedence.
"Gotcha," Mona replied, giving her a mock salute. "Have fun with your girl person." She leaned forward, putting a hand to the side of her mouth in a conspiratorial manner. "She's really, really hot."
Aubrey shook her head, and let out a laugh but played along and whispered back. "Yes, she is." Two years ago that comment would have left her jealous and incensed. Now, she only felt a little twinge at the thought of Mona checking Chloe out. She eyed the magazine on the reception desk and pointed. "I wasn't aware that part of your job description involved reading trashy magazines."
The horror stricken look Mona wore was too good. Aubrey's face cracked into a smile. "I'm just messing with you." Honestly, she didn't blame Mona. Sitting out here answering phones had to get boring. "I'll see you later." She waved and turned for the door, happy to see the sun was shining bright.
Mona breathed a sigh of relief behind her and chuckled. "Good one, boss."
Once out the door she felt free. Exploration was an appreciated new frontier, one that she'd not taken up for herself until recently. Thoughts of self devaluation kept her from really believing that she deserved Chloe's affection. For the other part, fear of having her heart broken took care of the rest of the reason she hadn't given herself over to the relationship.
They were different people now and she was no longer scared of distance and the influence of others. Each step towards Chloe meant a foot towards the future. She needed that. Meaningful relationships of a romantic nature were few in her life. She had made it so over the years of holding those interactions away from her. They were something to avoid. Experience had let that feeling of emptiness eat at her until the thought of letting someone in landed more on the positive side than the negative.
Chloe had stayed, even after she had been pushed away. That was significant. The sun beat down on her shoulders, calming her rather than causing discomfort. Today, she was ready to tell the world that Chloe Beale was the only person that could understand and love her not in spite of but because of her fucked up mind. In her turn, she loved Chloe for everything that she was, even when she was angry, annoyed, or afraid, Chloe still made her heart swell.