Chapter 24 #2
“Of course,” says Maisy. She glances at me.
“So. Olivia. This morning, an interview was released in the Gazette that featured your former employer, Mr. Martin Keller. In this interview, he claims that, during your tenure in his firm, you made inappropriate advances toward him. Can you please tell me what your reaction was to seeing this article?”
I collect myself, doing my best to keep my cool. Even though I know this interview will be in writing, I don’t want my voice to shake. Below the table, Reed squeezes my hand for support, and I flash him a grateful look.
“Mr. Keller’s claims have come as quite a shock to me,” I say carefully, “seeing as they have absolutely no basis in the truth.”
“You’re saying he’s lying?”
“Yes, I am. He painted a completely inaccurate picture of the situation. And I appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight, Ms. O’Conner. I don’t want to let this man tarnish my reputation—nor Reed’s.”
“Of course not,” Maisy says, jotting a few notes down. “How long did you work for Mr. Keller, and in what capacity?”
“A few years. I was his personal assistant—I worked directly under him.”
“I see. And can you give me some idea of the culture in that workplace?”
I take a deep breath to steel myself, then launch into an explanation of everything that happened in Keller’s office. I start out with the nasty, snide comments, his dismissive attitude, and the hostility with which he treated all of his employees.
I break out a few choice anecdotes. I tell her about the way he would threaten me with termination in order to force me to do things that were well outside of my job description—fetching his dry cleaning, or taking his car to get washed.
Then I get more specific. I tell her about the texts. I tell her about the comments he would make in the workplace. I tell her about the day I quit my job, and how he put his hand on my thigh.
Even though I already told Reed a lot of this on the way over, I can still feel his anger seething next to me.
When I’m finished with my account, Maisy is quiet for a few moments, writing things down on her notepad. She looks up at me and says, “It sounds as though Martin Keller created a very toxic work environment. Would you describe it that way?”
“To say the least,” I agree, nodding.
“And his accusation… do you have any idea why he would say those things?”
“Retaliation, I think,” I say. “He’s angry at me for turning him down.”
Maisy nods. “That makes sense. Men in power often behave that way. Luckily, you’ve got ways to tell your side of the story.”
“That’s the goal.”
“I’ll try to interview a few other employees of Mr. Keller’s. We’ll see what they have to say about their working conditions.”
I feel a quiet satisfaction at that. I’m certain that a lot of my former coworkers will jump at the chance to tell the truth about Mr. Keller. Without a doubt, several of them will corroborate my stories. He’s never been a well-liked boss.
“So.” Maisy smiles, looking up from her notepad at the two of us. “Let’s take a detour from that unpleasantness and talk about a lighter subject, shall we?”
“That sounds great,” Reed says. Despite the anger still lingering in his eyes, he looks profoundly relieved, the same way I feel.
“Let’s move on to the two of you, and your relationship. It’s the talk of the town, after all!”
Reed laughs, and I try to copy him, though I’m sure that my chuckle seems forced compared to his.
“Are you having trouble adjusting?” she asks me, still sympathetic.
“Yeah, a bit,” I confess, shrugging. “I mean, I knew this might happen, but it’s still so overwhelming. I’m not a very open person, so it’s taken me outside of my comfort zone.”
“So, I’m sure all of the readers will be dying to know—how did the two of you meet?”
“We actually used to know each other as kids,” Reed says.
Maisy raises both eyebrows. “Really? No kidding.”
“It’s true,” he says, as I reach for my cup of tea and blow on it. I can hear the smile in his voice. “Her mother worked for my father, so we spent some time around each other when we were… what, Olivia, thirteen? Fourteen?”
“Something like that,” I say with a little, breathless laugh.
“We reconnected recently through mutual friends, and… well, what can I say? Sparks flew,” Reed says.
“Anything to add, Olivia?”
“That pretty much sums it up.” I rack my brains for something to add, then say, “When I was reunited with Reed… it felt like we’d never even been apart. We just reconnected so easily.” That, at least, is true. Even though this whole thing is one huge lie, I don’t feel like a liar when I explain it.
“If you knew each other as children, then you’re probably the best person to ask about Reed’s earlier years, aren’t you?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“What can you tell us about what he was like as a young man?” Maisy’s pen is poised over the page, her keen eyes fixed on me.
“Well…” I have to be careful here. I have plenty of stories I could tell about Reed, but I want to select only the ones that will paint him in a good light.
Eventually, I settle on one. “He was really good at chess when we were kids. He would challenge people to games and always won. I wanted to beat him so badly, I got a book from the library on chess rules and tried to learn the game.”
“Did you ever beat him?” Maisy asks.
“Not once, unfortunately. He was so cocky about it, too. I really just wanted to take him down a peg.”
I shoot Reed a playful grin, and he pretends to roll his eyes.
“Even back then, he was smart and dedicated,” I continue, “constantly studying—I don’t think he ever got below a B in school.”
“Really?” Maisy seems surprised; I guess Reed’s studiousness conflicts with his image a bit. But isn’t that the whole point of this?
“Oh, yeah. For sure. He was always busy, even when we were only kids. Parties with the family, and boarding school, and a dozen other things—he took up sailing at one point, I think—and it all kept him so busy that I was just grateful I got to spend any time with him at all. I had such a huge crush on him, so…”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize my mistake.
I was on a roll, just talking about Reed and almost managing to get past my interview jitters. It was easier than I expected, and I just… wasn’t thinking before I spoke. Wasn’t being careful enough.
I freeze up, and my gaze slides over to Reed. He’s staring at me, his eyes wide. I can feel heat rushing into my face as it sinks in… I just admitted it. I said I had a crush on him.
Oh, shit.