The Promise
Page 152
I looked Lloyd’s way and saw he didn’t want to give us a minute. He was protective of his staff. But this was the executive vice president. He had no choice.
He nodded and said, “Of course.”
He got out of his chair, then gave me an understanding look and a small smile before he left, closing the door behind him.
I looked back to Berger and he started speaking immediately.
“I respect your decision, Frankie.” But he said this like he didn’t respect it at all and I was suddenly wondering if I respected him. Sure, he was great at work, but life wasn’t work. Not even close. “If you find that the times we can allow you to work from Chicago are not enough and you need to leave us, this will be a blow, but a woman must do what a woman must do.”
I wasn’t super fond of his saying “a woman must do what a woman must do,” as if women were the only ones who made decisions like this, but I let that slide and simply kept my gaze to his.
Suddenly, his demeanor changed, and I didn’t like it but only because I couldn’t read it. He wasn’t normally a readable guy. But now he seemed impenetrable.
“Now that that talk is done and we’re here alone, is there something you need to tell me?”
I blinked, not understanding what I’d need to tell him. I mean, there was a lot I could tell him: Heath was being blackmailed; the CEO and his director of research and development were killing people and arranging for them to have life-altering accidents. But it wasn’t me who was going to share those morsels.
“Uh…” I began.
He leaned toward me, unlacing his fingers and putting one hand to his desk, his eyes never leaving mine.
“If there’s something crucial I need to know, obviously, Frankie, it being crucial, I need to know it.”
I felt my heart start beating hard and this was a strange sensation because I felt it in my throat.
That had happened to me once before.
When Daniel Hart turned his gun on me.
My phone in my hand rang and I jumped when it did.
Gratefully, to get away from Berger’s intense gaze, I looked down at it and saw the three-oh-three area code.
This told me Stark not only had cameras, he had microphones.
Yeesh, these guys were good.
“Frankie,” Travis called, and I looked to him. “You can call them back later.”
I wondered what Stark would advise, but I needed my job until I got another one (or until October when my lease ran out and I quit) so I didn’t take the call.
I had to wing it.
“Outside of the fact that I, as a businesswoman with career opportunities, will have to think long and hard of what my future will be with Wyler, I don’t have anything you need to know, Travis.”
My phone quit ringing.
He again studied me. This time it went on longer, like he was giving me the opportunity to make a different choice.
When I didn’t, he nodded. “All right, Frankie. Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you for yours, Travis,” I replied, standing.
He followed me with his eyes. “I hope you make the right decision.”
I knew what he thought the right decision was.
The problem was, he was wrong.
I just hoped his wife really liked shoes.
I smiled at him and got the hell out of there.
I saw Heath was in Lloyd’s office as I walked back to mine. After I saw this, I saw Tandy watching me as I was walking.
She didn’t wait her usual judicious amount of time. She walked in right behind me and closed the door.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
I looked to her as I sat down at my desk. “I requested a remote office in Chicago so I could move in with Benny. Travis denied my request.”
Her eyes got big, then her face shut down. “You’re leaving?”
I gentled my voice when I said, “Probably.”
That was when her face fell. “Oh, Frankie.”
I so totally like Tandy.
“I’m sorry, honey. But I’m in love. I have a new puppy. I have a dining room table to clear off and a kitchen to buy tile for and a life to start living.”
“I get you,” she said quietly. “But I’ll miss you.”
I grinned at her and replied, “Well, when I find a new job, my assistant better be cracking or I’ll be headhunting a new one.”
Her lips trembled, but they did this before they smiled.
“Sucks for me because I liked my boss before you, but he didn’t ever buy me a latte. Not even taking a turn,” she told me.
“I’ll make sure I get you a few cards so you can keep topped up.”
Her smile stayed in place, then she looked out the window and back to me. “You think Heath’s resigning?”
My brows went up. “You know about that?”
“Last night, Nightingale or a member of his team called all of us. Briefed us on everything. Told us the way things were going to go. Got our statements. It was cool. It felt good knowing it’s gonna be over soon.”
“I get you,” I agreed.
“Just sucks. It’s gonna be over, Bierman will stop spreading his dickishness wide so things will be good again, but you’ll be gone.”
Yeah. I’d miss Tandy.
“You’re the freaking bomb, Tandy,” I whispered.
“So are you, Frankie,” she whispered back.
We looked at each other as we both battled emotion that could come out in a variety of ways. Emotion that was about change and loss and relief.
Then we both got our shit together and she went back to her desk.
The minute her ass was in her chair, my phone rang.
It was the three-oh-three number.
I answered with, “Two calls from a commando today. That’s a record.”
There was laughter in Luke Stark’s deep, rough voice when he replied, “You did good, babe.”
“Approval noted,” I replied.
“And babe,” he started, “nothin’ in this world is more important than buildin’ a life with the man you love.”
My breath caught.
They did have microphones.
And commandos could be gushy.
Before I could call him on it, Stark disconnected.
Or maybe he disconnected because he knew I was going to give him shit.
Either way, I put my phone on my desk, got to work, and did it smiling.
* * * * *
At ten o’clock, my phone rang again.
It was Benny.
“Hey, honey,” I greeted.
“Status,” he replied, and I knew he was still agitated.
“Well, a while ago, Heath left Lloyd’s office looking like he’d been whipped. Lloyd looked pissed, but I think it’s because he knows I’m going to resign soon too so he’s going to be down two managers rather than one.”
