hung up. "I'm about to go apologize to Mr. Connolly. Wish me luck."
Trudy shook her head. "You won't need it. Mr. Connolly is a good man."
I normally would have agreed with her, but he looked pissed as hell when he walked out of the conference room with Barnes.
"Would you mind finding me some boxes or bags or something to put my things in? Once I leave today, I'd prefer not to come back."
"You got it, boss," she said.
I shook my head as she left my office, heading in the opposite direction of where I really wanted to be going.
I steadied myself and headed to Mr. Connolly's corner office. This was only my second time there, the first being when I was informed about my promotion.
I had to pass Barnes' office on the way and his door was shut tight and the blinds over the glass wall between the hall and his office were drawn. The lights were on, so he was probably inside. His assistant looked stressed as I passed her.
Shit, she would probably get the heat for my actions. I'd have to send her a huge bouquet of flowers or gift card or something as an apology. Maybe a case of wine.
When I approached Mr. Connolly's office, his assistant, Sarah, looked up and smiled at me. "You can go on in, he's waiting on you."
His door was open and when I appeared, Connolly waved me inside.
"Please come in and shut the door behind you."
He no longer looked iced over as he had earlier, but his expression was stern.
I did as he asked then went to stand by his desk, my hands clasped in front of me. "I would like to apologize for my behavior in the meeting earlier," I began. "It was unprofessional, and I shouldn't have blown up like I did. I'm sorry I made a scene."
Mr. Connolly studied me for a prolonged moment. "Does this mean you're retracting your announcement about resigning?"
I shook my head. "I'm afraid not."
"What if I told you that Thomas will no longer be your superior or even in your department?"
"What do you mean?"
Connolly leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the armrests, his fingers steepled in front of his chin. "Thomas' personality doesn't lend itself to this environment. I feel he would be better suited in a different department so he's being transferred to a less stressful position."
I stared at him, open-mouthed.
"This is not the first time we've had issues with Thomas but, unfortunately, I can't fire him because he's married to the president's cousin. Which I will vehemently deny admitting if it's repeated outside of this office."
I nodded. "I understand, sir. But my resignation still stands. I'm sorry to leave you in the lurch."
"If Barnes isn't the reason you're leaving, do you mind if I ask why?"
Technically, I didn't have to tell him, but he seemed genuinely interested rather than concerned that it would come back on the company.
"I invested in my best friend's business several years ago and she's interested in expanding. I visited her during my vacation and we spent time working together. I realized that I enjoyed it more than I've enjoyed my job here in a long time. I liked being self-employed. And I like working with my friend."
"I hate to lose you," he said. "If it's a question of compensation..." he trailed off.
I shook my head. "It's time for a change."
Mr. Connolly got to his feet and came around his desk, holding out his hand. "It's been a pleasure to have you with the company, Ms. Watkins. I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors."
I shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Connolly. In light of what happened at the meeting today, I feel it's best if I use the two weeks of my accumulated sick time for the remainder of my notice or that I work remotely. However, if you need recommendations or help training my replacement, please feel free to call me any time."
He nodded. "I think we'll be able to manage without requiring you to work remotely. It's my understanding that your assistant is leaving us as well. Will this adjustment in management change her mind as well?"
"I'm not sure," I answered. "You'll have to ask Trudy."
Connolly nodded. "Good-bye, Ms. Watkins."
"Good-bye, Mr. Connolly."
As I walked out of his office, I smiled to myself. My entire body was so light that I was surprised I wasn't floating down the hall.
I was moving forward, not away from something bad, but