Chapter Text
Waverly glanced up from her phone to look out the window, the mirrored skyscrapers crawling past as the car eased its way through midtown traffic. She sighed and returned to scrolling through her Instagram, deleting the standard batch of DMs from her haters who felt the need to tell her that their pets had more personality, better looks, blah blah blah. She rolled her eyes as she deleted a particularly nasty message and then blocked the sender.
“Miss Earp, I’ve been meaning to speak to you about the new applicants.”
Waverly’s bodyguard, Doc Holliday, interrupted her scrolling as he spoke from the car’s front seat.
She sighed. “Doc are you sure you really want to be retiring on me? You’re not even that old! Plus how am I supposed to trust somebody new when you’re the only security I’ve had for the past five years?”
Her voice turned whiny towards the end, but Waverly couldn’t help it. Doc had been Waverly’s bodyguard since she was 18 years old, and he’d been hired after an attempted robbery at her New York City apartment had left Waverly shaken and her management team insistent that she get on-call security immediately. Doc had been by her side for every press junket, public appearance, photo shoot, and all of her required travel since then, and Waverly was going to miss the old man when he finally found a replacement for himself.
“Miss Earp, I promise you we’ve got some good contenders in this batch. I’m going to meet with them tomorrow and see if we’ve got any winners. You and me both know I’m getting too old for this line of work, and I want to make sure you’re in good hands before I hit the beach and ditch this town for good.” Doc turned around to give Waverly a wink, letting her know he wasn’t that eager to get rid of her.
“Ugh, fine if you’re sure,” Waverly sighed. “I don’t want to stand between you and the sandy shores, old man,” she finished with a wink of her own.
Her driver, Xavier, chuckled at their banter, glancing at Doc as he maneuvered his way through the crowded New York streets.
“Make sure you pick somebody I’m gonna like, Doc. God knows I’ll have to spend enough time with your replacement,” Xavier said.
“Hey, what about me?” Waverly jumped in. “Shouldn’t I get a say in who’s going to be in charge of my personal safety?”
Doc shook his head. “No ma’am, I’ll be making the decision based on who’s the most qualified, not who you think will be easy to boss around, or even worse give the slip when you think you don’t need security around.” He glanced pointedly over his shoulder at her before turning back in his seat.
“That was one time!” Waverly exclaimed. “And you know it was Champ’s idea, not mine,” she grumbled.
Waverly thought back to the incident in question, Champ begging her to give Doc the slip at a nightclub so they could have some “quality alone time” without the old man around. Waverly rolled her eyes at the memory, Champ’s idea of quality alone time being a quicky in his shabby apartment that was around the corner from the club. Doc had been furious when he’d found out what they’d done, showing up at Champ’s after 30 minutes of them being gone and practically pounding down the door. Waverly had felt as guilty as if she’d disappointed her own father, not that he was around anymore.
“Regardless,” Doc continued, “I’ll be choosing the applicant who I think will do their best to keep you safe. You can count on that, Miss Earp.”
Xavier pulled the car over to the curb and put it in park, making his way around the front to open Waverly’s door for her as paparazzi cameras flashed on the sidewalk outside of the studio.
Doc turned to look at her from the front seat before opening his own door.
“You ready, kid?”
Waverly smiled at their routine. Doc asked her the same question every time they were about to get out for one of her appearances.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she responded, as always.
Doc nodded and exited the car before Waverly, his head on a swivel as he kept his eyes on the crowd, always moving a step ahead as Waverly followed on his heels.
Waverly would miss this, their routine, how safe she felt with Doc by her side. It had taken her a long time to trust him and for the two of them to figure out how best to work together, but she now didn’t think twice about putting her life in his hands every day. She hoped his replacement would do the job half as well…
***
Nicole adjusted her tie, glancing down at her crisp white button down to make sure it was still spotless. She shifted her weight nervously as the elevator rose, quickly arriving at the 46th floor of Mercedes & Associates, the large publishing firm known for representing some of the biggest celebrities on the east coast.
