Free What the Heart Needs by Jessica Gadziala

shake your head at me. I’ve been here for longer than you. I have seen quite a few of these events go down. No one from this office has ever been invited. This is kinda a big deal, Hannah-Banana.”
    “Don’t say that,” Hannah objected, hopping out of her seat and pacing in front of the windows. She had enough pressure to deal with, she didn’t know what to make of this little tidbit of information. And, somehow, it had never even occurred to her to consider just how little work there would be for her to do there. Was she supposed to act almost like a host? Was she supposed to greet and chat with all these high-powered people? What would she even have to say to them? She was nowhere on their level. Maybe she could spend the night hiding away in the kitchen with Mary.
    “You’re going to need a dress,” Tad said, looking interested. “Like a nice dress. Somehow I doubt your closet is hiding any real treasures in it.”
    “Hey,” Hannah yelled, throwing a crumpled up piece of paper at him. “And I don’t think I need a dress. I could just wear slacks and a nice shirt.”
    “Um, no, princess,” Tad got up, smiling almost condescendingly. “You need a dress.”At her completely hopeless expression, he laughed. “No worries, I will take you dress shopping. Your taste obviously cant be trusted.”
    “Gee thanks,” she laughed, then sobered. “But seriously… thanks.”
    “Oh don’t kid yourself, this will be more fun for me than it will for you.”
    And it was. Hannah could feel frustration bubbling up under her skin after the fourth store Tad had dragged her through and announced that nothing was up to par. And these weren’t the department or box stores she was used to going to for clothes. Tad insisted that she had to bite the bullet and drop a pretty penny on a dress (and shoes) for this kind of event. He dragged her to boutique stores where people asked them if they wanted wine or sparkling water and after the second store, she had started agreeing to the wine.
    At the fifth store, Tad had found five dresses and shoved her into the dressing room. He settled outside of them, sipping a mimosa and looking utterly at home. She wondered how much of his wardrobe was designer. She imagined all of it.
    The first dress was vivid blue and skin tight. She grimaced at her reflection, it clung to things she really didn’t want highlighted, despite having losing a good ten pounds the past few weeks.
    “No,” Tad said before she could barely open the door fully.
    “Agreed.”
    “It’s the pink one,” Tad said when the closed the door.
    “Then why make me try all of these on,” she asked.
    “References,” he said matter-of-factly, as if it was known by everyone else but her.
    Hannah decided to cut to the chase and put the pink one on next. She didn’t need references. She struggled to get the zip up the back before turning to look at her reflection. “Oh,” she said out loud.
    It was a very light coral pink with a boustier top, tight midriff that flared out at her upper thighs and fell just above her knees. It made her look thin and curvy all at the same time and the color offset her pale skin and dark hair. She had never felt more lovely in anything else before.
    “Oh,” Tad’s response mirrored her own when she walked out. He stood up with a huge smile that matched hers. “I knew it. Perfect.”
    --
    Hannah tried to keep her nerves under control the days leading up to the event. She slept even less than she had been sleeping before. The day of the event, Elliott had informed her via Sally that she wasn’t expected in at work. She was to go straight to his house and handle all the comings and goings as he could not be there himself.
    She was excited to have the day off so she could make sure everything went off without a hitch.
    And then she got a phone call from the housekeeper at seven in the morning of that day. Hannah felt her heart sink when she was informed that her ever punctual and