Norma seemed to read my expression. “When you got involved with her, you weren’t thinking about the consequences.”
“No. I was thinking about her. About how she made me feel. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced before.”
“You’re in love,” Norma said simply. “So of course you weren’t thinking straight.” She pulled up another document. “I had to place Ina on paid leave. It’s protocol while I investigate.”
I sat up and leaned forward. I had to have heard her wrong. There was no way. “You what?”
“It’s standard procedure,” she said. She was acting like it wasn’t a big deal.
It was the biggest deal.
“This is her job! She needs the money!”
“It’ll be paid time off.”
“She didn’t do anything wrong!” I stood up, anger flooding through me. “This is my fault. I’m the one with the power. I’mthe one who pursued her. She shouldn’t be punished for my mistakes.”
“It’s not punishment. It’s protection. For both of you.” Norma’s voice was calm and steady. “While she’s on leave, I can get control of the situation and present recommendations to the board without her being in the middle of the office gossip.”
“How long?”
“A week. Maybe two, depending on how quickly I can get everything together.”
“That’s not okay, Norma. That is so wrong. You have to know that’s wrong.”
“I did it for her,” she said. “This company isn’t so big that people don’t know other people’s business. They will find out and they will talk.”
“She packed up all her shit!” I got to my feet. “She doesn’t give a shit about your investigation. She’s not coming back!” I was already heading for the door. “I need to talk to her.”
“Dane, maybe give her some space. Let me handle this.”
“I’ve given her space. Two days of space. And it’s given her time to convince herself that everything I said to Keith was true. I need to fix this.” I shook my head. “No one can fix this but me.”
I left before Norma could argue, taking the stairs because the elevator was too slow. By the time I hit the lobby, I was out of breath and probably looking unhinged, but the burn in my muscles felt good. I was ready to run a hundred miles.
I burst onto the street and looked around wildly. Where would she go? The subway? Home? Somewhere else?
I started walking, ignoring the chill in the air. I spotted her about half a block away, walking quickly toward the subway entrance, her shoulders hunched against the cold.
“Ina!” I called, breaking into a run.
She heard me. She glanced over her shoulder, but she didn’t stop. If anything, she walked faster.
I caught up to her just as she reached the subway entrance, grabbing her arm gently to stop her from disappearing underground.
“Please,” I said, breathing hard. “Please just listen.”
She turned to face me, and the look on her face killed me. She’d been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale. She looked devastated and exhausted.
That was my fault.
“Let me go,” she said quietly.
“Not until you hear me out.”
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” The look she leveled at me would have taken down a lesser man.
But I stood strong. I was determined to make her hear me.
