Page 1 of Dear Grumpy Boss

Chapter One

Elise

Theconferenceroomwaspacked.

Shoulder to shoulder.

Perfume clouds, not enough deodorant, elbows knocking.

I found a seat near the back, not around the long table in the center of the room but in a corner, my coworkers Lani and Brandon on either side of me.

“They’re going to have to knock down some walls,” Brandon drawled in his Georgia-met-Chicago accent.

“They like us being squeezed in here,” Lani whispered, eyeing the people around us with suspicion. “It makes us remember how unimportant we are.”

Richthink Marketing was not a good place to work. There was no trust between colleagues. In fact, we were encouraged to compete against each other. If our boss could have convinced us to Jell-O wrestle to get ahead, he probably would have.

“Nothing but sardines.” I bit on my bottom lip, scanning the crowd. Half the faces were new. To a stranger off the street, it would have been obvious we were two distinct groups of people: the hardened, beady-eyed veterans of Richthink and the optimistic, grateful-to-still-have-a-job newcomers from the marketing firm that had just merged with ours.

Needless to say, I was deep in the throes of searching for a new job. It wasn’t easy. I was beyond entry level and wouldn’t settle like I had with Richthink. I needed my next job to be something I looked forward to instead of just passing the days like I was now.

“Drinks tonight?” Brandon asked.

I nodded. “Patrick’s out of town until Friday.”

Lani bumped my elbow, drawing my attention. On purpose or not, it didn’t matter.

“Didn’t you vow not to vent to him anymore?”

“Yes. That’s why I have you guys.”

Patrick was patient. Patrick was a nice guy. Patrick wouldn’t say it, but his nonverbal cues let me know in no uncertain terms he’d gotten tired of hearing how much I loathed my job. And since I had been making a valiant effort over the last year to help our relationship feel less like settling than my job, I kept my venting to a minimum at home.

Brandon bumped me from the other side. “I’m happy to play your therapist. You’ll receive your bill at the end of the night.”

I cocked a brow at him. “I’m not paying your bar tab.”

He pretended to flip his hair. “Can’t blame a girl for trying, right?”

The meeting got started and droned on and on. In my boredom, I let my gaze sweep over the new hires, stopping on a young brunette across the room. She was frowning at me. Not in an angry way. It almost looked like she was trying to figure something out. Figure me out?

I lifted a brow, and her eyes narrowed.

Did I know her?

I didn’t think so.

She looked down at her phone, so I moved on to the people around her.

A minute or two later, Lani nudged me. I glanced at her, and she jerked her chin in the direction of the brunette. I swiveled my head back, and sure enough, she was staring again.

Strange.

Lani scribbled on her notepad:Do you know her?

I typed out a message on my phone and tilted the screen toward her.

No, but she’s been staring at me like she knows me. What’s that about? Do you think she’s sussing out the competition?

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