Page 57 of Only Lovers in the Building

He put the car in gear with a low whistle. “I would’ve loved to see that. Paint me a picture. How did it go down?”

Lily considered how to answer his question without dragging Darren into it. Corporate lawyer quits jobs after seeing ex’s wedding pics on Instagram. There was no way to admit to that without coming across as a flake, or flakier than she already did.

“We flew to Miami for our yearly retreat.”

“What does a corporate retreat entail?” he asked. “Group therapy? Trust exercises?”

“A whole lot of drinking and endless rounds of golf,” Lily said. “Family isn’t invited, so it’s the perfect excuse to get away from husbands, wives, and significant others.”

“Sounds right. Then what happened?”

“It was the night of the big banquet. Kendal Hill, president and CEO, rises to give the toast. Generally, this is when he announces big shifts in trajectory, expansions, promotions, and the like. This year, we acquired a major asset. I worked hard on those negotiations and delivered more than was asked for. I got a bonus, but no recognition. Ken gave full credit to Gus Porter, praising his hard work and hinting at a future promotion.”

“Who’s Gus?” Ben asked.

“A new attorney, legendary negotiator,” Lily replied. “They’d poached him from a rival and promised him the moon. I get that’s how the game is played, but he didn’t work on this deal. He showed up at a few meetings, shook a few hands, that’s it!”

“Lily, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“How is that okay?”

“It happens more often than you’d think,” she said. “Men steal credit for women’s work all the time. It’s just a thing they do.”

“It pisses me off. You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

“I didn’t,” she said. “I got up and left. Made quite a scene, too.”

“Did you push back your chair, toss your napkin, knock over a glass of wine?”

“I took my wine with me,” she replied. “It was damn good, and I wasn’t going to waste it! But I slammed the door behind me.”

“Did anyone come after you?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lily said. “The banquet hall was on the same floor as the hotel spa, so I hid there. I traded this dress for a robe, locked myself in the sauna, and cried.”

“Lily . . .”

“Not gonna lie, I panicked,” she admitted. “While I turned into a prune in the sauna, I thought of a thousand ways to undo what I’d just done. The best I could come up with was a sudden allergy attack.”

“Blame it on a bad oyster,” he said. “It works every time.”

“In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to grovel for a job I secretly hated. I’d been unhappy for so long. I was ready for a change. So in the morning, I packed my bag, sent Ken an email, and left for the airport.”

“But you’re still here,” Ben said. “You didn’t fly home. What made you stay?”

“I didn’t want to face my family,” she said. “I needed time to clear my head. And I was exhausted. Believe it or not, the retreat had drained me. Rubbing elbows is work. Making yourself seen by senior management is work. Small talk is tedious and tiresome.”

“I’d rather write a grant proposal than make small talk,” Ben said. “But if you turn down too many invitations, you’re labeled a recluse. In fact, any writer who doesn’t socialize is a recluse. Guess what that gets you? More attention.” He loosened the knot of his tie. “Wait. How did I make this about me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Typical man!”

“All right, I’ll take that,” he said. “So you’re riding to the airport. It’s a beautiful Miami day. What goes through your mind?”

“I’m thinking . . . what’s the rush? You know? All that’s waiting for me is my lovely plant baby.”

“What kind?”