Page 67 of The Winning Ticket

“A little bit, yeah.” I give him an apologetic smile.

He sighs and sits back in his chair.

“I’m sure this isn’t considered professional,” he says, and I sit up straighter, becoming wary. “I know Richard.”

This is definitely not what I was expecting. “What?” I don’t even bother trying to be professional.

The minute he mentioned Richard, this ceased being a professional conversation.

“I have friends in the same circle as Richard, and we’ve crossed paths a few times. When you transferred here, I was a little surprised, and then I found out what he did. So I ignored Cynthia’s complaints until now because I knew you’d been through a rough patch. And I’ve not had any cause to be unhappy with your work, but I could see that your passion in Sydney hasn’t translated to your time here.”

I’m really having trouble figuring out how to respond to his confession and the veiled insult about my lack of passion. He lets me silently work through this, waiting for me to answer in my own time.

“I don’t know how I feel about my boss being aware of my personal life,” I say slowly, and he nods.

“I understand that. It’s why I’ve left things for the past few weeks, but I am also aware of how Cynthia can sometimes be. I thought of moving you across to our social media team. I know you’ve got a knack for that, which means working with a different manager if you’re open to that solution?”

The social media team is a step down from my current role, and we both know it. This is his way of making it seem like he’s a caring boss when he really wants the problem to go away.

“Sure. If that’s what you think will work.” I shrug.

His eyes narrow a little, but he nods. “Yeah, I think that will be the best option. You can start with them tomorrow if you’d like. And you can work from home the rest of the day to hand over your current projects.”

Wow. So, I got a demotion, and I am being sent home for the day. I want to care, but this is all just cementing the fact that I need to find a new job.

“Okay. If that’s what you think is best.” I get to my feet, and Lance follows suit.

He smiles at me, opening the office door for me to walk out, and I cringe inwardly. He gets to feel good about himself now, like he’s done me a favour by moving me to a different team rather than dealing with an employee who is a known bully. Seems on brand with the company’s way of dealing with issues.

I head to my desk and grab my stuff, walking out without chatting to anyone else. Sure, I’ll go home and work on handing over my projects.

Right after looking for a new job.

Just Jake

How did your meeting go?

Brianna

Well, I’m still employed, but they moved me to a team that is basically a demotion. So I’m sitting on Seek right now.

Just Jake

That sucks, Little B. Maybe it’s time to start looking at places where you can start using your photography skills?

Brianna

Maybe.

I’m not feeling particularly enthused by anything this afternoon. None of the job ads I’ve seen look even remotely interesting, and it took me ten minutes to sort out the handover for the projects I was working on. Even though I had stopped enjoying my job, I was still good at it.

I know that Jake means well when he suggests I should find something related to photography, but I wouldn’t even know where to start. I’m not game enough to try to become a full-time influencer, even though I have a decent following on social media with my travel photos. I work with influencers and know how hard they have to hustle, but it’s not my thing.

I grab my book and head for the terrace, with Maddie following close behind. When in doubt, go and hide in the pages of a romance novel. That’s become my new motto.

My phone pings again, alerting me to another message, and even though I am ready to switch off, I can’t ignore it when I know it might be Jake. Even on my worst days, I can’t switch off from him.

Just Jake

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