ROYAL TOWERS ~ 6 ~ SUNSET & ST. ANDREWS
Hanna sat in her meeting on Monday morning. She tapped her pen against her legal pad as Melinda droned on. Across the table, Duncan sat puppy-eyed constantly sending her apology messages which she conveniently ignored. Luckily Melinda passed a file around the room to distract them all. Then Hanna's eyes landed on the large print at the top that read Caleb Rivers.
"Arts, fashion, entertainment," Melinda addressed them, "you'll all be attending. I expect copious notes. Mr. Rivers is very private and is not granting any interviews. If any of you see him, snag him on the spot. We need an exclusive this month."
"Hey," Duncan looked directly across the room at a panicked Hanna. "Doesn't this guy live on your floor?"
Every pair of eyes in the room stared at Hanna. She could feel them all judging her, knowing that she had let Duncan into her apartment. That they had an illicit relationship.
"Hanna," Melinda snapped at her. "Can you get an interview?"
"I don't know," Hanna shook her head. "Caleb and I go way back. There's some bad blood."
"Try again," Melinda retorted.
"I'll speak with him," Hanna replied.
"Moving on," Melinda turned toward the rest of the room.
Hanna buried her head in her hands. How did she end up here? Now, not only did she have to deal with Duncan and his creepy fixation on her dead best friend, now she needed to secure an interview with the ghost of the man who took her innocence.
When the meeting was over, Hanna gathered her notes and headed straight for her desk. No loitering in the conference room anymore and sneaking kisses from Duncan. No more lunch dates at fancy steak restaurants. She was going to have to make new friends. But first, she needed to get Caleb's interview.
Hanna slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the lobby. On the way, she literally ran into a statuesque brunette wearing a fitted red wrap dress. Hanna dropped her bag and stooped down to pick it up noticing the woman's shiny red-bottoms.
"I love your shoes," Hanna told her.
"Thanks," the woman replied.
"Have we met?" Hanna asked her. "I'm Hanna Marin. Fashion."
"Coral St. John," the woman shook her hand. "Arts and entertainment."
"Nice to meet you," Hanna replied. "I better run."
"Okay, bye," Coral waved as Hanna bolted for the elevator.
Hanna stood at her front door digging through her purse to find her keys. It took nearly ten minutes before she began to panic and plopped down on the floor, dumping the contents of her bag on the floor. She scanned it profusely before she came to the horrid realization that she had left her keys inside and locked the door behind her.
"Shit," she groaned. "Fuck! Shit! Dammit!"
She chucked a lipstick against the door and curled up into a ball to sulk. Then Caleb's door opened. He stood shirtless peering down at her with a goofy smirk plastered on his face.
"Having trouble?" he asked.
"I locked myself out," she replied. "Any chance you still remember how to pick a lock?"
"I think I can help," he said.
Caleb pulled out his key ring and unlocked the door to Hanna's apartment with a blue stained key. He opened the door for her and then helped her gather her things.
"Have you always had that?" she asked.
"Yeah," he shrugged. "The old lady who used to live here was constantly losing her keys. After a while she went to Home Depot and had a spare made to leave at my place."
"Good to know," Hanna replied. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said sincerely.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked. "I have beer."
"I don't think that's a good idea," he told her.
"For old times?" she asked.
"Okay," he followed her into the open studio.
Hanna plopped her stuff on the kitchen counter and then grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. She opened them and handed one to Caleb before taking a swig of her own. Then Caleb noticed the flyer with his art show printed on it.
"What's this?" he asked.
"You know better than I do," she replied.
"I wish they wouldn't make such a big deal," he sighed. "It's just trash.
"I've seen your installations," she said. "They're evocative. I never really expected you to become an artist but, you make a damn good one."
"Trust me," he laughed. "I didn't plan on it. I found some scrap metal and practiced my wielding. Nothing to be proud of."
"Agree to disagree," Hanna replied.
A moment of silence filled the room while they both reflected on their past relationship.
"So," Hanna finally broke through the silence, "can I ask you for a favor?"
"Other than breaking into your apartment?" he asked.
"This is a much bigger favor," she replied.
"You're scaring me," he told her.
"My boss wants an interview with you," she said finally. "I know you don't give them so I don't really expect anything, but I told her I would ask."
"You got it," he smiled.
"What?" Hanna furrowed her brow.
"I'll do it," he told her. "The interview. I'll give you an exclusive."
"Thank you!" she ran over and hugged him.
Caleb put his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. Then she pulled away, his grip still tight around her. There was a moment when their eyes met. Then she stood up and dusted herself off. This couldn't happen. Not with Caleb, not after everything.
Hanna strolled into her office and dropped her bag on her desk. Then she pulled out the tiny card with Caleb's contact info on it. She stormed right over to the desk with a nameplate that read Coral St. John.
"Hey," Hanna smiled at her.
"Hi," Coral replied. "Can I help you?"
"You write for the arts?" Hanna asked. Coral nodded. She handed her the card. "Here."
"What's this?" Coral examined the paper. "An interview with Caleb Rivers? Why me?"
"I write for the fashion pages," Hanna told her. "There's no way I can spin this the right way, and so far, you're the only other person I know in this office."
"Thank you," Coral smiled. "This is awesome!"
"Call in the afternoon," Hanna told her. "He sleeps in late."
"Good call," Coral winked at her. "Thanks again."
Hanna gave her a wide smile and then scampered back toward her own desk. Maybe she could make it in the office without Duncan after all.
As usual, ten reviews for the next chapter :)