my baby. Or it was my baby’s baby. Whatever. And Jake had stolen that from me.
What was more, I’d let him.
“Bullshit it slipped out! That was intentional, and you know it. Not only that, but you had countless opportunities to tell the truth, and you never did.”
“You didn’t either,” he said simply.
The fuck is wrong with this prick?
“That’s not even remotely the same thing,” I tried before Jake cut in.
“It’s not? You didn’t tell the truth because having Jeff and Carole find out that you were making advertising materials for your boyfriend’s bar on company time would’ve made you look bad too. We were both looking out for ourselves.”
“Is this true?” Jeff asked.
Jake smirked like the information he’d shared was all that was needed to ensure I received the same fate as him. There was a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that I’d be let go because of something I’d said and not because of what Jake revealed.
“Careful you don’t break an ankle in those heels when you jump down off that high horse,” Jake added.
“That’s enough,” Jeff snapped. “I’ve heard enough from you, beginning with but not ending with the lie you told to your superiors and a client. Before either of us says or does something he can’t take back, it’s probably best that you get your things and see yourself out.”
Jake looked like someone had punched him. I only wished someone actually had. He turned toward Carole, probably looking for sympathy in any place he might be able to find it. Why he thought Carole was a good option showed just what a dumbass he was.
“Okay, um, is this like for tonight, or—”
“Forever,” Jeff said. “It’s for forever.”
“Right,” Jake replied quietly. “Well, thank you both for the oppor—”
“Get out,” Carole said. Her tone was low, quiet in a way that should not have been as intimidating as it was, but Jake hustled out without another word.
And as I stood occupying a space with two people who both scared the hell out of me, I almost wished I’d been asked to leave then too.
The room was silent as Jeff and Carole watched Jake pack his things through the glass windows behind me. At least that’s what I assumed they were doing.
“He just put a pack of our printer paper in his bag,” Jeff said.
“Let it go,” Carole told him.
Reluctantly, Jeff turned his attention back to me, his expression softening a bit in what looked like disappointment. “And then there was one,” he said. He tapped the pen he’d been holding on his leg as he leaned back in his chair and studied me.
I felt uncomfortable, but not because he was staring at me like some creeper while I stood on display. He wasn’t. I felt uncomfortable because I’d wanted so badly to impress these people and all I’d done was disappoint them.
“So,” Jeff said, “is what Jake said true, Sophia? Was Jake able to steal the name of your boyfriend’s bar because you were working on something for it while you were here?”
Not wanting to appear broken even though I felt exactly that, I stood a little taller. “Yes. It’s true.”
I hadn’t wanted to make excuses for why I’d used company time for a personal task, but Carole spoke up when I needed her to the most.
“And this was while you should’ve been doing work for Margot Nathan?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Thank you, Carole.
If she were the type of person who accepted hugs easily, I would have squeezed the hell out of her in the parking lot later. Instead, I’d have to settle for composing a professional email to her once this was over. And I had no doubt it would be over any minute, because even though Carole had opened the door for me to explain, it wouldn’t make a difference. At least not professionally speaking. Maybe it would make Jeff less likely to smear my name in a pile of dog shit, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think it would mean I could finish out the summer here.
“Well, I had finished all my tasks for the day,” I explained. “I’d even helped Jake finish some of his before deciding that working on the materials for the Yard would be a more productive use of my time than playing around on social media or making dating profiles.”
Too bad Jake wasn’t here to hear the last part, though it would’ve been pointless to explicitly state that I’d been referring to him.
“But you did use