“I had a type of company in mind that I wanted to work for. Couldn’t find anything like it. A place that made me feel like the work was fun and worth doing. A place that stood up to clients and stood for something.”
All doubts had vanished. She wanted the job more than anything. Forget about grad school or creative writing.
He stood and offered her an even firmer handshake like they were making a deal.
“Nice meeting you, Liv. See you soon.”
“See you” is better than goodbye, right?
“See you soon,” she repeated like it was a refrain from her favorite song
Now, a year since the offer had been made and accepted with enthusiasm, she’d learned his style and knew how much sass she could sling back. Her initial awe had morphed into respect, even when he could be moody or overreact to one of her mistakes.
She’d even grown accustomed to his streak of perfectionism. So what if he held her to high standards? They were nothing compared to the standards he held for himself. Even after a year, she loved working for Phoenix. Everything else could wait.
His phone line sounded.
“counterAgency. Mr. Walker’s line.”
“Liv?” the voice on the other end was washed out. Liv sat up and pressed the receiver closer.
“Yes. Who’s calling?”
“It’s Veronica Walker, Phoenix’s mother.” Liv glanced at the time. Nine-thirty on a Monday wasn’t impossibly late for Phoenix to arrive, but her scalp prickled with premonition.
“Is everything all right?”
“No. Phoenix’s been in a bad accident. I’m at the hospital with him.” Liv could hear a muffled sob.
“Oh my God. Is he okay?” Her heart pounded in her ears making it hard to hear Veronica’s words.
“I don’t know. We don’t know. He’s still unconscious.”
“What happened? What can I do?” Liv looked around the office frantically, as if Phoenix would appear.
“I don’t know when he’s coming back to work, if he’s coming back to work. I have to go.” She hung up.
Liv stared at the phone and stood. She glared at the empty desk where Phoenix normally sat. She couldn’t go to the person she usually relied on for advice. Her heart lurched at the thought. What did Veronica mean,ifhe’s coming back?
Dex. She needed Dex. Stumbling on legs wooden with fear, Liv found Dex in his office, bent back in his chair, tossing a Nerf ball in the air.
“Liv!” he greeted her, sitting up. “How was your weekend—” The question aborted as he turned and saw her face. “What’s wrong?”
She shut his door behind her. “Phoenix,” she uttered, eager to share the burden of this awful truth. “Phoenix has been hurt in an accident. He’s in the hospital. His mom called.”
Dex’s bearded jaw dropped. He was staring at her. He took a step towards her, as if he could glean more information by being closer.
“In the hospital? Is he okay? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. The only other thing she said was she didn’t know when or if he’d be back.” Her voice lost its power.
A few minutes of pacing and Dex pieced together the start of a plan. He’d call Phoenix’s brother. He warned Liv. “This is not a matter of gossip, you understand?”
“Of course not. And don’t worry, I’ll take care of his meetings.”
By afternoon, Dex ushered Liv into a conference room, his normally jovial eyes red.
“It’s bad,” he said straightaway. “He was hit by a train. He lost a lot of blood. I don’t know if—” He stopped, then tried again. “He might not make it.”
