“Sorry about that,” said Rob. “Temporary blip.” Then he reached for John’s hand for help standing.
“What is going on here?” John said, clutching his head between his palms. “You weren’t breathing, you had no heartbeat.” He was glaring at Rob as though accusing him of something, which he was—he was accusing him of having been dead. “No one just jumps up after a stroke or a heart attack and says, ‘Sorry about that.’ ”
“He’s dairy intolerant, I got the wrong milk in his coffee, it’s probably that,” Chloe said, improvising. “It makes him pass out sometimes.”
“He is not dairy intolerant. I know that because you didn’t put it on your dietary requirements form,” John said, narrowing his eyes at her as though he were Inspector Clouseau and had just caught her out in a crucial deception. “And dairy intolerance does not make your heart stop.”
During this whole exchange, Rob was looking back and forth between Chloe and John, as though he were listening to a riveting radio play and he couldn’t wait to hear how it ended.
“Ah well, all’s well that ends well,” Chloe said. “Now I must get dressed, if you will excuse me. Thank you for your help, and for the lovely stick.” She pulled her towel farther up her chest,then realized her legs were also quite exposed now, so pulled it back down to where it had been. Why was this towel so small? “Rob, you sit down, I’m sure you must feel a bit light-headed. I’ll make you some tea. Someblacktea.”
She feigned a smile, and then before John could object any further, she ushered him out the door. “See you at the picnic! Hopefully there won’t be any more near drownings or faintings for you to deal with, ha ha.”
Then, before he could respond, she gave him a cheerful smile and shut the door in his face.
When she turned back to Rob she said, “That was close.”
“Did you take off your device?” Rob asked, still looking confused and disoriented.
“Just for a second. I didn’t know that was going to happen.”
“The feedback loop can falter if you disconnect suddenly without powering down correctly,” he explained, rubbing his chest. “It was explained in the terms and conditions.”
“If I’d read all the terms and conditions, I’d still be there reading them,” Chloe said, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Sorry, that must have been inconvenient.” Rob reached out to pull her into a hug.
“What’s John going to think?” she said into his chest. “He was already suspicious. We’ll have to avoid him for the rest of the weekend now.” As soon as she’d said it, she realized that of everyone here, John was the one person she didn’twantto avoid.
This thought was interrupted by Chloe’s phone. She ran to grab it, fearful it might be Avery, worried she might somehowknowthat Chloe had disobeyed her instructions. How closely was she being tracked? But it wasn’t Avery, it was McKenzie.
“It’s my boss, I’d better answer it,” she said, accepting the call.
“Chloe, it’s Mr.McKenzie. Sorry to call at the weekend, but I hoped you might update me. Have you had a chance to talk to Sean Adler yet?” he asked, his voice light, trying to pretend he wasn’t pinning all his hopes for the business on this.
“I have been talking to him, yes,” Chloe said, which wasn’t a lie. “I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to talk shop. I want time to lay the groundwork, tell him about you and the company first. I’m keen to make sure I do the pitch justice.”
“Right,” said McKenzie. He sounded disappointed. “Just don’t miss your chance. I really do think, if you pitch it right, he’d jump at this. I’m counting on you, Chloe.”
Rob, who could hear the conversation, whispered, “Remind him about the email you sent, about you taking a more creative role, putting a timeframe in place.”
“Don’t worry, I will talk to Sean before the end of the weekend, Mr.McKenzie,” she said. “On a separate matter, do you remember what we discussed, about me taking a more creative role in the company? You didn’t come back to my email.”
“Sure,” he said, though he sounded vague.
“You’re going to need it in writing,” Rob whispered.
“Only, I’m going to need it in writing. I want it to be official,” Chloe said down the phone.
“Give Sean the script, and I’ll put something in writing,” said McKenzie.
Rob shook his head. “This isn’t contingent.”
“This isn’t contingent,” Chloe said firmly, not really sure if “contingent” was the right word in this context.
“You’re overqualified,” said Rob.
“You’re overqualified—I mean,I’moverqualified. You knowI am. I need this job to work for both of us, and I’d like to see that commitment from you in writing.”
