Sure, I know I should be taking her out for something fancy, but I’m being cautious. Playing the long game, as they say.
Alison:Sure. We need to talk.
That doesn’t sound good.
Me: Meet you there at 6?
Alison:Perfect. See you then.
And with that, I pick up Sky and run up the steps to my apartment. I’ve got just enough time to shower and change before I need to leave.
* * *
When I first saw Alison walking towardme on the street, I had to catch my breath. She looked absolutely stunning in a pair of jeans and a long sweater. Perfect for New York’s cooler late-September temperatures. The dark green sweater looked amazing set against her dark hair. Hell, what am I going on about? She’d look great in any color. She’s a sight for sore eyes, for sure. It feels like it’s been longer than a week since she was at my place.
Now we’ve each got a slice of Mike’s delicious pizza along with a soda and found a quiet spot on a park bench in which to eat. After updating her on Sky’s progress, she got quiet.
“What?” I ask. She did say she wanted to talk. I think this is the moment.
“Have you spoken to anyone at work?”
I shake my head. I couldn’t. It explicitly said so in the letter, and I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job to get intel. “No. Why?”
Setting her cup on the ground next to her feet, she turns her body until she’s almost facing me. “Sam’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“He resigned.”
I jerk my head back in surprise. “Resigned? Why?” Other than the fact that he hated my guts for some reason, I thought he did a decent job.
“There was, um, an incident.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“He was on paid leave as well, but he didn’t heed the warning. He came in and found me in his office.”
Weird. “Why were you in his office?”
She’s hesitating, so I wait patiently for her to explain. “Because Graham made me interim department head.”
“He did?” My voice breaks. “Wow.” I need to be careful here. If I say the wrong thing, this could all blow up in my face. I don’t know anything about Alison’s work history. Has she been a department head before? No matter, I’m sure she’s doing an amazing job. “That’s great!” I quickly add. “How’s it going so far?”
She rolls her eyes. “I spent the first four days sorting through Sam’s papers.”
“Oh.” I nod. “His office was a mess.” I’d only been inside what he called his “foxhole” once, and it certainly smelled like a fox lived there. Several, in fact.
“To say the least. Anyway.” She runs her fingers through her hair and leans closer. “He got very angry….”
I can tell something happened. He did something, I know it. NowI’mgetting angry. I reach out and touch her hand, and with a calm I didn’t know I had, I ask, “Did he hurt you?”
Shaking her head, she tells me about the incident in the office, the liquor bottles, a security guy named Lucky, and Sam’s decision to resign rather than get the help he obviously needs.
“That was your first day on the job?” Jesus, the poor woman.
“It was. Meghan and I spent the rest of the day plus three others attempting to figure out his organizational system.”
“And did you?”
