“Do you mind pulling over here?” he says as we pull to a four way stop down South Lake. A small smile creeps in, drifting my eyes for a second off the road and onto him.
“Mm. I see what you did there.”
I signal and make a careful left turn, hands locked at ten and two, too focused on the road to look at him.
“So why public relations?” he asks.
“Why not?”
“It just seems kind of beneath you. You’re smarter than half the people in that building.”
“That’s very nice of you to say. But that’s definitely not true.”
“Take another left.”
“Are we just making a bunch of left-hand turns?”
“You’ll see.”
For a while, we just drive while he keeps asking random questions, filling the silence until I see where he is taking me.
We pull into a hillside overlook, the city stretching below us, the Hollywood hills glowing under the setting sun.
“You can stop now.”
I park a safe distance from the edge, hands still on ten and two. He gets out first. He leans against the side of the car, watchingthe sunset with the most satisfied grin on his face. I find myself jumping out of the car to do the same.
Chapter sixteen
The Powerful Oz
The page is lying on my chair, waiting to be read, when I walk in the next day. My throat tightens as I read the words in unmistakable red ink:Meet me in the conference room immediately. Another demand from the powerful Oz. I’ve never been summoned like this at seven in the morning.
The eerie silence in the office only makes my hand tremble, spilling coffee with every step to the conference room.
When I swing open the door, I find them both quietly waiting for me. A cosmic joke.
Albert Linderman and Chris Blackburn are staring me down. Both gesture to me nicely to take a seat at the end of the table.
I’ve never been more repulsed in my life.
They ask me how my ride was to the office and politely offer me a donut from the box sitting in the middle of the table.
“So you are probably wondering why we’ve requested such a formal meeting,” Chris starts.
I say nothing.
“I’m sure you are wondering why I gave you the day off…” Chris says.
“Chris had the most brilliant idea,” Albert cuts in.
“No, you are the one who showed me the picture.”
“It was obvious. Right there in front of us.”
I clear my throat. They both are agreeing on the same idea. Has hell frozen over? This is the oddest Friday of my life.
Albert turns to Chris as if I am not there. “Has she always been this quiet?”
