meeting.”
“I’ve got to get to my office,” Eric says, following O’Malley out the door and down the hall into the reception area. “I don’t feel right about this. I want to do some more reading on the deal. See if I can get to it from a different angle.”
“I can’t believe you are wasting your time with this,” I say to Eric, following them out of the conference room.
“Your brother is right,” O’Malley says, turning to face us. “Just don’t talk to their side. Let me handle everything. And take a break,” he adds, turning to Eric. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“That’s because I haven’t. Thanks for noticing.”
Eric disappears down the hall and O’Malley exits toward the elevator bank.
“So it went well, I take it?” Sarah says, catching my attention.
She’s sitting at the reception desk with the main computer off. All she has up is a security feed of the elevator bank and the hallway outside our office area. There’s no one around. And there won’t be - everyone in the city is probably still asleep. Even the people who make it a habit to come into work on a Saturday won’t be groggily coming in for hours.
“Yeah. It actually did. We’re going to win. It’ll just be a matter of time.”
“Well, that’s good. They left awfully fast, didn’t they?”
“Yeah. Always a good sign. And they didn’t say much. Lee pushed for an agreement, but we won’t be backing down.”
“I’m glad.” She stretches her arms out in a yawn. “Sorry. I’m not tired. I’m wide awake.”
“Go home and get some sleep. You probably have a good three hours until your girlfriends call you to go to brunch.”
“I’m not much of a bruncher. I don’t like drinking during the day. Isn’t that what brunch is?”
“Yeah. That’s what it’s become. Clarissa always loved going to brunch.”
“Loved? Did she suddenly have a change of heart when it comes to eggs benedict and bottomless mimosas?”
With everything going on the past couple of days, I realize that I never told Sarah about Clarissa breaking off the engagement.
“She did have a change of heart. But not about brunch. About me.”
“What?” Sarah’s face falls. Even though she was never Clarissa’s biggest fan, she looks disappointed for me.
“Yeah. It happened yesterday at lunch. She broke off the engagement. Gave me the ring back, and everything.”
“She has clearly lost her mind.”
“She told me that she wants to be independent, but I think she’s getting back with her ex.”
“Oh, God . That guy is the worst.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. I think I need to go somewhere to clear my mind.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Yeah. I might actually go upstate to my mom’s place.”
“Get out of town for a few days. I think that’s a great plan.”
“You go home. Eric or I will lock up.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Get out of here. And take some bagels with you. It looks like our guests didn’t bring much of an appetite this morning.”
“You probably scared them away,” she says, getting up and making her way to the conference room.
I walk past Eric’s office and see him through the blinds covering the glass walls. He’s banging away at his keyboard. Beads of sweat are threatening to drip off his face and onto his desk.
I open the door without knocking and stick my head in.
“I think I’m going to take that trip out of town we talked about.”
“That’s fine. Just make sure you’re back by Monday. And say hi to Ma for me.”
“Sure thing. You know, if you manage to tear yourself away from your desk, maybe you could take the train up there and meet us.”
“The train? No way. I’d have the service drive me up there, if anything.”
“Having a few hours of alone time might do you some good. And I don’t mean in the back of a Lincoln. I mean in a public place.”
“Come on. Don’t be ridiculous. I
“I’ve got to get to my office,” Eric says, following O’Malley out the door and down the hall into the reception area. “I don’t feel right about this. I want to do some more reading on the deal. See if I can get to it from a different angle.”
“I can’t believe you are wasting your time with this,” I say to Eric, following them out of the conference room.
“Your brother is right,” O’Malley says, turning to face us. “Just don’t talk to their side. Let me handle everything. And take a break,” he adds, turning to Eric. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“That’s because I haven’t. Thanks for noticing.”
Eric disappears down the hall and O’Malley exits toward the elevator bank.
“So it went well, I take it?” Sarah says, catching my attention.
She’s sitting at the reception desk with the main computer off. All she has up is a security feed of the elevator bank and the hallway outside our office area. There’s no one around. And there won’t be - everyone in the city is probably still asleep. Even the people who make it a habit to come into work on a Saturday won’t be groggily coming in for hours.
“Yeah. It actually did. We’re going to win. It’ll just be a matter of time.”
“Well, that’s good. They left awfully fast, didn’t they?”
“Yeah. Always a good sign. And they didn’t say much. Lee pushed for an agreement, but we won’t be backing down.”
“I’m glad.” She stretches her arms out in a yawn. “Sorry. I’m not tired. I’m wide awake.”
“Go home and get some sleep. You probably have a good three hours until your girlfriends call you to go to brunch.”
“I’m not much of a bruncher. I don’t like drinking during the day. Isn’t that what brunch is?”
“Yeah. That’s what it’s become. Clarissa always loved going to brunch.”
“Loved? Did she suddenly have a change of heart when it comes to eggs benedict and bottomless mimosas?”
With everything going on the past couple of days, I realize that I never told Sarah about Clarissa breaking off the engagement.
“She did have a change of heart. But not about brunch. About me.”
“What?” Sarah’s face falls. Even though she was never Clarissa’s biggest fan, she looks disappointed for me.
“Yeah. It happened yesterday at lunch. She broke off the engagement. Gave me the ring back, and everything.”
“She has clearly lost her mind.”
“She told me that she wants to be independent, but I think she’s getting back with her ex.”
“Oh, God . That guy is the worst.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. I think I need to go somewhere to clear my mind.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Yeah. I might actually go upstate to my mom’s place.”
“Get out of town for a few days. I think that’s a great plan.”
“You go home. Eric or I will lock up.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Get out of here. And take some bagels with you. It looks like our guests didn’t bring much of an appetite this morning.”
“You probably scared them away,” she says, getting up and making her way to the conference room.
I walk past Eric’s office and see him through the blinds covering the glass walls. He’s banging away at his keyboard. Beads of sweat are threatening to drip off his face and onto his desk.
I open the door without knocking and stick my head in.
“I think I’m going to take that trip out of town we talked about.”
“That’s fine. Just make sure you’re back by Monday. And say hi to Ma for me.”
“Sure thing. You know, if you manage to tear yourself away from your desk, maybe you could take the train up there and meet us.”
“The train? No way. I’d have the service drive me up there, if anything.”
“Having a few hours of alone time might do you some good. And I don’t mean in the back of a Lincoln. I mean in a public place.”
“Come on. Don’t be ridiculous. I
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