Chapter Four
Eleanor's POV
"Are you mad at me for taking your spot?"
Lacey's voice wavered a little, and she was still holding out the box. "But Harrison's the one who picked the team lead. It's not like I could stop him."
"I'm not mad at you." I kept my head down and sorted through my files. "The boss makes the calls. It's not our place to say anything anyway."
She bit her lip, and her eyes welled up.
"You're obviously mad at me. Why else won't you even touch the cupcake I got you?"
A few coworkers came over right away.
"Eleanor, seriously? She was nice enough to get cupcakes for the whole team, and she picked that one out just for you."
"Lacey, just ignore her. She hasn't gotten promoted in three years. You'd think she'd know where she stands by now."
"Right? Did everyone forget about her secretly buying matching tumblers? The boss is probably sick of her by now. If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to stick around."
The comments kept piling on, and my knuckles turned white around my pen.
I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady.
"I'm allergic to peanuts. And when did I ever say a single word about not wanting her as team lead?"
Lacey froze, and the tears spilled over. "I'm sorry, I really didn't know..."
Once she started crying, the looks my coworkers gave me got even nastier.
"If you're allergic, just say so. Why the attitude?"
"Let's be real, she's just jealous. The boss is out buying a ring to propose, and we all know who it's for. Someone can't handle it."
I watched them run their mouths, and everything I'd swallowed for three years came rushing up at once.
I pulled a thin silver chain out from under my collar. Hanging from it was a tiny compass.
Harrison had given it to me on our first anniversary. He'd told me that no matter how cold he acted toward me at work, as long as I wore it, I'd always know where to find him.
I held the pendant in my palm. "Harrison gave me this. He's my boyfriend. Why would I be jealous of her?"
The whole office went silent for a second.
Then somebody burst out laughing.
"So a necklace is supposed to prove you're the boss's girlfriend?"
"You can buy a pendant like that at literally any mall."
I spun around, ready to go confront Harrison myself.
But his office door opened first. He must have heard the commotion.
I walked straight toward him and met his eyes. "Harrison, tell them. Tell them what we really are."
He frowned and didn't answer right away.
Behind me, the whispering died down, then slowly started up again.
"He's not denying it... Wait, is it actually true?"
"Then what's Lacey supposed to be?"
Harrison's jaw tightened. When he finally spoke, his voice was ice cold.
"I'm your boss. That's it."
"Spreading false rumors and refusing to take direction from your new team lead. Eleanor, you're suspended for a week. Unpaid."
I looked at him, and the last bit of warmth I had left drained away.
I unhooked the clasp and gently set the compass down next to my keyboard.
"I'm done, Harrison. We're over."
The fingers at his side twitched, but he never stepped forward.
The laughter around me got louder.
"The boss literally just shut her down to her face, and she's still putting on a breakup show?"
Someone mimicked my voice in a high, whiny tone, and the whole room cracked up.
"See? The second Lacey started crying, the boss came right out. That's what actually having someone's back looks like."
"Eleanor, next time you make up a fantasy, maybe pick someone in your league."
I didn't say a word. I packed everything on my desk into a box, one thing at a time.
A week's suspension was too short.
I wasn't coming back.
Harrison stood behind the glass wall of his office and watched me carry the box into the elevator.
He pulled out his phone and typed out a long explanation, then deleted it word by word. He did that over and over, and by the end of the day, he still hadn't hit send.
That night, when he got back to the condo, half the bedroom closet was empty.
Frowning, he sent me several texts. Not one got a reply.
His calls went straight to voicemail.
Lacey brought him a glass of water, her lips pressed together like she was the one who'd been wronged. "Is she still mad about what happened today? You're getting ready to propose. Why does she have to make such a big deal out of this?"
Harrison thought about the look in my eyes when I put the necklace down, and a strange panic hit him.
But he quickly talked himself out of it.
"She's probably just upset about getting demoted. She'll get over it in a few days. When she's back, I'll put her on the next promotion list."
A week went by, and I never showed up.
Harrison finally couldn't take it anymore. He called Marjorie and asked her to get in touch with me, saying he wanted to talk about a promotion.
Marjorie was quiet on the other end of the line for a few seconds.
"Promote Eleanor? Didn't she quit a while ago?"