The elevator doors opened with a quiet bing, a pristine marble-floored lobby revealing itself as they did. Nicole’s eyes were immediately drawn to the receptionist’s desk, a reclaimed wood creation that looked like it cost a small fortune. Trendy, she thought, stepping out of the elevator and making her way to the receptionist with her business smile in place.
The receptionist, probably in her early twenties if Nicole had to guess, glanced up at her approach, a friendly smile gracing her features immediately.
“Hello there, welcome to Mercedes & Associates. How can I help you today?” the young woman asked.
“Hi, I’m here for an interview. I’m supposed to be meeting a Mr. Doc Holliday,” Nicole replied, watching as the young woman typed something into the laptop in front of her.
“Ah yes, I see that he’ll be meeting you in the Diamond Room,” the receptionist replied.
Nicole snickered but covered it with a cough when the receptionist narrowed her eyes at her.
“It’s right this way,” the woman said as she stood from her desk. “I’ll take you back.”
She gestured for Nicole to follow her and pushed through double glass doors that led to a long, carpeted hallway. They passed a few offices, frazzled interns rushing past with their arms full of manilla folders, and a few people talking animatedly into their Apple earbuds, giving Nicole and the receptionist tight smiles as they went about their work.
Busy place, Nicole thought, glancing into offices and occupied conference rooms as they walked, each with a different gem plastered on a nameplate outside. I’m sensing a definite theme, she thought as they passed the “Opal Room” next, followed by “Pearl Place” and “Emerald Alley”.
“Here we are,” the receptionist said, finally stopping in front of a small conference room with windows taking up one entire wall. Nicole stepped inside and noted the view, mainly the summer sunshine reflecting off neighboring high-rise windows.
“I’ll let Mr. Holliday know you’re here, make yourself comfortable,” the woman said.
Nicole thanked her before the receptionist pulled the door closed behind her. She chose a rolling chair with her back to the windows so she wouldn’t be distracted while speaking with Mr. Holliday.
Only a few minutes passed before there was a quiet knock at the door, followed by a man who was nothing like the giant roid-head Nicole had been expecting. He was probably in his mid to late-40s, average size and build, with a bushy brown mustache taking up much of his face. The man looked like he had walked straight out of a western movie.
She stood from the table to shake his outstretched hand, smiling immediately at the easy smile that spread across the man’s face.
“Hello, you must be Miss Haught,” he said, his grip surprisingly firm when shook her hand. “Am I pronouncing that right?”
Nicole smiled as she sat back down, both of them getting settled before Doc interlaced his fingers on the table in front of him.
“Yes sir, it’s pronounced ‘hot’ like the summer,” she replied, sitting up as straight as she could in her chair as intelligent dark eyes looked her over.
“You can forget all that ‘sir’ stuff, although I appreciate the gesture. Just call me Doc,” he said.
“Doc,” Nicole replied with a nod. “Thank you for meeting with me today, I really appreciate you giving me an opportunity given my limited experience in the field.”
Doc snickered and Nicole tensed up nervously.
“Limited experience, huh?” Doc pulled a folded piece of paper from his inner jacket pocket and flattened it on the table, glancing over it as he spoke. “I’d say you have zero experience, Miss Haught, or am I reading this wrong?” He pointed to the resume in front of him as he spoke.
Nicole swallowed before responding. “Yes sir, I mean Doc. It’s true that I’ve never worked in private security before. I just left the Army a few months ago, and I served as military police for all of my eight years of active duty.”
Doc nodded as he listened. “And what made you decide to make the transition into private security?” he asked.
“Honestly, my career in the Army doesn’t translate well to a lot of civilian jobs that are out there, but I know what my skills are, and I know that I could be a great fit for this type of career. It was my sole duty as an MP to protect the men and women who served alongside me, and I believe I can utilize that training to protect a civilian just as well,” Nicole finished confidently.
Doc eyed her for a moment, seeming to think over what Nicole had said.
