Page 17
Kevin smiles and nods. “Yeah, for a couple more weeks. She’s already running all over the place though.”
“I bet,” I laugh.
“This is not a social visit. Escort Miss James out of the building now,” Mr. Klein snaps, and Kevin starts to shoot a glare in his direction but I shake my head before I take off for the entrance. Kevin follows behind me, and I’m glad. There’s no reason that he needs to lose his job today, too.
“You all right, Miss Ali?” Kevin asks when we’re far enough away from Mr. Klein. I smile over at him and nod.
“Yeah, I’m good. This was my choice.”
He nods. “Do you want help out to your car?”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to get you in trouble. I can manage. Thank you, though.”
“Anytime. I’ll miss you around here.”
“I’ll miss you, too. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call, okay?”
He nods before we say a quick good-bye, and I step out into the late morning sunshine, wondering what I should do now. I decide to head to my car and call Carly to fill her in on everything that happened. Once I deposit my box in the trunk, I slide into my seat and dial her number.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asks as soon as she answers the phone.
“Oh, a whole lot. Where are you?”
“I’m at the coffee shop across the street. I wasn’t ready to go back to work yet.”
I frown because I know exactly how she feels. It’s the same way I’ve been feeling for months. This job that I loved wasn’t so fun anymore with Mr. Klein running things. “I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”
We hang up, and I climb out of my car, locking up before walking across the street to our favorite little coffee shop to hide out in. As soon as I walk in, I spot Carly at a back table, and she waves me over. When I sit down, she slides a coffee in my direction.
“When you called me, I ordered your favorite.”
“Thank you. I needed this.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Tell me everything.”
I sigh before launching into the whole story, pausing quite often so she can get her laughter under control, and when I finish, she’s gaping at me.
“He’s fucking delusional,” she says, and I nod. “The man runs a small newspaper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he thinks he’s Walter fucking Cronkite.”
“I think getting sucked off by Chelsea is inflating his ego a little.”
“I can’t believe you said that to him.”
I shrug. “It was about damn time someone said it. How long has she been on her knees for him? Since she started there? And then she magically gets all these promotions? I don’t think so.”
“You’re my spirit animal,” she says, taking a sip of her coffee, and I laugh.
“Well, thank you, I think.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
I shrug and look out the window. It’s a fantastic question, and I wish I had an answer for her but I don’t. “That street corner looks nice,” I say, nodding to the corner of the coffee shop, and she laughs.
“Uh, no. You’re not hooking. You’re a talented writer, and you’ll find something.”
“I like your faith in me.”
She offers me a sympathetic look and stands, grabbing her coffee. “Well, I’ve got to get back before I end up next to you on that corner. You want to walk with me?”
