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“Yes, Fiona. There is something I wanted to say to you.”
Her expression changed only a little as she looked at me. It became plain enough to see my desires went undetected, for now.
“Okay,” she said as she shifted position a bit. Sliding her fingers through her hair, she tucked it behind her ears. “What was it?”
I swallowed as her neck came into view. Inhaling, I looked away from it and back towards her eyes. “Simply put. I expect you to win this competition.”
“You… do?”
“Yes, absolutely. In fact, anything less would be a huge disappointment to me.”
She smiled.
FIONA
For obvious reasons, I hadn’t shared the details of my fainting incident with my grandmother. She’d worry and lecture me about working too hard and being stressed about money. Ultimately she'd be upset about the debt again, and I had no interest in making her go through that.
And besides, I’d worry she was worried.
Anyway, it was better left unsaid.
However, I was excited to share the news with her about the project and the promotion I’d receive if I happened to win the competition. And so, as I did most evenings, I ate dinner with her in her room and readied myself to tell her once we’d finished.
We munched on a pot roast I’d thrown together before I left for work that morning. I sat in a recliner eating off a tray while she ate in bed, as usual. About halfway finished with my meal, I swallowed a piece of the savory, tender beef. Afterward, I dabbed at the corner of my mouth with my napkin and prepared to give her the good news, when she beat me to it with a question of her own.
“So how was work today, my dear? Are you enjoying it and getting along with everyone?”
“Yes,” I replied as placed my fork down on my plate. “Actually, I’ve got some very exciting news to share with you.”
“Oh?” she replied, as she finished a bite. “Well, that’s wonderful. Please, I’m all ears.”
For the next several minutes, I brought her up-to-date with my work on the Link Protocol and concluded with the meeting Gabe called earlier in the day. I explained how the competition worked and how the winner would receive a big raise and a promotion.
She listened intently. At least that was the case until I got to the part when I told her Gabe spoke to me in private after the meeting wrapped. For no sooner had I done so than my grandmother looked up at me in silence over the edges of her reading glasses, lips pursed.
“What?” I asked.
With a subtle smack of her mouth she said, “Are you sure this possible promotion is the only thing your boss is interested in?”
The space between my eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as I looked at her.
“What? I don’t understand what you mean.”
My grandmother raised her arm, extending an accusatory index finger in my direction in the process. “Romance in the workplace isn’t good idea, Fiona. In fact, it’s a terrible one.”
“What are you talking about? Who said anything about romance?”
As I finished speaking, she glared at me for several seconds. With her mouth closed, my grandmother slid her tongue across the front of her teeth in suspicion as I watched.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Come sit over here Fiona,” she said, as she patted on the mattress with her palm.
By now, I’d stopped eating as well. As she issued her command, I crossed my arms at my chest.
“No. I don’t need a lecture, if that’s what you’re thinking of doing.”
“It’s not, dear. I just want to talk about your boss’ sudden interest in you.”
I groaned, tilting my head upward at the same time. Straightening my arms, I closed my fingers tight around the sleeves of my shirt.
“My boss does not have a ‘sudden interest’ in me. Why don’t you believe me?”
“Come. Sit,” she ordered as she pointed at the mattress.
“Fine,” I grumbled. Carrying my tray with me, I got up from the chair and a moment later, plopped down at the foot of her bed. “Okay. I'm listening.”
“Well, let’s start at the beginning,” she said. Wiping at the tips of her fingers with her napkin, she laced her words with a tone of curiosity. “Why would he single you out do you suppose?”
“He told me why,” I replied, without hesitation. “Because he expects me to win and was offering me encouragement. Nothing more.”
“Oh, uh huh, I see,” she said, tenting her eyebrows at me. Shaking her head back and forth in a deliberate manner, she continued, “And, does that seem strange to you at all? That he would do such a thing?”
I swallowed hard as she finished her thought.
