Page 78 of You'll Love it Here

Norm shrugs as he swallows a bite of food. “Decent, I think. Same old.”

There’s a weird look in his eyes when he asks, “I guess your leave is up soon?”

I’m not sure if it’s a question or a statement. “Yeah, I should be going back the week after next, on June twenty-ninth.” I can’t suppress my smile as I think about waltzing back in with a shiny new client. “I can’t believe how fast time flew.”

“Yeah...” There’s an uncomfortable edge in his tone.

“When was the last time you went to the office?” I try to keep my pitch conversational, hoping I’m not scaring him somehow.

Norm stares at his hands. “Probably five years ago.”

I think of all the Christmas parties, all the Stampede fucking cowboy breakfasts. Those communal moments, the trauma bonding, was what made the job so worth it to me. And he’s avoided the place the whole time. How lonely it must be.

“Norm, it’s been really cool getting to know you lately,” I say. “It’s nice to have someone in the building who works at the same office.”

He nods but doesn’t add more as he swallows another bite of food. He chews intently, then grabs a napkin from the generous stack Sami stuffed in the bag. “Are you looking forward to going back?”

I nod automatically. “Getting back into the pace of things might be tough, but I am.”

His eyes narrow at his BLT. “Yeah, I’ve noticed it’s pretty intense.” His voice drops. “IT people can see a lot of the goings-on—almost everything.”

The French fry I’d just bitten goes dry in my mouth. He definitely knows something.

Of course he does. Why didn’t I think of the possibility that he might have seen I’m bringing in Lana as a new client?

“Okay, look.” His voice is steadier than I’ve ever heard him. “I don’t have many friends or anything, so this may come off sort of...” His eyes lock right onto mine and he hardens his shoulderslike he’s decided something. “Um, so, are you still close with Olivia Chambers?”

That isnotwhat I was expecting him to say. “Yeah,” I confirm. “We’re close.”

He winces at this. And I realize it’s possible she’s been a real dick to him, the way I know a lot of people are to the IT guys. I race to her defense. “I know she can seem rough around the edges, but that’s because she’s working so hard to move up the ladder.”

“Look, I feel like I should say this because you seem somewhat... because I appreciate your, um, including me, but Olivia isn’t...” All his words are muttered. But then he looks up and seems to decide something. “She doesn’t have your best interest at heart.”

It’s so bizarre, what he’s saying, that the words almost don’t register.

“I know about the Vesterno account,” I say slowly. “She was totally honest about that, and I’m okay with it.”

He shakes his head and continues, “Not just that one. She has asked to keep Levin, Eden Watermark, and GBA too.”

I ignore the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears. That’s more than half of my portfolio. I blink and I blink, trying to sift through why she’d do that. “Well, I guess it makes sense if she’s been working on them.”

His nod is patient, like he wants to soften whatever blow he’s preparing for. “She cited several errors she’d caught on all of them and stated she was concerned about your standard of care for the clients. I think Corbin plans on complaining about you too. I found some of their DMs on the server.” Norm’s feet fidget, like he’s resisting the urge to spring from the room. “I’m sorry. I just, I had to say something, I didn’t want younotknowing.” He wipes the sweat that sheens his forehead and stares at his sneakers. I get the feeling Norm hasn’t done anything this uncomfortable in a million years. And a vision of him psyching himself up to come talk to me flashes in my mind.

His phone sounds with the distinct sound of a Teams message. His eyes pop at his screen, but he doesn’t make a move to leave.

“Hey, is that an IT call?”

He nods. “I’m, um, I’m supposed to log back in at twelve forty-five on Thursdays. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the time.”

“Of course.” I stand, shuffling my wrapper into the empty bag. “Thanks for lunch.”

We make our way to the door. My legs feel like they’re made of jelly. I’ve been so eager for my triumphant return to work with a flashy new client in tow, ready to be a big cheese in the office again. But am I about to lose my whole suite of clients and suffer a humiliation instead, all thanks to my shitty friends?

“Hey, Norm,” I say, my hand hovering on the doorknob as he walks out. “I really appreciate you for telling me. You’re a good friend.”

His face goes instantly red.

After he’s gone, I go over every recent interaction with Olivia. Everything I’d shared. She’s been my closest confidante through all these years. I wanted her—no,neededher—to look up to me, to think I was somebody worth emulating.