Neanderthal Seeks Human(80)
“Oh.” I thought about that for a moment. In preparation for the Vegas meeting I’d been drafting proposals for the mysterious ‘Boss’ without comprehending that Quinn was the ‘Boss.’ In fact, I’d even told Quinn about one of my ideas when he interrupted my lunch at Smith’s last week. I felt like I was going to be sick. I croaked, “We’re all taking the same flight?”
“We’re all taking the company plane.” Steven’s voice was so nonchalant he might have said instead: “Wednesday is the day I cut my toenails.”
I blurted out: “There is a company plane?”
“Yes.”
My heart rate increased at the thought of spending four hours in an enclosed space with Quinn. “And we’ll all fly together? With him?”
“Yes.”
“But-” I searched the table as though it might provide me with answers and tried to squelch the panic from my voice, “But what if I want to fly on a commercial flight?”
Steven raised a single eyebrow at me, “And why would you want to do that?”
I huffed, not wanting to tell the truth but recognizing the strangeness of my statement. I could only think of one excuse: “I- I have frequent flyer miles.”
Steven’s thin lips curved into a broad grin then he abruptly laughed so hard tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. I could feel myself turning from red to eggplant purple with embarrassment. His laughter was, however, contagious and I managed a self-depreciating half-hearted chuckle.
“Oh, Janie, you are a peach.” I think he meant it as a compliment but I only heard: you are a fuzzy fruit. “You won’t mind forfeiting some frequent flyer miles, I promise. It’s a pretty stress free way to travel. And, on the way, we’ll be briefing the Boss and talking over strategy, so there is actually a good work-related reason to travel together. He’s not so bad if you stick to business topics.”
I didn’t know how stress free it would be; I already felt pretty stressed out about it. “Who else will be on the plane?”
Steven wiped at his tears of hilarity and gave me an open smile. “Well, you and me, Carlos, Olivia, and the Boss- you know, Quinn Sullivan.”
I glared at Steven, “Thank you. I get it now.”
He gave me a sweet smile, “Just making sure.”
I suddenly had a headache.
~*~
That night I cancelled my tutoring session on the south side and I called Jon.
I didn’t call Jon last Sunday like I promised. At first it was an oversight but, after talking to Kat during our bathroom pow-wow on Tuesday, I’d been purposefully avoiding him. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t certain he’d been the reason I lost my job and I didn’t want it to be true.
However, for some reason, now I really wanted to see him. Elizabeth didn’t say anything about my abrupt decision but she gave me plenty of disapproving stares before I left the apartment and, as I pulled on my boots, said, “Isn’t Quinn calling you tonight from New York?”
A sharp pang reverberated in my chest, her words finding an unintended target: I missed Quinn and I wanted to talk to him. I missed talking to him, seeing him, touching him. Despite my confusion after he left on Sunday I’d been looking forward to his call all week. I swallowed the knot in my throat and set my jaw.
I currently had no plans to tell Elizabeth that Quinn was my boss’ boss. I needed to process it first, decide what it meant. Right now, in my current mindset, it meant that Quinn and I were already over.
In response to her passive-aggressive query I shrugged my shoulders and stood to leave.
She lifted her chin toward my cell, “You’re not taking that?”
I shook my head, “Nope.” and pulled on my coat.
She crossed her arms over her chest, her glare heavy on my retreating back, “Well, if he calls I’ll just let him know you’re out with your friend.”
I paused at the door, taking a deep breath, then calling over my shoulder as I shut it behind me, “Don’t wait up.”
I thought I heard her growl as I walked down the hall but couldn’t be certain.
As I left the building and walked toward the el platform I was acutely aware of the two guards behind me. I wondered if they were in frequent communication with Quinn. I wondered whether they would tell him what I was up to, who I was meeting. The thought made my stomach turn a little sour. I didn’t like the sensation of being leashed. The cell phone felt like an albatross around my neck and I’d only had it a week. The guards also were starting to grate on my nerves.
With a literal shrug of my shoulders I tried to shrug off the mounting irritation and redoubled my efforts to focus on the task in front of me. I walked faster.