Page 1 of Back Up Plan

1

ARI

Ari hadno idea what she was doing.

Even though she had been at the agency for years, she hadn’t ever considered what moving up the ladder wouldactuallylook like.

And now, her newly-hired assistant was staring at her like a lost puppy craving approval, but that would’ve required Ari to actually give her work to do.

Half the reason Ari had hired Jess was because of her eager, go-getting attitude. It reminded Ari of herself when she’d first walked through those too-heavy glass doors. She could still picture how silly she’d looked trying to shoulder the door open in three-inch heels.

“I’d be happy to take it on if you think I’m ready,” Jess continued.

Ari hesitated, tilting her head as she considered it. Jess had been making great progress and was really starting to find her footing at the agency. But, a part of Ari still feared trusting someone else with the job she had done for nearly a decade.

“Your plate seems pretty full,” Ari said, offering Jess an out.

Jess shook her head, “I’m really happy to take on more.”

Ari nodded, “Let me think on it more.”

Cleary dejected, Jess smiled and headed for Ari’s office door.

“You’re doing a great job, Jess,” Ari added.

She closed the door softly after a curt nod. Ari spun in her chair a few times before using her desk to still herself.

She knew that Jess was capable of handling more — it was part of why Ari hired her to begin with— but something was stopping her from letting Jess into her client list completely.

She took a deep breath and scrolled through her emails. When she was promoted, John had been more than happy to offload some of his lower-earning clients to Ari’s empty slate, and Ari’d been elated to give those clients a chance to really shine with the attention of a fresh agent.

But she couldn’t do any of that without an assistant. Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, a gentle knock on the door drew her attention.

“Dude, you have to give her something,” Tommy said as she popped open the door.

“It’s funny, I don’t remember telling you to come in,” Ari said, raising an eyebrow.

Tommy laughed as she plopped her lanky body into the emerald, velvet chair in front of Ari’s desk, “That was brutal to watch.”

Ari rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, “How could you even tell what was said?”

“We work in an office with glass walls, haven’t you practiced your lip reading?” Tommy asked before adding, “You’d think you of all people would be pretty good at that.”

Ari tossed a pen in her direction after Tommy winked, “Well, it’s not like I’ve gotten a lot of action lately anyway.”

Tommy smirked, “We could go out tonight and change that streak.”

Ari laughed— the last time the pair had gone out to a club together, they had almost gotten into a fight with a stranger because Tommy liked to make moves on taken women and Ari had to drag Tommy out before she could throw a punch.

“I’m good, thanks,” Ari said.

Tommy rolled her head back and sighed, “Honestly, Ari. It’s getting pathetic. How long has it been? Like, six months?”

Ari shook her head and sighed, “If I come with you, will you stop hounding me about it?”

“No,” Tommy said, “but it will make me happy.”

Ari couldn’t resist her friend’s golden retriever-like grin. Knowing she had won, Tommy pumped her fist. She stood from her chair and headed to the door.

---