Ms. Scrooge Read online

  Obviously, Richard doesn’t feel the same way.

  Of course, you could argue what he did wasn’t that bad. I mean, Roberta was the one who couldn’t figure out the difference between a fax machine and a shredder. In this day and age, how is that possible? But still. He knew what she was going to do to me.

  The question is, what do I do next?

  If I confront Richard, he’ll deny it. And what evidence do I have? A video of Roberta telling her kids what he did? I’m not sure how I would begin to explain that one, especially since I can’t reproduce it.

  Maybe after the holiday, I should go straight to the board of directors and tell them what Richard did. Of course, at that point it will be his word against mine. And I have a bad feeling that Richard is much more likable than I am. I have a lot of good qualities, but I’m not as charming as he is. I know that.

  Dammit.

  I wish Marley were here. She would tell me what to do.

  I pull out my phone. Marley’s name is still on the screen from when I got that FaceTime call in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. I still don’t understand what’s going on here. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I can’t think of any other explanation for what’s been happening to me.

  I click on Marley’s name. I hold my breath. Will she pick up?

  Please pick up, Marley. Please. I need you.

  I’m sorry. The number you have dialed is no longer in service…

  I get a rush of disappointment, combined with a vaguely unsettled feeling. What is happening to me? I’m calling my dead boss for advice. If that’s not losing my mind, what is?

  I need to get some fresh air. Now.

  I shove my phone into my purse, and swing my bag onto my shoulder. I race out of my office, not pausing to look at any of my employees. I don’t want to have a conversation right now. I just need to get out of this building.

  “Elizabeth! Elizabeth, wait!”

  Oh God, it’s Courtney.

  I consider pretending I didn’t hear her, but her footsteps are growing louder behind me. She’ll have caught up to me in a second or two—I can’t outrun her in my stupid heels. I slow to a stop, a frown plastered on my lips. Hopefully she’ll take one look at me and realize this isn’t a good time. I don’t think I have it in me to be nice to Courtney right now.

  “Elizabeth…” She sounds slightly out of breath. Her skirt is moderately longer today, so I don’t have an excuse to reprimand her, but I consider doing it anyway. “I’m so glad I caught you.”

  “Oh.” I fold my arms across my chest. “What is it?”

  “Well…” Her cheeks turn slightly pink, which makes her look younger. That’s why Richard prefers her over me. He wants someone young. Somebody easily influenced. “I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. You know, Christmas.”

  “I thought we already discussed tomorrow, Courtney.”

  “Right, but…” Courtney tucks an errant strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Since we didn’t land the Danvier account, I thought… well, maybe we could have the day off.”

  That vein in my neck starts throbbing. “Did you?”

  “Well, the only reason we were coming in was to work on the account and…”

  I raise an eyebrow. “So you figured that because we blew the account, our reward should be to have a day off?”

  “Well,” Courtney says, “I mean, we all worked really hard on that account. I sure did. We all put in a huge effort, and obviously, you were the only one in the room with them, so really, you’re sort of the one who… I mean, you’re responsible, right?”

  My jaw drops open. Did she really just say that to me? Yes, I assume that’s what everyone is thinking. But I hadn’t expected Courtney to throw it in my face that way. She picked the wrong moment to be a bitch.

  “Sorry,” she says quickly when she sees the look on my face. “That came out wrong. I just meant that—”

  “You’re fired,” I say.

  Now it’s Courtney’s chance to look shocked. Her lips form an “oh” and her face blanches. “What?”

  “You heard me. You’re fired. Clean out your desk right now.”

  It’s the second time I’ve fired somebody in the last three days. It gets easier every time.

  Courtney takes a step back, her eyes filling with tears. “But… why? Because I want to have Christmas off?”

  People are starting to stare. It seems like I’m making a thing of firing people right in the middle of the office.

  I raise my chin. In my heels, I’m several inches taller than Courtney. “It’s your entire work ethic,” I say. “There’s just no room for an attitude like yours at this company.”

