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I suck in a ragged breath and compose myself, ignoring her attempt at conversation. It’s way too early to get into this right now. “Good morning, Margie. Could I get some coffee, please?”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
I charge back into my office shutting the door with a little too much force. I go to my computer and start working through emails, flagging to get back to soon. I pull up the investment reports, but it just looks like a bunch of muddled numbers.
Margie comes into the office with coffee and I’ve never felt so grateful. I can’t focus on numbers until I’ve had my coffee. She places the mug in front of me and hung around.
“Take a seat, Margie.”She sits, and I take my first sip of coffee. “So, is everything okay?”
“Good, thank you.”
I stare at her, but I get nothing. “Do you have a message for me?”
“Message?”
“Yes, Margie, a message.” I sigh. “You were on the phone with Mr. Hicks when I arrived this morning and you said you’d pass the message on…”
It takes her a few seconds to remember. “Oh, of course. Mr. Hicks said he wanted you to call him as soon as you had time.”
My eyes shut on another sigh and I wonder if this has anything to do with Saturday night. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
“It sounded urgent,” Margie adds.
“But not so urgent that you almost forgot to tell me?”
“I meant to tell you as soon as you walked in, but you seemed a little stressed, and I knew you’d want your coffee.”
I nod my head, “I had to ask for coffee, Margie. So it wasn’t that at all.” I stare at her for a beat, “please don’t lie to me Margie, I don’t like it. You know your job and I expect you to do it. Messages get passed on no matter what…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Fine. Let’s get back to work, shall we?”
“Yeah, I better get going. I have to schedule that appointment for him with Everett.”
“Mr. Brooks, you mean?” I correct her through gritted teeth. If my jaw tightens any more, I swear one of my fucking teeth will crack.
“Sorry?”
My patience is already wearing thin and it’s not even eight thirty yet. “It’s Mr. Brooks, not Everett. Now yes, you should do what you promised and schedule that appointment for Mr. Hicks.”
“Yes, Ms. Quinn.” She nods and goes back into her own office.
I drink my coffee and I force myself to go back to the investment summary. I knew today was going to be a long day. At this point, I don’t even think coffee can help me.
When I eventually spoke with Terry, it wasn’t anything urgent after all. In fact, he told me it could’ve waited until tomorrow when we had our conference call. Why would Margie tell me it was urgent if it wasn’t?
My cell goes off with a message alert, distracting me from the mundane numbers that I still can’t concentrate on. I take it out of my purse and see a message from Ruby:So… did you find me a husband?
Oh my god is she for real? She really does amaze me sometimes.
Well if you wanted a rich, pretentious, overopinionated bureaucrat, then I guess I would have been looking in the right place. But no, there was no one that could’ve handled you, Rue.
When she doesn’t answer right away, I quickly send her another message asking if she wants to meet up after work, then lock my screen and put my phone on my desk.
I have to get this work done and sent over to my boss before the end of the day.
I hear voices coming from Margie’s office. When I peer through the glass, I see the outline of a man in a suit, an outline I know well since I’ve licked every inch of it. As Everett moves toward my door, I notice a bag in his hand.
