After All(39)

By the time lunch time rolls around, I need someone to talk to. It's only then that I realize I can't talk to Tiffany about it. While I did tell Jackie the truth, she can keep a secret. Tiffany cannot. She means well but she's prone to bursting out the wrong thing at the wrong moment, like the time she told Casey to give me the last donut because I was having an extremely heavy period and therefore deserved it.

It doesn't matter anyway. Ted just called me into his office.

I take in a deep breath and smooth my flowy blouse over my hips before I go inside. I can only imagine how this is going to go.

"Alyssa," Ted says to me with a big smile. He's sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair and sipping from a mug that I doubt contains coffee. "Shut the door, have a seat."

Hmmm. Usually Ted does all business with the door open, unless he's on a conference call.

I cautiously take my seat, trying to keep cool even though my heart is starting to skip. "Everything okay?" I ask him.

"Yes, of course. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Right as rain. I know you expect me to be crying in my boots because my daughter is gone, perhaps forever, run off with my best friend. That I'm overwhelmed by the bills of the wedding, let alone the fact that there's going to be another grandchild popping up in eight months or so." He says this so deadpan that I can't tell if he's joking or not. "I'm fine. Absolutely fine. Business as usual."

He takes a sip of his coffee and a waft of whisky assaults my nose. Figures.

"Well, you look young for a grandfather," I say lamely, not sure what to say.


      ///
       
         
       
        

He squints at me. "You know, I do want to talk to you about Emmett. I really, really do. But first, must I remind you that you called this meeting? Last week? Said you wanted to talk to me?"

Oh right. That. Funny how important it all seemed a few days ago and now it's like everything has changed.

"No, I haven't forgotten," I say, not missing a beat. "It was just regarding my job … and my future here."

Ted gives me an exaggerated frown. "Jesus Murphy. Please don't tell me you're quitting. You're one of a kind and you know it." He pauses. "And please don't tell me you want a raise because we just can't afford it right now, so sorry."

I exhale but keep the smile pasted on my face. "A raise would be nice. But I know it's all dependent on Warner Brothers and if they sign the next films to us, so I'm not going to be greedy. I've seen our books, I know what goes in and out. It's just … I would like to be challenged more."

He cocks a grey brow. "You want more responsibility?"

"I want different responsibility."

"You mean you don't want to be an office manager anymore."

"I just want to know what else is available for me here."

He nods, sucking on his teeth and looking away. "Okay," he says after a moment. "I can appreciate that. It's just that things are constantly changing here. Each film is something new."

"For you," I point out. "For me it's always the same. I need to know I'm working toward something."

"Okay. So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I tell him. And that's a lie. Because what I want has nothing to do with this job whatsoever and never will. But even so, if there's no place for me to go in this company … what am I doing?

"We could transfer you to marketing, with Casey."

I scrunch up my nose, wincing internally. "No thank you." I pause, taking the plunge. "What if you transfer me to the LA office?"

"It would be no different than here."

"That's where you would be wrong. It would be LA. Every single thing would be different."

Oh please, please, please.

If he could transfer me there, then maybe I wouldn't even have to do this thing with Emmett after all.

But he shakes his head. "Wish I could, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Will was easy because his ex-wife was American but they're getting pretty strict these days. You can go and visit, of course, and go to meetings, just like I do, but getting you a permanent position wouldn't be justifiable when there are so many qualified people there already." 

"You could sponsor me."

"It's just not worth it for us, Alyssa."

Fuck. I'm sure as hell glad I had this conversation now after Emmett's proposal. Suddenly the deal, and the money, looks like my only way out.

"I'm sorry," Ted says, reading my face. "How about when Will gets back from his honeymoon, the three of us put our heads together. I'm sure we can find a way for you to feel more challenged at the office."