“No,” I scoffed. “What’s strange about it? Are you suggesting he doesn’t think I can do it on my own merit? Why are you assuming there’s some sexual undercurrent? When has that ever been the case with me and men? Hmm?”
My grandmother eased her head back into her pillow as her expression changed once again. Through squinted eyes she said, “My, my, you’re quite defensive aren’t you? You’re lying to me about something Fiona. Out with it.”
“I am not, I…”
She cut me off and said, “Are you having an office fling with your new boss!?”
“What!” I protested. “That’s... ridiculous! Of course not. It’s not like that, Gabe is just…”
“Oh, it’s Gabe is it?” she said with a sarcastic chuckle. “Mmm, hmm. I see.”
“What do you ‘see’?”
“Oh come now, Fiona. The man goes above and beyond to encourage you over everyone else, then you’re referring to him by his first name…”
“Of course I refer to him by his first name!” I exclaimed as I interrupted her. “When he introduced himself to me at the bar, he didn't do it as Mr. Hawkins and…”
As soon as the words sputtered from my lips, I reached up and slapped my palms against my mouth. As I did, my grandmother’s eyes widened. She clapped her hands in front of her face in a gesture of smug victory.
I rolled my eyes.
“So you met him the night before your interview?” she said, as the memory returned to her. “When you went out with your friends?”
Although I went out with them on occasion, to say we were ‘friends’ was quite a stretch.
Ellie’s parents hired me as a tutor when it looked as if she would flunk out in her freshman year. She dragged me kicking and screaming into socializing with her. After a time, I got used to it but aside from the occasional evening out, I didn’t spend much time with them.
In truth, besides my grandmother, I didn’t have any friends.
My hope was that once I got around other like-minded people, I’d feel more at ease and able to open up. But, it was only a hope since my track record in this area left a lot to be desired. Turning my attention back to my grandmother and her question about the night I met Gabe, I continued.
“Yes,” I grumbled. “But I had no idea who he was then.”
“And he made a pass at you? At the bar?”
“Well no, I wouldn’t exactly say that. Mostly he teased me about my clothing and my planner. He was sarcastic and frankly, a bit mean.”
“Oh, dear,” she whispered. “That’s not good.”
“Now what?”
“Well, Fiona, men don’t make a habit of teasing women they don’t like. Let me ask you. Do you like this man? Are you interested in him?”
“No, I’m not,” I said, with all the conviction I could summon. “And even if I was, I’d be putting my job and our financial situation at risk. You of all people should know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Mmm, hmm,” she said, as she nodded her head. “And what about him? At the workplace? Has he continued his flirtatious ways?”
I hated lying to my grandmother about anything and to make matters worse, I was terrible at it. I just didn’t want to discuss any of this with her. If I tried to pretend he hadn’t flirted, she'd know right away. Shaking my head, I stood from the bed and picked up the plate containing my half-eaten meal. I gestured towards hers and said, “Are you finished?”
“With my meal, yes. With you, no.”
I looked away from her as I wrapped my fingers hard around the edge of my plate.
“Nothing is happening between us, okay? Don’t worry.”
“I always worry about you, Fiona. It’s my job sweetheart. You’re my entire world.”
A hard lump formed in my throat as I reached down and took her plate. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before turning to take our dishes back to the kitchen.
“I know I am and you’re mine too. But you have to trust me, all right?”
“I do trust you, Fiona. It’s him I’m concerned about.”
FIONA
I wouldn’t go so far as to say things were great between my grandmother and me over the next few days. I sensed her suspicions about Gabe remained, but she made no further mention. Yet, knowing her, it wouldn’t stay that way, and that was especially true if I went on to win the competition. If we started working with each other on a regular basis, her curiosity would grow. I was certain of it.
As for Gabe, I hadn’t seen or heard from him since the end of the meeting in the conference room. I didn’t know if he was in the office or halfway around the world. He didn’t see fit to keep me informed of his whereabouts, and that was fine by me. I took his encouragement to heart though and intended to do the best I could to come out on top in the competition.
