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I’m back at my office, getting ready to head downstairs for lunch when the door opens and Victoria breezes in, a very feminine perfume scent filling the air around her.
“Hey, Charlee, how’s it going?” she asks, flopping onto the top of my desk in her signature move. That’s a total power pose. It’s my office but she walks in and dominates the space instantly.
“Hey Victoria. I’m all good, and you?” Could she not wait until tomorrow to get started?
“Great. All good.” She pauses for a while and observes me closely, and then she smiles.
“Hey, girl, I’m heading out for a quick coffee now with Joselyn, but I just had to come in here and say a few things. First of all, I’m so sorry for getting all up in your space and business the way I did that day. I should have handled the issue better and in a friendlier manner. I admit that I overstepped and I apologize, sincerely. Boss has instructed us to work together very closely in the coming days and I don’t want any awkward tensions. You’re great at your job and I know we can execute this perfectly.”
She smiles tightly, watching me.
Taking a moment to process things, I eventually nod to her words.
“Thank you, Victoria, for saying that. I appreciate it. Also, you were right. It was risky to get involved with the boss. Well, there’s no need for any further awkwardness. I’m keeping my distance from him. It’s for the best anyway.”
Victoria licks her lips absently and shifts her eyes, like she feels guilty about something.
She finally flashes another smile and launches into another conversation about our scheduled collaboration, saying nothing else about the Harrison issue.
“We’ll meet first thing tomorrow morning, okay?” she says and I nod. And then she walks off, her heels clicking with dull thuds as she moves, swift as water.
The conversation leaves me feeling… rattled.
I’m not sure why, but I feel like a lot is about to happen in the coming days that will leave me feeling a lot worse.
It’s a really scary feeling.
22
CHARLEE
Maybe I shouldn’t have let my jealousy cloud my perception of Victoria Mendoza.
She’s actually really sweet. Not just merely kind or work-place cordial. Like, absolutely sweet. We’ve been working closely for the past couple of days to coordinate the most urgent and high-profile interviews we’ve done so far, and Victoria already knows my favorite cappuccino order.
She always takes a coffee break at noon and insists on walking to the coffee store a few blocks away. To stretch her legs, she says. Driving everywhere isn’t good for anyone. I’m not sure it’s a problem for her, since I’ve learned she goes to the gym four times a week with Joselyn and they never skip leg day.
Well, obviously. Victoria’s legs are a miracle of creation. I’d have to work out ten hours a day for a whole year to get such perfect legs.
I also love that we work well together. I had my misgivings at first, expecting things to be a little awkward, but Victoria has this attitude of brushing away negativity and stuffing good energy with gusto. Listening to everyone’s opinions, consulting me before taking the smallest decisions, bantering with team members despite being firm and no-nonsense when she needs to be, and making everyone feel important and needed. Even Janice has taken nicely to her.
Perhaps, I’ve been mindlessly worrying for nothing.
This morning, we’re both alone in the conference room, working out details for a subliminal advertisement campaign we put out later that week. Victoria claims my concepts are so much better than hers and she lets me do all the creative thinking while she sorts out logistics and strategy.
“I like this plan to get us on the podcast,” Victoria says, uncapping a bottle of water. “Podcasts have this naturally unfiltered vibe. If our clients can be open and honest, without sounding like they were put up to it, we’d get a lot of good energy. That’s why I don’t want any rehearsals before the show. They should just go on and tell the truth.”
“You’re right,” I say, typing away on my laptop. “A rehearsal would ruin everything. We won’t even send them briefing instructions.”
Harrison’s ultimate take-down plan is in full swing.
The way he paired the teams up is actually pretty impressive. He knew who would work well with who, even if they didn’t realize it at first. He’s made himself entirely available to all the teams, and honestly, I’ve watched him extend himself to the farthest limits these past couple of days. It’s amazing to watch the energy of a man on a mission, and I occasionally catch myself silently praying that he doesn’t burn out.
I’m still typing when a dizzy spell hits.
I know what’s coming next and I brace myself. How fast can I walk to the bathroom to dump my breakfast of omelet and apple juice?
Luckily, the nausea is only a warning flash but I still clutch at my mouth to be careful. I’ve had a couple of episodes where I thought I could control it and ended up barfing all over the fluffy cream-colored rug in my bedroom.
