Page 38 of Small Sacrifices

Still, all is not alright. Reid makes to turn on his heel and leave before Mr. Wright changes his mind. But the man isn't finished yet. "Wait a minute."

Reid waits.

"Mr. Maxwell, how well do you know the governor's son?"

What? Reid can feel his eyebrows draw together and deliberately smooths his forehead. It won't do to look angry when he's just confused.

"I wouldn't say that Iknoweither of them. I've met them both now, and I've exchanged a few words with... the older one." How is he supposed to refer to Everett in front of his colleagues? Just by his first name? That feels wrong. "But to say I know him would be a stretch."

What is this about? Did Everett complain about him? Did he say something wrong at lunch yesterday—is that why he left?

"Then why did you smile at him earlier? Were you flirting with him?"

Reid loses control over his facial features, feels his jaw drop. He can't have heard that right.

"Why would I be flirting with him?"

"Why would you be smiling at him?" Mr. Wright counters. His face is as smooth and expressionless as Reid would like his own to be. But even he can't seem to prevent the minute little twitches of instinctive movement. And that... something heavysettles in the pit of Reid's stomach. That's deliberate. Is this an official inquiry? Is Mr. Wright asking, in a professional capacity, if Reid is flirting with Everett? What the hell?

"Because I'd just spoken to him earlier that day. I just... It was a greeting. Don't you do that? Smile at people to greet them?" Reid's voice sounds way too high for comfort, too defensive. But he can't help it.

"Spoken to him about what?" Mr. Wright asks, face still carefully blank.

Reid pauses. Something about this feels off, almost dangerous. Even though he has nothing to hide, the idea of telling the truth makes him deeply uncomfortable. He doesn't want Mr. Wright to know that they had lunch together. And then there's also the fact that he feels like maybe he's not the only one who could get in trouble here. If this really was about Everett, then they could just ask Everett. Unless they don't trust him to answer honestly.

So Reid lies. "Just small talk."

It's not a good lie. For a second, the squint on Mr. Wright's face makes him think that maybe hedoesknow Reid well enough to know that he can't conduct small talk to save his life. Or possibly his job, in this case. But then the man nods.

"Right. Well, make sure it stays that way. You wouldn't want anyone to think that you're trying to sleep your way up, would you? Never mind the fact that Mr. Mackenzie would never be interested in you."

Reid nods. "Of course." Behind his back, he pinches himself to distract himself from all the questions swirling around in his head. Like"Huh?"and"What the fuck?"and also"Why did that last part sound so unconvincing?"He just breathes through them. "Do you have any other questions?"

An indulgent smile spreads on Mr. Wright's face. "No. You just get home and pack your things. Do you have a garment bag for your shirts? There might not be an iron."

"Of course," Reid says again when he has the feeling that he won't scream at the man upon opening his mouth.

Mr. Wright has the gall to look surprised for a split second before he has his face under control again. Then he smiles. "Great. See you tomorrow, then."

Reid forces himself to smile back and nod his head in acknowledgment. When he leaves Mr. Wright's office, he feels weirdly betrayed. Not only by Mr. Wright himself, but also by circumstance. Because he wants to tell Marisol about this. All of it, immediately. But he can't do ithere.When Marisol looks at him questioningly, and he says he'll text her when he gets home, she purses her lips.

"Text me tomorrow," she says. "You need to actually get some rest when you get home."

Given his current state of emotional upheaval, Reid doubts he'll get much of it. He's laid awake all night about things way less... interesting. But her face tells him she won't budge on this, so he just nods.

And then, he drives home, where he packs his garment bag and a small backpack, heats up some leftovers, and sets his alarm clock for way too early.

Chapter 14: An early start

When his alarm clock beeps, Reid is still heavy with sleep. It's so early that he falls asleep again after turning it off. Five minutes later, the first alarm on his phone starts blaring. Not that he's awake enough to be thankful for it yet.

His eyes ache in the light when he hits the screen and for a moment, he just stays there, sitting up in his bed, and tries to think. It's not very successful. He gives himself a countdown to swing his feet over the side of the bed and another to actually get up and head to the bathroom.

While his tea steeps, he showers. It's a risk to wash his hair with so little time to style his curls, but he might not have the time to do it on the road, so needs must. He does his best with the styling mousse and puts the diffuser to his hair just long enough that it's not dripping on his neck anymore. Then, hesips from his cup and nibbles on the sandwich he prepared for himself yesterday.

His backpack feels heavy as he swings it onto his back. It seems overstuffed for a three-day trip, but he needs his safe foods. Just in case. Finding food that's tolerable isn't always easy, and he doubts the group will accommodate his preferences. So he brought lots of snacks. It's a small concession, considering how Mr. Wright already views him as odd.

The roads are blessedly empty, so Reid doesn't have to worry about being late. When he arrives, there are a few cars already in the parking space, and colleagues are gathering around a small shelter on the tarmac.

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