Stella made the tea for Logan and the pair of them sat down at the table together and began to talk. The conversation flowed back and forth as both Stella and Logan got some things off their chest and laid out their truths as they saw them.
Fortunately, both Stella and Logan were now very much on the same page.
To Stella’s great joy, it turned out that Logan wanted exactly the same thing as she did. But Stella still had some questions she needed answering…
‘But… why not just tell me about Cole, I could have helped?’ Stella said, a slight hint of frustration in her voice. ‘I’m actually kinda smart, you know?’
‘Of course. I know you’re smart,’ Logan said. ‘You’re smarter than me, that’s for sure. But I know how important your work is. The last thing I wanted was for you to jeopardize your career. I could never have lived with that.’
Stella was about to answer Logan but paused.
I don’t know what Logan will think of me if I explain…
He thinks I’m a highflier.
But the disastrous presentation has probably changed all of that.
Stella needn’t have worried.
After explaining the situation with Lauren Treen and how it had gone from bad to worse, Stella went into the details of the presentation disaster and didn’t hold back. It felt good to get it off her chest, and Logan listened attentively and without judgement.
‘Okay, the first thing is that everyone screws up sometimes,’ Logan said, taking a sip of his tea and putting his hand on Stella’s. ‘Even the smartest girl in Blue Rock has a whoopsy sometimes. Screwing up is how we learn. You’ll do better next time. You’re going all the way to the top, I know you are.’
It felt so comforting to hear Logan talking like this. Logan may not have operated in the corporate world, but his life experience was invaluable, Stella knew that.
But that still didn’t solve the issue of Lauren Treen.
For all the positive talk, Lauren would still be at work the following day.
And the day after.
And the day after that.
Lauren was a problem that wasn’t going to go away in a hurry, and unless Stella did something the situation wasn’t going to get any better.
‘Bullies like Lauren never win,’ Logan said, his voice carrying a hint of stern authority to it. ‘As long as you stand up to her, she will fold in the end. If I know the kind of woman she is, and I think I do, then you’ll beat her. But just to be on the safe side, I’m going to come to work with you tomorrow just to cast my eyes over her.’
‘Thank you, Daddy,’ Stella said. ‘I want to sort it by myself, but that would mean a lot to me.’
‘Good. That’s agreed then,’ Logan said. ‘Now, if we go to bed now and get straight to sleep, you should still get a decent amount of down time before work.’
‘But I want to stay up and talk!’ Stella protested, stifling a yawn.
‘Yeah, that would be fun,’ Logan said. ‘But I think I’m going to put my foot down on this one and say it’s bedtime. Daddy’s orders.’
Stella knew that Logan was right.
It was indeed bedtime. And with a new day at work tomorrow and a fresh dawn to her relationship with Logan, Stella had every cause for optimism.
The only slight shadow still hanging over things was Lauren. But Stella wasn’t going to let that bully stop her getting her head down and enjoying a nice sleep next to Logan, her one true love.
Stella woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. It may have been far from the ideal night’s sleep, but simply having Logan back in bed with her made Stella feel like a brand-new Little.
Stella downed her juice in record time and decided to cycle into work. Logan even said that he would run in behind Stella, albeit at a more leisurely pace of course. Logan wasn’t ready to ditch his muscle car just yet, but running instead of driving where possible was a good enough start.
The cycle into work was glorious too, with the early morning sun beating down on Stella as she whizzed through all her favorite neighborhoods.
Stella knew that she still had to face the senior bosses and try to explain what had happened with her presentation, but she was going to do it with a whole new sense of purpose.