He nodded and said, “Of course.”
He got out of his chair, then gave me an understanding look and a small smile before he left, closing the door behind him.
I looked back to Berger and he started speaking immediately.
“I respect your decision, Frankie.” But he said this like he didn’t respect it at all and I was suddenly wondering if I respected him. Sure, he was great at work, but life wasn’t work. Not even close. “If you find that the times we can allow you to work from Chicago are not enough and you need to leave us, this will be a blow, but a woman must do what a woman must do.”
I wasn’t super fond of his saying “a woman must do what a woman must do,” as if women were the only ones who made decisions like this, but I let that slide and simply kept my gaze to his.
Suddenly, his demeanor changed, and I didn’t like it but only because I couldn’t read it. He wasn’t normally a readable guy. But now he seemed impenetrable.
“Now that that talk is done and we’re here alone, is there something you need to tell me?”
I blinked, not understanding what I’d need to tell him. I mean, there was a lot I could tell him: Heath was being blackmailed; the CEO and his director of research and development were killing people and arranging for them to have life-altering accidents. But it wasn’t me who was going to share those morsels.
“Uh…” I began.
He leaned toward me, unlacing his fingers and putting one hand to his desk, his eyes never leaving mine.
“If there’s something crucial I need to know, obviously, Frankie, it being crucial, I need to know it.”
I felt my heart start beating hard and this was a strange sensation because I felt it in my throat.
That had happened to me once before.
When Daniel Hart turned his gun on me.
My phone in my hand rang and I jumped when it did.
Gratefully, to get away from Berger’s intense gaze, I looked down at it and saw the three-oh-three area code.
This told me Stark not only had cameras, he had microphones.
Yeesh, these guys were good.
“Frankie,” Travis called, and I looked to him. “You can call them back later.”
I wondered what Stark would advise, but I needed my job until I got another one (or until October when my lease ran out and I quit) so I didn’t take the call.
I had to wing it.
“Outside of the fact that I, as a businesswoman with career opportunities, will have to think long and hard of what my future will be with Wyler, I don’t have anything you need to know, Travis.”
My phone quit ringing.
He again studied me. This time it went on longer, like he was giving me the opportunity to make a different choice.
When I didn’t, he nodded. “All right, Frankie. Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you for yours, Travis,” I replied, standing.
He followed me with his eyes. “I hope you make the right decision.”
I knew what he thought the right decision was.
The problem was, he was wrong.
I just hoped his wife really liked shoes.
I smiled at him and got the hell out of there.
I saw Heath was in Lloyd’s office as I walked back to mine. After I saw this, I saw Tandy watching me as I was walking.
She didn’t wait her usual judicious amount of time. She walked in right behind me and closed the door.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
I looked to her as I sat down at my desk. “I requested a remote office in Chicago so I could move in with Benny. Travis denied my request.”
Her eyes got big, then her face shut down. “You’re leaving?”
I gentled my voice when I said, “Probably.”
That was when her face fell. “Oh, Frankie.”
I so totally like Tandy.
“I’m sorry, honey. But I’m in love. I have a new puppy. I have a dining room table to clear off and a kitchen to buy tile for and a life to start living.”
“I get you,” she said quietly. “But I’ll miss you.”
I grinned at her and replied, “Well, when I find a new job, my assistant better be cracking or I’ll be headhunting a new one.”
Her lips trembled, but they did this before they smiled.
“Sucks for me because I liked my boss before you, but he didn’t ever buy me a latte. Not even taking a turn,” she told me.
“I’ll make sure I get you a few cards so you can keep topped up.”
Her smile stayed in place, then she looked out the window and back to me. “You think Heath’s resigning?”
My brows went up. “You know about that?”
“Last night, Nightingale or a member of his team called all of us. Briefed us on everything. Told us the way things were going to go. Got our statements. It was cool. It felt good knowing it’s gonna be over soon.”
“I get you,” I agreed.
“Just sucks. It’s gonna be over, Bierman will stop spreading his dickishness wide so things will be good again, but you’ll be gone.”
Yeah. I’d miss Tandy.
“You’re the freaking bomb, Tandy,” I whispered.
“So are you, Frankie,” she whispered back.
We looked at each other as we both battled emotion that could come out in a variety of ways. Emotion that was about change and loss and relief.
Then we both got our shit together and she went back to her desk.
The minute her ass was in her chair, my phone rang.
It was the three-oh-three number.
I answered with, “Two calls from a commando today. That’s a record.”
There was laughter in Luke Stark’s deep, rough voice when he replied, “You did good, babe.”
“Approval noted,” I replied.
“And babe,” he started, “nothin’ in this world is more important than buildin’ a life with the man you love.”
My breath caught.
They did have microphones.
And commandos could be gushy.
Before I could call him on it, Stark disconnected.
Or maybe he disconnected because he knew I was going to give him shit.
Either way, I put my phone on my desk, got to work, and did it smiling.
* * * * *
At ten o’clock, my phone rang again.
It was Benny.
“Hey, honey,” I greeted.
“Status,” he replied, and I knew he was still agitated.
“Well, a while ago, Heath left Lloyd’s office looking like he’d been whipped. Lloyd looked pissed, but I think it’s because he knows I’m going to resign soon too so he’s going to be down two managers rather than one.”
