I stopped to pick up a coffee on the way to my nine am presentation and had strangely, been in a great mood all morning. Juggling my coffee, keys and phone in one hand, I opened my car door with the other. The chiming of my phone echoed as I slid behind the wheel and I smiled, knowing it was Jared. He promised to text when they arrived for their next show.
Dropping the keys in my lap, I sipped the scalding coffee before placing the cup into my newly clutter free console. I had been so proud of myself for eliminating unnecessary junk and people from my life. Ever since that day at the gym, I somehow managed to avoid Shannon and Dominique, and my relationship with Jared had improved greatly. I had my good days and bad ones, but as of lately, the good far outnumbered the bad. Nevertheless, I frowned when reading Jared's message.
'Just checked into the hotel, but I have no fucking idea what's going on.. Shannon didn't make the flight and he's not responding to any of my texts. I've been on the phone for over an hour attempting to track him down. Hope your day is going better than mine. Talk soon.'
I flung the phone onto the seat next to me and shoved the key into the ignition. Sighing, I hated the obvious strain between Jared and Shannon and couldn't help but feel like it's partly my fault. They had been talking, but it was business only, and even though Jared steered clear of the subject, I knew better than to bring it up. I also knew that eventually this would probably result in a huge blow up.
It took me ten minutes to make the drive to my clients home to lay out my ideas. Sondra and I had known each other for many years and I'd done a few jobs for her in the past. She usually loved my ideas and I had been really excited for this job, but the more I thought about Jared's text, the more distracted I became.
I parked my car and took a deep breath, grabbing what I would need, my laptop, accessory bag and coffee. I chucked my phone into the bag and stood there, tapping my foot against the asphalt, staring into the back seat and trying desperately to figure out if I was forgetting anything. When I was satisfied I wasn't, I slammed the door shut and locked up before sauntering up to the security fence and pressing the call button.
Minutes later, I was sitting on the couch, showing Sondra images I created on my laptop. My 3D design was realistic and I was anxious to hear her thoughts.
She was especially cheerful, and loved my layout, however, there were a few minor adjustments made to the color scheme. She continued chatting long after offering me the job, but I lost interest somewhere between her telling me about her vacation villa in the Caymans, and the new hubby's hideous ex wife.
Sondra was in her fifties, but appeared much younger than she really was. Tiny and petite, the feisty blonde inherited her fortune from husband number one, who dropped dead of a heart attack in 1990. She maintained her fantastic figure through the years and had no problem attracting husband number four, Derek. I glared at their wedding photo and knew he couldn't be a day over thirty-five. It only took me a few minutes to realize that I'd seen his face plastered across a few billboards around town, offering his services as an injury attorney.
Giving an occasional nod, I concentrated my eyes on the massive television screen mounted to the wall just above the fireplace. Sondra was one of the nicest people I'd ever met, but her high pitched voice was starting to give me a migraine.
I took advantage of Sara's phone call, using her as an excuse to escape Sondra, who followed me all the way out to my car.
I assured her that I'd get started first thing Monday morning and wished her a good weekend as I slipped behind the wheel. As I drove away, I watched her disappear through the fence in my rear view mirror.
