An Unexpected Love (Complicated Love Series #2) (6 page)

5 YEARS LATER

Oh my God, I’m always late! I set the alarm and like always I’ve slept through it. Now it’s a case of jumping out of bed and taking a very quick shower.

Washing my hair, I don’t even have time to use conditioner. I quickly dress in my black pencil skirt, white blouse, and black suit jacket. I have no time to do anything with my hair, so I pile it into a bun on the top of my head and quickly fumble through my bag looking for my keys. I never leave them in the same place twice, and every day I have to rush around looking for them. It would be a lot easier if I were more organized because then I wouldn’t have to carry out this ridiculous routine every day. Finally locating my keys, I’m out the door heading for work. Instead of taking the stairs, I press the button for the lift. On the way down in the lift, I realize that I’ve forgotten to lock my apartment door. This is going to make me even more late. Instead of using the lift again I race all the way up the stairs and lock my door before using the lift again. Now I’m completely sweating and flustered.

What a way to start the day.

So now I’m hightailing it down the street in downtown Los Angeles. My boss is not going to be happy with me… at all. I’m supposed to be in a meeting taking place right about now. My boss, Mrs. Davies is a tyrant at the best of times. She likes everything done to perfection and hates it when people are late and she can be so snippy at times. I see the QD Fashion sign coming into my sights. Glancing at my watch, I see it’s reaching 9.30 a.m. I was supposed to be at work for 8.30 a.m. this morning and I’m now an hour late.

Weaving in and out of all the busy people on the way to work or browsing the countless shops, I finally grab the handle of the double glass door of QD Fashion and race inside the lobby and to the lifts. On the way, I say a quick hello to Gregory on the desk. He’s been here since I started work and he’s always pleasant. He’s a middle-aged man with gray hair and a bushy mustache. He keeps himself in peak condition and I’ve seen him running most lunchtimes. He makes me feel guilty for not doing more exercise.

The doors to the lift are just closing, so I jam my hand between the two to stop it. I’m the only one in the lift, so I press the button for the eighth floor and slump against the wall. Looking in the mirrored wall, I look absolutely awful. Rushing around does nothing for my complexion and I’m already exhausted.

I’m going to need a night out soon. I used to always go out, back in London, but since moving here I never have the time. It was my dream to work abroad and to work for a big company. When I was in London, I used to work for a corporation called Craze. It was brilliant working there, but it was so small and we only had limited clientele. The great thing was Craze started talking to QD Fashion about combining a winter collection. They were in talks for ages, but finally QD Fashion agreed and my old boss had to organize who would go to represent the company. There was significant competition between me and another woman, Debbie. She was the snooty cow that thought she was better than everyone and always gave her opinion about your work. She always rubbed me the wrong way, and I was damned if she was going to go to Los Angeles over me. We both had a one on one with our boss and basically we had to sell ourselves.

I hate it when bosses ask, “Why should I pick you over the over candidate?” I know I’m good, but I hate trying to express why I’m better than anyone else. People tell me that I can be a bit blunt sometimes and it’s gotten me into trouble in the past. I won in the end after pleading my case and putting countless hours into my work.

I was a rubbish best friend to Annabelle over those weeks. All she was going through and I wasn’t there for her. And to top it all off, I got the job and before I knew it, I was flying out to Los Angeles and staying for a month. In the time while I was there I met the CEO, Mr. Davies, who was really sweet and kind. Not the type of fashion designer I was expecting at all.

His wife, though, well she’s another story and always pisses me off. Mrs. Davies is petite and she has gorgeous brown hair that’s mid length. She doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, but she doesn’t have to because she has the natural look down to a tee. Okay, the reason she probably pisses me off is possibly because I’m a tad jealous. There I’ve said it, she has everything. A good man who idolizes her. She runs the company while Mr. Davies is away on business sorting out new contracts for the company. He always seems terribly busy and that’s why Mrs. Davies is always there running the show. She’s very strict, and with me being someone who is, most of time…late, well it’s just not a good combination.

