Page 63 of I Hope This Finds You Well

“Hmm. Well, if she ends up failing—”

Cliff’s tone sharpens. “I find that very unlikely—”

“That Armin kid is another low-hanging fruit,” Gregory interrupts. “He’s got a lot of unaccounted absences. If we track enough, we’ll have reasonable evidence to let him go.”

Cliff sighs as my tongue sours. “I met with him yesterday and... I’ve left my door open for him if he wants to discuss what’s affecting his performance. I’m not sure he’ll be an easy replacement.”

Gregory’s voice hardens. “We don’t pay people to be away from their desks. Let’s move on to Caitlin. She’s a very pleasant gal, but she’s going downhill with her errors. Last month her inventory report had three errors. Then last week there were two. If she makes any more, I might be calling you. These reports are critical.”

Oh my god. Caitlin was making errorsbeforeI dicked with her docs?

Gregory chuckles. “That’s how it goes. As soon as they get rings on their fingers, they stop caring about work, and then comes maternity leave after leave.”

The room heats up. I’d eat Gregory alive if he wasn’t so disgusting.

“Who exactly is the ‘they’ you’re referring to?” Cliff’s voice cuts sharper than I’ve ever heard. “As an HR rep that reports to head office first, I may need some clarity for my records.”

Gregory’s voice fumbles. “Employees.Allemployees,” he mutters.

I can’t help my lips from drawing up at the crack in his voice.

But the room suddenly lights up in a fluorescent flash, bright and blinding. Every one of my muscles tenses as I snag my headphones off with a tug.

I peek around a stack of boxes and find Caitlin huffing in the opposite corner, a giant stress line creasing her forehead. “I can do this,” she whispers.

I crouch behind the box stack again and try to tuck myself behind it, but her eyes dart to me in an instant.

“Were you hiding here in the dark? What the fuck—are you spying on me?” Her face twists.

“No,” I croak, my throat going suddenly dry. “I was looking for an old file.”

Her brows twist. “Why?” she accuses.

It’s just like Caitlin to think she owns the archive room when two hundred other people in this office need to file, cry, or hide.

But the line in her forehead sharpens and her lower lip trembles. It’s just me and her in here, and something about that feels raw and real.

I stand up. “And what are you doing here?” I blurt out.

Caitlin’s eyes widen. Then she huffs and turns away wordlessly, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Okay then,” I say to the empty room. “I’ll see you later.”

I return to my desk just as the clock hits five. Rhonda is packing up, and Armin’s things are already gone. There’s a new message waiting on my screen—one that’s actually meant for me.

Cliff:Did today seem longer than usual?

I smile to myself. It’s such a relief to let go of the fear from earlier. If Cliff had actually exposed me, it would have been worse than I care to admit.

But now at least it’s clear he hasn’t been putting on an act. He cares about people.

I type a reply and hit send before I can overthink it.

Jolene:Definitely. But in only a few mins I’ll be DJ-ing in your car...

Cliff’s icon shows he’s typing. Shows he’s deleting. Shows he’s typing again.

My breath halts with each move.