[h2]Esme[/h2]
As Esme waited for her bagel to toast, she cradled her cup and sipped her coffee, sighing softly. Her mind began to drift as she stood there leaning against the counter. Some things were work-related, while others weren’t so work-related. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of things the day would bring, and if it would be a fairly decent day. Things at work had been a bit hectic lately, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take this week if it continued to go as it had been. Most of her problems at work revolved around one person in particular. One person she couldn't even stand to look at and tried to avoid if she could. Esme racked her brain to find a reason the person was even hired in the first place. Yes, she did the jobs and paperwork she was given, but Esme felt they were a distraction in the office and felt they were out to get her. She was pulled from her thoughts when Sarah entered the kitchen, and her toast popped up in the toaster. Sarah came over and sat next to Esme, leaning her head against Esme's leg and nuzzling it gently. 

“Good girl, Sarah.” Esme said, patting Sarah's large head. She then grabbed a napkin and laid it out on the counter, pulled her toast from the toaster, and placed it on the napkin. After putting butter on her toast, she walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed some strawberry jelly. Before she could shut the door, Dean came in grumbling about how Sarah had woken him up. “Well, if you'd get up when I told you to, I wouldn't have to send her in to wake you.” she told him as she shut the refrigerator door. “I also know what you're going to say. You own the company, so you can sleep in and go in when you want. That may be true, but you must still set an example for your employees. One of those is showing up early or on time for work.” Esme walked back over to her toast while Dean made his coffee, and doctored her toast while he spoke with a sigh. Esme turned to face him, a soft expression resting on her face. “I haven't made any plans tonight with the Rangers, so dinner sounds like a lovely idea.” she told him in a softer tone. “I think we both need it.”

“It's going well, a bit slow. A few more leads have emerged, but they are not yet concrete. It's like this guy is sending us on wild goose chases. Just when we think we have him, he does something that throws everything we worked on off and we're sent back to square one.” she said, suppressed frustration showing in her tone. “Something feels off about all of it, too, but I can't quite put my finger on it. There's definitely something strange about the guy.” Esme sighed heavily before picking up her toast, folding it in half, and taking a bite. “The way this guy works is unnerving and downright terrible…. Making these poor girls feel like they have to look over their shoulders every minute of the day.” She sighed heavily again, this time through her nose, then took a sip of her coffee. “When this guy is caught, I hope they put his ass through the wringer.” With a small growl, she took a small bite of her toast. She was having to force herself to eat, and talking and thinking about the stalker was affecting her appetite. As she stood there with Dean eating, her phone rang.

[h2]Rosie[/h2]
Rosie took a deep breath as she waited for Natalia to answer her question. When Natalia answered her, Rosie gave a slight smile in return. She could tell that something was bothering her, but she didn't pry; they had other things to deal with at the moment. She made a mental note to ask her about it later. She then turned to Beau when he addressed her in his usual manner, shaking her head lightly when he picked up her hand and examined it. Rosie's eyes darted to Cason briefly as he spoke up about calling security before returning to Beau “You're damn right I did my own security detail.” she told him. “Especially when someone decides they want to fail miserably at flirting and then get handsy. You better believe they are going to get a fist to the face.” Her eyes then went to her hand that Beau was still holding, his words about marrying him echoed in her head, causing a smirk to find its way to her lips. Rosie then pulled her hand from his. “Marry you? In your dreams, Cowboy….. As I've said before, neither of us needs that distraction. Especially when something like today happens.” 

Her eyes went to the door and the commotion going on behind it, then back to him. “With the lack of security, we don't need our minds wandering to each other's safety, and straying from Nat's safety,” she told him. Rosie looked around Beau and at Cason, who was still on the phone. “Any luck on getting through to anyone? If not, I can try my hand at it, and see where I can get.” she called over to Cason. As soon as the words left her mouth, she remembered whose number she had in her phone, one of the higher-ups. In all the chaos, she had momentarily forgotten. Stepping back from Beau, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her blazer, quickly dialed the number, and placed the phone on speaker for the whole room to hear. After a few rings, someone picked up. “Hey, Ro…..” A quick pause followed the greeting and the light clearing of the throat. “Hello, Ms. Rainbolt. I hope your day is going well. How can I help you?” asked the voice of Mrs. Smith. If this weren't such a serious moment, Rosie would have laughed hard at the slip-up. “Not great, I'm afraid, Mrs. Smith.” she replied, the irritation was strong in her tone. 

“The security we asked for for today's concert hasn't arrived. My client and her bodyguards were nearly overtaken by the press and fans that managed to get through the light security here. We’ve locked ourselves in a room until help arrives. If we can't get anyone to show soon, the press and fans are going to break down the door.” “What! They should have been there hours ago! I put in the request myself weeks ago….. Is everyone alright?” the woman asked. “We're all irritated and disappointed with the security of the venue, but everyone is fine.” Rosie replied. “You have every right to be. And that venue isn't equipped to handle such a large crowd on its own. Give me about twenty minutes and I'll see what's going on. I'm truly sorry you've been put in this situation. Please apologize to the others as well. I'll call you back once I get everything figured out.” she told Rosie. “Thank you, Mrs. Smith. We'll be awaiting your call.” Rosie then ended the call and slipped her phone back into the pocket of her blazer with a light sigh through her nose. She knew Esme was good for her word, and that she would do everything she could to remedy the problem. Moving back to a wall, she dropped her bag on the floor, leaned her back against the wall, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Looks like we’ll be stuck in here a little longer.”