Page 111 of Last First Date

I could only imagine what she was going to say. She was probably going to quit or let me know she thought I was an asshole. She wouldn’t be the first person to think that.

“What?” I sighed with resignation, knowing it was probably better for her to say it to my face instead of talking behind my back.

“That man, Benjamin, he was really, really awful to Waverly at our first meeting,” she said. “He said some very lewd things and she was a total professional. I don’t know what he told you to make you pull her off his event, but she did nothing wrong.”

I realized how it must look to Marcy. I couldn’t get into why I pulled Waverly. “I know,” I said. “I know Benjamin. I thought I was protecting her from him. I’m afraid I might have made it worse.”

She was quiet for a few seconds. “Forgive me for being blunt, but a good boss would have fired the client for bad behavior, not fire the employee for tolerating the bad behavior.”

“It wasn’t like that,” I said.

She shrugged. “Maybe not, but that’s not what she believes. That’s not what we all believe.”

She was basically letting me know I was on the verge of having a mutiny on my hands.

“Look, I told you I would deal with him from now on. That’s it.”

“Thank you.” She rushed out of my office and closed the door behind her.

“Fuck,” I hissed.

I leaned back in my chair and wiped my hands over my face. This could not be happening. Benjamin was a royal piece of shit.

I reached for my phone and called Waverly. It went to voicemail.

She wasn’t going to talk to me. Giving her some space seemed like the prudent choice. I needed to give the lies some time to fade. I understood how horrible she must have been feeling at that moment.

As I contemplated the next course of action, my phone buzzed with an unknown, international number.

“Hello?”

I could hear a bit of a commotion in the background. I was about to hang up, assuming it was an obnoxious telemarketer, when I heard my grandmother’s voice talking to someone.

“Grandma?” I asked.

Something told me this was bad. I couldn’t explain the reason for the icy feeling that trailed down my spine. It was a premonition.

“There’s been an accident,” my grandmother said.

I could hear the fear in her voice. I got to my feet. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I had to do something. “What happened?”

“It’s Richard.” She sobbed.

My heart plummeted into my stomach. “Is Grandpa okay?”

“Oh, Knox,” she whispered.

I listened as she spoke with my blood running cold.

“I’ll call you back,” I said when she finished.

I grabbed my keys and wallet and walked out of my office. I was about to tell Waverly I was leaving, only to remember she had already left. I caught a few people staring at me. I was torn between my responsibilities to my office and my need to take care of my family.

47

WAVERLY

“Are you sure?” Janie asked.