“I’m not accusing-” he started, but I wasn’t done yet.
“Did you read them? What did you think?” I continued, talking right over whatever was leaking out of his lips.
“They were great!” he exclaimed.
“Any takeaways?” I pushed.
“Oh... uh... I really liked the part about Seattle.”
He was sweating again. He was always fucking sweating.
“Seattle?” I asked, crossing my arms. Oh, this would be fun.
“Yeah, uh, you know. The plan with Seattle.”
Anger bubbled from low in my gut. “Marty, there was nothing about Seattle. You didn’t read them at all, did you?”
“I skimmed them. I was going to get around to doing a more thorough reading...”
I stood, completely done with him and his nonsense. “Look, whatever Monica told you is complete garbage, and you know it. I don’t know what she stormed in for that day, but she was angry, rude, and seemed to be up to no good as usual.”
“Elena, you can’t go making accusa-”
“Like you just did? You implied Jason wronged me somehow. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but it’s unprofessional. You can’t take Monica’s word as gospel. She lies through her teeth constantly.”
“Honey, please sit down, and we’ll talk more. I need to discuss this product fiasco that Bossman started.”
“His name is Jason, and my name is Elena!” I shot back. “And what is there to talk about?”
“I’m not sure it’s legal...” he trailed.
“Why? Because you can’t possibly have me do the work of two people?” I mocked. “Too bad! I already do that!”
He flushed. “Elena, you’re bordering on disrespectful!”
“Like you’re not by calling your boss names or calling me pet names?” I shot back. “I’m disrespectful. I’m honest. I work hard, and you keep kicking the product promise down the road.”
“Look, I’m only saying I don’t know if I’m allowed to sign off on this. I have to consult Corporate.”
“You do that,” I snapped, refusing to sit down. “In the meantime, don’t drag me into your drama and stop calling me honey.”
“Elena, look-” he huffed, glancing up in frustration. “I have to investigate reports of aggression. I know he hasn’t always treated you with respect. I’ve received complaints from others about how he behaved when he first came to town. I’m only looking out for you. So is Monica.”
“Monica isn’t looking out for me. She’s looking out for herself.”
“You’re telling me he didn’t shout at you? She insists she heard shouting.”
There was no way she heard a damn thing, especially shouting.
“She’s full of soup, and you know it,” I replied, trying to keep some form of professionalism. “Listen, I’ll give a full statement to HR if needed. I don’t care. I have nothing to hide.”
He sighed. “I’ll let you know if that’s needed.”
“Anything else? I have stuff to do.”
“No, that’ll be all, Elena.”
I turned on my heel to leave, but as soon as my hand touched the doorknob, he cleared his throat. “And Elena, everything we discussed stays in this room, okay?”
“Yes,” I replied, turning the handle and stepping back onto the sales floor.
Luckily for him, I wouldn’t feed him to the sharks yet. I didn’t want to be there for that bloodbath.
Jason
October in Chicago made Ithaca look as toasty as Tampa. The winds whipping off Lake Michigan were brutal, transforming highs in the upper fifties to frigid in a flash. I packed nothing heavier than a suit coat, expecting the same weather as New York, and I paid the price all week.
They greeted me like a hero at Corporate; the Board delighted with the changes in Ithaca. Even Preston had praise, delivered with a scowl, but praise nonetheless. As anticipated, things were measuring far above expectations, and I had an offer letter waiting on arrival.
Afterward, I toured my future office, perched atop the high rise, the large windows offering views that blew the bay one in Tampa out of the water. It had everything the office in New York lacked, sleek modern furniture and catalogs aplenty, a space that would let me flex my sales muscles and soar. I could only imagine the deals I'd land there, the amount of money I'd rake in. I'd easily surpass my previous benchmarks, amounts that were already record-breaking for Croft.
In meetings, we discussed an overhaul of Ithaca to set the new branch manager up with a solid framework, which meant Marty, Monica, and a few others were on borrowed time. They gave HR the go-ahead to recruit for the roles and for seasoned product managers and sales representatives. The current staff wasn’t cutting it, and unfortunately, the only way to get ahead in the game was to trim the fat.
Outside of meetings, I had projects out the ass, each day saturated from morning till night, a few interviews for assistants punctuating afternoons. So far, no one had the spunk I was looking for, each great on paper but falling flat on delivery. I would have kept the current one, but she was retiring along with the current director.
I spent Thursday touring apartments, a few places in New Eastside catching my eye but not sealing the deal. I needed to find something suitable, but I refused to rush despite my flight for DC the next morning. If needed, I would make arrangements while wrapping up in Ithaca.
Apartment life would be temporary, a townhouse in Gold Coast the plan come spring. Corporate’s offer for the position was more than generous, making the pricey spots off Dearborn a non-issue. I’d never want for anything again, previous struggles long gone.
I found a Thai place Elena would love for lunch, texting her a picture of my killer coconut curry. She sent back a pick of hers, a diagonally sliced pastrami on rye that caused heartburn at a glance.
While touring a place off East
