London Harmony: Squid Hugs (4 page)

We stepped over to the doppelganger of Jen's desk and she said, “ How about we disarm the alarm...”  She trailed off as she remembered again, rolled her eyes as she flopped up a leather pad on the desk, and tapped in a code on the alarm panel displayed on a screen.  Then dozens of screens popped up with different cameras.  I watched with fascination.

She made a “huh” sound.  I looked at her and she said, “A lot more coverage than the main office.  All the security for Walkers is mirrored here too.”  She pointed at a screen.

I almost giggled.  Eliza was already over at Walker's, organizing the stage area for tonight.  She must have accidentally tripped and fell lips first onto her girl, Amy.  They were sharing a sweet but passionate kiss.  They broke apart and were both smiling dreamily as Eliza went back to work.  Waving goodbye to her lady who must have been leaving to get to her own job at Ponsonby Place.

Jen said thoughtfully, “They make such an unlikely couple, but it is plain to see that they were meant to be together.”  I nodded as she minimized all the Walker's feeds and organized the other screens to match what she normally had at her desk.

I took a single step toward the stairs and paused, looking at the lack of treads on the top three stairs.  Ahh... alrighty then.  I looked at the empty spot where a glass elevator should be and chuckled to myself as I remembered they had a freight elevator in the back of the place to get to the second floor until the stairs and glass elevator were completed.

Jen snorted at me, pointing absently back over her shoulder. “In the back, goth girl.”

I playfully slapped at her pointing finger like a cat batting at a toy.  “I know that.”  Then I almost skipped away from her.  I moved past the stairs and through a short hall that had restrooms just like the main branch, but instead of a wall at the end of the hall, it just opened into the doppelganger recording level.  I moved to the end of that hall and instead of a second janitor's closet, there was an old freight elevator with a decorative, wrought iron cage.

When I got to the second level, I stepped out where June's office would have been.  Besides that, it looked like a shrinky dink version of the Pit.

I could hear an imaginary Annette in my head screaming as I stepped into the managerial office.  It was in as much of a disarray as mine had been PA, Pre Annette.  I stared at the mess for a bit, seeing a submerged organization.  I chuckled,  Hector, for all his obsessive nature, was a slob like me.  Outside of his office, he appeared to be uber-organized and anal like I was.

I nodded to myself.  It may have looked like a mess to the untrained eye, but I guarantee you that Hector knew exactly where everything was and that he had a system.  He didn't have a third of the responsibilities that I had since I ran the entire corporation.  But he still had a decent amount of work, managing the staff, and artists who rolled through here.

June wouldn't let me run both locations, something about being only human or some nonsense like that.  I had argued, “What makes you think I'm human?”

She shut me up by opening her arms. Grawl.  Hugz.

I looked around, umm... earpiece?  Wait, they aren't that wired in yet.  I pulled out my iPad and verified connection to their network then tapped the front desk.  “Hey, lady!  How am I supposed to work without an earbud?”

She responded with a chuckle.  “I know, right?  This is so odd.”  Then she added, “You do know that this means we have to modernize them here don't you?  It is like working with blinders on.”

I chuckled about the fact we were of one mind.  It takes little things like this to appreciate what you have and want others to have the same.

A few minutes later, I heard the workers arriving.  I tapped Jen's desk again. “Do me a favor and let everyone know there will be a short five-minute status meeting in the conference room in a half hour, once everyone is here and settled in.  We'll fill everyone in.”

I could hear the salute and crooked smile in her voice. “Captain, my Captain.”

God, she was fun.

When the five other workers were was assembled, I joined them in the conference room.  I sat and Jen stood beside me.  I looked up at her and she cocked an eyebrow at me in response.  Then I realized that that is what she always did whenever June called her into any meetings.  She would stand at her shoulder.  Ooo...  I was J-Dub in this scenario.  I grinned.