“I’m curious, why leave the military? Seems to me that most people who make it as long as you did typically stay in for life.”
Doc looked genuinely curious, so Nicole opted for the truth.
“We lost a lot of good people,” Nicole said quietly, meeting his gaze as she spoke. “I deployed three times, and that kind of thing starts to take a toll. I just…I needed to get back to normal life, or at least try to figure out what normal might be for me. Does that make any sense?”
Doc ran a hand through his mustache thoughtfully, nodding his understanding of what Nicole had shared with him.
“I respect your honesty, Miss Haught, and I sincerely mean it when I say I can’t imagine what you went through, but I thank you for your service. I pray that you’re able to find the normalcy you’re looking for.”
Nicole didn’t know what to say to that, so she simply nodded her thanks.
“As for the job, I think you’d be a fine fit for it,” Doc continued, surprising Nicole enough to make her lose her military bearing, a smile instantly stretching her face.
“Seriously?” she asked, not wanting to get her hopes up too high in case Doc was messing with her.
“Of course,” he said, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “Hell, you’ve got a lot more technical training than I ever had, and you seem like a sharp young woman who can handle herself. I’d be willing to give you a trial run and see if this’ll be a good fit for you and my client. Would you be able to start tomorrow?”
“Absolutely, you just tell me when and where and I’ll be ready to go,” Nicole said eagerly.
“Cool your jets, hotshot, it probably won’t be as exciting as what you’re used to,” Doc said with a laugh. “There’s a hell of a lot of waiting around, sitting outside of rooms, waiting in the car, and watching the most boring fashion shoots and interviews you could imagine.”
Nicole grinned, not believing her luck at having Doc take a chance on her, a total rookie when it came to private security.
“I’m great at being bored and waiting around for things to happen, the military’s famous for that,” she replied. “May I ask who the client is?”
Doc pulled another folded piece of paper from his coat pocket, unfolding it and sliding it across the table to Nicole.
“This is a standard nondisclosure agreement,” he said. “You’ll need to sign this before we go any further. And just know that anything you see or hear while working with our client is strictly confidential and not to be shared with anyone, especially the press. If you’re ever questioned, you say nothing or “no comment”. You’re going to be photographed all the time, you’ll get used to it and learn to ignore the cameras. You got all that?”
Nicole looked up from the paperwork in front of her and nodded. Doc handed her a pen, and she signed her name on the line at the bottom of the last page before sliding it back to him.
Holy shit, I’m really doing this, she thought. Her stomach was suddenly full of butterflies, knowing her life was about to change forever.
Doc glanced over the signed paperwork and then stood from the table, Nicole mirroring his stance as he stuck out his hand for another shake.
“Welcome to the team, Miss Haught. We’ll see how you do tomorrow. Waverly has a photoshoot in Central Park, and it’s bound to be a circus. I’ll have our driver, Xavier, pick you up at 8:00am. You can wear the exact thing you’re wearing now, but lose the tie. And bring some dark sunglasses, it helps with the paparazzi. Clear?”
Nicole nodded her understanding. “I’m sorry, but who’s Waverly?”
“Oh yes, Waverly Earp, that’s our client,” Doc replied.
Nicole looked blankly at him, and Doc’s eyes crinkled in amusement.
“You’ve never heard of Waverly Earp?” he asked, his tone disbelieving.
“Can’t say that I have,” she answered. “Is she really famous or something?”
Doc snickered and turned to open the conference room door.
“This is going to be fantastic,” Doc said with a chuckle. “I’ll introduce you two tomorrow when we pick her up. Oh, and don’t mind the attitude, she’ll grow on you after a while.”
“Um, ok,” Nicole replied, not knowing what else to say. “I’ll see you tomorrow at 8AM sharp.”
“Yes, you will,” Doc answered with a wave, and he exited the room leaving Nicole alone.
She turned towards the windows and clenched her fists in excitement. Nicole had no idea who Waverly Earp was, but she had herself a new job and she couldn’t wait to get started. She was going to crush this.