Rich and Bossy (Rich Boys)

14. Hazel

CHAPTER 14

Hazel

“What is wrong with you? Where’d you learn how to drive?” I swing out in my car and pull past them.

Campbell is due to land in a few minutes, and I said I would pick her up.

I don’t know why it feels so overwhelmingly urgent to be there way before she arrives, but my stomach’s been in knots all day and I know I should’ve left earlier. Damn it, I don’t want to look like a flake who can’t manage to get to the airport on time.

Relax. You’re going to get there early. You left with plenty of time.

My mind goes through a hundred different traffic scenarios that could change that in a hurry.

And I guess that’s what’s at the heart of all of this. It’s one thing for her to fly out here, to take me seriously enough that she would go to this trouble. Now? I have to make the trouble worth it. I don’t want her asking herself why she did this. I don’t want to see a look of disappointment in her eyes when she realizes she flew out here for nothing.

And let’s not forget the sense of this being my one shot. It’s a real chance for all my coworkers to get a workplace they deserve. I have to go all-in, because I’m never going to get an opportunity like this again. Having Campbell Page on my side, in my corner, ready to fight—it means everything. It feels like we have a real chance to force Rapid to make the changes.

That’s why I’m flying down the freeway, my gaze constantly bouncing back and forth between the clock and the road.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know she won’t mind if I’m there late. If she has to wait a minute or two for me to arrive, that’s not going to bring everything to a halt. Traffic happens. And I’m assuming her flight will land on time, too, instead of being delayed. Something tells me it’ll be on-time, though. Asking for her to be a few minutes late feels like it would be asking for too much.

Dear God, I'm losing it.

“Oh crap.” I take one of the airport exits. “Get it together.”

Please, let her like me.

It’s a prayer running on repeat through my head while I park the car in the short-term lot, then try to avoid stepping in any puddles on this cold, rainy day. According to the app on my phone, her flight arrived on schedule, so she’ll be there by now. This is it.

I wish it didn’t feel like this moment was so heavy, so important. Like everything is riding on her first impression of me. What a shame, then, that I’m shivering like a wet dog somebody left out in the rain by the time I enter the baggage claim.

I pick her out right away—after all, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen her.

She’s waiting at the carousel, talking on her phone and looking like a million bucks. She doesn’t notice me at first, so I run a shaking hand over my hair and wish I hadn’t when my palm comes back damp. Then, for good measure, I check my breath. Jesus, it’s like I’m about to hyperventilate. I need to get a grip on myself.

She turns in time to notice me approaching, and her grin goes a long way toward easing my anxiety. “Okay, Penn, here she is. Gotta go. Love you. Tell Hayden I’ll FaceTime as soon as I can.”

Penn. That’s her husband, a lawyer in New York City. I’ve seen a photo of them together and they’re basically the most gorgeous couple ever. Like it’s almost unfair.

Once she’s off the phone, she extends a hand my way. “Hazel. I remember you now. At the conference you had me sign your book.” Her grip is firm. Strong.

Oh. My. God.

She remembers me?

Don’t fangirl. Just don’t.

“Yes, I didn’t want to say anything on the phone, but yeah. I came to Chicago once, to hear you speak.” I can’t help but smile like a total nerd. “It meant so much. I really, just, yeah…” My brain decides to go blank.

“Maybe it was fate. Could you have imagined we’d both end up here, doing this together?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer, laughing lightly. “As soon as my bag shows up, we can get moving.” The belt fires up, so that should be soon.

“No worries. I’m glad you’re here. It’s seriously a relief. I was worried I started something I couldn’t live up to. I was just desperate, for my friends.”

“I’m glad you thought of me.”

I must give her an incredulous look, because she laughs again.

“I’m serious. You didn’t have to come to me. I’m flattered that you considered it.”

“I wanted the best chance for me and my friends, and you’re it. I’m not trying to oversell this; I truly believe that.”

“Good, because I hate it when people do that.”

“I figured it was a long shot, but I might as well give it a try.”

“I’m glad you reached out, to anybody at all, to be quite honest.” Campbell darts away, grabbing a wheeled suitcase off the conveyor and plopping it on the floor before extending the handle. “Because this is way bigger than you could handle on your own. I’m not trying to oversell anything either. I believe in upfront, concise communication. We can’t afford not to say what we believe reality is. And I don’t mean any offense by that.”

