What. My mouth flops open, and I make a gurgling noise. Kelsey's smile turns a little concerned—oddly similar to Kelly's "fix your face" smile—and she scoots the pitcher of water and an empty cup toward me. Grateful for the momentary distraction, I pour myself a glass and chug it down. And another. And another. Exhaling heavily, I carefully dab the corners of my mouth with the provided napkin.
"I'm sorry, I'm confused. I'm an engineering manager. I don't quite understand," I manage to stutter out.
"Well, the way I see it, you were particularly helpful in creating an action plan for the integration of DropTop's tech stack into the Atmosphere ecosystem. Per Dustin's notes, you were integral to the process." Pete raises his eyebrows.
"I suppose that's true."
"To be clear, we would not be throwing you to the wolves. We would expect you to train both in-office and in the field with Pete for a ninety-day orientation period. It would come with a generous signing bonus, as well as a relocation fund," Kelsey chimes in.
"Relocation fund?"
"Yes, this position is based in Chicago." Kelsey gives me a knowing smile. "Would that be… of interest to you?"
Holyshit. I mean, yeah, yeah, it would. The opportunity to not only keep my job but move up the corporate ladderandmove to Chicago on Atmosphere's dime? I suck in a breath as my mind races. This opportunity means that I'd never have to see Calvin again. I'd never run into him or his new baby mama. And the signing bonus? I could pay off my divorce lawyer without blinking. Of course, I would be sad to leave Janine and my team… and honestly, the city. I've lived in New York (or the New York metro area) for my entire adult life.
Still, the concept of starting fresh in a new city, a new role, with Dustin?
"I'm in." I slap the table. "What happens to my team, though?"
"Ah! Excellent question. Kelly has been enjoying line management more than she thought she would. And your team is doing very well—of course, they miss you, as they repeatedly mentioned during the investigation interviews. But with you moving up, there's room for a new manager. And backfill, of course. I believe Kelly mentioned Felicity?" Kelsey smiles warmly. She really does quite a lot of smiling.
"Felicity would be perfect." I nod.
This is happening. This is all really happening.
Leah drops me off at the hotel after a full day of meetings, signing paperwork, and video calls with the team. I almost cried when I saw their concerned faces. They've all been so worried—it's so sweet. They're an incredible team, and I am so fortunate to have been able to work with them.
As soon as I get settled in my hotel room, I call Dustin.
"Hey!" I can practically hear the smile in his voice. "How'd it go?"
"They… promoted me?"
Silence.
"Hello?" I check to see if the call dropped, but it's still going.
"My god, Brooke—that's amazing? How did that happen? Wait, no, I want to hear about it in person. Do you want to come back over here? Should I pick you up? Do you want me to come to the hotel? Actually—howisthe hotel? Is it nice? They're a multi-billion dollar corporation—if it'snotnice, you should kick up a fit. They can swing it." Dustin yaps at a hundred miles a minute, and I can't help the smile spread across my face.
That's sohim. He's happy for me. I'm sad for him, obviously, and he doesn't know I got his job—not yet. I'll tell him when I see him. I have a feeling it'll be overshadowed by theothernews I haven't told him….
"Don't worry! It's super swanky—the St. Regis? I honestly feel a little out of place at this ritzy-ass hotel. I looked it up, and they run for like… a grand a night. Insane." I pull back the curtain and gaze out the window towards Lake Michigan. I can just barely see the Chicago River to the north. Even though it's frigidly cold outside, the frosty riverside parks look beautiful. "You should come over. I'll let you in."
"I'll be there in twenty. Brooke?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm so proud of you." His earnest warmth illuminates me from the inside.
"Thank you, babe. I'm proud of me, too."
One good thing about our airport charade this morning is that I have all of my luggage. I didn't think they'd buy it if I showed up empty-handed. So I pop into the ritziest shower I've ever seen in my life—seriously, there's like four showerheads—to rinse off from the day. Maybe it's a rich-people thing, but the little hotel soaps suds up better than anything I've ever bought in my life. It's luxuriously silky and smells just… clean. It's a subtle scent, and I can't place it, but it just makes me feel clean.
Even with the hefty raise I'm getting, there's no way I'll be able to afford a place like this very often. I'm going to make it count while it's on Atmosphere's dime.
Feeling fresh as a daisy, I wrap the hotel-branded robe around myself and check the time. Dustin should be here soon. I saunter over to the phone and dial 0 for the front desk.
"Yes, madam?" Wow, I didn't even hear it ring.