Page 199 of The Vacation Mix-Up
She doesn’t respond, instead tossing her coat and Birkin bag on the sofa before sitting at her desk.
Wasting no time in picking them up, I scuttle back to the cabinets and tuck them away, my heart beating erratically when I catch sight of her prized artwork, slightly askew in the reflection of the door as I close it.
“Enjoy your time away?” she murmurs, her tone disinterested as she studies her computer screen.
“Mostly.” I inch toward the artwork, correct the imbalance, and then step forward, hands linked at my waist. “Although, saying goodbye to my mother was awfully difficult.”
“Hm… I suppose it would be.” She looks up from the screen and not so subtly scrutinizes my appearance. “Souvenir?” she asks, gesturing to my wrist as she sips her coffee.
Confused, I glance down, my bracelet incongruous with our surroundings.
Shit!
“Uh… y-yes,” I stutter, hastily removing it and hiding it in my bunched fist. “I got it in Greenland.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Interesting choice.”
“It’s a vibrant place,” I explain.
“Yes, and seemingly childish,” she mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.
Her passive-aggressive tone prickles my skin, but I push past itas I’ve groomed myself to do over the years, proceeding to run through her schedule for the day instead. “You have a conference call with Johanna at nine, acquisitions at eleven, and?—”
“You seem to have failed to attach the final manuscript to your email.”
My blood runs cold, but I knew this was coming, so I straighten my back in preparation to explain. “Yes. It’s not yet complete.”
“That’s—” She glares at the screen, her voice soft but as sharp as a knife’s edge. “—unsatisfying.”
I grit my teeth. “I was short of time. But I’ll get straight to it this morn?—”
“Riley.” Georgia tips her reading glasses down and studies me over the rim. “You do realize your position here is highly sought after, and the opportunities that come with it are few and far between elsewhere in this industry, correct?”
“I do.”
“Then I suggest you take it more seriously.” She picks up a cookie, takes a bite, and then dismisses me. “You have work to do.”
I fantasize ramming it down her throat but obediently nod before leaving her office.
Bitch! Perhaps I’ll add a dash of arsenic next time.
Slumping into my chair, I open my palm and fiddle with my bracelet, comforted by its presence yet also annoyed that I forgot to take it off. It certainly doesn’t fit the level of attire expected in the office, but it’s not exactly “childish” either. It’s unique and has more charm than Georgia has in one single eyelash.
“Welcome back,” Tessa from editorial says as she approaches my desk.
“Thank you.” I shove the bracelet into my bag and give her my attention. “It’s good to be back.”
“Is it?” She lowers her voice as she cranes her neck to look past me into Georgia’s office. “Because I wouldn’t want to be you right now.”
I lower my voice too. “Whynot?”
She pouts. “Because the wicked witch cursed your absence every day you were gone.”
“I’m not surprised,” I mutter.
“You’ll never get another vacation, you know.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I aggressively jiggle my mouse to activate my computer screen. “That’s not her call.”