  “But I’ve been here working past ten the last two nights!” she protests.

  I smile wryly. “Staying late to go to a party then making out with a guy at the office doesn’t really count as having good work ethic.”

  Her eyes widen. “But I… That was… You saw that?”

  “I did. And it was absolutely unprofessional.”

  Courtney sways on her heels, and for moment, I’m scared I might have to catch her before she hits the ground. But then she steadies herself. I wonder what she’s going to do now. Will she curse me out? Slap me? I wouldn’t blame her if she did. And right now, I’d welcome a nice hard slap across my cheek.

  But instead, she drops her eyes. “Please, Elizabeth. Please. Don’t do this to me.”

  The office is silent, awaiting my decision. It’s in my hands. I can destroy Courtney’s career one day before Christmas. Or I could tell her she’s forgiven.

  “I told you to clean out your desk,” I say. “That’s my final decision.”

  Chapter 24

  Fresh air doesn’t help. At all.

  At first I’m just standing outside the building, but then I start pacing. The sun has dropped in the sky, and I’m getting cold. I’m really losing it. I don’t know what to do next. I always used to know exactly what to do.

  Marley would know what to do.

  Oh God, I have to stop thinking about Marley. Marley is gone. Forever. She can’t help me anymore.

  I reach for my phone as I lean against the building and hug myself with my free arm for warmth. I did remember to grab my coat, at least, but it’s not doing much to keep me warm right now. I look down at the numbers on my recent calls list.

  Polly. I can’t call her. She wouldn’t get it. And anyway, she’s having Christmas dinner with her family.

  Richard. Oh God. He’s why I’m upset in the first place.

  Tim. I close my eyes, remembering how I felt when he was holding me last night. I felt good and warm and safe. And he was so sexy.

  I could call him. I can’t imagine anything nicer than getting to spend another night with him.

  But if I call him on Christmas Eve, what will that mean? What message am I sending him? I like him, but I’m not in any mindset for a relationship right now. I don’t want to toy with him. He doesn’t deserve that.

  I look at the next number on the list. Business related. Every call in my history is business related. I used to have friends but they’re all gone—they disappeared as I climbed the corporate ladder. I haven’t gotten drinks with a friend in long enough that it would be awkward for me to call now, on Christmas Eve, and say my life is falling apart.

  I’ve got nobody.

  I see a cab driving by with a light on to signify it’s empty. A free cab on Christmas Eve? That’s got to be some kind of Christmas miracle.

  I hold out my arm to flag down the vehicle, which comes to a slow halt at the curb. I slide into the cab, which thank God, seems to have the heat on. I take my hands out of my pocket and watch them turn pink as the circulation slowly returns.

  “Where you go?” the cabbie asks me in an unidentifiable accent.

  I give him my home address. Where else would I go?

  The cabbie eyes me in the rearview mirror, then he takes off with a jolt. The screen in the back of the cab entertains me with jokes from
Jimmy Kimmel. I try to listen to his brief monologue and not think about my problems for a change.

  “Watch more tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Jimmy Kimmel informs me from the screen, as his monologue wraps up. He’s pretty funny. I like Steve Colbert a lot, but Jimmy Kimmel has definitely been growing on me lately. Not that I have much time for late night TV.

  I’m ready to watch the whole thing play a second time, but then the screen turns the static. I tap on it with my finger. “Sir?” I say to the driver. “I think there’s something wrong with your screen.”

  The driver doesn’t answer me.

  “Sir?” I say again.

  “Nothing wrong with screen,” he says. “You watch now.”

  “But—” I start to say, but the picture suddenly returns. Except this time it’s not Jimmy Kimmel.

  It’s Richard Hall.

  “Calm down,” Richard is saying. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

  “How is it going to be okay?” And now the camera focuses in on Courtney’s tear-streaked face. They’re somewhere alone together. Maybe his office. “I’m fired! She fired me! What am I going to do?”