“Trust me, none taken.” I can only laugh nervously. “I know.”

We start out through the sliding doors, and I point her in the direction of the lot.

“I hope you’ve given some more thought to what we discussed when we spoke on the phone. It’s easy to agree to something like this when you’re caught up in the moment. Sometimes, though, when we have a minute to sit back and really think it through, we might get cold feet. That would be perfectly natural, by the way, if you had those feelings. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

It seems strange, having this conversation when she’s already landed and we’re on the way to the car, but I can’t blame her for wanting to be sure. Besides, she doesn’t have to be this kind or generous. I wonder how many times she’s been in a situation where the people she was trying to help got freaked out at the last minute.

I’m sure it happens a lot. Companies can be very intimidating, and they usually hold all the leverage.

I realize she’s waiting for an answer, too. “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. A lot. Like, it’s amazing I can get anything else done, that’s how much I’ve thought about it. And I’m just as committed to this as ever.”

“Do you feel overwhelmed?”

“Uhh yes.” I blurt out before my ego gets in the way. “It’s not easy to admit that to somebody I’ve looked up to the way I look up to you.”

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody.” She grins.

I’m pretty sure I’d marry her if she wasn’t already taken. She doesn’t even seem to mind the thin, cold rain drizzling on us as we trot our way to the lot.

“Sorry about the weather.”

“Oh, New York is no better. I’m used to it.”

“It’s going to get nuts in a month or so.”

“I’m glad you admitted to feeling overwhelmed, because that tells me you’re taking this seriously. You’re mature enough to be honest.”

“Please, don’t hold my age against me.”

“That’s not what I mean.” She stops and turns to me. “This might not go how we want it to go. In fact, it’s probably going to end completely different than us, or the company think right now. It’s not a movie where the ending is happy and everyone cheers and it’s all scripted. There will be things you haven’t thought of. People you think are on your side who aren’t. It’s going to be a war.”

“Okay. I’ve tried to think of anything I can, but I know I can’t predict everything. I don’t have any expectations other than I put up the best fight possible. I’m trying to be realistic.”

“Good. Because that’s how you’re going to need to take this, every step of the way. Realistically.” We come to a stop by the car and she turns to me. “If we move forward, it’s not going to get any easier. There are going to be times when you wish you had never started this in the first place. If they, meaning Rapid, feel threatened, they’re going to attack you in ways you can’t imagine. They’ll attack everything about you, any weakness they sense, they will pounce, do whatever they can to discredit you. Because they only need to convince a certain number of their workers that a union is the worst possible thing for them, and if they do it, they win. And they will win at all costs. Nothing is off limits. You will need a fantastic support system to deal with this.”

“I have that.” I don’t have a doubt in my mind Mom and Dad will be behind me on this a hundred percent.

My confidence doesn’t seem to impress her. “There’s going to be some long days, too. Interviews, all that. On top of your work schedule, which will probably be more grueling with them watching you like a hawk, and anyone they think is collaborating with you. Your school stuff will be going on, you’ll need to study. Honestly, it’s probably good that you’re still young and full of energy. That’s an asset. And of course, the public will make decisions for themselves. You’ll be all over social media—and by the way, I recommend you don’t run a search of your name, at all. I would delete your apps, and we’ll post to the union social media from a laptop, then close it. I can monitor the comments on it.”

Oof. The thought makes me cringe, but I can’t give up over something so trivial, no matter how much it stings to think of people making decisions about me when we’ve never met. Anybody on social media knows how comment sections can go, and how political they can get in a hurry.

And I understand what Campbell is trying to say without coming straight out and putting words to it: Rapid’s team will undoubtedly spread all kinds of crap, maybe even hire people or have social media bots that will flood any of our messages. Who cares if anything they say is true? People will only read the headlines.

I straighten my spine, rolling my shoulders back before I lift my chin and meet her head-on. “I can handle that.”

“So you’re ready?”

This time, I can answer without hesitation. “Yep, let’s do it.”

I don’t want to flatter myself by thinking she looks proud of me when she smiles, but I can’t help hoping.

“All right, then. Let’s go draw up a plan of attack.”