We quickly informed the staff of Hector and Thanh Ha's status, and that we would be filling in for them and it would be business as usual around there.  I saw the relieved looks on their faces.  They all knew me, I was involved in hiring each and every one of them, but being at a different location, I could understand the apprehension of having someone from the “main office” suddenly in charge.

I put them at ease.  “Don't worry, I have no aspirations of ruling with an iron platypus.”

They looked at me in confusion, eyes blinking.  Jen bent, placing her head near mine and corrected.  “Fist, woman.  Iron fist.”

I turned to her and raised my chin.  “No.  Platypus.  Every plan is better with animals.”

She argued with a half smile on her lips, “But that makes no sense you silly bird.”

I sputtered. “No sense?  It makes as much sense as fist, I mean, what the heck is that supposed to...”

I paused at the chuckles around the room and Darryl saying in his deep bass, with a toothy smile.  “Ummm... is it alright if the rest of us get back to work while you debate the methods of smiting?”

I had to grin at the man.  His teeth gleamed white in stark contrast to his dark, obsidian skin.  I crinkled my nose. “Smartass.  You get the first platy-smiting.”

His low rumbled laugh was joined by the others as I just waved them all off.  They stood and filed back out.  Jen smiled at me when we were alone and accused, “You did that to make them feel more at ease.”

I shrugged with a smug smile on my face. “Pot, kettle.”

She chuckled and headed toward the door, then paused. She looked as if she were going to say something, then she exhaled and changed tack. “You have a meeting with the Tanner Events in ten.”

I nodded. “Still having problems with the Rowan Tisdale tour organization?”

She nodded with a roll of her eyes.  They had been giving Hector the runaround as we tried to finalize the venues for Rowan's first tour.  It was hard to find larger venues for our country music star in Europe.

I was tired of the noncommittal attitude.  There were plenty of other event organizers if they couldn't get us what we needed.  I'm sure that would light a fire under their butts since our clients are where they get over half their revenue.

I sighed and said, “Time to wield the iron fist.”

She teased with a grin, “Platypus.”  Then she walked out before I could counter.  I chuckled at the sound of her laced honey laugh retreating through the Mini-Pit.

That was a brutal meeting.  I had to remind them that London Harmony has who had put Tanner Events on the map and that we could only partner with planners who had our backs.  Not every artist could draw a capacity crowd, but for country music, Rowan Tisdale was the biggest draw in Europe.  If he were in the States, he would be selling out to capacity crowds in minutes.

Which reminded me.  June had to talk to Rowan about doing a tour in the States.  People back there are going crazy over his sound.  I made a note on my iPad.

I was confident after the meeting concluded that they would give any of our artists the same effort they would give Tabby Cat, or J8 herself.

Jen showed up in the Mini-Pit near lunch with Eliza Montrose in tow.  She said, “Liza was dropping off the mail for the studio and I thought we should spirit her away for lunch.”

I grinned at Liza and asked, “Grawl?”  And the woman hugged me before I could capture her in a hug of my own.

She chuckled and said, “Pre-emptive squid hug.”

Her voice always sounded so interesting to me.  It had the same smoky tones of the jazz she played coloring it.  At times, I wondered if she were actually singing her words in a conversation instead of speaking them.

Don't tell June this, but Eliza reminded me a lot of her, back when we were in college.  When June was a more cocky and sure she could conquer the world with only a smile.  The only difference between their attitudes was that Liza knew she looked good, but not in a vain way.  And she used her looks like another tool in her music and her dealings with others.  June never saw herself as pretty, not realizing just how gorgeous she really was.

There was only one thing that could derail Eliza when she poured on the charm like a freight train, and that was...  She blurted out with a smile and barely restrained excitement, “Amy is joining us.”

And there it was.  Amarissa Hoyte, the tiny, strong willed, infinitely entertaining, cowboy addicted matron of Ponsonby Place.  Then she added when she realized her excitement was showing, “The annoying little runt said she'd meet us at Gertrude's.”

They were the cutest and most surprising couple.  Amy had won her over by simply being herself and making sure that Liza didn't take herself too seriously.  They had that same spark I envied in so many of the couples I knew, like J-Dub and Vanessa.