  “Don’t worry about it, babe.” He leans in to kiss her, but to her credit, she pushes him away. “Courtney, I’m telling you. It’s going to be fine.”

  “I don’t believe you.” She groans. “Oh God, how am I going to pay my rent?”

  He lifts her chin with the tip of his index finger. It’s such a cheesy move. I remember him doing it to me and thinking it was cheesy even back then, but also sort of liking it. “I’m going to be the CEO of this company very soon. And I’ll make sure you have a job.”

  She snorts. “Don’t be so sure. Elizabeth is pretty damn smart.”

  “Smarter than me?”

  She lifts her bloodshot eyes. “Let me put it this way. We’ve got a pool going over who’s going to get the CEO job. And she’s got three to one odds.”

  “Seriously?” Richard takes a step back. He looks offended. Honestly, I’m a little surprised too. “Everyone thinks Elizabeth is going to get the job?”

  “Well, three quarters of us.”

  “Are you in the three quarters?”

  Courtney is silent.

  “Well, I’ve got news for you.” He perches himself on the edge of his desk. “Now that Elizabeth blew the chocolate account, I’d say the odds are a little different.”

  “Yeah. Maybe two to one now.”

  “Courtney, listen to me.” Richard’s eyes darken. “I will do anything to get that CEO job.”

  She frowns at him. “What do you mean?”

  He snorts. “Do you think it’s an accident that Elizabeth blew her presentation?”

  I stare at the screen, barely able to breathe. What is he saying? Did Richard also sabotage my presentation? If that’s true, I seriously underestimated what a horrible person he is.

  Courtney seems similarly befuddled. “Are you saying that you…?”

  Richard grins proudly. “When Ryan was away from his desk, I messed around with the movie he inserted. I know Nick Danvier has no patience so I figured that would be enough to blow the whole thing. And trust me—he’s not giving her another chance. He and I had a little chat today, and I told him all about poor Elizabeth’s ‘drinking problem’ that made her screw up the presentation.”

  Courtney’s mouth is hanging open. “Oh my God…”

  “And what’s more,” Richard adds, “I’m on the brink of landing a major account with Gordon Toys for their new doll.”

  Yes, I heard about this new toy: dolls that have bodies made of pizza slices. They’re called Pizza Pals, and they’re named after different toppings—Pepperoni Pete, Mushroom Mike, Andy Anchovies. It all sounds incredibly stupid, but Pizza Pals are poised to be the next big thing. The company is hoping the day they hit stores, there will be a mob big enough to send at least one parent to the hospital. That’s the goal, anyway.

  “I just need to put the finishing touches on our proposal,” Richard says, “and I’ll have it all squared away before New Year’s. That should cinch it for me.”

  Courtney leans against his desk, shaking her head. “I don’t know about all this…”

  “Well, I know.” Richard smiles that confident smile of his. I want to punch him in the mouth. “I’m going to get the CEO job. And the first thing I’m going to do is hire you back. How would you feel about having Elizabeth’s job?”

  What?

  Courtney sucks in a breath. “What?”

  “You heard me. I think you’d be great in the role.” He slips his hand up her thigh, traveling up her skirt. “How about it?”

  “But what about Elizabeth?”

  “What do you care about Elizabeth? She just fired you.”

  “Yes, but...” Courtney’s eyebrows knit together. “She’s really good at what she does. And I learned so much from her. You’re really going to just… fire her?”

  “And hire you.”

  “I don’t know if I can handle her job… she’s such a powerhouse.”

  “Of course you can handle it.” He kisses her neck and she lets out a sigh and closes her eyes. I used to think Richard was such a great kisser. Until I met Tim. “How about we go back to my place?”

  “Okay…”

  He places a hand on the small of her back—I can almost remember how it used to feel when his hand was on my back in the same exact position and it makes me shudder. He leads her out of his office and—

  “Now watch these parents tell their kids that they ate all of their Halloween candy!”

