Cold Feet

Chapter 21

CHRISTINE

I see Lara enter the coffee shop and I wave to get her attention. She smiles when she sees me and crosses the table. I stand and we kiss each others cheeks on both sides before sitting down.

The waiter arrives almost as soon as we’re seated and we place our orders without looking at the menus. We’ve been coming here so long we know what’s great and what’s not. The waiter leaves and we start to chat.

“You’re looking great,” I compliment Lara.

“Thank you. I started a diet and I’ve been sticking to it for once. I’ve also started jogging every day.”

“Wow, why the sudden change?”

“Well, you know, Brad started making remarks about how much he likes that there’s so much more of me to grab since I picked up some weight. It seems to drive him crazy in bed.”

“So enjoy it girl,” I say.

“Well, actually, I took it as a wake up call. You know, it’s kind of like buying bigger clothes because your old ones don’t fit anymore? So, you buy bigger clothes and you feel good about yourself again. Then they get too small too and you buy new, bigger clothes again. You keep deceiving yourself until you find you’ve gained so much weight it seems like you’ll never lose it.”

I nod. “I know where you’re coming from. It’s so true. Remind me when I forget what you just told me in the future.”

Lara laughs, “I don’t think that day will ever come. You just seem to burn off everything that you eat as soon as you eat it.”

“Thanks. I do exercise every day too though. And I try to watch what I eat,” I reply.

Our meals arrive and we thank the waiter. After he has poured the wine we continue talking. Lara is also a wedding planner and we have been friends since what seems forever. She is successful but not as successful as me. She’s happy though. She’s married, has two kids and balances her work with her family life well.

We talk about events we’ve done since we last saw each other which was over a month ago. We usually meet every two weeks but as things would have it we’ve just haven’t been able to meet until now.

Lara remembers something and her face lights up.

“Oh! Have you heard? Viola Horton is looking for a job back in LA.”

I put my knife and fork down and finish chewing. I swallow and take a sip of wine.

“The Wedding Whisperer girl?” I ask.

“The very one,” Lara says.

“How do you know?”

“Well, I’m looking for an assistant and I placed the job with a recruitment consultant. He called me and told me she’s looking for a job. She’d like to come back to the industry but is also considering other options, even secretarial jobs.”

I nod. “Poor girl. She really had a rough time of it didn’t she?”

“I’ll say,” Lara says. “I think we all thought what she did was a clever idea but the public obviously didn’t.”

“It was kind of like the Wall Street drama for wedding planners. I admit it was a good idea but it did a lot of damage to the industry.”

“It’s all been forgotten already. Put her out of business though.”

“It sure did,” I reply. My mind is working quickly. There is an idea I’ve been playing with, which I think is risky too which is why I haven’t developed it. I really don’t want Viola back in the industry. Even if she finds a place as an assistant how long will it be before she starts to make a name for herself again?

“So are you going to give her the chance? Are you going to employ her?” I ask Lara.

“Well, I’m pretty keen to do it. I’m giving it some thought.”

I realize I need to take control of the situation. If Viola comes back I should be in control of her situation. That way I can ensure she’ll never rise above me. I can even bring her down a second time and maybe this time she’ll stay down for the count. I surprise myself how quickly I think up a scheme there and then.

“You know what?” I say to Lara.

“No, but I think you’re about to tell me,” she smiles.

“It was a shame how her business was ruined so fast. She is talented. I met her at an exhibition. I don’t know why but we clashed. Perhaps we’re too much alike. I certainly see part of me from my younger days in her. I’d like to help her but there’s no way she’ll accept my help…”

“Wow. Did you clash that badly?” Lara asks.

“It was petty really, but I know for sure she won’t take help from me. But perhaps we can work together to put her back on her feet. You’ll have to be the one to make the offer and work with her though. You

can’t ever tell her that I am supporting her and the job. I’ll even pay part of her salary.”

“I’m glad you’d like to help her. I feel sorry for her. I believe she hasn’t had an easy life. No wonder she’s driven to succeed.” Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“What do you mean she hasn’t had an easy life?” I ask.

“The papers dug up her whole past. She was born an illegitimate child. Her father was a banker. He told her mother he was divorced when she worked for him as his nanny. They developed feelings for each other and one thing led to another and her mother fell pregnant with her. When that happened, her father turned his back, fired her mother and tossed them on the street. Her parents are both dead now and when that whole wedding blew up she was still paying the medical bills for her mother. Both her parents are gone.”

I listen as Lara relays the history of Viola. It makes me all the more determined to put her down. She’s nothing but an upstart. We all have problems in life and we have to deal with them. I don’t remember reading what Lara is telling me but it doesn’t matter.

She took clients away from me. Every client I was losing, I was losing to her. It was like she was attacking my business. I heard she said I was her idol. Idol, my ass. More like it just to get close to me and steal more clients. Isn’t that the way it works? You always go after the competition. And what better place to do it than at an exhibition where we met? No, she’s not going to rise from the ashes. Not if I can help it.

I know I can do this. I will put that upstart from the wrong side of the tracks down for the count. I’m going to enjoy doing it too. She will be sorry she ever tried to compete with me. When I’m done she’ll have nothing left at all. I don’t know how she was so lucky to get away so easily the first time. I imagined lawsuits lining up at her door for years, but the furore ended almost as soon as it began.

She won’t be so lucky this time. I’ll teach her a lesson she could never learn in school. A very expensive lesson in life.

Finally, I smile at Lara. She’s one of my besties but she can’t know the truth of what I’m planning. When it’s all over, she won’t be any the wiser either. She’ll eventually see that little upstart for what she really is.

“That’s really sad,” I remark. “It will be great to see her get back on her feet. You and I can help her but as I said, she can’t know I’m helping or she won’t accept it. You know people can be like that. They’ll rather go without than forget and move on.”

Lara sighs. “I guess.”

“But anyway, I don’t hold it against her. Some things take time.”

Lara nods. “That they do.” Then she sits forward and rests her head on her hands as she looks at me, all ears, “So what’s your idea to help her?”