Next morning at the office, I make a to-do list of all the things I need to get done before the show. It’s enormous. Looking at it, I decide that sleep is overrated. I’ll run on coffee, adrenaline, and the knowledge that afterward I’ll spend two weeks with Sebastian¸ without work or anything else getting between us. Dirk wasn’t happy when I told him I want two weeks off, but he can suck it. I haven’t taken a single day off in the last year, and I’m not eager to repeat that experience. I work hard. I deserve a damn break. One last trip before this dream ends. I’m surprised at the ache blooming in my chest. I always knew this wouldn’t last, but I never expected to fall in love with Sebastian. It’ll make going back to the way things were so much harder. Imagining my life without Sebastian depresses me. Back to empty hotel rooms and dinners alone in the office, long after my colleagues are gone. Empty beds. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. A job is something fixed; something I can count on. A man can always leave. My job won’t keep me warm at night though. Sebastian does.
“Bah. Get your act together, Lindt,” I admonish myself. For the remainder of the morning, I work through my monstrous to-do list.
I will always remember the moment all hell broke loose. Lola and Sandra, two girls from the marketing department, burst inside my office, looking like they’re about to confess a mortal sin.
“What’s wrong?” I ask them.
“Martha quit.”
“What do you mean, she quit?” I leap to my feet, nearly knocking over my computer. No, no, no. This can’t be. “There is one week left until the presentation.”
“Uh-huh,” Lola says.
“She . . . Jesus.” I bite my tongue, drawing in deep breaths.
“So, we wanted to know who will take over her duties,” Sandra says.
I suspected Martha would leave soon, but I never thought she’d quit now.
A vein pulses in my right temple. “Right. You two go back in your office and continue with your tasks. I will let you know how to proceed.”
After they leave, I take a deep breath and stroll into Sebastian’s office. He and Logan stop talking when they see me.
“Your marketing manager quit,” I announce.
“We’ve been informed,” Logan says. “She received a job in Seattle she couldn’t refuse, and they required her to start right away.”
“You need to hire someone now.”
“There’s not enough time until the show,” Sebastian explains. I swear loudly, because I knew this was exactly what they were going to say.
“I know, but I needed to vent somewhere and I couldn’t do it in front of the team.”
Both men burst out laughing.
“This is not funny,” I say.
“We know it’s not.” Logan‘s expression turns somber.
“Can you do it without the marketing manager?” Sebastian asks. “Logan and I can try to jump in, but between the meetings we’ve already scheduled, there won’t be much time.”
“Well, it’ll mean pulling a hundred hours this week. Nothing I haven’t done before, but I hate it when it happens. I’ll get back to work.”
Sebastian looks at me intently.
I pull myself up straighter. “Just so you know, all these long hours mean you’ll get laid a lot less.”
“We’ll see about that,” Sebastian replies, a rueful smile on his face.
“Does anyone care that I’m in the room?” Logan throws his hands up in the air.
“No,” Sebastian and I reply in unison.
“Okay, glad we settled that,” Logan concludes.
“I’ll leave you two now and get back to work.”
***