I have to admit, I was starving, and Gertrude's was a unique experience in London.  It was located in a cobblestone alley with some other back alley shops.  It featured wood-fired pizza in an open brick oven.  You paid one fee and the proprietor brought you as many slices of pizza as you could eat.

You didn't order, you just ate whatever she brought to you, whatever toppings she happened to put on each pizza as she fired them.  And it was sinfully delicious.  I had to watch what I ate for a week after going to Gertrude's, but it was so worth it.

I grinned at the women and said, “Let me just grab my purse.”  I glanced over at the construction workers.  They were making good time on the stairs.  I guessed that they'd be done by this time tomorrow and we could safely walk them.  Then work would start on the glass elevator.

I stepped into the office to find the phone was ringing.  I really missed my earbud.  I answered, and my face split as I smiled and said, “Hiya Paya!  Yes, I'm hiding out here for a few weeks.  No.  Yes of course.  I tell you what, we're heading over to  Gertrude's right now, why don't you join us and you can give me the paperwork there.  Great!  See you there.”

I almost skipped out to the waiting women and said, “Ok, lets hit the road ladies.”

And we headed to the freight elevator.  I added, “Paya is going to join us if you don't mind.  She has some papers for this year's matching contribution to the Flotilla Project that she needs to drop off.”

The two ladies smiled.  I don't think there is a single person who doesn't like Paya Doshi.  She just has one of those genuinely optimistic and helpful personalities.  You always felt like she was looking out for you when she was around.  Not to mention I was jealous of her exotic olive complexion that her Indian heritage gave her.

She is the lifelong best friend of Tabitha Romanov, Tabby Cat, even when Tabby was virtually homeless and living on a floating slum barge on the Thames.  So when Tabby wanted to use part of her earnings when she became famous, to fund a low to no income housing project, it was only natural for her to take on Paya as her partner to head the project up.

We had a blast in the car as we headed to meet the others.  Liza entertained us with stories of how she used to employ creative funding as she backpacked through Europe, playing at various jazz clubs.  By creative, she meant pick-pocketing.  She had a very colorful past.

We all smiled when we arrived at Gertrude's to find Amarissa, who followed the lanyard around her neck up to her glasses, to make sure she was wearing them and that they hadn't gone walkabout.  She focused to the left of Liza and stood on her tiptoes to give her a heated kiss.  Then Eliza said, “Pipsqueak.”  And Amy retorted, “Yank.”  Then they clasped hands, intertwining their fingers.  It was all far too cute.

I sang Jaws music in my head as I sidled over then grabbed Amy into a hug.  Then I turned to the stunning Indian woman had just arrived beside the group, and wiggled my fingers, arms held wide.  Paya grinned and stepped into the hug as she informed everyone, “I'm not a bloody git.  Nobody in their right of mind would forgo a hug from our Zil here.”

I smiled in a silly manner and flopped my head side to side before releasing her back into the wild.  See?  There is at least one person in the world who appreciates my hugs.

Then we invaded the little pizza place, taking half of the indoor seating.  Most of the tables were outside under the big awning.  We chatted and joked all through lunch.  I was intimately aware of the tight quarters and that Jenifer's leg was against mine.  It was all I could do to keep my breathing steady.

My smile only faltered once during lunch, when a businessman in an expensive suit walked past the window.  I noted Jen's eyes drawn to him as she looked him up and down and cocked her head slightly at his butt.  I was jealous.  I knew her type was well dressed professional men who looked like they worked out.  Hell, that had been my type before her smile had so thoroughly enthralled me.  I was such an idiot.

She knocked me out of my thoughts by nudging my leg with hers.  I looked up at the concerned look on her face, smiled reassuringly, and went back to laughing with the girls.  Amy was telling us of the day Eliza had first worn cowboy boots to impress her.  Jen had grinned and encouraged her. “Good on you Amy.  It is all I can do to get this one to wear decent heels.”  She nudged her head toward me.