Page 72 of Phishing for Love
I refuse to be lured in by a man who’d given me a ridiculous verbal warning. I recall Sofia’s shock that I’d received a warning before her. We’d always assumed that, out of the three of us, she’d be the first. And Kenzie...well, I can’t picture her receiving any sort of warning. A police officer had once reprimanded her for driving too slowly, and it had taken her a week to recover from the mortification of having suddenly acquired, in her mind, a criminal record.
I’m on the verge of clicking the Phish Alert button when a swell of righteous anger sweeps through me. Impulsively, Idecide to take this one step further by replying to this email. I’ll lash out at the sender, knowing I’m actually lashing out at Aaron. What a brilliant way to give him a piece of my mind while pretending not to.
And if, by some microscopic chance, the email is a real phishing scam and not just a test, then I can at least give these scammers a stinging rebuke. It feels good to be in control.
Scooting closer to my desk, I begin typing furiously. The words spill out of me. Outrage, it seems, is a creative stimulant. When I’m finished, I clickSendand lean back in my chair in satisfaction.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m in the breakroom with Sofia and Kenzie, ostensibly making coffee, but really, we’re snacking on pretzels and examining Rick’s compulsion to brag about almost everything in his life.
“I wonder if he’s compensating for something?” Sofias muses, making Kenzie giggle.
All of a sudden Dana materializes in front of us like the Grim Reaper, causing Kenzie to emit a startled squeak. Sofia’s about to offer a snippy comment, but Dana ignores her and looks straight at me. “Calvin wants to see you in his office.”
My heart rate picks up at her grim expression. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“Not, um, Sofia?” I ask.
“Thanks, Tess,” Sofia says, but she doesn’t look put out. Instead, she seems quite pleased to wear the label of troublemaker.
Dana looks equally disappointed it’s not Sofia. “He wants to see you.”
“Now?”
“Now.” Dana pauses. “He’s spitting mad, Tess. What did you do?” Her voice drips with reproof.
My eyes go big. “Nothing!”
“Come on, Dana, give us a clue,” Sofia demands. “What’s going on?”
Dana shakes her head. “I honestly don’t know what’s made him so mad.” She purses her thin lips. “But I do suggest waiting at least five minutes before you follow me. Hopefully, he will have calmed down.” She marches back to her desk.
My mouth is so dry I can’t swallow the piece of pretzel I have in there.
Sofia, sensing my dilemma, holds out a napkin and I take it from her and spit my pretzel into it. Disgusting, I know, but there’s no way that was going down.
“Do you think Calvin’s mad about the verbal warning?” Kenzie asks, looking frightened for me.
I frown. “Maybe. But it seems doubtful. He would have called me in sooner.”
“What about any of your work projects?” Sofia asks.
I rack my brain. “I’m not behind on any of my cards and I haven’t stolen anyone’s parking space. At least, not lately.”
“What about personal emails?” Sofia asks.
“He hasn’t caught me—” I stop. The realization is swift and brutal.
No. Please, no.
I ask them, “Did either of you receive an email about a fundraising event for a bulldog charity?”
“Yep,” Kenzie confirms.
Sofia rolls her eyes. “The charity run is Calvin’s latest pet project.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
