Corporate Secrets

CHAPTER 2

On a serious note though, if you need some help, you know you can always talk to me.

France is lovely, but I can't wait to be back home. The pizza here is terrible, and three weeks feels like a very long time. I've attached some pictures because you should see something beautiful every day.

I love you loads and loads, Anna!

xoxo

I shake my head when I open the attachments. She is goofing off in most of them. There's one where she has strawberry ice cream on the tip of her nose and another where she is sitting in the arms of a statue.

There's a group one too, with some of her classmates. One of the guys has his arm around her waist, and she's leaning into him.

I send an email back, teasing her about her new boyfriend and how he looks cute. Our schedules haven't allowed us much call time, so emails are our way of keeping in constant contact. I really can't wait for her to be back.

My eyes catch on an email from work. I wonder what that's about. They already sent the email about severance pay, and I signed that. I click on the mail, rolling my eyes.

I speed-read through the contents of the mail. My mouth drops open in shock, and I have to go back to the beginning and read it all over again. Then I read it again. And again. It is only after I read it the fourth time that it begins to sink in.

I don't even attempt to resist the urge to jump out of my chair and scream to the heavens. I cannot believe I have my job back. And yet, the email says I do. Maybe they now understand how invaluable I've been to the company.

Of course, as I bounce up and down in celebration, my leg catches against the chair and I go down hard. Not that it bothers me much. I mean, I've got my job back! I'm not going to starve!

I'm supposed to start again in three days, which is Monday, or let them know what time would be the most convenient for me.

I'm tempted to tell them I'll get back to work in a month, just to let them suffer a bit. But I can't do that. I need the money, and more than that, I can't inflict Saul Manning on unsuspecting souls.

Once I send an email back to them accepting the position, I send one to Celine too. She's going to be so happy that I'm getting the job back. I swear she was angrier than I've ever seen her when she found out what happened.

If she hadn't been in France, I have a feeling she would have gone straight to Charlton to air her grievances. I'm searching in the refrigerator for something to eat when I hear my phone ring.

"Celine!" I exclaim before I even pick up the phone. "Celine!"

"Anna! How are you, honey?"

"Splendid! It's so nice to hear your voice. It's been months."

"Yeah, I know. Wait a moment, I'm going to switch this to video." She laughs, and it sounds so exotic. Everything about Celine is exotic, from her gray eyes to her inky black hair to her face with its high cheekbones and heart-shaped structure.

Her face blinks onto the screen of my phone, and she gives a little wave. "I just saw your mail about getting your job back. I literally screamed my head off. Like-" And then she lets out a piercing scream that has me covering my ears for survival.

I hear someone call out her name in the background. She replies with an apology that's so obviously fake, it makes me shake my head.

"So, what happened? Did you take my advice and threaten to sue? Or no, no, did you protest in front of their offices? You made a nuisance of yourself, right?"

Her eyes are wide open, expectant. I laugh, shaking my head. "I didn't do any of that."

"Really? So how did you get the job back then?" she asks, her voice colored with disbelief. When she leans in and glances around her surreptitiously, I know I'm about to hear something weird. "Wait, did you use black magic?"

"What? No." Yeah, definitely crazy.

"Well then, how did you do it? I swear I'm not going to tell anyone your secret. Was it your boss? Did you finally agree to sleep with him? You know I won't judge, I know it was for a good cause."

"I didn't do anything to get it back, Celine," I reply when I get my breath back from laughing too hard. "I just stayed at home and sulked for days and woke up this morning to see the email."

"What? That's so... ordinary."

"Not everyone is extraordinary like you, Celine," I reply, hoping she doesn't hear the wistful note in my voice. Okay, so I am a bit jealous of her. She is one of the most wonderful people I know, and there are times when I wish I could have even one percent of her awesomeness.

"Of course, not everyone is as extraordinary as I am. But you'll come in a close second," she says with a self-satisfied smirk. "So what are you going to wear on your first day back?"

"What I always wear. A suit. I'm not a model, remember? I'm a personal assistant."

"I know, I know. But there is such a thing as a power suit, you know. Just pick one in red. Or wine. You're one of those people who look absolutely gorgeous in whatever color they wear, and you should take advantage of that."

"Yes, I should. So, graduation, yeah?"

"I know, right? Eighteen months just flew by, and now I'm going to be a certified designer by one of the best schools on the planet!"

"How do you feel?" Celine is usually like a dog with a bone when she gets on a topic. But I've learned how to handle her - at least to an extent.

"Depressed and excited all at once. I'm a mess, really. I mean, I went to a party last weekend to celebrate with some of the guys in my class. Two days later, I was crying my eyes out. Transition phases always make me a little crazy."

"A little crazier."

She chuckles. "Fine, you got me there."

"Speaking of parties and guys..." I let my voice trail off and wiggle my brows. "Do you have anything to tell me?"

"Anything?" I see through her innocent look immediately.

"A certain someone sent me a picture of herself with a certain young man-"

"There were others in the picture I sent," she bursts out, and I laugh. "Okay, so you got me there. I don't really want to talk about Phil. I'm not sure I have a firm handle on what's going on between us, and I don't want to..."

Her shrug seems so sad, I stroke my phone screen as if it's her face. "Don't worry about it, then. You know I'm here if you need me though, right? Anytime."

I know what it's like to have boundaries, things you don't think you can ever share with another soul. I definitely don't want her baring her heart before she's ready.

"I know, Anne. Thanks a bunch. Okay, gotta go. You tell those guys at work that if they even conceive the idea of firing you ever again, I'm going to beat up all their asses."

"Sure thing, C. Take care. Love you!"

"Love you too! Make sure you wear something runway-worthy to work, okay?"

"Uh-huh," I say even though I have no intention of doing that. My clothes have been part of my survival mechanism for the last twelve years of my life, and are probably the only reason I stayed longer than all the secretaries Saul Manning had before me.

I'm not going to jeopardize my mental health and my job just to look runway-worthy. I'll leave that to the people whose jobs are on the runway.

I am dancing as I go back to bed. Who says good things don't happen to those who wait?

****

Hi again! Another part updated. Let me know your thoughts.