  I blink a few times. Jimmy Kimmel is back on the screen, doing his Halloween candy bit like he was there all along. A kid is screaming his head off because his mom told him he ate all his Halloween candy. Richard and Courtney are gone. I stare at the screen, shaking my head. Did I imagine the whole thing?

  I don’t think I did. I think it was real.

  “Sir!” I call to the cab driver. “I need you to take me back to work. Where you picked me up.”

  “What you say?”

  “I… I forgot something. I need to go back to the office.”

  The cabbie mumbles something under his breath, then makes a frightening one-hundred-eighty-degree turn right in the middle of traffic. Miraculously, we survive, and he starts driving back downtown. In another fifteen minutes, I’ll be back at work. And Richard and Courtney will have left. Actually, given it’s Christmas Eve, I fully expect the only people there besides me will be the janitors.

  And I am going to teach Richard a lesson he’ll never forget.

  Chapter 25

  While the taxi is weaving through traffic to get me back to the office, my phone rings inside my purse. I consider ignoring it. What if it’s Marley again? That’s the last thing I need. Or what if it’s Richard? I don’t think I’ll be able to keep from cursing him out.

  Then I check the screen. It’s Tim.

  I’m going to take this call.

  “Hello?” I say.

  “Hi, Ebbie…” There’s a waver in his voice that makes him sound nervous. “What’s going on?”

  I watch Second Avenue zip by. I can’t even begin to tell him what’s happened in the last couple of hours. “Not too much…” I lie.

  “Are you still working?”

  If he knew what I was about to do, he would lose all his remaining respect for me. “Sort of.”

  “Listen, Ebbie…” I hear him take a deep breath on the other line. “I know how busy you are, but tomorrow is Christmas, and you’ve got to take a break sometime, right? So… my mom is having this Christmas lunch, and I thought maybe you might want to come? Or if not, maybe we can do something else tomorrow?”

  “Something else?” I repeat.

  “Yeah.” His voice grows in enthusiasm now that I haven’t turned him down outright. “Like, we can go see the Christmas tree in Madison Square Garden. Or go see the Christmas windows at Macy’s. Or maybe go for a carriage ride in Central Park.”

  I
laugh. “A carriage ride?”

  He chuckles. “I know it’s a little corny but it might be fun. Or… something else, if you want. It doesn’t have to be something Christmassy, if you’re not into that. A movie would be fine.” He pauses and lowers his voice. “I don’t care what we do. I’d just really like to see you, Ebbie.”

  I look out the taxi window. We’ll be back at the office in about five minutes. Maybe less.

  “Um, Ebbie?”

  I want to see him too. More than he knows. But I have to keep my priorities straight. I’ve got to do everything in my power now to get this promotion. I can’t slack off. And once I get it—if I get it—I’ll be working twice as hard. This is the worst possible time to start a new relationship.

  “Tim,” I say quietly, “I told you the first night we met that I wasn’t in any place for a relationship right now, didn’t I?”

  “I know you said that, but…”

  “And I meant it.” I squeeze my knee with my fingers until they turn white. “It’s nothing against you. You’re a great guy, but I don’t have time right now. I don’t know if I’ll ever have time. That’s just… my life.”

  “I see,” he says.

  “I’m really sorry.”

  He sighs loudly. “Don’t be. You’re right—you were honest with me from the start. I knew what you were going to say. But… I had to try.”

  I remember the look on his face when he talked about me to his family. He really likes me. I have no idea why, after the things I’ve done. I mean, the sex was really good but… well, not just good. It was great. Phenomenal. Slightly earth shattering. But still. I’m nothing special. I don’t deserve the sort of affection he has for me. Even though I really like him too. Much like Marley, I’ve never been in love before. And I get the feeling Tim Craft is a guy I could easily fall in love with if I’m not careful.

  And that’s why I need to stay away.

  “I’m sorry,” I say again.

  He’s quiet for a moment. “Yeah.”

  “Maybe… who knows what will happen in the future, right?”

  “Uh huh.” He heaves a sigh. “Well, anyway. Merry Christmas, Ebbie.”