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Annie
“IQUIT!” a woman’s shout echoes through the office.
“Good. I was about to fire you anyway. You’re saving me some paperwork.” Enzo Mancini’s office door opens, and his voice travels all the way to my desk.
Seconds later, the phone on my desk rings, and I pick it up.
“And… she’s gone,” my coworker and friend, Jake, says with a chuckle.
“I give her credit. She lasted two weeks longer than I gave her.”
He sighs. “Damn it. That means Mae won the pool again. Put your drinking cap on, we’re going out tonight.”
From the corner of my eye, I spot my boss, Shelby, speed-walking through the open floor plan in her heels, ordering everyone back to work as though we’re a bunch of fourth graders. She’s officially the one in charge of all the admin staff, but we each work side-by-side with one of the senior advertising executives, so in essence, we all have two bosses. Lucky us.
“Shelby’s on the move,” I say in a low voice.
“She looks semi-frantic this time around,” Jake comments, having more of a front row seat than I do at this end of the office. While I get the privilege of counting our coworker Milo’s trips to the bathroom because of his weak bladder, Jake is blessed with staring at Enzo Mancini whenever he wants. Life is so unfair.
I lean back in my office chair, tapping my pen on the desk. “Sorry, you’ll have to navigate Mae all by yourself. I’ve got plans.” I glance at the time on my computer screen. “Damn, I better go if I’m going to make it.”
“Where are you going?” he asks.
Mr. Mancini must have come out of his office because I can hear his now calmer voice more clearly. “Explain something to me, Shelby…” The door to his office must close then, because I can’t hear anything else.
“I’ll tell you after,” I say.
He tsks. “Secrets won’t win you any friends, Annie.”
I open my bottom drawer, grabbing my purse.
“Oh, shit.” Jake hangs up.
I look across the office to see a bunch of the assistants on the move, all disappearing in different directions. A few head to the break room, a few to the bathroom, and the rest sprinkle over to my side of the office. I double-check my desk to be sure I haven’t left anything I’ll need this weekend and look up to find Shelby and Mr. Mancini’s former assistant walking toward me.
“Mr. Mancini is a difficult man to please. You’re not the first one to quit. Don’t feel too bad about it.” Shelby walks by with her arm around the assistant’s shoulders.
“I thought I was supposed to be learning. Shouldn’t he have worked with me?” The poor girl has no idea how screwed she was when she was hired on as Lorenzo Mancini’s assistant.
“Mr. Mancini does things differently than our other ad execs. If you need a reference, please have them contact me.” Shelby shoots me a sympathetic smile as she walks by my desk.
I smile at her, hoisting my purse on my shoulder and grabbing my rain jacket from the coat hanger outside Mr. Beardsman’s office. I’m hurrying because I’m scheduled to leave early today, and everyone knows that someone will have to cover now that Mr. Mancini’s assistant is gone. It’s not like Enzo Mancini can get his own coffee, let alone use the big, bad copy machine. Perish the thought.
The presentation for Coddle is this afternoon, and if he lands the account, he could very well be named partner by the end of the year. No way will he prepare alone for something so huge.
I knock on Mr. Beardsman’s door.
“Come in.” Mr. Beardsman hangs up the phone and swivels in my direction, his usual smile on his face.
“Do you need anything else before I leave?” I tie my rain jacket at my waist.
“No, I’m right behind you. Can you believe my Scarlett is in her first play?” He beams at the picture of his daughter on his desk.
“Tell her I said break a leg, though I know she’ll do great. Oh, I should have gotten you flowers to give her for after.” Damn it, I meant to run to the florist during my break this morning.
“You spoil me, Annie. They’ll mean more if I do it myself. Plus, you helped me with that Nectar ad. I should be thanking you.”
