Page 155 of Go Find Less

“I’m guessing this is your wife?” Jessica nods, and she blushes. Actually blushes, visibly. How had Penny described Jessica’s wife? Oh, yeah, a gorgeous specimen. Well, I mean, this woman has big blonde hair, a tiny frame, and is holding a basketball between her hips, but I could agree with that sentiment. “Lizzy Baker, pleased to meet you.” I hold out a hand, but she pulls me into a hug that leaves me trying to maneuver around her stomach.

I like this Lizzy. I’d trade Mickey’s sister Liz for this Lizzy any day.

“Back to the most pressing questions,” Jackie says from across the room, and Vic grabs her arm, steadying her underneath the brush he has precariously close to her eye. “What? When? How?”

“I thought you two were going to kill each other when we first got together.” Fallon’s voice is matter of fact. Carla snorts.

“They were. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”

“I may have yelled at him when I came here the first time.” I glance around the suite, not addingafter I showed him my vibrator, and then nearly puked upon seeing Andy for the first time in a decade.

“Aboutwhat?” Lizzy sounds scandalized, and holds her hand to her chest like a woman in a Baptist church clutching her pearls.

“He was being an ass and putting the cart before the horse,” Vic answers dryly, but I see the smile on his face. I think his budding bromance with Fitz may be happening just as fast as my relationship did.

“Sounds about right.” Jessica sighs, looking at her wife over her shoulder. “Ten bucks says Liv makes a scene.”

“Liv is coming?” I ask, and feel the color draining from my face. When I’d last asked Carla a week ago, neither Liv nor Ryan had RSVPed yes to the multiple invitations. We figured that they wouldn’t want the drama of being in the same room as Fitz or deal with the commentary it was likely to bring, but her tight lipped look across the room gives me the answer I need. “Fuck my life,” I breathe, moving to drag a hand down my face, but Vic screams “No!”

“Don’t make me start all over.” He points the brush in his hand at me “Or I will come over there and kick your pretty little ass.”

“Say it again,” I moan, covering my eyes.

“Pretty? Or little ass?”

“Yes.” The room laughs, and I feel an arm snake around my shoulders, looking up to find Jessica next to me.

“If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you. And I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say that Liv did not make Fitz happy.”

“Facts,” Jackie agrees as Vic adds a bit of a wing to her eyeliner. The door opens behind me again, and Frannie slides into the room, holding a plate of cookies, with Seer on her tail, a bottle of champagne and several glasses on the tray in her hands.

“Ooh, treats!” Lizzy’s voice is high pitched and excited, and I meet Jessica’s mooney gaze, giving her a thumbs up.

“She’s great,” I mouth.

“I know,” she silently screams back, hands on her heart.

“This,” Seer says triumphantly, holding up the bottle of champagne, “is non-alcoholic, and courtesy of WHG as a thank you for hosting your event with us.” She gives me a wry smile as she pops the champagne, making Jackie jump and Lizzy squeal again. I wonder how many times Seer has had to say that as a WHG employee, or how many times she's specially requested to work, even at properties she’s not assigned to.

Frannie slides into place next to me, watching Seer pour the bubbling drinks and handing them out to everyone.

“Carla told me about Liv,” she says, and when my head snaps to her, she grips my upper arm. “She didn’t want to freak you out.”

“Missionnotaccomplished.” I take the glass Seer holds out to me. “Does he know?” Frannie nods, taking the other glass from her friend.

“She told both of us together, I think so I could talk him off the ledge.”

“Did heneedtalking off the ledge?”

I can’t imagine Fitz on a ledge. What does that look like?

But Frannie shakes her head, sipping at the drink in her hand and then giving it an appreciative look.

“This isn’t half bad for no booze. And no, he was weirdly calm about it.” She pauses. “I meanweirdlycalm.”

“Well, that’s terrifying.” My new boss gives me a pointed look that saysI know, dummy. Because of course she does. She’s been monitoring his emotions her entire life. And in the week I’ve been working with Frannie Westfall, there are a few things I’ve come to learn. One of those is that, like me, one of her top five strengths is individualization. And while for me, that comes out with my nurturing side, finding what people need and then giving it to them, even to the detriment of myself, it comes out in the middle Westfall child in an entirely different way.

Frannie Westfall is more observant than people give her credit for, possibly having taken all of the observation skills left to the Wesfall name and leaving her poor younger brother without any ability to read the room. But she spots those needs, those desires, and she uses them. Her brother may make big, lofty speeches, and write eloquently worded emails that make you think that yes, yes you are fully committed to meeting quarterly sales goals as part of the WHG team. But Frannie, oh, Frannie Westfall is subtle. She can walk through a room and meet ten new people, convincing them all she’s the hottest shit since our last 100+ degree day. Frannie figures out how to get her foot in the door, and then she keeps it open, sneaking the occasional suggestion in through the crack.

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