Johan's Joy (Heroes for Hire #22) - Dale Mayer Page 0,26

an interesting attitude, but then, as Joy had discovered, Phyllis had an interesting attitude on a lot of things. “Sounds very much like it’s a case of look after yourself and forget the rest.”

Phyllis sat back and gave her a stern look. “And you remember that,” she said, “because, just when you think the world is going your way, somebody will come along, cut you off at the knees, and stick you in a place like this.” She sneered, as she looked around the windowless office. “I used to have a big corner office here,” she said. “I was somebody then, and now I’m nobody.”

Joy winced at that. “Wow,” she said, “I’m sorry.”

“Whatever. It happened so long ago, I don’t even know if very many people remember anymore.”

“How long ago?” she asked impulsively. She couldn’t imagine going from the top to the bottom, yet still being at the same company.

“It was twenty-four years ago,” she said with a note of bitterness.

“And you stayed?”

“I left for a while, about five years, but that didn’t work out so well. I tried a few other jobs and then figured that I’d just take something down here and get a paycheck,” she said.

“I’m surprised they hired you back,” Joy said, not meaning to insult her. “I mean, just think about it. You know? If people still remembered you …”

“The only one who still remembers me is Barlow,” she said. “I think everybody else is new.”

“Edward too?”

“Edward is wet behind the ears,” she said.

“I’m sorry though,” Joy said. “It’s got to be tough.”

“It was very tough,” she said. “And then I grew thicker skin.”

And that was the end of it as far as Phyllis was concerned. But given the rest that Joy knew was going on here, she wondered if it was that easy. Was Phyllis the kind of person who would just ignore what was happening around her? Maybe so, Joy suspected, but it was almost like Phyllis was insulated from everything. She didn’t give a shit, didn’t care; she just did her job, took a weekly paycheck, and left. There were worse things to do, if she had something else in her life. However, from the sounds of it, all she really had were one-night stands with whatever guys she picked up here and there. And that was starting to give the impression of a very sad life.

With curiosity pushing at her to keep asking questions, Joy was tempted to continue, but she didn’t want to piss off Phyllis. Reluctantly Joy put her head down to work, feeling an awkward silence between them.

Finally Phyllis laughed out loud. “Your curiosity is almost palpable. Do you know that?”

Joy sat back and released a frustrated sigh. “And I was trying to be so good.”

“I slept with him, okay? I slept with him.” Shaking her head, Phyllis went on. “I thought we were a team. We’d been together for years, after all.” She shook her head again with a sigh. “And then he screwed me over.”

But no bitterness was in her voice, no rancor. That’s what amazed Joy. “Yet you seem to have gotten over it,” she said.

“No, not really,” she said. “The breakup was brutal, and I got demoted. He accused me of all kinds of nastiness, including stealing secrets from the company,” she said with a snort. “What the hell would I do with those?” she demanded. “I had hoped the two of us would get married and have a family.” She rubbed her temples. “But it’s all water under the bridge now.”

“I guess I just don’t understand why you’re still here,” Joy said tentatively. She honestly didn’t understand. If it had been her, this was the last place she’d want to be. “I sure wouldn’t ever want to see him again, much less at my job,” she muttered. “I’d go out of my way to avoid him for sure.”

“And I did for a while,” Phyllis said with a shrug. “But now there’s almost a certain satisfaction in knowing that he’s still single and that he doesn’t have a proper relationship. I’m well past it and just want to sit on the sidelines and watch the show.”

“No bitterness?”

“Nah, not now,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a big joke. The joke’s on me, but I’m okay with it now. Back then? Oh, hell no,” she said. “I was definitely a woman scorned. That’s one of the reasons I left. But, when I couldn’t find another job or a company I was comfortable with, I came