The lift dings and I make a quick exit and rush down the hall to the conference room. The conference room walls are glass so I can see everyone sitting down and taking notes while Mrs. Davies is using her laptop on the big screen. I stop right outside the door and take a deep breath before stepping into the room. Everyone’s eyes shoot directly at me and I’m suddenly nervous about what’s going to happen next.

“Well, Miss Campbell…Thank you for finding the time to fit us into your busy schedule.” Mrs. Davies crosses her arms and she’s frowning.

“So sorry I’m late.” I hang my head and make my way to a seat next to Lily. I scoot into my chair and take out my notebook. Searching my bag, I can’t find my pen anywhere. Oh God, this is all I need. I look at Lily and mouth to her that I don’t have a pen, but I notice the silence in the room is deafening.

“Something wrong, Miss Campbell?” I cringe and look toward Mrs. Davies. She’s still looking at me with her arms folded. I’ve really pissed her off. Lily nudges my hand and I glance across to find her trying to give me a pen. Taking the pen from her hand, I look back at Mrs. Davies.

“No, I’m good, thanks.” I plaster on a smile, but she doesn’t seem amused.

“Is it all right with you if I continue on now, Miss Campbell?” She’s really starting to annoy the crap out of me now.
I said I’m sorry what more does she want.
I smile my winning smile instead.

“Of course.” I don’t say anything else, I don’t want to get myself in even more trouble. The meeting goes on for another half hour and Mrs. Davies doesn’t make it easy on me. She has me answering so many questions, and she wants me to give my opinion on everything. She doesn’t actually want my opinion mind you, it’s her way of punishing me for being late. I can’t wait to get out of here before I say something that I will regret and ultimately lose my job.

Lunch time is upon us, and Lily and I are walking to our favorite eatery down the street from work. It’s silent but splendid and the food is excellent here. We sit down in a booth near the window. A waitress in a red T-shirt and black leggings with a white apron wrapped around her middle comes over to take our order. Lilly orders chili cheese fries with a mocha latte and I order pesto chicken panini and a Diet Coke. I’m not really keen on hot drinks, and I’m kind of addicted to fizzy drinks. It’s bad for me, but who cares. It could be worse. I’m so tired already and I’ve only been at work for half a day.

“What a day!” I relax back against the booth back. “I seriously thought I was going to get my ass chewed earlier.” Lily laughs and I can’t help smiling.

“I know it was hilarious seeing Mrs. Davies going all bitchy on your ass. I seriously thought you were done for. You’ve been late too many times, girl!” She laughs again. The waitress reaches our table and deposits our food and drinks in front of us. I take a sip of my Coke and tuck into my panini.

“You up for a night out on Friday? We haven’t been out, in like forever…I so need a night out.” She takes a sip of her mocha latte and starts pleading with me before I’ve even answered. “Come on girl…you used to be such a party animal when you first came out here. I miss
that
girl. You’ve been so work hungry for years now, and I don’t know what to do to get you to come out with me.”

She’s right, but I don’t want to tell her about what happened five years ago, and especially not about Karl. I’ve never spoken about him to anyone, and I’m not about to start now. It’s still too painful and I’ve moved on from that situation and those feelings that came out of nowhere after only one night. But what happened after, is the thing that crushes my heart and continues to break it the more I think about it. Before I get a chance to answer my cell starts ringing.

“Tracy your cell phone’s ringing.” I giggle to myself as I retrieve my cell from my bag. When I first came to Los Angeles, I was completely clueless so I was glad meeting Lily, she was so down to earth and a really good friend from the start. She’s slim with wavy red hair which is gorgeous and vibrant. She has beautiful green eyes that look lovely with her red hair. I’ve always told her that she could be a model, but she was never interested because she’s always wanted to be a fashion designer like myself. We have gotten along really well since I moved here. I miss Annabelle like crazy, so it’s really cool to have a friend over here too. I locate my cell at the bottom of my bag and pull it out to answer.

“Hello.”

