Page 19 of As a Last Resort
“The baggage compartment is a far cry from first class.”
My typical facade ofI have my shit pulled togethermust have been wavering because her expression changed into something a bit softer.“This will be good for you.Maybe the Florida pace will force you to slow down.Believe it or not, there is a life outside of work.”
She had a point.
“And Jack just dumped you and is ignoring you so you might as well go,” she added quickly.
“So… I saw him at the market yesterday.”I paused.The tears that pooled in my eyes took me by complete surprise.I blinked them back.“He wasn’t alone.”
It seemed like a bigger deal once I said it out loud.
Ivy pulled me in for a hug then lowered her voice.“Jack is not your epic love story.”
“I don’t believe in epic love stories.”
“Neither do I.”
“You literally write about them in your free time.”
“Wrote.And that’s why I called it fiction.”Ivy’s voice was level and calm.“This is not a vacation.Like you told Snuffleupugus earlier, you’ll be working so much it’s not like you’ll even have time to see your mom.At least, not a lot.”
I smiled.That was her best name for Robby yet.
“Forget Jack for now,” she continued.“That’s for another day.I’ll stalk him and bury his body while you’re away.A little distraction from that could be a good thing right now.You need to focus on this trip, which will set you up perfectly to take over this male-run chauvinistic testosterone show we’ve come to know and lovingly conspire to take down.”
She was right.It was due diligence for a multimillion-dollar deal.This was a huge opportunity to show I wasn’t even playing in the same ballfield as Robby.If I steered this due diligence and knocked it out of the park, he couldn’t take credit for it.Unlike everything else I’ve ever done in my entire career.I’d prove that I could severely kick ass and that there’s no better choice for the next director.
It would just cost my soul in the process.
“Let’s think tank this.What about sending Forrest?He’s on the North Dakota project.”
“I think you’d have a hard time convincing Glenn you know more about farms than Forrest, who I’m pretty sure was born in an actual barn.In North Dakota.”
I thought for another second.“I could make you go.”
“This isn’t about me.Indulge me for a second on what our future would look like if Puganator made director over you.”
I thought about it for a minute.“There’d be an office chant with foam fingers for sure.”
“Team-building excursions at the gun range.”
“Can you just imagine the jokes about his concealed weapon?”I cringed.
“For the love of God, please don’t subject me to that.Samantha, you’re the right person for this job.This isn’t just about you anymore.Glenn’s company will swan dive headfirst into an HR nightmare if PugDiddy makes director.”
I knewdevelopedcities.But there was a part of me, a small part, that perked up knowing I could come up with anything I wanted for the land.Anything.When I framed it like that, it almost sounded exciting.
“And you’re basically saving humanity as a bonus,” she finished.“What’s there to lose?”
“My sanity?”I suggested.
“Overrated.”
“My pride?”
“Overvalued.”She reached for the brown paper bag.“And look, I brought you lots of tiny hugs to pack in your suitcase.”
She opened the bag showing me thirty or so miniature liquor bottles.“I was wondering what was in that thing.”I laughed as they clanked against each other.“Okay, I’ll go.But will you promise you won’t kill my fern?”
