Knox

The day after our pitch to Purina, Rose leaves for California. I’m relieved, since my talk with Jason did little to reassure me about her motives. I’m texting my sister ideas for my mom’s 60th birthday bash when Krys pops her head in my office.

“Hey Knox.” She’s eating a Jack in the Box taco. Which is kind of weird at 9:30 in the morning, but that’s Krys.

“Hey. Would you want your 60th birthday party at a roller rink?

“Roller skating or roller derby?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course!” She eats the last bite of her taco and wipes her palms on the seat of her jeans. “Skating’s for the church crowd. Hit up the derby if you’re hosting an edgier group.”

“I’ve never thought of my mom as particularly edgy.”

“Does she still have the hips she was born with?”

“Um…yes?”

“Then derby it is. She’ll love it.”

“Thanks,” I laugh.

“Don’t mention it. What are you doing for lunch?”

“You’re looking at it.” I wave my arm across my cluttered desk.

“Bullshit. Jason and I are going to Lettuce Eat. Come with us, they have a lunch salad the size of a toilet bowl, and it comes with unlimited garlic sticks. Meet us in the lobby at noon, I want to gossip about Rose.”

“I’m not sure I can turn down an offer like that.”

“Of course you can’t. See you at noon.” She’s gone in a flash, and I feel a bit shell-shocked in her wake. But I can’t tamp down the feeling of excitement in my chest as I tackle my to-do list with a fresh burst of energy. For the first time since I’ve started this job, I feel like I’ve made some friends.

***

Jason and Krys are already in the lobby when I emerge from the elevator at 12:00 sharp. Jason waves me over, and I try to look cool as I make my way across the atrium. He’s wearing dark jeans, an untucked oxford shirt, and a grey blazer, and he looks fucking incredible. I cough, to clear my throat and my thoughts, and greet them both with a dorky wave. Smooth, Knox.

“Hey, Knox, are you ready to get your greens on?” Krys punches my arm playfully but Jason just rolls his eyes and heads for the revolving door at the front of the building. We walk to the restaurant, which boasts an atrocious salad bar with a sneeze guard the length of a city block. Once we’re seated, Krys begins carefully laying out her batshit-crazy conspiracy theories about Rose.

“It’s pretty clear she’s sleeping with someone. And I think she’s leaving clues around the office in case her husband finds out and murders them both.”

“What the actual fuck are you talking about?” Jason demands, grabbing one of the garlic sticks from her plate.

“You know, like little hints about their meeting places and stuff. So the police can find the bodies.”

“Just….Stop yourself.” He turns to me. “I apologize. She’s not properly medicated today.”

“Well, what do you think she’s up to, Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass?”

“Probably nothing. I mean, she always been suspicious of outsiders. She was probably just snooping around Pearson’s office-“

“Knox’s office,” Krys interrupts.

“Don’t bother, it’s not gonna happen.” I say, motioning with my fork for Jason to continue.

“She was probably snooping around Sterling Fancypant’s office because she doesn’t trust him around the family jewels just yet.”

“Oooh, cheeky,” Krys squeals, but I just laugh. My name has always been a running joke with Jason. He spent the entire summer after my junior year of college calling me Heatherington.

“Fine, maybe she’s suspicious of Knox, but that doesn’t explain why she was fumbling through Mr. H’s files in the dark her first day here.”

This is news to me. Krys and I both look at Jason expectantly.

“Okay, that does seem odd. And what’s even more suspicious is that she asked me to get her copies of the last five years of financials. When I asked why she didn’t request them from Barbara directly, she said it was because Barbara is difficult.”

Wow, that is strange. Even I know that Barbara’s the most helpful employee in the office. We’re all silent for a moment, lost in our thoughts. However, as the senior employee at the table, I feel the need to pull us back a bit.

“Look, all we’ve got right now is a temporary CEO with some boundary issues. Why don’t we just keep an eye out and report back if we notice anything else that seems unusual?”

Jason nods slowly. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Mr. H will be back soon, so I doubt there’s anything to worry about.”

Krys sighs dramatically. “Fine, but you guys are gonna feel really stupid if she and her lover are found hacked up in the back of the mailroom after the Easter break.”