When he got downstairs and walked to his car, out of the corner of his eye, he notice the white garment lying on the ground between the buildings. There was no need to walk over to inspect it. For all the control of emotions Gianna had worked so hard to portray, it obviously had gone out the window with the wedding flowers.
Jordan shook his head and continued to his car. Even though he didn’t approve of the wedding, she sure as hell was one beautiful bride. It wasn’t the dress that had caught his attention. He’d found himself staring into her deep blue eyes on more than one occasion. What he found most amazing was she didn’t ever seem to wear any make-up, just like tonight. Pure natural beauty. And yet Marvin ditched her for Rhonda, who there wasn’t anything about her that was real. Not her butt, boobs or face.
Marvin, you really are an idiot. Gianna might be young, but you’re never going to find anyone like her again.
His money was on Gianna. She was going to come out on top of this, and one day, she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Watch out Marvin, because a woman scorned is a dangerous thing and they have long memories. Hope you’re never foolish enough to try to get her back.
As he got into his car he knew Gianna needed to be surrounded by people who’d remind her how lucky she was to be rid of Marvin. Gianna might have declined his offer, which was probably a wise thing, but he wasn’t leaving until he knew she had someone to lean on.
Pulling out his cell phone he tried Mary-Lou one more time. This time she answered his call.
“Hi Mary-Lou. This is Jordan Lawson. I was wondering if you could meet me for coffee. I wanted to talk to you about Gianna.”
“Is she okay?” Mary-Lou asked. “Never mind. That’s a ridiculous question. Of course she’s not. Your friend just ripped her heart out,” she snarled. “And why would you want to talk about Gianna anyway? Are you worried she’s going to do something to Marvin? Because I can tell you, she’s not that type. Me on the other hand, Marvin wouldn’t have anything to drive around in for a year.”
He didn’t doubt that. She was a few years older than Gianna, and definitely had a tougher exterior. It could be an act, or then again, not. Heck, most women wouldn’t be as…calm as Gianna appeared after having such a devastating day. “Actually I just left her apartment.”
“You what?!” In what sounded like a growl she said, “You better not have been there to harass her. She’s had one sucky-ass day already. She doesn’t need you or anyone else rubbing it in.”
“That’s not why I was there,” he stated.
He heard her huff. “She told me what an ass you were to her. I mean I wouldn’t doubt it if you were the one to encourage Marvin to blow off the wedding in the first place. You have some nerve going to see her.”
“And we had dinner,” he said, hoping that would gain her attention. “How about that coffee?” he asked.
“Make it a beer. I’m on my way to work right now. I tend bar. I’ll text you the address. And don’t come dressed all stuffy. They’ll think you’re a cop or something.”
Jordan wasn’t feeling quite as confident any more that he’d called the right person. But at least Mary-Lou sounded like she could take care of herself. Gianna needed a strong person like that right now. Jordan didn’t think Gianna would let Mary-Lou talk her into doing anything to retaliate. At least he hoped not.
As he headed for the bar, he still couldn’t believe he was putting in so much effort to ensure Gianna was okay. It was apparent that he hadn’t misread her feelings of dislike for him. To his knowledge, he hadn’t done anything to earn it.
Compared to Marvin, she probably thinks I’m a saint now.
He was being nice, but beneath it all, he was still an asshole. Nothing was going to change that. It was part of his DNA.
2
It’d been twelve years, but she’d done it. Gianna achieved her dreams and moved past what Marvin might have thought, broke her. But none of it had come easily. Even now as most looked at her as a success story back in Queens, she knew she had a long way to go.
As usual, Gianna was the last one to leave the office. There was so much to do. She thought once she got her company up and running, things would smooth out. Today & Tomorrow wasn’t as easy to run as she’d hoped. She had the clients, but her challenge seemed to be finding the right people to fill the job requests.
When she was going to college, she’d worked for a temp agency very much like hers. She didn’t remember not showing up for an assignment. Didn’t people want to work? If not, then they shouldn’t waste her time, or her client’s. It wasn’t just a tedious task of hiring someone, but a financial one as well.
Thankfully, another fire was out and hopefully tomorrow the person would actually show up for work at Grayson Corp. This was a huge client and she was lucky Rosslyn Lawson wasn’t taking her business elsewhere. Before calling it a day, she was going to touch base one last time with her client.
Gianna dialed the number and Rosslyn’s personal assistant Liz answered the call. “Hello Liz, it’s Gianna again from Today & Tomorrow. I just wanted to ensure you that your new temp will be arriving by nine. Her name is Bobbi. I believe she is what Mrs. Lawson is looking for.” God I hope so.
“Great. I’ll let her know. She has already left for the day. Penelope, her daughter, has a fever, so her Mommy hat is back on,” Liz explained.
She so badly wanted to tell Liz it wasn’t necessary, or proper, to divulge her bosses personal business. But Liz didn’t work for Today & Tomorrow, so it was none of her concern.
I’ve got enough to handle with my own employees.
So much had changed over the past twelve years. She wasn’t the pushover she used to be. Now, she voiced her opinion, spoke up when something was wrong, and was more driven than ever before. Funny how the hard knocks of life can also teach you things if you let them. She was glad she’d made her mistakes at an early age. The lessons were invaluable and had gotten her far in life. When she was nineteen, she never would’ve believed she’d own a temp agency in the heart of New York City. Pretty impressive from where she’d come from. Marvin ‘dumping her’ twelve years ago was the best thing that could’ve happened and Gianna didn’t let one mistake define her life. She went from working as a temp to owning her own company.
Not bad for a girl from Queens.
Even if Liz couldn’t stay focused, Gianna needed to. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I was supposed to meet with Rosslyn tomorrow afternoon. If that doesn’t work for her any longer, please give me a call. I’d be happy to reschedule it.”
“I’ll let her know. Penelope probably picked up a cold while they were down in Tennessee. They went there to meet the newest addition to the family. Marabella. Isn’t that just the prettiest name you’ve ever heard. That’s Ethan and Kollette’s baby. God, she looks just like her mother. Have you ever met them?” Liz asked.
Gianna rolled her eyes. There was no such thing as a short call whenever she spoke to Liz. “No I haven’t.” She tried to keep her answers short and to the point.
“You’ll have to ask Rosslyn to show you a picture. Trust me. Adorable. Then again, so is Penelope. Good thing these babies take after their mothers instead of their dads.”