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“Nope. Trix just said you’re wanted.”
This was it, the stunning climax of our charade. I kept rubbing my hands on my pants as I went up to Merlin’s office because my palms were sweaty. Trix nodded me toward Merlin’s door when I arrived, and I made myself walk in as though I owned the place. “You wanted to see me?” I asked.
“Yes,” Merlin said, resting his elbows on his desk and steepling his fingers. “I’ve given some thought to your request to return to your position as my assistant, but I’ve decided that Kim deserves to return. We’ve discussed our issues, and I believe that we’ve resolved them satisfactorily. She’s a better fit for the position, and I think you contribute more to the company where you are.”
“Seriously?” I blurted. “I only left that job to go on a special assignment for you, then didn’t have a job to go back to because Kim had insinuated herself. You fired her, and now you want her back, over me? You know what? I’ve had offers. I can go where I’m appreciated. You can consider this my resignation.”
/> Without waiting for his response (mostly because I didn’t think I could look at him and keep a straight face), I whirled and stomped out, brushing right past Trix’s desk. She jumped up and ran after me. “Katie, what’s wrong?”
I stopped. “Actually, I think everything’s great. I just quit. And it feels sooo good.” Back at my office, I gathered the few belongings I had in there, grabbed the bouquet of roses, and walked out.
“Katie, where are you going?” Perdita called after me.
I stopped and turned back. “I just quit. You can probably handle my job. All the plans and documents you need are on my computer. Good luck!”
When I made it to the lobby, I was relieved to see that Trix had acted exactly as I expected and called Owen, who was already there, standing between me and the exit. “What are you doing?” he said, doing a decent job of looking alarmed. “You can’t just quit!”
“I did.”
“But there’s paperwork and exit interviews, and that sort of thing.”
“Rod knows where to find me.” I moved around him to get to the door, and he kept pace.
“I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I’m not sure you can. I’m always going to be a second-class citizen around here because I’m not really magical. I’m useful to you in a crisis, and then you forget about me.”
He frowned. “Do you mean ‘you’ in terms of the company or me?”
“Both, I think. I’m certainly not a priority to either of you. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have places to go, people to see.”
“Katie, wait!”
I kept walking, ignoring him, and I heard Sam say, “Sorry, kiddo, I don’t think you’re gonna sway her right now. That’s gonna take lots of flowers and chocolate and making it clear what she means to you. Give her time.”
I headed to that bar where the mysterious recruiter had approached me before and set my flowers on the table while I had a glass of wine. I thought it would look better if they came to me rather than me calling them. Given the hard sell and the public nature of my departure, I was sure I wouldn’t have to wait long.
Except no one came over to me. I sat alone with my wine and my flowers, feeling drained. Even if it had been fake, I’d had to hype myself up to play those scenes, and now I felt the way I might have if they’d been for real. Eventually, the adrenaline wore off, and I was left feeling dejected. I gathered my flowers and headed home.
Nita was at home when I got there. “Ooh, who sent you flowers?” she asked as she pinned her name badge onto her vest and checked in the mirror to make sure it was straight.
“Believe it or not, some company has been recruiting me like crazy.”
“Must be nice! Are you going to take them up on it?”
I set the bouquet on my nightstand and sank onto my bed. “Yeah, I think I might, considering I quit my job today.”
She whirled to face me. “Really? You just quit your job, like that?” She snapped her fingers.
“Yeah, I did.” I grinned. “And it felt really good.”
“Please tell me you made a dramatic exit.”
“Of course I did.”
“I wish I’d been there to see it. I’ve always wanted to make a dramatic exit.”
“You flew to New York without telling your parents you were leaving home.”
