“Honey, no one is beneath you when you’re already the bottom of the barrel!” Lee shot back.
“Ladies! Ladies! Ladies!” Marty threw his hands up to diffuse the situation, but it was too far gone. Lee was beyond pissed.
I was trapped between the women, blows and hair likely to fly if someone didn’t step in. Lee was on edge the entire time I was out, nearing catastrophic levels of frustration with Monica, who refused to do her own work, let alone mine.
My head throbbed, the acetaminophen I scarfed down with breakfast barely numbing the pain.
“I’m serious! She gets hurt being an idiot, and everyone has to treat her like she’s special! Just like when that guy dumped her! Get the hell over yourself! You’re not important!”
“Enough!” Jason boomed, making us all jump. “This is a place of business, not a high school! Act like it or get out!”
“How dare you speak to me like that!” Monica shrieked, sniffling to get her crocodile tears on. “See! This is what I was talking about! He’s totally unhinged!”
“Enough! Monica, get out!” Jason demanded, standing. “Go down to human resources!”
“But-” she began.
He cut her off, his voice dipping dangerously low. “This isn’t a debate. Get out. Now.”
She couldn’t muster up the crocodile tears she craved, climbing to her feet and slamming her seat forward, rattling the table. “This isn’t over!”
“Fuck no, it isn’t,” Lee muttered under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear. “Wait till I catch that bitch outside of work. I’m going to rearrange her face.”
Monica stomped out of the room, heels clicking until one gave way, sending her toppling over until she caught herself on a chair. Embarrassed, she continued along in uneven steps, slamming the door behind her.
“Are you okay?” Jason asked, looking from Lee to me.
“Yes,” we replied in unison.
He turned to Marty. “She’s a rabid dog in the office, and I won’t have it any longer. Find somewhere to quarantine her, or she’s out for good.
* * *
Monica spent the morning in adult time out, tucked in HR down the hall. Time dragged on, an influx of entries raining down, Lee’s typing drowning out the whispers, most of the office overhearing the argument. I couldn’t wait to hear what victim narrative Monica spun.
It was hard to get into a groove, anxiety weighing, knowing when she reemerged, it wouldn’t be pretty. Regardless of the warnings, she would come out with her verbal guns blazing.
My phone vibrated, clamoring against the metal drawer. I slid a hand in to switch from vibrate to silent, but glanced at the screen first, spying a text from Jason.
Jay: Meet me at Paolo's at 12. I'll pick you up there.
He wanted to do lunch? Uh, not the best idea.
Sounds like you're asking for trouble.
Paolo's was a car wash a few blocks west of our complex. An odd choice for a meetup, but on a rainy day, it was the perfect place to go undetected. Still, it was risky.
Jay: Something like that. See you then.
Regardless of common sense, I obeyed, slipping out to Paolo's at noon, telling Lee I had to run to the DMV, which earned me a “gross” but no prodding. Despite the rain, stepping outside was a welcome breath of fresh air, the office too toxic to stay in any longer.
I pulled beside his SUV in the lot of Paolo’s, took a quick peek around, and scurried into his passenger seat. He was waiting, jaw tight with stress. It was a long week for him outside of the spat with Monica, having traveled to Erie for a convention.
“Hey you,” I breathed, offering a disarming smile.
“Hi, Beautiful.” He reached out and playfully tugged my braid. “I like this.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “I call it 'woke up late.’”
“I grabbed us some grub,” he declared, pointing to the backseat.
“Really?” Well, that solved the whole where to go problem.
“We can't hit up a restaurant. I figured we'd eat down by the water.”
“It's raining.” More like pouring, but same difference. It made the ride in that morning hell.
“We can eat in the car, Miss Fancy.”
I shrugged. “Sounds good to me. What's on the menu?”
“I picked up the Khao Pad you like from the place around the corner.”
I smiled. “Yum. Thank you.”
“Anytime, gorgeous.” Despite his kind words, his jaw remained taut, even as we hit the road towards our destination. It was enough to leave me squirmy in my seat.
“How's your day?” I asked, hoping he'd relax.
“Complete shit,” he replied, eyes focused on the road. “Yours?”
“Could be better,” I admitted. “I'm sorry yours is so bad.”
“Shit happens.” He was under pressure at a level I'd never understand. He'd never let me see either, staying up far later than I did most nights, still working away on his laptop.
“Want to watch a movie tonight?” I asked.
“Sounds good. Your turn to pick. I’ll be at the office late, so grab some dinner without me.”
“Or I can make dinner at your place?” I offered.
He shrugged as he drove, eyes never leaving the road. “Whatever works for you, doll.”
I’d have to stop and grab stir fry ingredients after work. It was the only dish I made that wowed anyone. After trying the stuff he whipped up from scratch, I couldn’t show up with my go-to casserole.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I’m tired,” he grumbled. “I’m ready to be out of here, you know what I mean? Not from you obviously, but away from the branch. It’s a cesspool of personalities. There are only a handful of people worth keeping around.”
Just thinking of him hours away in Chicago stung, but I couldn’t blame him for wanting to be free of the place. I didn’t know how much longer I could take it myself. The entire building was a pressure cooker, and with Monica’s latest stunt, it would get worse.
“They were mostly hired by Steve,” I noted, reaching out and rubbing his forearm. “It’s only a few more weeks, right? We’re already in November. It’ll be New Years in no
