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“What?” I gasp.
“Yeah.” Lena nods. “She was the one I told you about. One day after work, we were at happy hour. I told her about this idea I had on how to maximize profits while keeping costs low for our clients—just like you did—and before I could tell anyone, while I was out on PTO, she took my idea and walked it over to our bosses.” She pauses and looks at something over my shoulder, a shadow of betrayal in her eyes. “While I was in Palm Beach enjoying my much-deserved time off after she had been running me ragged for an entire year, my supposed mentor was double-crossing me and getting promoted for it. She felt threatened, so she took the opportunity to shoot me down before I had a chance to rise.”
“Sure, okay,” I say, still in disbelief. “I get why she did it when she was younger. She was a devil person looking to get ahead—nothing new there. There’s always a couple in every company. But what I’m more confused about is why do this now? Why to me? I’m a nobody. I'm barely one step above an intern. I've been here for less than half a year. I am in no way a threat to her or her career.”
“It isn’t about you threatening her career. It’s about whatshe’sdone to it all on her own.” Lena sighs, looking down at her martini glass as she uses the cocktail stick to stir its contents. “I shouldn't be saying this, but I am angry and disappointed enough to break the rules on this. From what I hear—and please don't judge me because this sounds like water cooler gossip, even though I know for a fact it isn’t—Jenna has been struggling to bring innovative ideas in a time where retail isn't doing great and bonuses haven't been paid in years. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if management has started to catch on to how much ‘research shopping’ she does with the company card.”
My jaw drops, shocked by her words. “She's been using the company credit card to buy stuff for herself?”
Lena looks nervously at me and shakes her head. “We use the card sometimes to buy items from other brands for research—that’s pretty standard of any fashion company—but some of us have noticed she tends tokeepthese ‘competitive samples’ instead of leaving them with our product development teams for them to study.”
“Oh my god.”
She shrugs. “My guess is she was desperate to bring something new and innovative to the table, given the trouble she’s been in. Trying to save her job by stepping on other people’s necks.”
I stifle a wail. My first opportunity to prove my worth, and it was stolen by a fucking wolf in Chanel clothing.
“Am I gonna regret telling you these things?” She narrows her eyes at me, the terrifying expression in her eyes that once made me shake back in her eyes.
“God, no. I promise not to say anything.” But even as the words leave my lips, I thinkWill is never going to believe this when I tell him.
“Good,” she says, “because I felt like we've been having a moment lately.” Her smile is soft and barely there.
I do my best to smile back, but it turns out that having someone in upper management take credit for your idea really knocks the enthusiasm out of you.
“Listen, I hate to do this because I know today has been a shitty day?—”
“Understatement of the century.”
“But I have to go now.” She checks the time on her watch and frowns. “I’m actually running super late.”
While she slips her leather jacket over her shoulders, I ask, “You got a hot date?” I regret asking her about her personal life immediately after I do. This whole experience might have caused some brain damage somehow, because even though Lena and I have been cool lately, we haven’t beengirl talkcool.
Her smile is small, her cheeks tinged with a light blush. “Maybe,” she says coyly before winking at me once. “What about you? You going home or staying?”
I shake my head and sigh. “Nah, I’m staying here. I'm waiting for a friend.”
Lena nods in understanding. “That’s a great idea. I think a girls night is exactly what you need right now. Plus, the fact that it's Friday night means you can get drunk and not worry about being hungover at work.” She laughs softly at her own joke, and I force a smile.
I don't correct Lena by telling her I'm waiting for a man. Too risky—an opening for more questions I don’t think I can answer without getting in trouble. After all, Will is not just any man. He’s the one who’s consumed every free moment of my time for the last six weeks, yes. The one person I’ve felt closest to in my entire life despite the fact that we’ve never met in real life. But he’s also part of our most important client’s team.
So telling her about him in a small way would invite a round of questions I’m not prepared to answer. It would be moronic, since I’m not prepared to lie about it, either. Today has been shitty enough as it is without having to mention to my boss that I've had a secret pen pal relationship with a member of our client’s team.
“Don't let this get you down,” Lena tells me. “I mean, I know it sounds impossible and you should give yourself a few days to mourn, but… I think you have a bright future ahead of you—you just need to keep going. Take this as a lesson. I sure as hell will, too. This will be the last time Jenna pulls anything like that on me or anyone on my team again.” Her eyes are fierce, and definitely something to fear.
I thank Lena once more before she says goodbye and raise my hand in the air, looking around for the waiter and wordlessly order a second glass of wine. I’m going to need it if I’m going to finally meet Will face-to-face.
WILL
It’s pouring outside, just the beginning of the February blues coming down over the city. It’s unsettling, the rain—too many bad memories tied to it for Will to be able to take it as a regular meteorological event. As he walks over to the pub, he wonders whether that’s the reason this day has been extra hellish for him. The cherry on top of an already miserable position he’s in. Perhaps it’s why he was so close to throwing it all away in a moment of desperation this morning. Either way, it’s added an extra layer of anxiety in an already overwhelming nine layer bean dip of restlessness.
None of that matters now, though, because he has to pull himself together for her. For Bridget.
When he spots the pub from across the street, he stops and stares at it for a moment.
This is it. They’re about to meet face-to-face for the first time.
There’s no going back after this.
