“Then I was out of the office due to my illness, and Octavia struggled,” he went on. “Your tenure here has been marked by a succession of challenges.”
“I think we’re doing ok now,” I said. “I think this is a great department.”
“As do I.”
Thank goodness. I almost said it out loud. Instead, I just nodded very fervently to show him how much I agreed. He had more to say about our department and the people who worked with us, but mostly he talked about me. The meeting was far from over.
When we finally finished, our corner of the twentieth floor seemed unusually quiet. We had all been on our best behaviorsince Beckett had returned full-time but right now, the library atmosphere was even more pronounced. It was almost funereal—was Rashelle trying not to cry? The moment she spotted that I was out of our boss’s office, she jumped up from her desk and so did Munir. They joined me in the hallway and announced (loudly) that there was a serious legal issue that the three of us needed to discuss.
“Ok, come to my—” I started to agree, but she shook her head sharply and I stopped. They moved to either side of me and walked fast, directing our steps into the stairwell.
The minute that heavy door closed behind us, she spoke up. “We’re with you. One hundred percent!” she announced.
“Thank you,” I answered, bewildered.
“We’ll go talk to him,” Munir told me, and Rashelle actually groaned aloud. “Rash, you said you’d do it. Don’t chicken-shit out on me now!”
“I’m not. I’m only being cautious because I’m…never mind.”
“We all know you’re pregnant,” he said. “Several of us have already bought baby gifts for you, so you can stop acting cagey about that. And if you seriously think that your newborn needs a new gas barbecue, you’re out of your mind.”
They seemed poised to get into a large argument about her baby registry, so I stepped in. “Can someone please explain why we came into the stairwell to talk about grills?” I requested, and they remembered their purpose.
“We just wanted to tell you that we’re on your side,” Rashelle reiterated. “How much notice did he give you, the big asshole?”
“Notice?” It suddenly dawned on me what they meant. “I didn’t get fired,” I assured them. “Were y’all going to stand up to Beckett for me? Wow!” I got overwhelmed by their loyalty. “Thank you!”
“There was no way that we were going to stay in this department with Octavia if you weren’t around to yank on her reins,” Munir explained.
So, there was self-interest involved here too, but that was normal in life. “I’m not yanking any reins,” I said. “Beckett and I we were discussing plans for the future.”
“Oh my God!” Rashelle put her hand protectively over her stomach. “You are leaving!”
“No, I’m not.” Definitely not. A big part of the talk I’d just had with my boss was him trying to make sure that I wasn’t going to jump to another firm due to the increased workload I’d been under. We’d come up with a better plan to delegate that, which would be much easier due to his presence in the office every day. So now, I truthfully assured them that things were fine, and that I wasn’t going anywhere. Even if it was only about their fear of being left with Octavia, it still felt good that they were this interested in keeping me around.
It felt especially good when Munir told me that I was a great boss, and that if I left, he would want to go where I did. “Thank you,” I repeated, and Rashelle did start to cry.
“I swear, I’ve never been so damn weepy! It’s because of…” She glanced at us. “Do you guys really know?”
“Everyone knows,” Munir said, rolling his eyes. “Congratulations, and let’s get back to work.” He pulled open the metal door and then we all jumped a little when we saw the figure standing just outside it.
“What’s going on in there?” Octavia asked suspiciously. “Rashelle, are you vomiting on the steps due to your pregnancy? You could cause a slip and fall accident.”
“Everyone really does know about the baby!” Rashelle marveled, and Munir rolled his eyes again.
“I purchased the diaper pail off your registry and had it sent to your house last month,” Octavia pointed out. “It would have been an odd gift for someone who wasn’t expecting.”
At that moment, Beckett himself rounded the corner and asked what we were all doing. Munir and Rashelle quickly returned to their offices, and after glancing suspiciously into the stairwell, our boss followed.
But Octavia grabbed my arm before I could get away myself. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” she said, and it sounded menacing.
“We can meet in the conference room,” I suggested, but she was already barreling ahead with her topic.
“Is Beckett planning to let me go?” she asked.
“Uh, we should include him in this—”
“No, I want to hear it now.” She paused. “Please.”
