Faking It with the Frenemy

I open my inbox. There’s an email from the payroll department about today’s deposit with all the breakdowns. I almost swallow my tongue. A six-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus? What the hell?

Ugh. Somebody must’ve made a typo. I hit reply and let payroll know so they can claw back the overage.

“Why the frowny face?” Salazar says, munching on a danish on his way out to have lunch with his ex-wife. The man loves his carbs and booze.

“Just a minor issue.”

“Who? Churchill?” He leans closer. “Is he harassing you?”

It does not bode well for Churchill if he’s the first person my boss thinks of when I say “issue.” When people start to be on my boss’s “issue” list, they don’t get to do business with him for long. Not that I feel sorry for the disgusting geezer. “No. It’s payroll. They paid me too much.”

“Oh, that.” Salazar straightens. “Wasn’t a mistake.”

“But…” I pause for a moment. I’m quite certain my memory is correct. “My employment contract specifically says five hundred thousand dollars, not six.”

“Yeah, I know. But Dane and I had a bet.”

“Other than the rock paper scissors one?” I ask, totally confused.

“Yeah.” Salazar scratches the tip of his nose and lets out a forced cough. “I told him you wouldn’t last. He said you would to get my money. And we decided to bet a hundred K.”

That explains the extra amount, but… “So why did I get it and not Dane?” I can’t imagine him wagering that I would get the money.

“He said he doesn’t need the money. He said it was your”—Salazar sighs—“‘hazard pay.’”

I bite my lip so I don’t snort or make an inappropriate response.

“I disagree with the term, but I’m supposed to say it. Condition of the bet.”

Never let it be said Dane is a gracious winner. He likes to rub it in, which is one reason I don’t bet with him.

“Anyway.” Salazar smiles. “Congratulations. I’m very proud of you and happy with your work.”

I flush, the skin around my eyes prickling a bit. Geez. I better not cry, even though I’m a little overcome at the moment. I was such a newbie when I started working for him, and I made so many dumb errors, some of which I was able to fix only with Hilary’s help.

You’ve come a long way, Kim.

If my boss notices my reaction, he pretends not to. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” he says, shooting his cuffs, “I have a lunch to get to.”

I clear my throat. “Thank you, Salazar. Enjoy your time with Ceinlys.”

My hands shaking, I pick up my phone and text the first person that pops into my head—Wyatt. He doesn’t respond, but I check the time and decide he’s probably on a plane. He said he was arriving this evening. I can’t wait for his reaction to the amazing news, not only about the bonus but the unexpected windfall and praise from my boss.

Then I start a group text. I add Hilary and Jo, then, after a moment of hesitation, Yuna, since she was sweet enough to try to help me out. I let them know what happened.

–Jo: Woohoo! I’m so happy for you, girlfriend! You rock!

–Hilary: You know we gotta celebrate!

–Yuna: Holy cow, my roommate is a superwoman. I’m sad you won’t be working for me, but I agree with Hilary. We need to celebrate. Party tonight! All of you and your plus-ones are invited! I’ll send you directions to the location.

–Me: Thanks, Yuna, but you don’t have to go to the trouble. A last-minute party can’t be easy to plan.

–Yuna: It’s no trouble. I’ve organized tons of parties. Every major bonus needs to be celebrated. And I WANT to party. I’m going to invite a bunch of people, but they’re all civilized, so it should be fun.

I press my lips together. I’m not sure if civilized and fun go together for a party, not the way she thinks.

Still, I don’t want to be ungracious or nitpick. And if Wyatt wants to do something special for just two of us, we can do that this weekend.