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He shoved the cup toward me. “You forgot this in my office. I thought you might want it.”
“Thank you. I do want it.”
I took it from him gingerly, trying to catch his eye. He allowed his gaze to graze mine once, then he nodded and walked away.
Davida broke the thick silence first. “Shit.”
I turned around to face her. “How much did he hear?”
“All of it, darling. Didn’t you see me shaking my head?”
I slapped my hand on my forehead. “I thought you were going along with what I was saying. You need a better signal.”
“I can’t do better than shaking my head aside from covering your mouth with my bloody hand.”
I fell down in a chair and moaned. “I’m such a prick. He made this nice gesture, and I can’t even appreciate it.”
“You’re in a right state, darling.” She shoved the lid on Jeffrey’s smoothie and walked over to me. “Elliot isn’t the kind to have tender feelings. I’m sure he’s already forgotten all about this.”
“Probably.” One could only hope.
My hopes were dashed by noon.
When I returned to my desk after lunch, there, sitting in the very center, was a small red envelope with a distinctive white bull’s-eye.
A knot in my throat, I opened it and nearly shrieked at the amount.
One thousand dollars.
Holy shit.
My hands trembled as I read the note.
Catherine,
Something useful to go along with the luxury.
The spa card doesn’t expire. Use it when you have the time, even if it’s three years from now.
Congratulations on your impending arrival. I should have said that sooner.
-Elliot
It was strange being this grateful to a man who drove me up the wall on a daily basis. He didn’t hiresingle women, for Pete’s sake. I didn’t know how to reconcile these warring feelings.
The sound of Elliot’s voice approaching instantly sent me into professional mode. I circled my desk, standing behind it with a practiced smile.
I needn’t have bothered. Elliot was conversing with a pair of men older than him by at least two decades in starched suits with serious, no-nonsense expressions. Elliot gestured toward his office, and the men swept in with Elliot right behind them, disappearing inside without a single glance my way and pulling the door closed.
Exactly as expected.
This was the Elliot I knew.
The world had tilted back on its axis, just as it should’ve been, and I breathed easier.
But that little red envelope glared at me from my desktop, telling me there was more to my boss than what was on his slick surface.
Glaring back at it, I whispered, “Go fuck yourself. You’re just a card. What do you know? You don’t even have a brain.”
