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“I’m fine, just getting everything ready for the race weekend,” I reply, hating the small talk, even though it’s one of the most human things in the world.
“You’re flying in a few days, right?” I give her a small nod.
“How are you?”
“I found out I’m pregnant this morning, so I’m pretty happy right now,” she says, and I can’t stop my jaw from dropping.
“Oh my-—Congratulations,” I manage to blurt out, a bit confused why she’d want to share this with me. Genevieve grins, and I finally realize why she’s glowing. It’s happiness. She’s, without a shadow of a doubt, happy.
“Thank you.” She adjusts her collar before clearing her throat. “You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you, but I promise there is a good reason. I have to leave for a doctor’s appointment, but Mrs. Lu and Ms. Martin are coming by for a debriefing. Would you mind doing that for me? I have all of the information here,” Genevieve says and hands me a folder full of papers.
I hesitate because I had no idea that Mrs. Lu and Ms. Martin were coming. I’ve been leaving Ms. Martin messages since yesterday, asking her if my newest article was okay or if she wanted me to change anything. She hasn’t gotten back to me yet.
“Sure, no problem,” I reply, sensing there will be an opportunity for me to speak to my boss.
Genevieve stays at my desk a little longer, sharing her story of her partner and her trying to get pregnant for the last year, but not having any luck until now. I congratulate her a few more times before she leaves, and I go back to my planning.
Leonard is polite, but he’s also quiet and keeps to himself, especially during race weekends, according to Val. So, I will have to find a way to make the four days entertaining for him as well as for me. It will be difficult considering that, even after all my research and the few evenings I went out with him and our friends, I’ve barely found out anything about this man.
Giving up, I text Val to ask her if there is any connection I can build on. He’s her mentor and teammate, not to mention a friend. She must know something.
Valentina: He likes photography.
I almost jump out of my chair from excitement.
“Good news?” Ms. Martin's voice interrupts my victorious moment, and I clear my throat before answering.
“Not news, but what I found is very good, yes,” I reply and share what has me feeling giddy at the moment.
An approving smile spreads over her face as she settles in the seat in front of me, the same one Genevieve occupied only an hour ago. There’s something familiar now about her smile, something oddly comforting. Like I’ve seen her smile and eyes a hundred times by now even though I’ve only met her in person a few times before. The feeling unsettles me a little, especially because when I smile at Mrs. Lu to greet her, I don’t feel the same connection.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been working closer together with Ms. Martin.
“I’m very impressed with your performance at this company, Nevaeh. You take every criticism under consideration, every tip I give you, and you continue to surprise me with your implementation of said advice. I have to admit, I did not expect this when I hired you,” Ms. Martin says, and I let out an uncomfortable laugh. Praise and honesty like that from her are two things I’m not sure how to handle.
“Thank you for your guidance and the opportunities you’ve given me,” I simply say to both of the women in front of me, but a strange expression briefly covers Mrs. Lu’s face. It’s gone so quickly, I don’t have time to ask her about it.
“Genevieve tells me that you received the honor of debriefing us on what has been going on,” Mrs. Lu states while settling against her chair, crossing her legs in the process. I pull the folder out from under my notebook, showing them everything Genevieve told me to. Mrs. Lu and Ms. Martin listen closely, taking the papers I hand them with every explanation of what is on them.
“What about the new client list?” Ms. Martin asks, and I skim through the documents to look for them.
The first list I find has around ten names and reads New Tennis Clients. Under the reason for some of their joining it says:Articles of Formula One drivers written by Nevaeh Fuchs. My heart sinks from shock when I read Sabrina Barlow’s name along with Catalina Sanchez’s and Santiago Castillo’s, all of the famous players I’ve been watching for years.
The dates of their signing reveal that this happened almost two weeks ago.
“Did you know about this?” I ask Mrs. Lu, pointing at the paper. She scans the page quickly, her eyes widened ever so slightly before she looks at me. Her lips are pulled into a thin line as she contemplates her next words.
“I didn’t, but I will look into it and get back to you, I promise. I know how desperately you wanted to get a job in the tennis department,” Mrs. Lu assures me, but for some reason, I don’t think she will spend a minute on this to help me.
These famous tennis players signed as clients, which means that they agreed that exclusive content and information will be given toGriffin Sports, and it’s all thanks to me.
“Now, is there anything else?” Ms. Martin asks, pulling me back into the moment.
“No, that’s it.” I try not to read into this, to believe my boss when she says she didn’t know, but it feels strange for the head of a company not to be aware of ten big, brand-new clients signing. Clients that bring in a lot of money.
No, I don’t believe her when she says she didn’t know. But what I don’t understand is why she didn’t tell me.
What could she possibly gain by keeping this from me?
