Chapter 182

“Hazel, if you’ll come with me, there’s something I need to ask you about,” said one of the junior level staff. A question like this wasn’t too unusual, as with my departure, many people were asking me to help them with the small things I almost always took care of myself.

But with the timing, quarter after four, I knew this was likely the ruse to get me to the surprise party I wasn’t supposed to know about.

“Sure thing,” I said, keeping my face schooled. I didn’t want the staffer to know that I was dreading this whole thing, knowing Tina was going to be there.

The staffer’s face immediately lit up. She looked relieved, likely having expected this to be much harder than it was.

“Lead the way,” I told her, and she did so, walking down the hallway. Instead of turning to wear most of the junior staff members’ desks were located, she veered off toward the meeting rooms.

The largest meeting room was at the end of the hallway near the entrance to the bathrooms. The usually translucent glass panels that made up the meeting room walls were covered up with something. From the back, it almost looked like wrapping paper.

“In here!” the staffer said and ushered me forward.

Inhaling a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.

“Surprise!” shouted a meeting room full of my colleagues, as well as Dylan and Tina, both standing to the side with Logan. Maria waved at me as she bounced forward.

“Were you surprised?” Maria asked.

I placed my hand to my heart, trying for all the world to put on a good performance for the room. “Goodness! Is this for me?”

Maria’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she didn’t call me out. Our other co-workers seemed entirely fooled.

On a banner hanging across the back room, shimmering blue text read, Bon Voyage, Hazel! That made it sound like I was going on a vacation, like a cruise or something, not just relocating to a different office in another city.

It was the thought that counted, I reminded myself, and said, “Thank you, everyone. This is wonderful!”

The windows, I could see now, were in fact covered in wrapping paper. It was a birthday kind, with little balloons and bright colored confetti.

The table that usually sat in the center of the room had been pushed up against the far wall and was covered in a birthday tablecloth. In addition to being dotted with balloons, this one actually did say, Happy Birthday, along the border.

I wasn’t upset. Birthdays were more common around here than farewell parties. Even a retirement party would be more common than what was going on with me. Likely, the party planning committee struggled to find proper party supplies.

On the desk, I spotted the telltale box of a sheet cake. With the promise of cake, I could survive any awkwardness, I was sure, so I started making my rounds around the room.

“Thank you,” I said to each person wishing me well. I shook many hands, and gave out more hugs than I had been expecting. I didn’t realize so many people liked me. Although, it might be easier to like someone more when you knew you weren’t going to see them again.

Maria stayed by my side for most of my goodbyes, helpfully filling in on any awkward moments.

In between speaking to people, she was in my ear. “Did you know Tina was going to be here?” and “Why is she here?” and “Is she going to try to start something?”

Aside from the first question, which I answered a quick, “Logan told me,” I had no answer for the rest.

“If she starts something…” Maria began, but was cut off when a woman from marketing wanted a hug.

Cameron was there too, I noticed, but she stood back by the cake. I didn’t approach her, nor did she approach me.

Eventually, I had finished speaking with everyone else in the room, aside from Cameron, and made my way to Logan, Dylan, and Tina.

“I can always tackle her or something,” Maria suggested helpfully.

I laughed a little, but told her, “I can handle this. Go get that cake going before Cameron runs off with it.”

With Maria’s ire redirected, I walked to Logan.

“Hello, Mr. Hatfield,” I said formally. “Dylan, nice to see you.”

“You, too, Hazel. Of course.”

“Thank you for coming. I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother, with your work…” I said.

“For you, Hazel? I wasn’t going to miss this.” Dylan flashed me his handsome, boyish grin. In another universe, or another lifetime, maybe Dylan would have been the one I fell for.

But in this life…

“We’ll miss you around here, Hazel,” Logan said. His smile was soft, even as his eyes seemed slightly pained. I already knew I was going to miss him terribly. It was nice to see that the sentiment was likely going to be reciprocated.

“Not going to greet me?” Tina snapped. “I took time out of my schedule to be here too, you know.”

Any goodwill that had been building in me, talking to so many lovely people, immediately evaporated. I glanced at Tina in her too-short cocktail dress with plunging neckline, and only barely held my tongue from reminding her this was a place of work and not a nightclub.

Instead, I tried to be a bigger person and said, “Thanks.”

“Cake!” Maria called from the table. She’d removed the cake from the box and started serving pieces. Cameron grabbed her piece and hurried out of the room.

“If you’ll excuse me…” I said and turned toward the line.

I did my best to avoid Tina throughout the party. To me, it seemed like Dylan was also running interference. Every time it seemed like Tina might try to approach me, he stepped in and talked to her instead.

With that worry covered, I started to actually enjoy myself. Often, my co-workers and I were stressed from work. It was nice just to enjoy their company for a little while.

Eventually, however, I had to use the bathroom. Excusing myself, I made my way there.

After, as I was washing my hands, Tina burst through the door.

“Tina, wait!” Dylan called from outside the door but wouldn’t enter.

Tina spotted me and sashayed her way to me.

The bathroom door swung closed, shutting out Dylan’s calls.

Resting her hip on the sink next to mine, Tina crossed her arms and smirked at me.

“That annoying lawyer can’t interrupt us in here,” she said.

“I have to get back to my party,” I said, and finished washing my hands. I tried to walk around her to the paper towel machine, but she pushed off the sink edge and stepped into my path. I started to move in the other direction, but she quickly jumped in front of me again.

It was quickly becoming clear that she wasn’t going to let me leave so easily.

“What do you want, Tina?” I asked, straight up.

“Why, Hazel, I just want to thank you so much for your stepping aside,” she said. Her voice was sincere but her face was anything but. Her eyes sparkled with viscous mischief. Her smirk was sharp as a dagger’s edge.

“I’m not stepping aside,” I grumbled. “You know that. That’s why that whole contract needed to exist.”

Tina shrugs, unbothered. “Think what you want, but you know as well as me that the contract is bullshit. You really think you and Logan would survive long distance? When he has so much better options right here?”

She traced her hand down her front, sliding suggestively between her breasts.

“We will be fine,” I said fiercely.

Tina just laughed. “Face it, Hazel. It’s only a matter of time before you and Logan are through.”