Chapter 18 #2
but this shocked her out of it. “As in, Brian Brian?”
“Brian Brian,” Lauren said.
“The nerve of that little shit,” Joy said. “Oh, I wish I had been there.”
“I wish you had been there, too,” Lauren admitted. “I’ve really missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Joy said. “And we’re still friends, which is why I’m telling you how stupid you’re being by quitting. Do you think Scotland Yard was a romp in the park
for me? I had to deal with so many idiots and unnecessary battles there, to prove that I wasn’t a token hire—”
“You’ve never been!” Lauren protested.
“I know. People still say it, though, even here. Maybe not to my face, but they think it. But I’m not going to give them the
satisfaction of making me leave. I came to the Palace because it was a better position and I believed that if I could make
just the slightest change to this place, it would be a step in the right direction, but my God, it has not been easy. I want
to quit at least once a week, but I’m not going to because I’m really fucking great at my job, and so are you. So let’s stick
together and see what we can do.”
Lauren sank down into the chair next to Joy’s desk and ran a hand over her eyes. “Everything just feels so messy all the time,”
she said. “Everything I’ve done seems to create absolute chaos behind the scenes. I don’t know enough, I’m not polished enough,
my ideas are too different, all of it.”
“Who cares if it’s chaos behind the scenes? It’s supposed to be chaos behind the scenes so that everything is nice and smooth in front of the rest of the world. Isn’t that how the
royal family have survived for so many centuries? And that’s what you’re doing. You’re fantastic at this job. Yes, you’ve
had some hiccups, but you worked with your team to fix them.”
“Eugene said—”
“Oh, Eugene’s always upset about something. He’ll be upset about something else tomorrow. He’s probably one of those people
who brings a healthy snack from home when he goes to the cinema. Just ignore him. That’s what the rest of us do.”
“I really do think I’m going to be fired, though.”
“Well, then, go out swinging,” Joy said. “Make ’em fight. Don’t go in there with your sad little empty box, all pitiful and
mopey. Show them who they hired and fight for the job like you should have done back at the White House. DC is behind you, Lauren, but this is something you can fix now.”
Lauren wiped at her eyes. Joy was right. She was so right. “We’re such a strange group of people,” she said with a laugh.
“Well, yes,” Joy said, laughing along with her. “A bunch of weirdos who work and eat and fight and make up and have one another’s
backs. We’re a family, like it or not. And neither one of us are leaving.
“Now go tell Eugene that, and if he doesn’t like it, tell him to come see me.”
Lauren didn’t doubt for a second that Joy meant it, too.
“And leave that stupid box here,” Joy added, motioning to the floor. “I’ll put it out for recycling.”
Lauren paused then stood up and threw her arms around her friend. “You’re my favorite part of London,” she said. “Thank you,
Joy.”
Joy hugged her back tight. “I’m always here to give you a kick in the bum,” she said. “That’s what best friends do.”
Lauren laughed again. “Okay, how do I look?”
Joy gave her a quick up-and-down glance. “Honestly? Meh. But that’s fine. You had a long weekend.”
And Lauren was fairly certain that Joy was right about that, too.
At 10:00 a.m., Lauren was in Eugene’s office, James close behind as he shut the door after them. She had practiced her speech
in her office, freshly powered by Joy’s call to action and a flat white, which seemed especially strong that morning.
And just when she opened her mouth and was about to explain all the reasons she should stay, Eugene spoke first.
“Lauren,” he said, “I want to say something to you.”
Lauren looked up at Eugene, who seemed almost . . . sheepish? Contrite? Apologetic?
She hadn’t been at work for even two hours but already the day was off to an unprecedented start.
“I—I may have overstepped after the banquet,” he said.
If Lauren hadn’t been hearing it with her own ears, she wouldn’t have believed it.
James looked over at Eugene, waiting for him to continue.
“I know that while work can demand so much of our time, sometimes our personal life collides, and I understand that that can’t
always be controlled.”
“Did you rehearse this?” Lauren asked.
“Yes, he did,” James replied.
Eugene shot him a look. “And I would like to also apologize for confronting you in such a hostile manner after what we all know was a very long and complex evening. My concerns could have waited until today to be expressed in a more professional style.”
James looked pleased.
“Wait, wait.” Lauren held up her hands. “Am I being fired or not?”
“Let’s just consider these next few months as an extension of your probationary period,” James said. “There have been some
missteps, I think we can all agree, but at the end of the day, the coverage has been solid. You’ve done what we hired you
to do.”
When Lauren burst into tears, both James and Eugene looked horrified. “She’s going to try to hug us, isn’t she?” James said
with mild horror.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m fine. I’m just glad I’m staying, is all.” She pulled it together as fast as she could.
“I know I may not be your first choice to run the comms team, but I do like it. Plus I really don’t want to move back in with
my mom again.”
“Well then,” James said. “Shall we get back to work?”
“Yes, please,” Eugene said, straightening his jacket as he stood up. “This operation is not going to run itself, as you both
well know.” He held the door open for Lauren, pointedly waiting for her to exit and shutting it behind her as she did.
On her way back to the office, Lauren felt her phone buzz, and she glanced down to see a face and a name that made her heart
pick up speed. “Lunch?” the message read. “Top of Primrose Hill?”
“See you at 1,” she wrote back, then went down the hall to tell Joy.
London was busier than usual on that gorgeous spring day, as it seemed nearly every single office worker and uni student had escaped outside to enjoy the mild weather.
Lauren expertly dodged a cab as she crossed the street toward the daffodil-scattered park, her hastily grabbed coat now slung over her arm.
The city skyline was sparkling now that the morning rain shower had passed, and Lauren could see St. Paul’s Cathedral and
the London Eye out in the distance when she got closer to the summit of the hill. Her shoes weren’t exactly ideal for the
incline, but she trudged on anyway.
And as she got to the top, she saw Oscar, a tartan blanket thrown down on a park bench and a couple of grocery bags on the
ground next to him. He was unpacking food containers, and when he saw her, he stood up and waved.
Lauren waved back, and for the first time since she had set foot on English soil, she felt like she was truly home.