One to Keep (One to Hold 2)

She swished past my door, wearing a bright yellow wrap-dress. I shook my head and turned back to my computer. “Whatever,” I said under my breath. Nikki was a big girl as she’d let me know.

Five minutes later, a loud slam had me out of my chair and into the hallway. Derek’s door was the source of the noise, and inside Nikki was yelling. I couldn’t believe my ears. For a few moments, I waited?

?? this wasn’t exactly a domestic disturbance, but I knew from my training about walking in on these kinds of things. His door opened again, and I heard him speak.

“You need to calm down,” he said in the sharp tone I knew from experience would get the exact opposite response. “I was just saying—”

“You were just implying I was incompetent. Again.” I’d never seen Nikki mad, but her eyes were flashing as she spun back to her desk and snatched up her bag. From this angle, I could also see she was hurt. “You can do it yourself,” she said loudly. “I quit.”

My stomach dropped, and Derek and I both sprung forward at that.

“Wait—” I started.

“Stay out if it, Patrick,” she snapped at me. “I’ve been here a lot longer than you, and I’m sick of his shit.”

“Nikki, you’re making a mistake.” Derek used neither the tone nor the words I knew she wanted to hear. She wanted an apology.

“And you need to get laid.” She spun on her heel and pushed through the glass doors. I caught a “Goodbye, Patrick” as the door breezed shut again.

Anger clear on my face, I turned back to my business partner. “The fuck?”

He shook his head and went back into his office. “I’ll handle it,” he said, slamming his dark wooden door.

For a moment, I stood there looking at her empty desk and his closed door. Princeton was supposed to be less drama. Shit.

* * *

Derek stayed in his office with the door closed the rest of the day. I managed to get some work accomplished, but I was still restless by six. Going to the gym seemed like a good idea, although I figured I’d be going alone.

He emerged just as I was picking up my bag. Irritation rose in my chest, but I waited. “You coming?”

The phone rang in his office, and he held up a hand. “Meet you there in five.”

Going back inside, he closed the door again, and I left for Building E ready to find out what happened in his office this morning.

At the gym, I loaded the bar with a more reasonable weight and lay back, lifting it myself and doing eight reps. Derek entered as I finished, and I returned it to the rack, sitting up to look at him.

He adjusted the strap on his glove and glanced at me briefly before picking up a set of dumbbells. I stood and went over to do the same, still not speaking.

“I talked to the temp service,” he finally said. “New girl can start Friday.”

I put the dumbbells on the rack roughly. “You’re not getting Nikki back?”

He exhaled loudly and put his set down easier. “No.”

At the bench-press bar, he added more plates to what I’d just done. Anger was rising in me with every one. “Why not?”

Then he paused and turned to me. “Patrick, you’ve been here a little more than a week. I get it you liked Nikki, or whatever was going on between you two, but she was a terrible secretary. She’s lucky she stayed as long as she did.”

He was giving me the little brother routine. Fuck that. I exhaled, jaw clenched. “Tell me what she did that was so bad. We’re business partners. I should be in on decisions like this since they effect me.”

“Fine,” he sat up. “The day before you started, I had to fly to Manhattan. A quick, 24-hour trip, right?”

I shrugged. “Okay.”

“She booked my flight in and out of JFK. She booked my car at LaGuardia.” He let that sink in for a moment. “Do you know how far apart the two are?”

I crossed my arms. I didn’t have a comeback.