“Oh boy.” I looked at him. “I feel like we’re about to get in trouble.”
“Deny everything.”
Deb smiled at both of us. “I’ve heard rave reviews about the event all day from people not inclined to issue compliments where none are warranted. You reflected well on the company, and within the company you reflected well on me. So thank you, personally, for making me look like a genius for throwing together a couple of temporary employees on an important job.”
Jack shook his head. “Why did you do that? You said you’d tell me if we pulled it off.”
“I was proving a point to my boss, who fears change, and isn’t comfortable when ‘underlings’—” air quotes “—take initiative. He told me he’d believe it if a couple of newcomers could take on the Fling and not crash and burn.”
“And you...” I stared at her, horror filling my veins. “You gave that job to us? Oh my god. We could have fucked it up! Like really easily! The bookbinding thing worked out, but what if it hadn’t, oh my god, I can’t breathe.”
“You were great.”
Jack reached out to awkwardly pat my shoulder. “Declan’s having kind of a day. You should hire him, by the way. As a supervisor. I can vouch for his organization skills, big picture thinking, and compassion.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, not looking at either of them.
“Oh, I’ve tried. Three times. But Declan will not be had.”
“Try, try again. Especially since you can’t have me.”
“So you decided.”
I found myself sad all over again that Jack would no longer be working for...the company I didn’t technically work for.
“It makes the most sense. I want the grandparents to be comfortable, in the best place I can afford. And I can afford a lot more when I’m doing other things.”
Deb nodded and held out her hand, which he shook. “We figured this would only be a stopgap for you, but I’m glad to have had you even for a short time.”
“Me too,” I said. “Like, not at first, but now I might even miss you.”
He laughed. “Don’t go too far out of your way to compliment me, it might go to my head.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah.”
Deb held her hand out to me too. “You excelled, as I was sure you would.”
“Thanks. I thought you were pretty much nuts to give me this assignment, FYI.”
“Maybe I was. The risk paid off, though.”
We needed to get back to packing up. Deb probably needed to get back to her real job.
I looked up at her, stomach feeling weirdly hollow. “Do you still want to hire me?”
“In a hot second.”
“For what?”
“I’ve thought about that a lot, but I think your job duties would be as vague as I could make them, that way I could still send you around to do whatever needed doing. One of your gifts is quickly getting to know the people you’re working with, which makes your past experience filling positions in multiple departments invaluable.” She sat back, never breaking eye contact. “I have employees who are so localized to their department that they never even meet the people working next door. You bridge that, and you do it with style. I’d like to train more roving contact people, Declan. You could help.”
I swallowed. It sounded...kind of amazing. I wouldn’t be locked down to a desk doing one thing every day forever. And I’d get to keep working with Deb. Maybe I’d get to lobby for space in the fish bowl, which I’d grown fond of.
“You can take the weekend to think about it.”
“I’m in. If you want me.”
Jack clapped. “Good answer. I mean, you’re no me, but you’ll do.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Thanks a lot.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Deb seemed genuinely thrilled. “Now, that was unexpected. I’m pleased. Can I send the paperwork to the temp agency on Monday?”
Ugh, had I really thought about this? Was it really what I wanted? But what the hell did I know about what I wanted, anyway? If I hated it, I could always quit and go back to temping. And there was even a chance that I’d...like it. That being employed full-time in one job might, like, suit me. I was still a little freaked out. But also a little excited.
“Monday, okay. That sounds good. Um. Now, we should probably get back to cleaning up or we’ll be in OT.”
“That’s the attitude I want in my staff,” she teased. “I’m really happy you’re taking the job.”
“I... I think I am too.”
She took my hand, not to shake it this time, exactly. But to squeeze it. “If you start getting restless, talk to me before you make any big decisions. There are a lot of different ways you can fit in here, and we might not nail the right one on the first try, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Deb.”
“Oh, thank you. This is the cherry on top of a damn good workday. I’ll see you next week.”
We waved as she went out.
Jack turned to me, watching as I went back to carelessly shoving goody bags in a box.
“What?” I demanded after a full minute.
“Oh nothing. Only you did something that scared you just then. So that’s interesting.”
“I’m not scared.” Obviously I was, but I wasn’t going to admit it to Smug Jack.
“Keep telling yourself that, junior.”
I pointed at him. “I am your supervisor, and you will treat me with the respect I deserve.” Then, because it sounded hilarious coming from me, I giggled. “Oh wow, I should talk like that all the time. Insta-mood lifter.”
“Yeah, I’m not so sure you pulled that off, better luck next time.”
We bickered for fun until we finished everything, which I packed into my car to take back Monday morning since we’d run out of time. Before we said goodbye we exchanged phone numbers. I had no idea if I’d ever actually text Jack, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t text me, but still, I was glad we could if we wanted to.
Then I went home. Alone. To my tiny little unit. I let Toby come in and sit on my bed with me while I entered into a Netflix fugue. One of us finished off a bag of Ruffles, I can’t say for certain who it was. I did make sure he didn’t eat any of the pint of ice cream I’d picked up on the way home, though. Dairy isn’t good for Toby.