Mr. CEO(19)

She looks beautiful today in her black pantsuit and dark glossy heels, her hair pulled back in a businesslike ponytail. More than that, she looks fine. Calm, even. “You scared the shit out of me,” I say admonishingly. I gesture nervously at all the boxes. “What the f*ck is going on?” I ask in a hushed voice as I bend to pick up my bag.

Eva looks at me with apprehension and then lets out a laugh. “Someone’s bought the company. But don’t worry, it’s a silent partnership.” She sounds all peppy and happy. I don’t know if she’s got inside information that’s making her feel secure, or if she’s just naive. “We have a board meeting about it in like five minutes.” She leans in close and whispers, “You didn’t read your email on Friday, did you?”

“Shit.” I just breathe the word. I don’t remember an email, but my head has been so lost in thought.

Eva shakes her head. “It’s fine,” she says as she waves it off and walks with me to the meeting room in the back corner of the building. “From what I can gather, the company was forbidden to talk about the sale while it was under contract. That’s why I’m guessing we never heard about it.” She places a comforting hand on my shoulder, seeing the worry etched across my face. “Don’t worry, Charlotte. We’ve been assured that our jobs aren’t in any danger.”

“How can we trust that?” I ask. “You know how those corporate heads at the top think. They don’t give a crap what happens to us down at the bottom.” Anxiety is coursing in my blood. I wish I could trust her, but I can’t.

“Because it’s under the terms and conditions in the agreement of the sale. They can’t fire any current employees for several years.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Positive.”

I let out a small sigh of relief I relax slightly, bringing my coffee to my lips. I make a promise to myself not to freak out until I have a real reason to.

“But there’s a catch,” Eva adds, and I hold back a groan. “Part of the agreement involves relocating, hence all the boxes.”

Behind Eva, I watch as several people walk into the boardroom. I can handle this change. Sometimes change is good.

I shift the bag to hold it in one hand along with my coffee so I can scratch at the back of my neck as we walk into the room and take our seats. “Where’s the new building?” I ask her quietly. Everyone around us is engaged in quiet small talk, too.

“Parker-Moore on the city skyline,” Eva replies. “About a half hour from here?”

I nod, but I’m not really happy. “That sucks.” I vaguely recognize the company name. I almost applied with them, but I didn’t. The skyline is a far drive. This place is nearly half an hour-long commute for me. So now I’m looking at an hour-long drive, and that's without traffic.

“Yeah, it does.” Eva nods in agreement. “But it could be worse. We could all be looking at pink slips right now and a shitty severance that barely covers a month’s worth of living expenses.”

I sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

Mr. Hastings walks into the room, waving his hands to quiet the room of gossiping employees. “I know some of you are concerned with the buyout, but please rest assured that none of your jobs are in jeopardy. I’ll kindly ask you all to go with the flow for now, as this is just another normal day working here, and help with packing things up.”

“For those of you who have long commutes to get here already, temporary housing will be available for you if you need it. If you don’t want, or are unable to pack your items yourself, please label them and move them against the far wall.”

Hannah stands next to Hastings with a stack of large booklets in her hand. Mr. Hastings gives her a tight smile and then gestures at the bundle she’s holding. “Hannah here has all the packets of information you’ll need about the new company and housing. All of you are expected to have moved and completed the transfer by the end of the workday, and will be required to attend tomorrow at the new work site. If you can’t move your items to your new office, simply label the boxes and put them against the far wall. The movers will handle the transfer for you and they’ll be waiting for you in the new building tomorrow.”

I barely pay attention to the questions everyone asks and the vague answers Hastings has as I accept my packet of information from Hannah, and try to stop worrying about the long drive that I’m going to have now. At least I have a job. I keep telling myself that throughout the meeting. That’s what matters.

The meeting’s finally adjourned, and I return to my office without a word. There are moving supplies lined up against the far wall and I grab a roll of packing tape and a few boxes. I think I’ll only need two.

Eva’s gabbing with the other girls, but I just want to get this going and begin sifting through my things, making sure everything’s in order. I can talk to them later, when I’m calm and less on edge. My hands tremble as I organize my things, a feeling of anxiety overtaking my body.

I hate this shit. I don’t want to have to relocate. I tape up the bottom of one box and cringe at the sound of the tape pulling from the roll. I grit my teeth as I pick up the things from my desk and easily set everything in the box. It’s like deja vu. I just did this. I close my eyes and cringe. I just f*cking did this.