we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 25

Waking up early the next morning, Jennie made her way downstairs to the gym, dressed for a workout and puffy eyed from a lack of sleep. Even after her talk with Alice it had taken her another hour to doze off, and she'd slept fitfully for a few hours before rising, brimming with too much pent-up energy, despite her exhaustion.

Whaling on a boxing bag until her wrapped knuckles hurt and her arms felt rubbery and on fire, Jennie climbed onto the treadmill for a two mile run before she collapsed down on a gym mat and stretched, feeling her muscles twinge and her heart rate slow as she forced in steady lungfuls of air. Sweat dried on her skin and snagged a small towel from the rack and wiped her brow as she made her way upstairs.

She heard movement in the kitchen but headed upstairs for a shower first, scrubbing herself clean and wincing at the tenderness of her scraped knuckles. Dressing for work in an oyster grey pencil skirt and a silk blouse, Jennie did her makeup and sprayed on perfume, glancing at the clock and noting how much time she had. It was just after seven and she didn't have any meetings until nine-thirty, according to the schedule Karina kept updated.

Padding downstairs barefoot, she carried her heels and handbag, a thin trench coat thrown over her arm and left on the narrow bench in the hallway before she stepped through the open archway and through to the kitchen. Alice raised her eyebrows at her appearance and Ashley glanced over her shoulder, a coffee cup in hand, frowning slightly.

"You're working today?"

"I've already missed enough meetings over the last couple of weeks," Jennie muttered, making for the coffee machine.

"Give yourself a day before you throw yourself back into it," Alice chided her.

Shrugging, Jennie watched strong espresso drip into the tiny cup and pursed her lips slightly, her back to the other women as she swallowed thickly. "There's an upcoming annual shareholder meeting I need to prepare for."

Alice softly swore, shaking her head, and Jennie turned, espresso cup pinched between thumb and index finger before she knocked it back, leaving a smear of red lipstick on the rim. She cleared her throat and set it down in the sink. "I should get going."

"At least eat something before you go," Alice pressed.

Suppressing a sigh, Jennie rolled her eyes, giving into her fussing, if only to avoid the hassle. She hadn't imagined that she'd be subjected to being pestered while Rosie was gone, being babysat by Alice and Ashley, who clearly didn't think she could look after herself well enough without their supervision. Jennie supposed that Rosie had been smart to leave her with the two of them; she did have the bad habit of skipping meals and sleep in favour of work.

Pouring a small portion of granola into a bowl with Greek yoghurt, Jennie leaned against the counter and shovelled it into her mouth without really tasting anything. She dumped her bowl into the sink once she was done and fixed the cuff of her shirt before giving Alice a pointed look.

"Alright, I need to go. Are you guys good to lock up? Rosie gave you her key, right?"

"Mhm."

"Okay. Um ... thanks for last night."

They both smiled slightly and nodded and Jennie slowly rubbed her palms together. Reaching out, Alice gave her a sympathetic look and squeezed her arm. "No problem, just try and take it easy today."

"Yes, boss," Jennie said with a wry smile.

She had every intention of throwing herself into her work, to drown out any thoughts of Rosie, if only for a moment. It was being home alone that troubled her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to avoid missing her in the empty house. Throwing herself into blueprints and statistics and project proposals would be a welcome reprieve, and Jennie had every intention of utilising it as much as possible.