“I can believe it,” I say, glancing down at his muscular, exposed thigh and I swear a slight flush creeps up around the collar of his sweater.
“For Maisie,” the barista calls my name, and I grab my food and drink, thanking them by putting a few pounds in the tip jar.
“Don’t forget about that tour discount,” Lain says as I walk by him to the exit.
“Oh, so should I cancel my tour with Rory?” I ask, teasing him.
The man arches an eyebrow at me and I laugh, which has him smiling in return.
“Don’t worry, I won’t forget. See you around, Lain.”
“See you around, Maisie,” he says, my name sounding like a caress.
For some crazy reason, I hope I see him again too. I bring our brunch back to the B&B, opening my laptop, and resenting the fact that I’m stuck in here and not out exploring the place my mother held so dear.
I promised myself I could do both. But as Birdie leaves the B&B by herself, there’s a longing feeling wishing I was going with her.
3
maisie
The time differencehas completely fucked everything up. Once again, I haven’t woken up early enough to do anything with Birdie.
Birdie is out exploring, staying within the confines of the town, just to be safe. Her job hasn’t even so much as called her. Meanwhile, it seems like I can’t keep up with my email and I feel like I’m failing my mom’s last wish.
Everything is spiraling out of control. I want to be the best at my job; I want a promotion. But I also want to be with Birdie, discovering the place that will bring us some comfort with Mom’s passing.
My two wants are at a complete impasse, and I don’t know what to do.
I’m zoned out, staring at the trickle of fog looming over the mountains through the window as a meeting request pops up on my computer. My brows furrow as I read the invite. It’s from my boss and the meeting is in ten minutes.
I glance down at myself. There’s no way I can talk to Gavin wearing my freaking pajamas still. I rush over to the closet,pulling out a simple turtleneck, before running to the bathroom to make my face a little more presentable with some makeup.
My hair is a lost cause, so I use a claw clip to at least tame it in the slightest.
By the time I’m back at my computer, I’m clicking the meeting request and my camera turns on. But it’s not just my boss Gavin on the other side of the screen, it’s also Dennis from HR.
“Maisie, thank you for joining us,” Gavin says.
I swallow thickly, my heart racing in my chest as I give him a polite smile. “Of course. There was no agenda for the meeting. What can I help you with?”
“Maisie, we know how much effort you’ve put into your position and we appreciate your efforts. But at this time Dermdes Cosmetics is looking to take the Omega line in a different direction,” Gavin says. Dennis looks like he wants to speak up, but doesn’t.
“Okay, and what does that mean?”
“We need someone in charge of marketing who can be there for the team at any given moment,” Gavin says.
Dennis suddenly cuts in. “Dermdes Cosmetics is looking for someone with more experience in marketing to help improve our current revenues and at this time, you’re not a right fit for the company. We’re offering you a severance package, but as of today, you’re no longer employed by Dermdes. We will send you a shipping label for your computer and have a staff member clean out your cubicle. When you’re back in the country, you will be permitted to come and pick up your belongings from security.”
I blink rapidly. Dennis’ language is so different from Gavin’s. A perfectly curated HR statement so he doesn’t say anything that would get him in trouble. In so little words, they said they don’t want an employee who has to take quarterly heat leave, andthe first vacation time I’ve ever taken—even though I’m working remotely—was the final straw.
“You’re firing me because I’m an Omega? Heat leave is required and protected by the government. You can’t fire me over that. I had explicit permission to work remotely for this trip. This is retaliation.”
Gavin goes to open his mouth, and his screen is immediately muted.
“This decision has nothing to do with your designation. Dermdes is going in another direction within this department. I will send you the details of your severance pay along with the shipping label. Thank you for your time with the company, Miss Taylor.”
The video conference ends, and I’m staring at myself through the screen, watching my eyes well up with tears. I know my work was good. It was damn fucking good.
