Page 99 of Accidentally Amy

“Question two,” she interrupted, sounding like her teeth were gritted. “Did you have any part in the decision that I should be one of the eliminated?”

I felt even more queasy than I’d felt before. “Yes.”

I heard her shocked inhalation through the phone. I said, “But I didn’t know that—”

“Nope. Blake.” She talked right over me, her voice stiff and distanced. “You have no idea how much I respect your honesty. I’m sure you made the right business decision and didn’t let your personal feelings interfere.”

I had no idea if she was being sincere or sarcastic, so I said what was in my heart. “Please let me bring you a pizza.”

“No.” She cleared her throat again and said, “I mean, no, thank you. I have to go.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Are we okay?” I asked, feeling like I needed to brace my arms on my knees and put my head between my legs so I didn’t pass out.

“I don’t know. I don’t really think so.”

“Iz.” For the third time that day, I had no fucking idea what to say. “Please tell me we can be okay.”

“I can’t.” Her voice was louder now. “Because no matter how I look at this, we’re not okay. Josh thinks you fired me so we can date—which I don’t actually believe, but that’s definitely a shitty scenario to ponder. AndIthink that VP Blake fired his most expendable employee, who he didn’t like enough to give a heads-up or at least warn before she stayed up late working on reports that would never be looked at. So no matter what, this feels gross.”

“I texted you.”

“In the middle of the night,” she snapped. “And all you said was to call you. That’s not a warning.”

“You have to believe me that I didn’t know you were on the list until Brad told me yesterday morning.”

“But you said—”

“I was looking at employee numbers and data when I made the decision—no names. It wasn’t even until I talked to him about us that I realized you were affected.”

“Wait, what? You told him about us?”

“Yes,” I said, realizing I hadn’t meant to share that yet. “I met with him yesterday morning to discuss it.”

“Oh, my God, Blake—what if that’s why?” She sounded even angrier as she said, “You told him we were involved? What if that made him add me to the list?”

“Come on—it doesn’t work that way. Itdidn’twork that way. It was already decided before he knew about us.”

“Us?” I thought I heard her sigh, which made me feel like shit, and then she said, “There is nous, Blake.”

It felt like I’d been punched, and I wasn’t sure I’d heard her right. I knew I had, but she just couldn’t mean it.

“Don’t say that,” I said, knowing I sounded desperate. “Please let me come over so we can talk.”

“I have to go.”

I stood there for the longest time, just staring at the phone in my hand after she disconnected the call.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Izzy

“To Izzy,” Josh shouted, holding up his shot glass.

“To Izzy,” his friends repeated, and they all tossed back another shot.

---