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“Anyone else? Who is saying otherwise?”
“Oh, uh, no one.” He jerked back and looked around the office. “Just Faith… and maybe a few other people.”
“What?” Why would anyone be calling me unprofessional just because I missed one meeting? I knew plenty of people in this office who routinely showed up late to work. “They’re calling me unprofessional because of one meeting? That’s absurd.” But it still bothered me. I couldn’t deny it.
“Well,” Jackson rubbed his bottom lip and looked around again. “It’s not just about the meeting.”
“What else could anyone have to say about me?”
“It’s nothing. Forget I mentioned it.”
“Jackson, you’re not leaving until—”
“Faith told everyone that you got the Crawford account because you’re sleeping with one of the brothers. She said it was unethical and they should demote you, maybe even fire you, for ethical reasons.” He clapped a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe any of that, but—”
“But?”
“But she had proof.”
My head spun and my heart knew what he was about to say next, but my mind wouldn’t piece it together yet. “What kind of proof?” I asked slowly.
“She took a screenshot of a man and a woman… well… he was…”
I put my hand up to cut him off.
“Anyway, the caption said it was Luke Crawford, and Faith insisted the woman was you. She even referred to another newspaper article. She said something about a friend she follows on Instagram from Paris… I don’t know.”
I rubbed my temples as the fog in my head cleared. The partners didn’t want any scandal within their company. They changed the meeting time knowing I was in Paris and probably wouldn’t see the email. If this was true and they were concerned about how the story would reflect on Delmar & Tuch, I could be at risk of losing more than just a promotion. I could lose my job.
My cell phone rang and I jumped in my seat.
“I’ll let you take that,” said Jackson, looking relieved that he had an excuse to leave me.
Luke’s face popped up on my screen. He must have set that up while he had my phone. When he took my phone from me.
I tapped on the screen to silence the call. I wasn’t ready to speak to him right now. I might say something I would regret later.
Turning on my laptop, I opened my email and focused on work.
I didn’t lift my head until noon when Omar tapped on my cubicle. “Want to grab something to eat? My treat.”
“Thanks, but I have a lot to catch up on. I’m going to skip lunch.” Keeping my head down, I didn’t look Omar in the eye. I was ashamed about that picture and wondered if he thought less of me because of it. I knew he didn’t think I did anything unethical, but it was enough that he saw me in such a vulnerable position that no one else was meant to see.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice soft.
“Yep. Thanks for asking.” I began typing gibberish on my laptop, hoping that would send Omar on his way. It did, but my chest still tightened when he left. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had no one I could turn to. But I’d been here before, fourteen years ago. I survived that and I would survive this, too.
Luke called six more times that day. Every time my finger itched to answer it, I told myself not to. The same feelings of isolation and shame from being ridiculed in high school had now resurfaced, and I knew that if I spoke to him, I would say something in anger. I needed to calm down first.
I didn’t speak to anyone else that day. After finishing the Crawford account, I began researching for tomorrow’s audit. I would complete that one sooner than anyone else had before and I would do it better than them, too. I would prove to these assholes that I wasn’t reflective of one night because I was so much more than that.
By the time I climbed into my car, I was exhausted. My shoulders and neck ached from typing on my laptop all day. My back hurt from sitting down and only allowing myself bathroom breaks. I knew I was punishing myself, but I couldn’t stop it.
As I rode the elevator up to my apartment, my eyes shut and my body swayed. The jet lag was killing me and I just wanted to sleep this day away. After making dinner, I planned to tuck myself in and not get up until morning.
But when the elevator doors opened, my heart stopped. Luke was there. He was leaning with his back and head against my door and pushed off when he saw me. My face must have shown my exhaustion, because his brow creased and he asked, “Grace, are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I said.
