The one that the damn interns fixed.
Because I was too busy imploding my relationship to be here.
I fixated on my breathing so I wouldn’t show the MacMillan’s how guilty I felt.
Winnie spoke up again. “I also managed to negotiate a refund of the full amount while getting the hire company to agree to loan them the remainder of the order. I got the idea from that mess you sorted last month with the delivery truck.”
“What a great idea.” I agreed.
David was smiling at me, but I couldn’t quite get my face to fit itself into the same expression. I was in shock.
I was completely embarrassed and left so off-kilter after the breakup that I felt one hair's breadth away from completely losing it. Each shallow breath only served to get my heart racing faster, fueling my frustration.
A dull weight had settled at my temple, heavy over my eyelids, and I couldn’t ignore the knowledge that it was solely my own doing. With some effort, I could rid myself of it instead of embracing it childishly, wrapping the hurt and frustration around like a shield.
David was eyeing me with concern but kept his tone light. “Ah, Jeff, Julie, why don’t you finalize the details with Winnie and Jet here while I update Audrey in my office.”
“Of course.”
I barely stopped myself from slamming David’s door shut behind me. It still closed loudly enough that I was sure they heard it in the conference room, but hopefully, they didn’t think too much of it.
“What’s going on?” Even to myself, it sounded shrill.
“Audrey, I think you should sit down.”
My body was buzzing with impotent anxiety. “I don’t want to sit down, David. I want you to tell me what is going on. Why am I only finding out now that there was an issue yesterday? And why was a decision allowed to be made by the two interns, who, may I remind you, have only worked here a few weeks, instead of me, your most senior account manager?”
David slid into his seat, the very picture of calm.
I was trying, really I was, not to blow up in his face. But it was a very close thing. Instead, I gripped the back of a chair and blew out a hot breath. “And what if they hadn’t been able to get Jeff’s customers to lend us the furniture? What if they’d antagonized the hire company against helping us out in the future? I have to work with these people, David. I don’t appreciate being undermined by some toddlers who just so happened to get a degree.”
His voice was stern, and I could tell I was close to pushing my luck. “Audrey, calm down.”
I forced myself to take a deep breath, pushing through the ache in my chest but made no move to sit.
Leaning his elbows on his desk, David continued, more softly now, “Audrey, do you know why I sent you home yesterday?”
I balked, remembering. “Because I was distracted.” Because I’d forgotten myself.
“Because you were so distracted, you sent the hire company the wrong information, which resulted in us needing to find a solution.”
Oh.
“Exactly.” The caring tone of his voice did nothing to soothe my frayed nerves. “Luckily, someone caught it and called to confirm. Winnie wanted to check in with you, but I told them not to bother you with it. I made sure they didn’t make any decisions without my ok, and I thought you’d be happy that they’d fixed the issue without worrying you. It saved you additional stress, and it all worked out in the end.”
I should have been glad that he didn’t look angry, but it barely helped. I was angry. I’d fucked up. Months and months of late nights and stress and taking it all on myself, and in a single moment, I’d almost ruined it.
Just like I’d ruined things with Jackson.
“David, I’m so sorry.”
“Audrey, it’s ok.”
“No, it’s not. I let you down. I promised you I could handle it, and I couldn’t.”
He thought this over, drumming his fingers on the table before changing tact. “You know, Winnie and Jet came to me because they felt they weren’t helping out enough with the launch. Which you’ll remember we discussed recently.”
I averted my eyes to the floor, feeling appropriately chastised.
