bear to look at me.
“Matt?” I said, feeling the floor shift under my feet. My voice came out kind of strangled.
Now Mason was shouting something into the phone, but the music was so loud I didn’t have a chance of hearing him.
“Everything’s fine,” Matt said, putting a warm hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t realized how cold I was. “He’s probably just talking to an insane client.”
“Ooh, looks like the food is ready,” Pammy said. “Yummy, pigs in a blanket. Should we go get a plate?”
“Let’s hang out another second,” Matt said, his eyes never leaving Mason. Now one of our agency’s founders, Mr. Dunne,was hurrying across the room to Mason’s side. The two of them huddled together, gesturing frantically, and at the exact same moment, they both turned to look at me.
“What’s going on?” I whispered. Nausea rose in my throat.
“It’s going to be okay,” Matt said in a low voice, and I tried desperately to believe him. I felt like I was watching a horror movie and the heroine was about to descend a rickety staircase into an unlit basement. Cheryl was being too cocky. Mason looked too upset. Now Mason was passing the cell phone to Mr. Dunne, and he was talking into it. Something bad was going to happen; the killer was in the basement.
Oh, God, why were they walking over to Cheryl?
Mr. Dunne was shaking Cheryl’s hand, and she was smiling. Something about her smile . . .
“I need to—” I couldn’t get out the rest of the words. My stomach was bucking. I raced to the bathroom and flung open the stall door just in time. I hadn’t eaten much of anything all day, so the only thing that splashed into the toilet was champagne.
“Lindsey?” Pammy had followed me in. “Oh, no. You’re not really pregnant, are you?”
“I think I just ate some bad sushi for lunch,” I lied, flushing the toilet and closing the lid. I sat down on top of it. My legs were shaking so bad I didn’t trust them to hold me up.
“Can I get you some water?” she asked. “Maybe a few crackers?”
“That would be great,” I said hoarsely. I couldn’t imagine eating a thing, but it would get Pammy out of here and let me be alone so I could fight through my panic. I needed to stay calm; I was good at staying calm. I was good at fixing things, too. I could fix this, whatever it was.
What was happening?
Logically I knew there could be a million explanations. Maybe Matt was right; maybe a big client was being difficult.Maybe Mason and Dunne had turned to look at me because they were thinking of handing him off to me but decided to give him to Cheryl. It was probably that. I was sure it had to be that.
It wasn’t that.
I knew it with a staggering, rock-solid certainty. Something big was about to happen, something awful. What had Cheryl done? My mind raced as I considered the possibilities. She couldn’t have messed with the agency vote; Mason had already told me I’d won the VP title. I had the job locked up.
Didn’t I?
“Lindsey, here’s your water,” Pammy said, entering the bathroom again. “That bald guy was looking for you, but I told him you were in the ladies’ room. I didn’t tell him you were throwing up, though. He’s making some speech right now, so he said he’ll talk to you afterward.”
I unlocked the stall door and stepped out, a giddy, hysterical hope rising inside me like a balloon. Could I have been wrong? Could the champagne have made me paranoid? Mason was giving his announcement; everything was proceeding on schedule. And he was looking for me. That had to be a good sign, right? I rinsed out my mouth and smoothed my hair.
“Thanks, Pammy,” I said, accepting the water and crackers she handed me.
I could hear Mason talking, but the bathroom walls distorted his words.
“Should we go out?” she asked.
“Give me one more second,” I said. I reached into my purse and put on a layer of Cherrybomb. I took a deep breath and stared at my reflection for a moment,
“Matt?” I said, feeling the floor shift under my feet. My voice came out kind of strangled.
Now Mason was shouting something into the phone, but the music was so loud I didn’t have a chance of hearing him.
“Everything’s fine,” Matt said, putting a warm hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t realized how cold I was. “He’s probably just talking to an insane client.”
“Ooh, looks like the food is ready,” Pammy said. “Yummy, pigs in a blanket. Should we go get a plate?”
“Let’s hang out another second,” Matt said, his eyes never leaving Mason. Now one of our agency’s founders, Mr. Dunne,was hurrying across the room to Mason’s side. The two of them huddled together, gesturing frantically, and at the exact same moment, they both turned to look at me.
“What’s going on?” I whispered. Nausea rose in my throat.
“It’s going to be okay,” Matt said in a low voice, and I tried desperately to believe him. I felt like I was watching a horror movie and the heroine was about to descend a rickety staircase into an unlit basement. Cheryl was being too cocky. Mason looked too upset. Now Mason was passing the cell phone to Mr. Dunne, and he was talking into it. Something bad was going to happen; the killer was in the basement.
Oh, God, why were they walking over to Cheryl?
Mr. Dunne was shaking Cheryl’s hand, and she was smiling. Something about her smile . . .
“I need to—” I couldn’t get out the rest of the words. My stomach was bucking. I raced to the bathroom and flung open the stall door just in time. I hadn’t eaten much of anything all day, so the only thing that splashed into the toilet was champagne.
“Lindsey?” Pammy had followed me in. “Oh, no. You’re not really pregnant, are you?”
“I think I just ate some bad sushi for lunch,” I lied, flushing the toilet and closing the lid. I sat down on top of it. My legs were shaking so bad I didn’t trust them to hold me up.
“Can I get you some water?” she asked. “Maybe a few crackers?”
“That would be great,” I said hoarsely. I couldn’t imagine eating a thing, but it would get Pammy out of here and let me be alone so I could fight through my panic. I needed to stay calm; I was good at staying calm. I was good at fixing things, too. I could fix this, whatever it was.
What was happening?
Logically I knew there could be a million explanations. Maybe Matt was right; maybe a big client was being difficult.Maybe Mason and Dunne had turned to look at me because they were thinking of handing him off to me but decided to give him to Cheryl. It was probably that. I was sure it had to be that.
It wasn’t that.
I knew it with a staggering, rock-solid certainty. Something big was about to happen, something awful. What had Cheryl done? My mind raced as I considered the possibilities. She couldn’t have messed with the agency vote; Mason had already told me I’d won the VP title. I had the job locked up.
Didn’t I?
“Lindsey, here’s your water,” Pammy said, entering the bathroom again. “That bald guy was looking for you, but I told him you were in the ladies’ room. I didn’t tell him you were throwing up, though. He’s making some speech right now, so he said he’ll talk to you afterward.”
I unlocked the stall door and stepped out, a giddy, hysterical hope rising inside me like a balloon. Could I have been wrong? Could the champagne have made me paranoid? Mason was giving his announcement; everything was proceeding on schedule. And he was looking for me. That had to be a good sign, right? I rinsed out my mouth and smoothed my hair.
“Thanks, Pammy,” I said, accepting the water and crackers she handed me.
I could hear Mason talking, but the bathroom walls distorted his words.
“Should we go out?” she asked.
“Give me one more second,” I said. I reached into my purse and put on a layer of Cherrybomb. I took a deep breath and stared at my reflection for a moment,
Similar Books
