Page 7 of I Am Salvation

Chapter Two

Diana

I wipe the sugar from my doughnut off my lips with a napkin. I should go to the ladies’ room before I go in for my ten o’clock meeting with Rod.

Do I take Marcus’s advice? Do I keep my findings to myself?

On the other hand…

Maybe they’re testing me.

I mean, what if I didn’t find the discrepancy? Then he might say I’m not a good architect.

Either way, I seem to be screwed.

I get up from my desk and walk out of my cubicle down the hallway to the ladies’ room.

Two of the architects I met briefly yesterday, my first day, smile at me as they wash their hands.

“Good morning,” I say brightly. Perhaps too brightly. I don’t buy it.

“How are you enjoying the work, Diana?” one of them asks me.

Great. She knows my name. I have no idea what hers is.

“Everything’s good so far.” I give them a smile and then walk into a stall. I don’t have to go to the bathroom, but I do need to collect my thoughts. I wait a few moments and then flush the toilet for show and leave the stall.

Good. The two young women are gone.

I wash my hands and grab my makeup bag out of my purse. I assess myself in the mirror. My hair still looks good. But is it my imagination, or do I look pale?

Ugh.

I grab my blush out of my makeup bag and swipe a few layers onto my cheeks. The doughnut did a job on my mouth, so I fix my lipstick as well. I use the supposed twelve-hour lipsticks, but none of them work. I should know better than to believe any advertisement.

I draw in a deep breath and look at myself again. My hair is up in a high ponytail. Not the most professional look, but I need to get it out of my face.

I draw in one more deep breath. “Let’s go,” I say out loud.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Crap. The voice comes from one of the other stalls.

“Oops,” I say with a nervous chuckle. “I guess I was talking to myself.”

“Not a problem,” the voice says. “I do it all the time.”

“Okay.” I let out another nervous laugh. “Have a good day.” I leave the ladies’ room.

I have no idea who that was. Only that it most likely wasn’t one of the two women I saw when I came in.

I can’t let it bother me. I’ve got more on my plate than I can deal with. I return to my cubicle, grab my portfolio and iPad, and head to Rod’s office.

His door is open, and he’s talking on the phone as he paces the office. I knock lightly and wave. He gestures me in. I take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

When he ends his call, he looks at me and smiles. “How are you finding your second day, Diana?”

“Good.” I paste on a smile. “I didn’t know about this meeting yesterday, and I was here until seven. Did you set it sometime last night?”

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