I watched the digits on the bottom of my laptop screen. My eyes stung from staring too long, but I couldn’t look away. Time seemed to be crawling where I was concerned.
4:53 pm.
Seven minutes more. My fingers drummed against my worktable. From my periphery, I spied Mr. Parker, my boss, pulling out a file from a new folder. My gaze dropped to the telephone on my desk, expecting it to ring with another request from him. It didn’t. Oh. Was he working on something new?
I pulled up a new screen on my laptop to check his itinerary for the rest of October. The only unchecked item on the list was a meeting with the CEO of Sterling Corps, Indiana’s most popular weaponry dealers. I still hadn’t figured out why Mr. Parker was trying to meet up with them when the company had a dealer. But I wasn’t in the position to ask that question. My job description as an assistant required obeying the boss’ orders.
The phone on my table buzzed, and Fumi's name popped on my screen. I ended the call and sent an automated “call me later, I’m busy” text, and she responded immediately. A ghost of a smile darted across my lips as I typed a new reply. My phone pinged with a text from Becca before I could hit send.
A glass wall separated our offices, and Mr. Parker wasn’t one to poke into my business, but I still turned as I typed in a reply on our FBB Instagram group chat. Fumi created it a few days after the three of us met on campus.
Me: I’m on my way.
Today was supposed to be a half-day at Parker Agency, so I fixed it for our gift shopping. Well, they were accompanying me. According to my friends, I had poor taste. And they were doing me a huge favor by squeezing time out of their busy schedule to follow me.
Fumi: you said that ten minutes ago
Becca: it was actually TWENTY minutes
Me: writing that in capital letters makes no difference
Becca: YES IT DOES
Me: I have a job, you guys. I can’t just up and leave.
Becca: YES YOU CAN
I rolled my eyes at the keyboard. Unlike Rebecca Hamilton, I wasn’t a trust fund baby. And no, I couldn’t leave until it was closing hours. Companies had rules. She would know that if she worked outside one of her father’s companies for longer than a day.
Fumi: HURRY UP ELIZABETH!!
Me: be there in twenty-five
Becca: Make that five. See you in five.
Another glance at the laptop screen and a sigh escaped me. A minute more. Come on. As soon as the clock hit 5:00, I shot to my feet. My chair squeaked, and Mr. Parker’s head raised. He pushed the glasses down the bridge of his nose, and I pretended to rearrange the files on my desk. I shut down my laptop, hoping he would also do the same.
All done, he was still seated at his desk. I dropped my handbag on my desk and walked to his office. He could see me through the glass walls, but I did the necessary by knocking.
“Come in, Elizabeth.”
I cringed at his use of my full name. One would think after my years at the firm, I would be used to it. Nope. If my friends called me anything other than Beth, it was to scold or tease me. I entered his office and waited by the door until he motioned for me to step forward.
Stopping behind a chair, I gripped the top.
“Ready to go?” he asked. I glanced down at the pile of unsorted files on his desk. “You can leave. It’s fine. I’ll be here much longer.”
“I could wait behind to help.”
Mr. Parker shook his head. The first button of his shirt was undone, his tie askew, and his blond hair messy. I wanted to remind him that even CEOs required rest. If his frequent visits to the doctor were anything to go by, he needed the break more than I did. He might not look his age, but he was way over sixty.
“You can go, Elizabeth.” He waved me off as he spoke. I wasn’t about to say no. The girls were waiting. “I’ll handle it. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Parker.”