Goddammit. I’ve screwed up so big here and for what? A smile from a handsome stranger. Was it worth it? The worst part is that a big part me thinks it was.
I slowly peel my hands away from my face when I realize I can hear yelling coming from Mr. Connell’s office. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but it’s hardly eavesdropping when two people are shouting loud enough for me to hear them through a closed door and all the way to my desk. I condone staying right where I am by telling myself I’m in enough trouble for letting Brett slip by me, without also being missing from my desk if Mr. Connell comes looking for me.
“You realize you’ve just cost this firm what could have been a very lucrative deal?” Mr. Connell shouts.
“Don’t worry father,” Brett retaliates. He says the word father like it’s an insult. “I’m sure your ass kissing skills will come into play and save the deal. You seem to be very good at getting people to do what you want them to do.”
“Except seemingly my own receptionist because if she did as I said, you wouldn’t be in here,” Mr. Connell shoots back.
Fuck. I’m about to get the head’s up that I’m going to be fired.
“Oh, bullshit, Brett shouts back. “Don’t even try to blame this on her. You knew I’d come down here when I heard what you’d done and you knew it would take more than her to stop me!”
Butterflies now whirl around in my stomach. Brett is defending me. I bite my lip to keep from smiling. I catch myself. It’s hardly a time for me to be sitting here smiling.
Brett goes on, “Don’t pretend like you didn’t want this to happen. If you didn’t, then you would have had security out there, not a damned receptionist.”
“I made the mistake of thinking you would act like a professional and not come barging into a meeting,” Mr. Connell exclaims. “I should have known better. But yeah, you’re right, that was my mistake, not Opal’s.”
Ok, maybe I’m not getting fired after all. Assuming I can actually focus enough to get some work done. I can’t though. Not yet. I accept that I will be working even later tonight than I first thought. I have to hear how this all pans out. And then, I’ll have to pretend like I didn’t hear a thing when I go to Mr. Connell’s office and apologize for letting Brett get past me. I’m already starting to plan out what I will say to get around all of this, but I’m mostly focused on the argument that’s still raging in Mr. Connell’s office.
“Act like a professional? That’s rich coming from you,” Brett shouts.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Mr. Connell yells.
“I think you know, but if you want, I’ll spell it out to you,” Brett says. “You sabotaged my deal, thinking it would leave me with no choice but to come and work for you. But let me tell you something. I would rather flip burgers in a fucking McDonald’s than come here to work for you.”
“Oh son,” Mr. Connell replies. His voice is taunting, like he’s trying to goad Brett into getting angrier. “It’s cute that you would think that, but let me spell this out for you, because I think it’s you that’s missing something here. I didn’t sabotage your deal. Your deal was shit, so the company saw that and pulled out of their own accord. And as for you working here? There’s no chance of that. I’m afraid I only take the best and that deal and your reaction to losing it, tells me that’s not you. I can’t work with people who have this whole victim mentality going on. Admit it. You screwed up and now, you’re just looking for someone to blame.”
I hear a loud crashing sound and I think one of them must have thrown that ugly Ming vase that Mr. Connell loves so much.
“Really? You’re not even going to have the balls to admit to what you did? Honestly, I expected better,” Brett barks. “If you weren’t involved, then why would you have been expecting me? And don’t say you weren’t. You admitted it when you said you thought I would have waited until after your meeting to come in here.”
“I wasn’t involved. But I knew you’d come here, because you always come to me when you need someone to blame your mistakes on to,” Mr. Connell retorts.
“For fuck’s sake,” Brett shouts back. “You’re really going to stand there and deny this with that smug grin on your face? I should have known you’d do this. You’ve never taken responsibility for anything in your life.”
“Oh, so now you’re making this about your mother? You sound just like her,” Mr. Connell snaps.
“Well, it could be worse. I could sound like you,” Brett shouts.
The door to Mr. Connell’s office slams open.
I quickly begin typing. I am typing nonsense on a blank document, anything to look like I wasn’t sitting here eavesdropping.
But I needn’t have worried. Brett marches past me without so much as a glance in my direction and Mr. Connell slams his office door closed, and the fact there are no footsteps tells me he’s stayed on the inside of the door.
It looks like I’ve dodged the bullet, but I know I need to knuckle down and get through my work. I also know I need to pretend like I didn’t hear any of that when Mr. Connell is ready to talk to me. But I am more than a little intrigued as to what just happened.
It’s clear to me that Mr. Connell and his son don’t get along, but I can’t help but to wonder why. And why Mr. Connell was so adamant that he didn’t want Brett to work
