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Rage burns through my chest. This sorry excuse for a human has just trounced on my last nerve. “Are you threatening my job, Victor?”
His smile is malicious. “Merely stating facts, Jocelin. I’ll give you time to think about it.” He slides out of the booth.
“I don’t need time, Victor. As I said, I have a boyfriend, and we’re very happy.” This whole situation is surreal. This kind of thing only happens in the movies. “I’m sure there’s someone else who would love to date you. As you say, you’re a catch.” The words almost make me choke because he’s anything but that. But I have to work with him, and if I can salvage this situation, I will.
He leans on the table. “I am. And I deserve the best. That’s you.”
“That’s kind of you to say, but I’m very much in love with Gunnar. He is the only man for me.”
Victor’s smile disappears, and his eyes go flat. “Is that your final answer?” When I nod, he sighs. “Well then, I suppose that’s that.” He turns around and walks out of the restaurant while I wonder what the hell just happened.
Unease creeps up my spine. Without thinking, I pull out my phone and call the one person who can make me feel better.
“Hey, beautiful. What’s up?”
Confronted with having to explain what just transpired, I wonder if I’m making more of this than I should. “I just had another run-in with Victor.”
“Do you need me to come over there and beat his ass? Because I totally will.” There’s a smile in his voice, so I know he’s joking. Probably.
“No.” I let out a long sigh. “I think it’s okay.”
Gunnar’s tone changes immediately. “Joce, what happened? You don’t sound okay. Seriously, do you need me to come over there?” I can hear his desk chair moving, and I’m sure he’s up and headed for his vehicle. The last thing I need right now is an angry Gunnar at my office.
“Really, I swear it’s fine. Victor just said some things that got under my skin, and I knew hearing your voice would make me feel better.”
“Aww. Babe, that’s so sweet. You always make me feel better, too. Are you sure you don’t need me to make an appearance? Intimidate the jerk?”
That makes me laugh. “No. It’s alright. But thank you. Are we still getting together this evening?”
“Definitely. Seven o’clock at Love ’n Cup. It’s a date.”
Spending time with Gunnar in my favorite cafe, with some of Bill’s pastries, sounds like the perfect evening. “It certainly is. Thank you for making me feel better.”
“You’re welcome, babe. You can call me anytime.”
His words settle my nerves, and since we’ve both been given the all-clear from our tests, I plan to thank him properly tonight, when I see him. “Okay. I’ll see you soon. I have plans for you.”
“Definitely. And I can’t wait.”
We hang up, and the server takes my order. Thankfully, I come here enough that I know the menu by heart. Once I’m alone again, I take the time to relax and catch up on some personal reading I’ve been unable to get to, with all the overtime I’ve been putting in. When my food arrives, I eat at a leisurely pace and then stroll back to the office. Alistair and Nando aren’t sticklers for clock-watching. They expect you to do your job, do it right, and put in whatever hours are necessary to make that happen. The rest of the time is yours. It’s not quite flex time, but it’s the next best thing.
When I finally step out of the elevator, the office is buzzing with activity. I head for Bethany’s desk, keeping my voice low. “What’s going on?”
She bites her lip and leans closer. “I’m not sure.” She winces and pats my arm. “I think it might have something to do with you, though. Victoria was poking around your desk, and she, Alistair, and Nando have been shouting in Alistair’s office for the past half hour. But nobody can make out what they’re shouting. Or why.”
“That’s odd. And thanks for the heads-up.” She nods, and I turn toward my desk. Before I even get there, Alistair’s personal assistant, Rob, stops me. His expression, usually friendly and open, is unnaturally blank, and I get a sinking feeling in my gut. My delicious lunch roils and threatens to make a reappearance. “Jocelin, Alistair would like to speak with you. If you’ll come with me, please?”
I nod, following silently as everyone stares. Rob opens the office door and what greets me has my anxiety spiking and my heart hammering. Alistair, Nando, and Victoria sit at the small conference table, all three focused on me. Alistair stands and motions me to one of the empty chairs. “Jocelin, please have a seat.”
I approach cautiously, unsure what’s happening, but the sinking feeling in my gut gets worse. “May I ask what this is about?”
Alistair clears his throat. “I’ve reviewed the Hansley project.” He pauses, like he’s trying to find the right words. “There were anomalies that we need to discuss.” He offers me a barely there but encouraging smile. “I’m hoping you can explain them so we can clear things up.”
The words don’t make sense. “Anomalies? Could I ask what you mean?”
Alistair sits on the edge of the table and rubs his eyes. In all my time working here, I’ve never seen him this frazzled, and dread begins to take over. He drops his hands against his thighs and shakes his head in disbelief. “Jocelin, the contract is terminally flawed. There are errors in language that commit Hansley Publishing, and in turn, our firm, to terms that are the opposite of what we’ve discussed. If I hadn’t caught them, we could have cost Hansley millions and exposed our firm to a lawsuit that could bankrupt us and result in you, me, and maybe a few others being disbarred.”
I shake my head, not believing what I’m hearing. “No. There is no way. Were you looking at the most recent version?”
