Page 8 of Naughty Heart

Pam couldn’t bring herself to speak, so Cheryl did. “We just heard the news from Cindy, who works in the offices.”

“News?”

My friends nodded. “Yeah. Apparently, there’s going to be an announcement right at the end of lunch that work will be stopping fifteen minutes earlier than usual today for a company-wide announcement.”

“There’s going to be an announcement about an announcement?” I pressed.

“Yep,” Pam confirmed.

This didn’t feel good at all. “So, did Cindy say what the announcement at the end of the day was going to be about?”

“No,” Cheryl answered. “That’s just it. I think she was going to, but then one of the managers walked by, needed her help with something, and she couldn’t tell me. I don’t want to jump to conclusions about it, but I wasn’t getting a good vibe from her.”

This was not what I needed right now.

Obviously, there was no proof that anything bad was happening just yet, but there was no missing the overwhelming sense of foreboding in the cafeteria.

God, what was happening?

“Have you talked to anyone else about it? What are people thinking is going to happen?” I asked.

Pam shook her head. “We haven’t talked to anyone, but I’m willing to bet they aren’t planning to dish out Christmas bonuses to everyone in the company.”

I would have loved if that was the case.

A bonus.

I’d never gotten a Christmas bonus at any job before. That would have been a wonderful and welcomed surprise.

Not wanting to get my hopes up for something like that, especially when everyone seemed to be assuming the worst, I thought it might help to be a voice of reason and optimism. “Well, maybe it won’t be that, but it’s possible it could be something just like new systems or training being implemented.”

“Always trying to look for the best in people, aren’t you, Ev?” Cheryl asked.

I shrugged. “I can’t spend my life always assuming the worst. Enough bad stuff happens, so if there’s a chance to hope for the best, I need to do it.”

For the rest of the lunch break, which seemed to pass far too quickly, we spent our time discussing all the potential outcomes. Despite the desire I had to remain positive, even I had to admit to myself that the more we talked about it, the worse I felt.

And sure enough, just a few minutes before lunch was over, one of the managers came into the cafeteria and made the announcement that we’d all be stopping work fifteen minutes prior to the end of our shift. Nothing could be concluded from his statement. There was no emotion—no excitement, no sense of doom. He just seemed indifferent, which I found myself wanting to latch on to. There was still a chance that things might work out.

Although the afternoon, especially on a Friday, usually seemed to pass in a flash, today was the opposite. It felt as though it dragged on, likely the result of nobody seeming willing to even have any general conversation. It was awful.

To say I was feeling nervous by the time we were all gathered in the warehouse for the meeting would have been an understatement.

I found and stood by my closest friends, knowing that no matter what happened, I was going to want them by my side. They felt the same.

And when we saw the big boss, Bryan, walk out in front of us, I think it became clear things were about to take an even bigger turn for the worse.

The room was so quiet, a pin drop could have been easily heard.

Following a long pause as his eyes roamed over everyone in the room, Bryan finally spoke. “I know this afternoon has been filled with a lot of nerves and a fair amount of speculation, so I’m relieved to finally be able to put the rumors to rest. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to say this. Hilborne Art Supply is downsizing substantially, and everyone on shift today is being let go.”

I stood there unmoving, feeling sick, as words of frustration and shock were thrown out from the crowd. I couldn’t make out much of anything being said, which was likely due to being lost in my own world of horrible thoughts.

Panic had started to settle in.

“Listen, listen. I know this comes as a shock to all of you, and we understand you have some questions. We will do our best to answer that in the packets we’ve put together for you to take with you as you leave today,” Bryan shared in an effort to calm the masses.

His words weren’t having the desired effect, and I couldn’t say I blamed anyone.