Page 54 of Feel It in the Air

“Because I’m sitting here? I don’t know?”

Shit. Fuck. Damn. Whatever that string of curse words is that Bill Nighy spews at the beginning of Love Actually. Make this stop.

“But why you?” she repeats. “I’m the senior counselor here.”

“You’re starting to sound a little unhinged there, Teresa,” Aaron mutters.

Have to agree with him there. Especially since she’s not even the most senior lawyer in the room. Of the three of us sitting right here? Sure. But Hayes has a large legal department. Her claims of seniority over me aren’t going to get her very far.

Still, this is why what’s going on between Gus and me isn’t a good idea. At least while he’s my boss. I need to keep my head down and focus on my work. Which right now means replying to Bronwyn’s email about Southern Brothers trademarks. And then moving on to a project regarding the self-defense classes.

Actually…

An idea sparks in me. I pull out the notebook I keep in my tote bag, flipping through the pages until I find the note I scribbled over the weekend. Scanning my notes, I find what I’m looking for, the brief note to self to research a gadget that Jace mentioned. One that Hayes has an expiring patent on.

Digging into the patents file, I find the one I want and start reading. My mind moves like the Tilt-A-Whirl at the county fair, spinning out of control as I devour the information, page after page of specifications and nuances. The rest of me can’t move fast enough to keep up either, the thoughts pouring in, one after another. Pulling up a blank document, I type furiously, trying to capture it all in one space, not wanting to miss a detail.

By the time I get it all out, it feels like hours have passed, but I’m sure it’s only been minutes. No one else in the office seems to be the least bit disturbed, but I’m thrumming. My skin is buzzing, the excitement I’m feeling hard to contain. I’m going to have to though—or else everyone will think that I’ve lost my mind.

And maybe I have. But maybe I haven’t.

Time will tell.

Mabel reappears at her desk, leaving the door to Percy’s—err…Gus’s?—office open. For a brief second I consider going in there and sharing my idea with him. Telling him what I want to do. But I stop myself. Not because I think he’ll tell me no, because I know he won’t. He told the department that he had no intention of doing anything differently than Percy—after all, this was a temporary shift in reporting structure—and one of the things that Percy brags about is letting his team members work on projects they want, as long as they have the bandwidth and they’ve cleared it with him.

But going in there now to tell Gus about this idea and that I want to work on it means walking by Teresa. And after her little hissy fit this morning, I don’t need to give her any more ammunition. An email will suffice.

“Teresa.” Gus’s deep voice reverberates through me, and I startle. I swear he could make anything sound good, even her name. Stopping directly in front of her desk, he doesn’t waste time on formalities. “I don’t know where you are on the Hickory Hills Drug contract review, but I need you to please make sure that you include in your report who owns the building the drugstore is in, what the mortgage status is, if we potentially need to have an inspection done, the works. And if I could have that by Friday, please.”

“Of course! On it!” Teresa says, sitting straight up, like she’s a marionette and her puppeteer tugged on her strings. “And I’m sure the building is included, but it’s smart to double-check.”

“Agreed. I think it’s a brilliant idea.” He pivots, winking at me as he heads toward the door. “I’m in meetings for most of the afternoon, but if y’all need me just text.”

“Did he just wink?”

This time, I don’t think the door is even closed before her ire is on display. I swallow hard, waiting for her to continue. Mabel’s head lifts slightly, and I can tell she’s ready to eavesdrop on all of it. Nothing has been said, but if I had to guess, she’s a card-carrying member of this illustrious Hickory Hills rumor mill I keep hearing about. Which is even more of a reason to keep all this drama to a minimum.

Oh yeah, and my job.

“And just what are you doing getting ideas about M and A, huh? You’re trademark and IP. I’m M and A,” Teresa says, rounding her desk and stomping over to me.

“You specialize in taxes,” Aaron quips. “Percy asked you to look at the drugstore stuff because of tax law benefits. Sliger handles mergers and acquisitions.”

Teresa crosses her arms, the defensive look on her face telling me she’s ready for a fight. About what I’m not sure, but she’s ready. The fact that Aaron just pointed out that she doesn’t actually handle mergers and acquisitions probably isn’t boding well for me either. And I didn’t even do it. I know better than to engage. I need to simply turn back to my work and focus on that. There’s plenty of it. These trademark renewals are not going to write up themselves. Plus, that other project. Not that I’m going to let her in on that.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“What do you have to say for yourself?” she demands.

“Teresa, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Look here, Finnegan. I don’t care where you got your fancy degree from. Or who you did your hotshot internship with, or whatever you spent all the time overseas doing. Here, you’re the low woman on the pole, got it? Don’t think you can just waltz in here and automatically be handed things. You have to earn your spot just like the rest of us.”

Okay…she’s officially lost the plot.

“I’m going to get back to work now,” I tell her.