“Hey there, Mr. Cross.” He smiled. “I hope you’ll love what we’ve prepared for tonight.”
“I’m sure I will,” I said. “Give me your cell phone.”
“Huh?”
“Give me your goddamn phone.”
He pulled it from his apron and handed it to me.
I dialed Andrea’s number, and her line rang.
Once, twice…
“Hello?” she answered.
“So, your phone does work?” I asked.
“Only for the people I actually want to talk to.”
“I don’t appreciate your edits on my speech.”
“That’s unfortunate,” she said. “I could’ve sworn you said you wanted it to be raw and honest.”
“You have five seconds to apologize for not coming into work this week, three to give me a reason why you’re not here tonight, and then two to come to your senses and stop acting like a child.”
“What part of ‘I’m never talking to you again’ was hard for you to understand, Harrison?”
“Given the fact that you’re speaking to me now, all of it.”
“Have Aaron email me about my official employee exit meeting—whenever you schedule it—and I’ll be sure to have a lawyer show up with my signed documents.” Her voice was flat. “You can tell Heather that whatever work I finished is in my top right drawer and in my cloud, but if you need anything else…”
Her voice trailed off, and all I could hear were the sounds of the clanging and sizzling in the kitchen.
“If I need anything else, what, Andrea?”
“You’re shit out of luck,” she said. “I’m one hundred percent done with you, Harrison Cross.”
“Andrea—”
“Don’t ever call me again.” She ended the call, and I called right back, but her voicemail sounded.
Annoyed, I returned the chef’s phone and asked to use someone else’s.
Straight to voicemail.
I walked down the line, trying again and again, but the result was the same.
By the time I realized that she might actually be serious, it was time for me to give a second speech, and this one didn’t have any of her edits.
TWO WEEKS LATER
FORTY-THREE
HARRISON
Ican’t be the only one here feeling like this…
I wasn’t sure if some new virus was going around the office, but I was tempted to tell everyone to work from home until we got the contagion under control.
