34. Dylan
34
DYLAN
T oday is officially the last day working on Evelyn’s account, and we’re ending it with a meeting to go over all the campaign numbers. No matter what Katherine has to say, she can’t bring me down because I know that this project went well. It went better than well–I crushed it, and even if she doesn’t give me the proper recognition, I know the numbers speak for themselves.
Evelyn has gained thousands more followers over the past few weeks, the ARC readers Parker and I chose have been making viral content, and every date on the book tour was completely sold out. If that doesn’t appease Katherine, nothing ever will.
As if she’s been summoned, Katherine peeks her head around my cubicle. “Dylan, can you come to my office please?” I grit my teeth at the sound of her voice, the sound all too similar to nails on a chalkboard. She gives me no time to respond as she disappears back into her office.
I look down at my watch. It’s only eleven, and our meeting isn’t until one-thirty, which is never a good sign. I run a hand down my face and take a deep breath before dragging myself out of my chair.
If I had been in this position a few months ago, I would’ve feared that my time at Thrive was over. Now, I know that I’m an asset that the company can’t afford to lose, and I stride toward her office with my chin held high.
While I’m walking toward her office, my phone vibrates. I take it out of my trouser pockets to find a text from Parker telling me he’s got good news and wants to celebrate with dinner tomorrow.
All of the concerns about this conversation with Katherine promptly leave my head, and I feel a sense of peace from the short text alone. Parker grounds me, and no matter what I face in life, I know I can handle it with him by my side.
I open the closed door to Katherine’s office–which she intentionally closed, knowing damn well I was right behind her–and step inside.
“Close the door behind you, please.” She doesn’t bother looking up from her computer, and I flare my nostrils in annoyance as I do as I’m asked. I turn around with a fake smile on my face and take a seat in the chair across from her.
I sit in silence, my hands clasped in my lap, and I grow restless as the time slowly passes. She still hasn’t looked in my direction, and she’s typing away on her computer, doing a mighty fine job ignoring me. The clacking of the keyboard grates my nerves, and I have to clench my teeth to keep myself at ease. I clear my throat, trying to draw her attention away from her screen.
“One moment.”
One minute goes by, not a peep. Two minutes pass, and I’m tapping my fingers on the arm of the chair while I shake my leg. The confidence I had when I walked in is beginning to falter, and if she doesn’t start speaking, I’m afraid I’m going to lose it completely .
“Thanks for waiting.” She pulls her large, red, rectangular glasses off her face and places them down in front of her as she brings her eyes to mine. I don’t offer a response, letting her sit in the same silence that she made me stew in. Disappointingly, she doesn’t seem to care and continues.
“I know we have the meeting with Evelyn in an hour and a half, but I wanted to talk to you before one-on-one.”
My stomach does a somersault, and I rest my hands back in my lap so I can give myself a little pat of encouragement. My conviction may have grown shakier while I sat in silence, but I know damn well that no matter what she says, I’ve proven myself, and I’ve never been more proud.
I give myself a small mental pep talk and tilt my head toward the ceiling, straightening my posture. I’ll fake it until I make it through this entire meeting if I have to.
“I’ve been looking over the numbers, and I must admit I’m impressed.” My hand flies to my mouth as I take in a sudden audible breath. I quickly pull it shut, hopeful that she didn’t hear my gasp.
Was that a…compliment?
“You’ve taken everything that I’ve given you with no complaints, and Evelyn sent me a detailed email this morning about how happy she was working with you in particular.” She interlocks her fingers in a steeple in front of her and leans on her elbows to bring her body closer to mine from across her desk. “I’d like to offer you the role of Marketing Coordinator.”
My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, and I’m certain my eyes are the size of saucers. The initial tension I felt in my shoulders vanishes and is replaced with a calmness that I haven’t felt in Katherine’s presence since starting here. I keep my posture straight, indisposed to show her my true feelings.
“The role has a few more responsibilities. You’d be working under Scarlett, as I just promoted her to Marketing Director this morning. And you’d receive a ten percent raise.” The words sound pained coming from her mouth, but I don’t mind it because I’m finally getting the recognition I deserve–even if the raise is less than ideal.
A sudden rush of pride bubbles up inside me as I think about Scarlett getting the credit she deserves. I can’t think of a more worthy person.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity. I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, and I will do everything to show you that this is the right decision to make.”
“Mhmm,” She replies curtly. “You can go now.” And with that, she sends me away with a wave of her hand. Typically, I’d be hurt by the blatant dismissal, but I’m on cloud nine, and there’s nothing that could bring me back down.
I skip out of the office and immediately pull my phone out of my pocket. I text Parker quickly and let him know that I also have something worth celebrating, then stuff it back in my pocket.
I let out a small squeal and find Scarlett at her desk, who’s already waiting for me, with a grin on her face. Without saying a word, she leaps up and pulls me into a hug, which leads to us jumping in circles in giddiness.
I can feel the stares of my coworkers, but I’m too wrapped up in the moment to give it a second thought.
“Hi, boss.” I pull away and wink at her.
“I’m about to make your life a living hell,” she jokes, and I let out a small giggle.
“Can’t be any worse than what I’ve gotten from Katherine these past few months.”
I sit down on the edge of her desk and release a breath. Although some people may hate working closely under one of their best friends, there’s nothing I’d love more. Scarlett is incredible at what she does, and I know that anything I can learn from her will only help me become better at what I do.
She relaxes back down in her chair and crosses her ankles .
“All of your hard work paid off, Dyl. Just like I knew it would.”
“Me? Your hard work paid off! You’re one step closer to taking Katherine’s job.” I nudge her shoulder with my fingers, and she lets out a snort.
“Yeah, we’ll see. Dinner tonight to celebrate? On me.”
“Let’s do it!”I agree.
“How does Italian sound?” She pulls out her phone and looks at me expectantly.
“I’ll never turn down a bowl of pasta.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll text my friend who works at Ammazzacaffeè and see if she can get us a last-minute reservation.” She starts typing away, and my mouth waters at the thought.
I look down at my phone—two hours until our meeting.
“Perfect. Keep me posted. I’m going to get some work done before our meeting. Ooh, do you think this means I can move to that empty desk?” I point to the vacant desk that’s been sitting untouched for months right next to Scarlett’s. “I may need your help with clients, after all.”
“I’ll talk to Katherine and see what I can do.” She playfully smirks, and I reluctantly head back to my desk.
In a few short hours, I’ll be enjoying a heaping bowl of Bolognese and celebratory wine with one of my best friends. And tomorrow, I get to break the news to my boyfriend . Life is perfect.