Just then, my calendar notification goes off.
“Do you need to go?” Naomi asks.
“I’m supposed to meet with Lance in five minutes.”
She’s quiet as we both realize what I’m walking into.
“That sucks, babe. I didn’t think they would ever let you go.”
I don’t hear the rest of what she’s saying. Everything around me stops, and I’m suddenly nervous. I knew this was happening, but I didn’t realize it would be today. Everything I haven’t thought about comes rushing forward as if they are competing for a gold medal.
I haven’t given my clients a heads-up.
What if people hear about it from the trades before I can tell them?
What about Stella? Will she be impacted?
I’m surprised at the hurt feelings that surface. I’ve given my blood, sweat, and tears to this agency, and I’m great at my job. I’m furious that they would just toss me out so easily.
“Can you stay here?” I ask Naomi.
“Sure, hon. I’ll be right here.”
I walk down the hall and tap on Lance’s door.
“Blair! Come on in. How was your weekend?”
This man is unbelievable. If he’s really letting me go, he has some nerve with the small talk.
“It was great. What can I do for you?”
“Have a seat. Please.”
I sit across from him, with his desk between us. He leans forward, places his elbows on his desk, and clasps his hands in front of him. My eyes dart over every move he makes, trying to read his intentions.
“Blair, I’m just going to cut to the chase. It’s no secret the business is struggling. We’re still recovering from the pandemic. Movie audiences continue to decline. Streaming services can’t figure out how to make money, and the writers’ strike didn’t help. All of this has impacted TWA’s bottom line, too, and there’s even more pressure with this merger.”
The chase he did not cut to. I just nod and let him continue. Naomi’s right. He’s definitely reading from a script, but I’m almost positive he’s memorized it. Or maybe there’s a teleprompter behind my head. It’s not out of the realm of possibility—I didn’t get a good look around the room before I sat down.
“I’m sorry to tell you, but your position has been eliminated.”
“When is this effective?” I ask.
“HR will reach out after this meeting to share all the specifics.”
“What about Stella?”
“This decision doesn’t impact Stella. In fact, Brian needs a new assistant, so we’ll be moving her over to his desk.”
I feel relieved that Stella won’t lose her job, but I vow to hire her the second I land on my feet again. “Who else knows about this?”
“We’re notifying affected employees all day today, and then tomorrow, I will let the office know we had to make sometough decisions. Please hold off on letting your team know any specifics until I’ve had a chance to send a note.”
Lance stands and extends his hand to shake mine. I stand and reach out. “I’ll be honest, Blair. I figured Wyatt would have told you everything already. It was his idea to lay off employees with contracts expiring soon.”
I can feel my heart beating in my chest, but I don’t say a word because I’m not sure what Lance’s angle is here. He’s fishing for something, though, and I won’t take the bait. And he’s trying to cause drama by suggesting my fate was at the hands of Wyatt. What I won’t share is how Wyatt already admitted that some of his ideas inadvertently put a target on my back. It wasn’t intentional. How would he have even known about my contract with TWA?
“Thanks again, Blair. You’ve always been the consummate professional. It’s been a pleasure to work with you. You will be missed.”
