Page 17 of Office Mistakes

Chapter 10

At precisely ten o'clock the following Monday, Charlie walked into Audra’s new corner office space.

It was large and airy, with a waiting area and a curved administrative assistant’s desk blocking the direct path to her actual office. Doors that led to the offices her team would occupy lined the walls.

He could see Audra speaking to a short woman with a sunny cap of spiky hair.

Charlie waited patiently as Audra walked the woman to the elevator, offering her a smile as she came back in.

She returned the smile and motioned him into her office.

“You look a little tired.”

Audra laughed. “I am a little tired. It’s exhausting work, choosing a paint scheme, building a team, and hiring an assistant.”

“Have you had any luck?”

“I have. Navy blue and dove gray. The painters will be here tomorrow.”

Charlie snorted out a laugh at her dry tone.

“Laurie, the woman who just left, starts next week. She’ll be a fantastic administrative assistant,” Audra continued. “Come on, let’s sit and seriously talk about you coming aboard.”

Settling themselves into facing chairs, they began talking in earnest. Audra explained how she wanted her team to operate, who’d already committed to her, and who she wanted.

Charlie found he couldn’t dispute her logic or choices and realized he really wanted the opportunity she was offering him.

“I only have one question for you, Charlie. You need to be sure about it, too. Can you work under me despite our past?”

Charlie looked at her: the seriousness in her eyes, the way she was uncharacteristically biting her lower lip.

“Who is Malcom?”

Audra jerked in shock. “Nobody.”

“If we’re going to do this, if we’re going to work together after everything, we should be honest with each other. Who is Malcom?” he gently asked again.

She surged to her feet and began to pace. “He was an attorney at the firm where I worked as a law clerk during college.” It was said tonelessly, but pain was etched on her face.

“He hurt you.”

The laugh was bitter. “Yes, he hurt me. I was twenty-two and thought it was true love. It had to be a secret, he said. No one could know because he was an established attorney, and I was still in law school.

“I didn’t question it or him too closely,” she continued. “I ignored all the signs. For eight months, I was gloriously happy.”

“What happened?”

“Christmas. Malcom came to the office party with his wife. His wife. God! I felt like a fool. When I managed to get him alone, I confronted him.”

Unaware that she was crying, Audra whirled to face Charlie. “Do you know what he said?”

Charlie remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

“He just laughed—he laughed at me—and told me not to cause a scene. He said he thought I knew he was married. When I asked him if that was the extent of his apology, he laughed again and said the only thing he was sorry for was misjudging me. He said that I was just like all the other office mistakes he’d made.

“That’s what he called me. A mistake. An office mistake. Like I didn’t even matter.”

Drained, Audra stood in front of Charlie. “That’s who Malcom was.”

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