“Geez, this is so awkward—”
“What the hell?” The entire glass wall of Salinger’s office is a spiderweb of cracked glass.
Fuck. He knows.
“I really don’t know the best way to tell you this,” Austin says, “but—”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Austin.” I’m on autopilot. I should be trying to rehearse my speech to Salinger, but who am I kidding?
“See, Scarlett is…”
I don’t need Austin to tell me what Scarlett is doing, because I can see it through the cracked glass. She’s got her hands in Salinger’s perfect hair, and he has his hands on her perfect butt. Her expensive clothes are all over his desk, and he’s kissing her the way he used to kiss me. A cry escapes me.
“Mandy, are you okay?” Austin’s face is a mask of worry and sympathy.
“No,” I cry out. “I’m not.”
40
SALINGER
“Isee.” The plastic phone creaks as I squeeze it. “If you change your mind, we would of course be happy to be involved in the port contract… Yes… We wish you the best of luck.”
As soon as the call ends, I throw the phone receiver and the cradle against the glass wall. “Fuck!”
The glass fractures but doesn’t rain satisfying shards onto the floor. The keyboard doesn’t do much more damage.
Leaning over my desk, breathing hard, I try to decide between throwing the chair, the computer monitor, or my laptop.
How did I lose this contract? I worked so fucking hard…
Mandy.
“Where the fuck is Mandy?” She was supposed to be meeting with Linda. Something must have happened. She fucked up somehow. She never came and told me how the meeting went. She’s hiding something. Where the hellis she?
“Oh dear.” The cracked sliding door makes a grinding noise as Scarlett pushes it back.
“Get out. I don’t have time for you right now.”
“Aww, Salinger.” She takes a step into my office.
“I said—”
“I heard the bad news that you lost the port contract. I just came up to see if I could help. I can kiss it and make it better.” She smiles at me.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” I sneer. “Grow up. All you fucking interns.”
An ugly look crosses her face. “You’re the one who needs to grow up. Sleeping with your assistant?”
My head snaps toward her.
“And after I was so generous in trying to help you win the port contract.” Scarlett walks slowly through my destroyed office.
“You lost me the contract?”
Scarlett laughs. “As if. Linda hates you, apparently. But,” she adds, “I’ve been there the past few weeks, working on being better friends with her daughter. The divorce hit Kate hard. I’m sure, with my help, she’ll be able to play Benji and Linda off each other and make sure you are awarded the port contract.”
“For a price, of course.”
