Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
My eyebrows shot up at that remark. I scanned the room, unable to see who they were discussing.
“I bet the color of her hair isn’t even real,” the other responded.
“Oh, the fake red is definitely from a box. And that outfit. Does she buy all her clothes from a thrift store?”
“I’m sure he is so embarrassed he’ll get rid of her.”
“She acts so high and mighty. I hope the fall back to earth hurts.”
“Does she really think she can get away with wearing that dress? She is way too heavy for it. She looks like a sausage. She thinks the green suits her with that dyed hair? Please.”
An announcement was made for dinner to start, so I slipped away, sliding onto my chair.
Their remarks bothered me. Not only were they tearing apart someone they obviously worked with, I had a feeling their cattiness went far beyond the outfit. I watched as they joined Rylee and Myers, sitting in the two empty chairs by Rylee. I recognized them from the office but couldn’t recall their names. That was confirmed when I asked Lawson, who identified them as being in the assistant pool. “Verity has subbed in for my PA on occasion,” he said. “She’s fine pinch-hitting, but I’m always grateful when Giselle returns.”
His wife crossed her legs. “Not my favorite person,” she murmured, catching my eye. “I’m quite certain a job isn’t all she wants at the company.” She lifted one brow in hidden meaning. She leaned forward. “Catty,” she said quietly. “She’d be nasty when cornered, I think.”
I frowned as I raised my glass to my lips, observing the table where Myers sat. She had gone quiet again, her smile absent. I thought of the remarks I’d heard, and I studied all the women at the three tables. Only one who would pass for having red hair. One who dressed differently. One pretty woman who was wearing green.
And suddenly, I was furious.
The light and sunshine Myers liked to spread dwindled, faded, and was finally burned out before dessert. Every time she spoke, one of the women I had overheard earlier talked over her. Their laughter was louder than anyone else’s when one of them would make a comment. At times, they were the only two laughing. Myers picked at her dinner, barely sipped her wine, and she looked uncomfortable. She had slipped on her shawl before dinner was served, and it seemed to me she grew smaller each passing moment, shrinking into the cover-up as if trying to disappear. I saw the way Rylee tried to act as a buffer. Yet time and again, one of the women would lean over and say something to Myers that slayed her. I was certain she was the “whore” they had been discussing. The urge to stand and take Myers’s hand, leading her to my table, was so strong, I had to curl my hands into fists on my legs to stop myself.
I headed to the bar to get another drink, needing to distance myself. Rylee Jenkins appeared beside me, requesting a fresh glass of wine. I forced myself to smile at her and be calm. “Enjoying yourself?” I asked.
“It’s fine,” she replied.
“Is Magnolia all right?”
She met my gaze, hers frank. “Do you care?”
“Yes.”
“She isn’t having a good time, no.”
I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Myers had her back turned to the two women and was in conversation with someone else at the table.
“Are they on her a lot?” I asked quietly.
She picked up the wine and met my eyes again. “They’re horrible. Total bitches. Usually, it’s behind her back, but I guess tonight they’re enjoying themselves.” She sighed. “Everything is said with a smile or a laugh, but the meaning is clear.”
“Why hasn’t she come to me?”
She blinked. “You’d have to ask her.” She took a sip. “Would you do something?”
That was the million-dollar question. I never got involved in office politics. Relationships.
Ever. Everyone knew that.
“Yes,” I repeated.
She nodded. “Good.”
I sat, fuming, unsure what to do. I had pulled Rylee to the side in a quiet spot, and she’d confessed to what had happened the other day. The horrid things Myers had heard them say about her. Me as well, but I didn’t care about that part. I recalled Myers’s hidden distress. How she carried on, working, refusing to quit, to give in to the hurt I knew she felt.
She was incredibly brave and strong.
All through the awards, I stewed, jolting in surprise when my name was announced as the winner for a project I had worked on for over a year. My partners clapped me on the shoulder, and I went to the dais to accept my award. I kept my remarks brief, never enjoying the spotlight. But as I stood there, my gaze flitted to Magnolia again. She was smiling at me, for the first time this evening looking like herself. She was so pleased for me that it made me smile. And I suddenly decided I had a few words to add.