“I should have spoken up when she said that to you this morning. About the bear.”
“I can fight my own battles, but thank you for the thought,” I say.
“Bears scare me too.” She laughs nervously. “Just like Heather does.”
Now she has my undivided attention, but I tread carefully. “All bosses are a little intimidating.”
“You aren’t.”
I startle at her comment. “But I’m not your boss.”
“You will be soon enough.”
“Gemma,” I sputter, “what gives you that impression?”
“I was having drinks with Minka last night after the movie and talked while the guys talked sports.” She rolls her eyes and takes a sip of the alcoholic cider she smuggled in her backpack.
“Okay.” The word is slow and reflects the caution I feel.
“We were talking about this trip. We both brought up the notion that it’s weird we’re here on this retreat to become a stronger team and yet Heather’s made damn sure that none of us actually do the bonding part.”
I nod, not wanting to look like I’m fishing for whatever it is she wants to say.
“Did you see the look on her face when I asked if I could be paddle partners with you? Her eyes bugged out of her head.”
And she’s right. Heather’s disdain was written all over her face when Gemma raised her hand and said she wanted to partner up with me.
“I think she was a little more miffed that the husbands—well, except for hers—opted to go drink with Slade again. I don’t think her being flustered had anything to do with you asking to be my partner.”
“Can you blame them for wanting to drink with Slade?” Gemma laughs. “I’d join them if I could. And she was miffed, Blakely. I know you have to take the high road here, but I don’t. All I know is Minka said Heather is all about assigning partners so she can control who talks to who. She wants to make sure she has an ally with each pairing so we don’t talk shit about her.” She holds her hands up in front of her in dramatic fashion. “Because whoa! It’s not like we’re adults who aren’t going to talk on our own volition anyway.”
“True.”
“Anyway, it’s like she planned this whole retreat for us so the board gets the impression she’s being a good boss, but it’s all for show.”
“Show for what?”
“To give her some bonus points since you steal most of them.”
“Please.” I laugh and play it off but am so very curious what she means. “She has more clout than I do.”
“She really doesn’t.” She takes another sip. “Minka says that’s why she’s terrified of you.”
“Me? But I don’t want her job.”
“But you could have had it, and isn’t that just as daunting to the person who took it? To know there is someone in the wings the board thinks is more capable of doing the job than you are? To know that you were second choice?”
“Can I have some of that?” I ask of her flask. I take a swig when she offers it, needing a moment to collect my thoughts. I let the alcohol burn down my throat and warm my belly as I look out over the lake. “Thanks.”
“The way we see it—”
“We?” I stutter over the simple word.
“We. There are a few of us who are Team Blakely. A few who are just there to collect a paycheck. And then the two Heather brought with her when she moved over to work here at Glam are obviously on her team.” She meets my eyes like I’m crazy for not realizing there was a ‘we’ component here. “But yes, there is a we, and we’ve got your back.”
“I wasn’t aware any of you felt this way.”
“We do, but we have to thread the needle just as carefully as you have been because we don’t have the backing of the board. She is our boss, after all, so we can’t exactly roll our eyes in front of her. We see it. We’re rooting for you. Just know that.”
“I don’t even know what to say.” This time, I take the flask without asking as the whole notion hits me that I have all this silent support I didn’t even know I had.
“Anyway. The way we see it is that you’re the only one who knows the ins and outs of Glam. The board freaking loves you, and as hard as she’s pushing for her best friend for the position because she needs her—”
“What do you mean, she needs her?” I all but chuckle over the question as I play it off. I thought I was the only one privy to Heather’s scheming.
“To cover for her and save her ass?” Gemma’s eyes grow wide. “Surely, you know this and are just being professional. I mean, after that first brainstorm session we had on how to brand the new Goody-Girl eyeshadow palette when you corrected her facts like five times. You played it off like her lack of preparedness was understandable because she was new, but we all saw it.”
“I didn’t realize it was so obvious,” I murmur.
“Girl, she’s been gunning for you ever since.” She waves a hand at me. “But don’t you worry. She can lobby for her best friend to get the job all she wants, but we’ve made sure to drop hints to management that you’re the one for the marketing position.”
“Thank you. Truly.” Her words bolster my confidence. “But rumor is she gets final approval on their choice since the positions work side by side.”
“Is that why you’re being so cordial and taking her shit? Because you need her approval?” she asks, putting the exclamation mark on this whole situation. It also makes me realize that my quiet resentment might also come off to some like I wouldn’t be a strong leader.
Shit.
My smile is timid. “Well, even if Minka is right and Heather is terrified of me, I still
