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Valerie: I mean it, Charlie. Call me.
I was still smiling and pulling Val’s number up so I could give her a call when someone behind me cleared their throat.
‘Anything you want to share with the class?’ Gayle asked, as I looked over my shoulder and noticed she and Rick were just standing at the doorway.
‘Like what?’ I asked, trying to sound normal and heading for my desk as they walked in.
‘Why the good mood?’ Rick added.
‘I’m usually in a good mood. What are you two talking about?’
They both stared at me expectantly as I took a seat and gave them an innocent look. Gayle pinched her brows together, squinting at me.
My eyes landed on my book that was on its regular spot, and I spied a tiny piece of paper sticking out of the pages. My heart rate picked up. William’s notes had become some of the best parts of my day. My hand reached for the book – The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea – but instead of pulling the paper and reading the note, I focused on my friends.
They were still staring.
‘You’re freaking me out.’
‘And you’re making us very curious.’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
Rick kept standing in the middle of my room with his arms crossed against his chest as Gayle put her palms on my desk and leaned forward, I assumed to intimidate me. It took a lot not to lean back.
‘Hmmm,’ she muttered. ‘I see.’
I tilted my head and waited. She said nothing more.
‘What does she see?’ Stan whispered.
‘Beats me,’ I said, moving my gaze from Gayle to Rick.
‘Is there a reason you two are here, or did you just…?’ I trailed off, waiting for an answer.
‘Maybe you should leave, Rick,’ Gayle offered, which came out more like an order.
‘I’m not leaving. Interrogate her in front of me. I want to hear too.’
I shook my head. My phone started ringing, and I picked it up and rose from my seat. ‘Okay. As fun as it was to talk to you two, I was waiting for this call, so if you both could leave that’d be great actually.’
‘Who is calling? Someone we know?’ I watched Gayle ask as she looked out of my office, her eyes searching for someone.
I grabbed her arm and then pushed Rick with the back of my hand and marched them right out of my office. ‘It’s actually from the airline. You know, the call we’ve all been waiting for today? Ring any bells?’
‘Fine. Take the call. Then you’ll talk to us.’
‘Bye guys.’
I closed my door in their faces and they lingered until I rushed back to my desk and answered the phone.
‘Hello, Mr Dunne. Did you come to a decision?’
After everything we’d released to the media, and after Mr Dunne himself had gone online with a major news outlet and talked about the situation, we had still recommended that it would be better to sever ties with their racist pilot as soon as possible. Especially after everything Gayle had found out about him just by deep-diving into his social media. It was shocking that this was the first time they were having a problem with him.
As Mr Dunne kept talking, I couldn’t help it, I reached for my note.
Stop looking at me over your shoulder. I can’t handle it. You’re making me crazy.
I grinned. Completely forgetting that I should be focusing on my call, I still lifted my head and searched for him in the office. I found him in front of his office door, talking to Trisha. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned his head and our eyes met. His lips still moved, but I had all his attention. After a few seconds, I looked away first, but he had seen my smile.
‘Okay. Mr Dunne. I’ll get the team together and we’ll jump on a video call to discuss our next step and how to handle the situation carefully. Will you be available in an hour?’
Just a few minutes later, after I had ended my call with Mr Dunne, I practically ran out of my office so Rick and Gayle couldn’t corner me again. I tried to look for William to fill him in on the call with Mr Dunne, but he wasn’t in his office.
I headed for the kitchen to get myself some coffee. My very first one of the day at 11 a.m. I grabbed a pod from where I had my favourites stashed in the back of the cupboard and Kimberly chose that very minute to walk in and startle me enough that the pad of my finger caught on something against the cupboard as I pulled it back.
‘Hello, hello.’
‘Dammit,’ I muttered, holding onto my finger. There was no blood, but the skin was scratched and it burned like hell.
