Page 32 of Open for Negotiation
I lean against the cubicle wall while he rummages through his desk, taking an unusually long time to find whatever he’s looking for.
“Need some help?” I ask him.
“No, I’ve got it,” he says as he holds up the cell phone he pulled from his drawer. “It was hiding from me.”
“Clearly,” I laugh, sort of. Why is he acting so strange?
By the time we step out from his cubicle to head down to leave, we are stopped in our tracks by Max, nearly colliding directly into him when we round the corner.
“Oh shit,” I say then cover my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
Max looks between us for a moment then settles his gaze on me. “That’s all right. I was turning that corner a little sharper than I normally would.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t really watching where I was going,” I tell him, holding back the smile that would definitely give my true feelings away.
I feel Garrett place his hand on the small of my back and step up, slightly ahead of me, and honestly, it shocks the hell out of me.
“Excuse us, Mr. Duke. Scarlett and I were heading out to have lunch together and we don’t want to waste any of it, right?” He looks down at me to confirm what he’s saying.
“Uh, I mean… yeah, you invited me to lunch, yes.”
I look back to Max and I can see his jaw twitch. There’s a jealous caveman buried in there somewhere trying to get out.
“I figured that Scarlett deserved a proper celebration for all the hard work she did for this project, right? It’s the least I could do,” Garrett says, pulling me even closer, like he’s trying to stake some kind of claim on me.
I open my mouth to object, to say anything, but Max speaks first.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you from your date.” He nods to me. “Enjoy your celebration, Scarlett.”
“I... wait... “ I turn my body to follow him as he walks away but Garrett takes my hand and pulls me away.
“We only have an hour. We should go.”
What. The. Hell. Was. That?
“Hey.” I stop him right before we get to the elevator. “Are you all right? You seem… off.”
His shoulders fall a little and he nods. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just dealing with something personally and it’s seeping into my work life. I’m working on it.”
“Aww, I’m sorry, Gar.” I reach out and squeeze his arm. “Your sister?” I ask, assuming that is the problem since he’s confided in me about his sick sister before.
“Yeah, that and a bit more.”
“Come on, let’s go have that lunch and I’ll give you an ear to vent to.”
“God, Scarlett, you have no idea how badly I need that.”
***
One hour and a nice conversation later, Garrett seems to be much happier when we make our return to the office.
We part ways with a hug and he thanks me for always being an ear and a shoulder when he needs it.
I don’t even have a chance to get back to my desk before I hear my name being called from the end of the hallway.
“Scarlett.” I look up to see Max motioning me to come into his office. “I need a word about the mockup you sent me for the Hybrid Project.”
The Hybrid Project? I haven’t even started that rendering yet.
