we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 11

Friday morning, Jennie was coming out of a strategy meeting, after spending an hour pushing her new long-term plan of action to promote J Corporations's ethically oriented approach to cleaner energy practices in manufacturing. The relevant department heads were all there, new plans to boost social media presence and environmental initiatives, as well as a decision for a press conference on Jennie's behalf to implement the company's vision, and she was feeling rather pleased with herself as she swept out of the office.

Karina greeted her outside of the conference room with a pressed juice and a tablet, "how did it go?"

"Perfectly," Jennie lightly replied, a smile twitching her lips. "Remind me to speak with Jisoo on Monday about the budgeting for the new social media campaign; I don't have time today. Where am I needed next?"

"Conference room three on the Operations and Supply Chain floor. I left you a ten minute window to freshen up. There was also a phone call for you on your private cell."

"Did you take a message?"

"It was Roseanne Park. She said she'd call back at lunch."

Jennie glanced sideways at Karina, trying to maintain her aloofness as she held out her hand, "I'll just call her back now."

"Of course."

Taking her cell phone, Jennie stopped in the wide hallway and gave her assistant a smile, "thanks, Karina."

Nodding, Karina strode towards the elevators and pushed the button as the flow of employees dispersed back to their own floors. Opening the door to an empty room, Jennie dialled Rosie's number and took a sip of her juice as it rang.

"Hi! Sorry, I didn't realise you were in a meeting. Your assistant seems nice!"

"Hi, it's fine," Jennie said with a smile, "and she is. I wouldn't survive without her, but don't tell her that."

"You should tell her that," Rosie chided her.

Rolling her eyes as she bit back a smile, chewing on the paper straw, Jennie shook her head, eyeing the sprawling city through the full-length windows taking up the complete back wall. "Okay, okay. What did you call for?"

"Dinner. Tonight. Alice really wants to meet you and I've held her back for as long as I could, but after the other night, I thought that ... well, maybe it's not such a bad idea. If you want to. Of course you don't have to, but I'm already going out for drinks with her and Ashley after work tonight so I thought ... maybe you'd want to come too."

"Dinner? With your sister?" Jennie echoed, her stomach flipping with nerves as her mouth went dry.

"Yeah. Just the four of us. It'll be public so you can always make an excuse and bail if you want."

Rosie laughed but Jennie didn't take it as a joke, she might actually need an escape route. She was no good with people, but especially not the adored sister of someone she actually liked. It sounded like her worst nightmare, but she knew that it would mean a lot to Rosie, could sense it in the anxious tone of her voice as she worried that Jennie would say no. And if it was important to her, it was important to Jennie.

"Dinner sounds great. If you haven't settled on a place yet, I can get my assistant to book something. We can meet there."

"Okay, but nowhere too fancy."

Shaking her head slightly as her eyes closed, Jennie softly sighed, "okay, fine. I'll text you the details. Do you want me to get my driver to pick us all up?"

"We'll be fine. I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

The call ended after that and Jennie's brow puckered as she sucked on her straw, exiting the room to find Karina waiting at the elevator, the hallway now empty, leaving them to climb into the next one that arrived. Rubbing at a tender spot above her left eyebrow, Jennie pursed her lips.