“Aw, you come here.” Darren opens his arms and gives me a big hug. “It’s so good to see you. It sucks not having you around the office.”
And there’s the second elephant.
“Let’s get you a drink and you can catch me up,” I say.
“More like catch up with you.” He winks at me as a bartender places a menu in front of him.
Once we’re both settled in with drinks, Darren says, “First off, I’m so sorry to hear about the wedding. My condolences on that.”
“Thank you.” I nod gratefully, but don’t really want to talk more about it.
“I wanted to reach out, but I wasn’t sure how after everything went down at work. I didn’t know if you hated me or not.”
“I could never hate you. You know that. Besides, you didn’t fire me. You were just there doing your job.”
He grimaces. “Some days I hate my job. That day was probably the worst. Thank you for being so gracious.”
“So, how are things at work?”
“Not as fun as when you were there. Obviously. Kate, though, has probably suffered the most since Paige reassigned all your clients to her. That girl is there from the crack of dawn to the depths of night.”
“All of them? Paige didn’t parcel them out? Wow, poor Kate.”
“You’re surprised?” Darren looks at me quizzically.
I give him an equally questioning look. “Shouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, honey.” Darren puts his hand over mine. “I know you were friends, but I never knew if it was one of those keep your friends close and your enemies closer type of relationships.”
A sharp chill runs up my spine and I shudder. “What do you mean? We’re friends. She was one of my bridesmaids.” My voice falters.
Darren clucks his tongue and says, “That bitch backstabbed you. Did you really not know?”
Et tu, Kate? I feel angry tears start to well up. Unable to speak, I shake my head to indicate that I had no idea.
“Oh, dear.” Darren gives me another hug and then gestures to the server for another round. “You better finish that up. You’ll need another to hear this story.”
Over our next couple drinks, Darren spills that the reason I got fired was because Kate was covertly trying to steal my clients. I had used her as my sounding board for projects, and according to Darren, she took that information and used it against me. Apparently, she had been secretly schmoozing with my clients and pointing out what she’d do differently to their campaigns. She’d also pointed out any mistakes and oversights (real or imagined) on my part to those over me, campaigned for her ideas on my projects, and surreptitiously presented them while boasting that she could cut costs to get my same results. She undermined me any chance she had—Well, you know with the wedding, Allison hasn’t been focused. Here, let me handle that. And if she sensed any hesitation from those she was disparaging me to, then she went for the jugular, suggesting that I planned to quit once I was married, so wouldn’t it make sense for her to take on my projects now rather than leave clients in the lurch?
As Darren recounts all this to me, I can’t even form questions. I’m completely stunned into silence by how vicious and calculated her betrayal, and that everyone believed her. My fist clenches my cocktail glass and my cheeks begin to burn with rage.
Wow! First of all, I can’t believe HR Darren is divulging so much. Second, I can’t believe Kate. She told anyone who would listen that I wasn’t focused on work. It didn’t matter whether it was the truth or not. Third, I can’t believe that everyone simply took her word that my mind was no longer on work and that I planned to quit the second I got married.
“How do you know all this?” I ask. And how could I have trusted Kate for so long?
“Paige told me after you left. I was in shock. She said that Kate went completely over her head to the higher ups. And, by the time she found out, it was too late because Tim and Allen’s minds were made up.”
“But I gave twelve years to that place.” It comes out as a whine and I’m not proud.
“I know, honey, I know.” Darren pats my back gently. “But combined with the rumor that you planned to quit anyway, when someone with the lower salary is going around saying they can handle the work, the person with the higher salary will be let go.”
“But it’s so malicious.”
“Totally. And the truth is: She can’t handle the work. Like I said, for the last few weeks she’s been burning the midnight oil and has probably put on ten pounds from living on takeout. And get this—she didn’t even get a raise.” He leans back to let that last comment sink in. “But, hey, she got what she wanted and karma’s a bitch.” He emits an evil little cackle. “Let’s just say that bitch Kate set herself up for serious failure.”
“Still.” I continue to shake my head. It doesn’t bring me much comfort that Kate is miserable, because at least she’s still employed and I’m not.
“Hey, chin up! You’ll be okay. Paige will give you the best recommendation, and you’ll get another job when you’re ready. She said she was really upset to lose you, but her hands were tied. I wish I could’ve helped, but the wheels were already too far in motion. It was too late. I’m sorry, Allie.” He looks contrite.
“Oh, god. Please, you have nothing to be sorry for. And, thanks for telling me all this.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but I thought you knew. Everyone who knows you knows it’s bullshit. You should be able to get another job like that.” He snaps his fingers.
“Except I haven’t,” I say meekly.
“Well, of course, not with the wedding debacle. That’s a lot for anyone. You should be taking the time off. Take a vacation to decompress from everything.”
Not wanting to tell him about my experience with the recruiters and that I’ve been actively looking for work, I feel this is the perfect segue to talk about my upcoming spa trip. We drink too much and talk vacations, gossip, and discuss Darren’s long-standing battle between his prima donna pup and prima donna husband. But while we catch up on more pleasant topics, in the back of my mind I wonder (a) how I’m going to overcome this reputational disaster and (b) what exactly did I do to piss off Kate so much?
AS IF SUZY’S ears were buzzing from my conversation with Darren the night before, I get an email from her in the morning asking if I’m attending the Publicity Club of Chicago’s luncheon today. “Might be a good opportunity to get some intel,” she wrote.
She’s right. Paige is one of the speakers at today’s luncheon panel, “Getting on the Air.” I was supposed to be attending as her right-hand woman at the event. If everything Darren said last night was true about Kate taking on all my old duties, then I assume Kate will also be taking my place at the event. These monthly luncheons are pretty easygoing, and this month’s talk is at The Peninsula. Since my RSVP is most likely now Kate’s, I could probably still show up and mingle before and after. And, yes, by mingle, I mean stalk.
I email Suzy yes and then go to plan my outfit.
I ARRIVE IN The Peninsula’s lobby early and stand behind a pillar, hoping to spot Suzy before anyone else. When I don’t see her, I text: I’m here. Where are you?