Page 2 of Not My Friend
“But I thought I should dress up for the auditors. Is it too much?”
“You look great, very professional,” Rochelle reassured me with a smile. “Don’t be nervous. I’ve reviewed all the files myself and they’re in great shape. This audit should go pretty smoothly, knock on wood.”
She rapped her knuckles on the door frame next to her.
“I just don’t want to mess anything up,” I confessed. “This program means a lot to our clients, and to me.”
“You’re one of the most organized managers I’ve worked with,” Rochelle said. “You make my job easier by staying on top of your team’s documentation. You’re gonna rock this audit, I promise. Besides…”
“Rochelle, Gina.”
Our boss’s voice interrupted whatever Rochelle was going to say.
“The auditors are here for the leadership interview. Are you two ready?”
The first hour of the day was going to be the auditors interviewing Allison and our Chief Financial Officer Erin, then Rochelle and I would take over and cover the rest of their multi-day visit.
As we followed Allison to our ‘nice’ conference room – the one where the tables and chairs all matched and the ceiling didn’t leak – I gave myself a little pep talk.
You’ve got this,Gina,I told myself, practicing the positive self-talk I’d learned in therapy.Your program is changing people’s lives and you’re in compliance with all the contract requirements. Everything is going to go well. The state just wants to make sure we’re using their funds according to the contract. You are strong and confident and can handle anything these auditors throw at you.
I walked into the room, setting my notebook on the table and reached out a hand to greet the auditors.
“Good morning, I’m…”
The words died in my throat as I got a good look at one of the state employees on the other side of the table. She was tall but curvy, with long, curly brown hair, light brown skin, and a mouth that was just a little too big for her face. A mouth I knew well. I looked into deep brown eyes that I knew contained flecks of gold, and my mouth dropped open in shock.
Shit. One of the auditors was Kimberly Hernandez. My ex-girlfriend. The only woman I’d ever loved.
I had a flash of my past self screaming at her and calling her a cheater while I chucked her belongings out the window onto the grass, the neighbors watching like it was a particularly amusing telenovela.
Kimberly hated me. Not that I blamed her. And judging by the cold look she was shooting me, she hadn’t changed her opinion of me in the three years since we broke up.
This audit was fucked. And so was I.
Kimberly
Igaped in shock at the woman across from me. Gina Freaking Hamilton.
I had no idea she worked here but then again, I hadn’t had time to review the file. The auditor assigned to do this site visit had an emergency appendectomy last night and my boss had pulled me off something else so we wouldn’t need to reschedule this visit. Our schedule was too tight for delays especially right now when state offices were on a mandatory hiring freeze.
Gina was looking at me like she’d seen a ghost.
I took a second to study her. She was still stunningly beautiful in that ‘girl next door’ kind of way. Her brown hair was still stick straight, but today it was pulled back into a low ponytail. She was dressed professionally, which I knew she hated. Other than thatshe looked exactly the same. Trim frame. Small breasts that were just a handful. Lean muscles from running and practicing yoga. Her skin was pale, but then again, it was spring in Seattle. None of us had seen the sun in months.
We stared at each other for a long moment, both of us completely ignoring the other people in the room.
“You’re the auditor?” she finally asked, her voice husky, the same way it was when she woke up in the morning.
Not that I was thinking about that.
We’d been in love once. Lived together even. I thought we’d be together for the long haul, but then she broke my heart. Her insecurities had taken over one too many times and when she accused me of cheating on her, the relationship was done. I’d left with my tail tucked between my legs and never seen her again. Until today.
“I thought you worked with homeless youth,” I said inanely.
Obviously, she didn’t anymore. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised that she got a new job at some point over the last three years. I’d done the same.
“I’m the program manager for the Sunrise program,” she said quietly. “I’ve been here since the program started.”
