ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟝𝟟 #4
Ted didn't respond. I walked out, and the door closed behind me.
My hands were clenched. I looked down at them.
Well that was great.
I had come here intending to have a calm conversation. Instead, I'd nearly yelled at her boss.
I mean, how could anyone had not yelled at him? I had now understood why Dixie looked exhausted after coming back from work everyday.
That wasn't going to happen again, and I was sure of it.
I exhaled.
Maybe Dixie was rubbing off on me. That thought almost made me smile.
I started walking toward the lobby. I wasn't even halfway there when a woman's voice came from behind me.
"Excuse me?"
I kept walking. Honestly, arguing with the scumbag back there had sucked all the energy and life out of me.
"Mr. West?"
I stopped, then turned slowly. A woman was walking toward me. She looked around my age, maybe a little younger.
"Are you Cameron West?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
I'm Georgia." She smiled.
I stared at her.
Oh.
So this was Georgia. The Georgia.
The woman whose name had appeared in more conversations with Dixie than I would've liked. Now I had ran into another problem.
I looked at her, then back toward the lobby.
"Right."
She smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Sure."
"Dixie talks about you." She laughed lightly.
That got my attention. "Does she?"
Seems like she talked about me a lot.
"Occasionally."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting. I didn't know she liked talking about me."
Georgia laughed.
"She definitely does. So, Dannah told me you're here to see Ted?"
"I already saw him."
"Oh," She smiled. "How did it go? What'd you two discuss?"
I looked down at her. I didn't want to say too much. Her smile became slightly wider at my silence.
I started walking again, and Georgia followed.
I glanced over. "Do you need something?"
"No. I was just walking with you."
"Why?"
"You're very direct." She laughed.
"It's been a long day."
"I understand."
I kept walking, and she kept following.
I finally stopped. Might as well say something if she was going to follow me around the whole place like a lost dog.
"Georgia."
"Yes?" She smiled up at me politely.
"I'm going to say something, and I don't mean it personally."
She looked curious. "Okay.."
"Taking Dixie's work and presenting it like it's yours isn't cool."
"What?" Her smile disappeared for half a second.
"You heard me."
"I don't think I understand." She shook her head.
"I think you do."
She folded her arms. "I've never taken anything from Dixie."
I stared at her. "Sure you have."
"Cameron-"
"I've heard enough." I cut her off.
"I don't think you understand how things work here." She scoffed.
That was the same thing Ted had said. How could Dixie would at such a corrupt place for the past ten years?
Lord knows I would've quit day one.
I nodded.
"You're right, I don't but I know my wife, and I know her work."
Georgia looked annoyed. "Dixie isn't the only person capable of doing good work."
"I never said she was."
"Why are you acting like I don't deserve my position?"
"I didn't say that either, Georgia." I sigh.
To be honest, I don't think she did earn her position.
She opened her mouth before closing it.
I sighed again. "I don't want to argue with you."
I was too tired for all that.
"I don't want too either." She said.
"I just think you should be careful about taking credit for someone else's work."
Her expression hardened. "I don't need advice from you."
"Fair enough," I smiled politely. "Have a good day."
I started walking again. Behind me, I heard her mutter something, but I didn't bother turning around.
I was done.
Completely done.
I pushed through the lobby doors and stepped outside.
The afternoon air hit my face.
I pulled my phone from my pocket.
There were already several missed calls from the station. Everyone seemed to want something from me, but there was only one person I wanted to hear from.
Dixie.
I opened her contact. My thumb hovered over the call button.
I could call her. Tell her what happened, tell her I'd spoken to Ted. I could tell her that she didn't have to worry about Georgia.
But then I remembered the look on her face when she'd gone home earlier.
She had been devastated. She'd needed me. Not another conversation, or another problem. Just me for now.
I locked my phone.
I'll tell her when I get home.
Home.
The word felt different now. I wasn't wondering whether Dixie considered that house home anymore.
She'd come back, cried in my arms, apologized, told me she loved me, and I still felt like I was walking around with my heart outside my chest.
I looked back at the firm's glass doors. I already knew I hated that building. Now I had another reason.
I started toward my car, then I smiled faintly to myself.
Dixie was going to absolutely lose her mind when I told her I almost yelled at Ted.
"Probably shouldn't tell her that part." I shook my head.
I got into my car.
I guess it was kind of nice to get everyone in that building to hate me if it meant defending Dixie West.
~