Chapter 2

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Edmund's face was a mask, his voice all business.

"I've let the usual office antics slide, and I've taken your jokes in stride, but when it comes to the job..." He paused, his voice softening. "In our line of work, shouldn't we think things through and then stick to what we've said?"

I could tell he was trying not to intimidate me with his tone.

Mr. Lynch, always the gentleman with a heart of gold.

My heart swelled with affection. "True, but it's you I'd miss the most."

The fingers resting on the desk gave a slight quiver.

I went on, "And there are others.

"Like Bobby, who never fails to pour my coffee. Colton, who's always treating the ladies to milk tea. Liam, who's ever ready to lend a hand and share his know-how… I'd miss them all."

Edmund's eyes narrowed a touch.

"Seems you've got a soft spot for quite a few of our guys. Fond of each one?"

Not exactly.

However, in my heart, Edmund stood out. None of the others could hold a candle to him. I kept that thought to myself, of course.

I replied, "There are women colleagues, too. I'm pretty fond of everyone, really."

He let out a derisive laugh. "I fail to see what any of these people have to do with what you've sent me.

"So what you're saying now is, with so many choices, you're thinking of playing the field a bit more?"

"Yes." I was dead serious, "I can't just put all my eggs in one basket.

"However, I can't just walk away from what we have, so I need to give it some more thought."

Edmund stayed silent, his hand balling into a fist, knuckles whitening.

Clearly, my words had hit close to home.

He was, after all, the head honcho, with a whole crew depending on him. He could not just up and leave like I could.

Even those with deep pockets have their crosses to bear.

"I can tell you're ready to let me go; every word is a dagger to the heart."

Edmund removed his glasses, reverting to his usual icy exterior.

"Leave."

"So..." I waited for his reply.

"Now that I know you're not in it, I won't lose sleep over it."

…

Edmund was a riddle wrapped in a mystery, his thoughts as elusive as a clear forecast in June.

Stepping out of the office, I realized I was the last one out.

I flicked on my phone to a flood of notifications from the work chat.

[Big Butt Mr. Lynch: Go ahead and clock out, folks. Nothing urgent. Anyone still grinding away is just kissing their vacation goodbye.]

A stream of acknowledgments and brown-nosing followed.

Those messages had buzzed in just as I was walking into the office, all with an air of urgency, practically shoving us out the door.

I tutted to myself.

No way I was vain enough to think my resignation letter would have scored us a three-day break from Edmund.

He said it was all chill, but I know the bluff. He was just itching to clear the house, probably drafting a hit list for layoffs as we spoke.

Then there was Janice. She texted me, too.

[Some idiot bolted so fast they yanked my computer cord out. Totally steamed.]

[Just gonna borrow your PC real quick to send some files, cool?]

I shot back a couple of emojis to say I was out of the office, slipping in a sly dig at Edmund while I was at it.

With my phone off, I took my sweet time packing up, mulling over my next moves.

First, I snatched back that resignation letter to secure the severance.

Second, I got Edmund to handle the dirty work and start the cuts.

Before shutting down, I hit up Google.

"How to get the head of your company to..."

That was when the blinds flew open with a snap.

I was met with a glare.

"Cecilia, you're streaming to my screen."

Crap!

…

I ran all the way home, cursing Janice a hundred times over.

"Janice, are you trying to get me killed? Why on earth would you use my computer to connect directly to Mr. Lynch's laptop?

"I almost slapped the words 'voluntary layoff' right onto his forehead!"

Janice pleaded, "I didn't cast the screen. I was worried you hadn't saved some data, so I left it on just in case. Maybe someone else accidentally touched it?"

That could be the case.