William reached to intervene but stopped just as Oliver hugged Adathan tighter, a tear rolling down his cheek. Their gazes met again, and from the look in Oliver’s eye, William knew Adathan had worked his magic. Just like he’d done at the hotel.
William let out a calming breath as he turned to give them some privacy. He hung his umbrella on a hook next to the door and crouched to unlace his shoes.
A three-legged ball of fur hobbled his way with an enthusiastic, “Mrrp!”
“Hey Biscuit,” William said, scratching behind the black cat’s ears. He smiled as the hearty-purr machine immediately started production. Biscuit had always been so easy to please. “It appears you’ve just made a new friend. Even more scritches for you, you lucky bastard.”
William leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on the cat’s head. “You better take good care of them both,” he whispered. “Or else.”
———
“Hey. Have you heard?” Tom whispered.
William spun in his desk chair to look at his coworker, making a conscious effort not to stare at the orange tie hanging from his neck. He could never get used to seeing Tom in a suit, his long black hair tied into a neat bun, and his face clean-shaven. That was the effect of layoff threats. Once this was all over, Tom would start wearing his retro video game T-shirts to work again.
“No,” William said.
Tom walked into William’s cubicle and took a seat on the edge of his desk. He leaned close, and the sharp scent of his aftershave mixed with too much cologne assaulted William’s nose. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt for him to dial it down a bit.
“They escorted five people out while you were at the gym,” Tom whispered.
William’s eyes widened.“Five?”
Tom nodded and grinned. “Guess that means we’re safe, right?”
William couldn’t blame Tom for smiling, but it was far from good news. The workload wouldn’t magically lessen to accommodate a smaller team. They were already struggling to meet deadlines—how the hell would they manage at half-capacity?
“Who?” William asked.
“Frank, Penelope—” Tom straightened at the sound of heels thudding on the carpet. “Thanks,” he said louder. “I’ll send you the files now.”
William watched Tom walk out of his cubicle, his mind racing as he tried to guess who else had lost their jobs. He hoped Joseph wasn’t on the list. He’d made a lot of mistakes recently, but who wouldn’t when their child was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer?
William looked up as the new director halted in front of his cubicle.
“William,” she said with a smile. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”
William sat straighter. “No.”
“Could you come into my office for a few minutes?”
“Uh, sure.” William locked his computer and stood up, reminding himself he had no reason to worry. Five people had lost their jobs, but he wasn’t one of them. He was safe.
Unless . . .
William had taken an early lunch break. Could they have come for him while he was away?
Shit.
William stared blankly at her bouncing curls as he followed her, dread flooding every inch of his body. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t lose his job now. He had someone to support. Adathan depended on him.
“Please, take a seat,” she said too cheerfully.
The scent of jasmine tea reached William’s nose as he closed the door. He sat on the chair facing her impeccable desk with a heavy heart, folding his tense hands in his lap. His gaze swept over the many pictures of her dogs before finding her face. She was still smiling.
“I suspect you must have heard about the layoffs,” she said. “Don’t worry; that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
William let out a sharp breath. “I’m not getting fired?” he asked, hating how vulnerable he sounded.
