I half laugh. If my employees could see me now, they’d never take me seriously again.
Except Abby’s worth it.
She is, but I’m at the office now and need to work. Plus, being here means I’ll be able to see her. Yes, I have a one-track mind where she’s concerned, yet I eagerly anticipate our next encounter.
I return a few calls and reply to emails. I have a call in thirty minutes, which gives me plenty of time to grab coffee.
I go to the break room, noticing that Abby’s office door is open, but she’s not inside.
“Did you hear about Abby and the boss?” I overhear Sarah from accounting say to her cubicle mate.
My pace slows, as I listen despite myself.
“Oh, I heard all about it” comes the reply by a voice I don’t recognize, dripping with disdain. I can’t see them over the cubicle wall. “Here we thought Mr. Barrington hated her and would fire her. Guess we know that won’t happen now.”
I clench my jaw. The office grapevine worked faster than Abby or I anticipated.
Forget a cup of coffee. As I make my way to my office, more snippets of conversation reach me.
“I never thought she’d use the boss to get ahead,” someone whispers.
“Well, that’s one way to get job security,” another voice sneers. “But there goes our pool as to when she gets fired. I really wanted to win that money.”
My blood boils, but I force myself to keep walking. Confronting these rumors head-on will only fan the flames. Still, each step feels heavier, weighed down by the unfairness of it all.
Not to me. I’m the boss. This happens.
But Abby…
She doesn’t deserve this.
I see Abby coming out of the ladies’ room. Her shoulders shake slightly. My stomach clenches. I want to hold her, but I can’t without fueling more rumors about us. “Abby.”
Tears brim in her eyes, threatening to spill over. My heart aches.
“John.” Her voice trembles. “I don’t think we can make things work. I-I’m going to submit my resignation. I can’t stay here after what people are saying about me and you.”
That was the last thing I expected her to say, but she needs my support. Only out in the open, where anyone can hear us, isn’t the place for this conversation. I want her to be comfortable. Well, as comfortable as she can be under these circumstances. “Let’s go into your office.”
She hesitates, glances around as if to see if anyone is watching, and then nods.
I lead her inside, then close the door. I don’t care who might have seen us. All that matters is helping Abby. “I hate seeing you like this. And if you want to quit, that’s your choice.”
“The things they are saying about me and accusing me of…”
“It’s wrong, and I don’t even know how they found out.”
“Someone saw us last night when we came out of the restaurant. They followed us.”
I hang my head, never thinking such a nice date would go so wrong. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I didn’t think about eating in a different town.”
“We shouldn’t have to.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
