Page 2 of Finding Out

“Cliff is leaving after Christmas. It hasn’t been formally announced yet, but I’ll move into his role at the first of the year.”

I forced myself not to react to the way he was studying me. I’d been hearing this rumor for a couple of weeks, and damn, I wanted his job. I’d been slowly working my way up for the last six years. I wasn’t the only woman here, not by a longshot, but most of the females in employment were in acquisitions, and very few made it to management. Long hours and late nights made it difficult to find an acceptablework-life balance. For me, that wasn’t an issue. I didn’t have kids, heck, I didn’t even do relationships. I just had a drive to move up, and Pat’s job came with a nice title, a pay raise, and several staff members under him.

“Erin would love to have more females in management roles.” He shrugged, nonchalant, as he dropped that crumb of information.

“You know I’m gunning for her job someday.” I smirked. I’d interned under the head of our auction house the summer after I got my master’s degree from NYU. The woman was a force. A total badass. She was exactly what I wanted to be. When I’d finished my three months with her, Erin had offered me a job. It was entry level—literally checking in the paintings and setting up the displays for the weekly auctions—but I jumped at the opportunity. And six years later, I’d been promoted several times and the two of us still met for monthly dinners.

“Even Erin knows that.” Larry chuckled. “I’ll email you the flight info and everything you need.”

“Perfect.” Satisfaction swelled in my chest. This whole thing had made my day. Hell, it’d made my month.

Pat lifted his chin and gave me a small smile. “Get out of here. It’s almost eight; everyone else left hours ago.”

They had, but this was my thing. I thrived on working long hours, learning the details of each piece for the next auction, and searching out up-and-coming artists. I was running the auction on Sunday night, so I was here ensuring that every detail would be perfect. Putting in the extra effort like this was what made me stand out. It was how I knew I was on the short list for Pat’s job.

“Go home.” He tipped his head toward the elevator down the hall.

I gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

With a chuckle, he left me alone in my office.

I sat back in my chair, staring at the watercolor hanging opposite my desk, yet not actually seeing it. This was my break. The opportunity I needed to move out of the windowless room and down the hall to management. Finally.

I pulled out my phone.

Me: GUESS WHAT?

Avery: You didn’t listen to me and went ahead and bought yourself the bondage-like Louie shoes for the WAGs party next week.

Ha. Of course I had. Though I can’t imagine either of my best friends would be surprised by that. And that kind of news? It did not warrant a message in all caps. I wasn’t a wife or girlfriend of any of the Boston Revs baseball players, but since Avery was both the coach’s daughter and the star pitcher’s fiancée, my bestie always made sure I got to tag along to the fun professional baseball events.

Jana: You finally broke the dry spell and gave in to the hot intern.

I rolled my eyes. Even if it had been months, I had zero intention of messing around at work. I had goals, and I wouldn’t risk compromising them. A fling wasn’t worth the risk, and men tended to find me intimidating. I said what I thought and knew what I needed, and I didn’t put up with crap. Somehow that made men wither around me.

Me: Seriously? Those are your guesses for my all-caps message?

Jana: What would you guess if I’d said that?

Me: A bird shit on Chris again, and this time you got it on video.

Jana worked with Avery at the Boston Zoo, and their stories made me cackle. Especially when they included Avery’s very grumpy, very germaphobic fiancé.

Jana: GIF of a girl spitting out her coffee

Jana: Yeah, that would be worth an all-caps message.

Avery: Don’t pick on my fiancé.

Me: We love Chris.

It was the truth, even if his issues with germs and cleanliness meshed poorly with our girl’s job as the head of avian medicine at the Boston Zoo.

Jana: Of course we love your man. We even let him tag along to girls’ night.

Avery: Let him? Ha. You two make him come.

Avery: GIF of an eye roll

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