She shrugged, tilting her hips so that she could place a hand on her waist.The pose illustrated her slim figure perfectly.“All of them.I take pride in coming up with new and innovative ideas.”She must have recognized the anger in his eyes because she backtracked.Slightly.“The whole team had a hand in helping develop my ideas though.And several members of the team added a great deal of value.”
“The ideas were miserable,” Rafi snapped, irritated with her lies.He’d already spoken with the rest of the team.They were terrified of Tanya.She had to go.Dave needed to be let go as well, but for laziness.The man simply didn’t do anything of value.He came to the office and sat around, playing games on his computer.Occasionally, he would bellow if someone passed by his office.Rafi had observed the game-playing personally and the man had absolutely no idea what was happening with his team members.
Yep, the number one and the number two people in the marketing department were the problem.He’d have to find a new marketing director, one who was more collaborative and creative.Carys immediately popped into his head, but he didn’t want her as the marketing director.He actually had a different position in mind for her.
Sighing, he focused on Tanya.She was saying something about…was the woman actually defending her horrible ideas?The ideas that had sunk the products to the point that sales were a crisis now?
She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and offered a teasing smile.“So, you have to understand, it’s not my fault.”
Rafi’s patience snapped.“You’re telling me that, as the assistant marketing director, you didn’t have enough authority to create an effective ad campaign that produced sales?”
Her smile faltered and the painful flush crawled up her throat to her face.“Well, yes.”
He called for his assistant.The man immediately appeared in the open doorway, but he turned back to the woman.“Tanya, I don’t think that this position is a good fit for you.Why don’t you speak with Margaret in Human Resources?She has several job openings that might suit you better.”He looked at his assistant.“Could you escort Tanya to Margaret’s office?Then let me know which position Tanya chooses.”He looked at the woman who was frantically trying to come up with an argument for why she shouldn’t lose her job.“Thanks for your help, Tanya.We’ll take it from here.”
Rafi’s efficient assistant had already arranged for the maintenance guys to pack up Tanya’s personal belongings in her office.His hope was that Tanya would resign rather than take one of the lower job openings within the company.But if she chose to stay, maybe Tanya could become productive.She’d been an excellent employee in the past.He wasn’t sure what had changed over the last five years.
“You can’t fire me!”Tanya gasped.
Rafi shook his head, his tone soft and conciliatory as he explained, “I’m not firing you, Tanya.I’ve decided that this job as assistant marketing director isn’t the best fit for your skills.”He paused, letting his words sink in.
Chapter 15
Carys had made her way back to her cubicle, mentally reviewing the conversation she’d just had in Rafi’s office.Why had he looked so hurt?What had she said that had wounded him so deeply?
That’s when she noticed the whispers.When she looked up, she realized that everyone was gawking at something.So, Carys stood up, peering over the short walls of her cubicle.There were four men with boxes in Tanya’s office, packing everything up!
“What’s going on?”she asked one of her coworkers.
“I think Tanya just got fired!”the other woman whispered back.
There was delight on every face, which was sad, but understandable.Tanya had ruled this department with maliciousness for years.Everyone was delighted to be free of her…if that was really what was going on.
Carys was horrified.Unfortunately, she didn’t have a chance to speak with Rafi about Tanya’s departure that day.Nor did he call her that night.She got a text from him around five o’clock, letting her know that he had to fly out of town again.He would be back in a few days.
Carys left work that day feeling rejected.And terrified.Had she ruined their relationship because of her jealousy?What had he said moments before Tanya had burst into the office?Something about how Carys only disbelieved Tanya’s claims about an affair because Carys had personal proof of his fidelity.
Because she’d been with Rafi during the times Tanya claimed to have been with him.
Chapter 16
“What are you doing right now?”
Carys looked at the text message, sitting up straighter on her sofa.She looked around self-consciously, noticing how messy her apartment had become as well as the fact that she’d immediately pulled on sweat pants and a sweatshirt upon arriving home.And done nothing else but watch television.She wasn’t even sure what she’d been watching since she hadn’t really been paying attention.
Carys picked up her phone, her heart pounding against her ribs as she typed, “Thinking about you.”But she didn’t send it.Instead, she deleted the words and tried again,“Having a lazy night.”That was the truth, although not the whole truth.
“What’s going on in your mind?”he texted right back.
“Not much.”Another lie.“What’s going on in your world?”
“Missing you,”he replied right back.
Darn it!Carys felt like a coward.She remembered how sweet he’d been after she’d been so jealous.And how hurt he’d been that she didn’t trust him.So here she was, her heart pounding practically out of her chest as she considered her next words, her next revelation.Would he accept what she was about to say?Or would he laugh at her?
Carys thought about the way she’d felt over the past few days without him, knowing that she’d wounded him with her words.So here she was, about to attempt to trust him.
But before she could type out the words that she missed him too, he texted back,“I know that you miss me, but you’re too scared to admit it.That’s okay.Eventually, you’ll trust me with your heart.”