“Hey, baby…how are you? Haven’t seen you since last week, thought I’d check in and see how you are.” It’s Brandon Lock. He’s a guy I met at a club about a year ago. It was the first time in a very long time that I finally decided to go out on my own. I wasn’t in the mood for company and that’s why Lily doesn’t know. I was only going to stay for a couple of drinks because I’d had such a horrendous day at work. I was not far from leaving when this tall, lean, black-haired guy scooted into the chair opposite me. He was magnificent looking and was dressed in a business suit. He looked very classy and carried himself well. I was in awe of him actually, and his smile was award winning. He was just beautiful.

I hadn’t been with anyone nor even slept with anyone in a long time, not since…we won’t go there, but Brandon was charming and seemed to really enjoy talking to me. We took it slow and went on loads of dates. He wined and dined me and took me to business parties and charity events. I loved getting dolled up and looking like I belonged in his world. He worked for his father’s company. It’s some sort of magazine company but I don’t really know much about it. After six months of dating, we finally slept together. I was worried that I didn’t feel any connection with him, and in all honesty, I don’t feel anything now. He’s a great guy, but I’m not in love with him, and I thought after a year and a half, I should be feeling some sort of love. I keep telling myself that it will come someday, but sometimes I feel guilty for thinking that way. He hasn’t actually said anything to me, so if it works, then I’m not going to worry about it. I haven’t met his parents and we live separately. Brandon has never expressed any more commitment with me than we have, so I assume we are both happy with the way our relationship is.

“Baby…you there.” I’m brought out of my thoughts by Brandon and I notice that Lily is looking at me curiously.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Baby…are you okay?”

Struggling to find the words to say. “Yeah, I’m good. I’m just having lunch with Lily before heading back to work. How’s work?”

“It’s good. It has been a good day…can’t complain really.”

Once again there’s silence between us. We’re never good at small talk and on the phone, it’s even worse. I hear him clear his throat before breaking the silence. “I…um…was just wondering if you had plans for tonight? I wanted to take you to dinner since we haven’t seen each other since last week.” I smile to myself.

“Yeah, that would be great. It would be good to see you.” It shouldn’t be this hard to talk, but with us it always is.

“Excellent, I’ll pick you up at 7.30 p.m. Is there anywhere you would like to go?”

“I don’t mind, Brandon, you decide.” Lily is still looking at me strangely.

“Okay see you tonight.”

“Bye, baby.”

“Bye.” I end the call and slump back into my seat. It’s always so damn awkward between us on the phone, and even when we are together it can get slightly uncomfortable at times. He’s such a lovely guy, but the chemistry is zero. It’s not our fault, but I’m not sure how much longer we can go on like this. I brave Lily’s curious expression and look up to see she has finished off her chili cheese fries and is sipping her mocha latte.

“So…that was Brandon, hey?”

“Yeah, he just wanted to invite me out to dinner tonight.” I’m not really in the mood to finish my panini so I just sit and sip my Diet Coke.

“Well, don’t sound so happy about it. What’s up with you and him?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

She laughs and looks at me with an eyebrow raised. “You do know what I mean. You say you’re happy, but it doesn’t seem like it to me. Why are you with Brandon if you don’t feel anything for him?” I stare at her wide-eyed.
How does she know that?

“How do you know I don’t feel anything for him? I’ve never said that!”

“It’s obvious, Tracy. You better watch yourself because you’re going to end up hurting him if you keep stringing him along.”

“I’m not stringing him along! I can’t believe you think that! I do like and really care about Brandon. We’re happy with the way things are. We get on, and he doesn’t want too much commitment and I'm okay with that.” I huff and gulp the rest of my Diet Coke down.

Lily holds her hands up in front of her. “Whoa, okay…I was just asking. I’m worried about you that’s all, but if you’re happy, then that’s awesome.” She smiles and finishes off her drink.

The waitress comes over and places our bill on the table. I leave some money on the table and we collect our bags and start walking back to work. It’s a beautiful day. I love the weather here in Los Angeles, it’s so different to the weather in London. UK weather is so unpredictable. We arrive at the QD Fashion building and I leave Lily outside to have a cigarette. It’s a bad habit that I’ve never even tried, and I don’t understand why people do it. Making my way back to the eighth floor, I spend the rest of the day in my cubicle, hoping my afternoon is better than my morning.