My jaw dropped as my brain finally registered the meaning of her words. “Wait, did you say I’m going to Italy?” She nodded. “Tomorrow?” She nodded again.
“Don’t miss your flight. Mr. Mayfield is expecting your arrival.”
I nodded, dumbfounded, my thoughts still twirling around the words senior assistant. But I was a realtor. I had assisted James with the odd project, but he had never taken me to Italy, and he sure as hell didn’t expect me to deal with an acquisition. I swallowed hard and stood. I couldn’t speak Italian. Maybe I should have clarified with James what this job entailed, to see if I could keep up with the big guys, instead of assuming I’d get a few weeks of training.
“If you have any questions or would like to discuss your contract, Rita Young from Human Resources will be happy to assist you,” the brunette said. “Once you’re happy with the terms, please make sure to sign the contract and post it back to us before you leave. I’m sorry, but work’s calling. It was lovely meeting you.” She turned to walk away when I grabbed her upper arm to stop her.
“Wait. I’m a little confused. You said I’d be assisting Mr. Mayfield, but I haven’t even met him. So, who hired me?” I don’t know where the question came from when there were at least a dozen more important ones I could have asked. Such as, for example, did I get medical insurance or did I get a company phone? Or, most importantly, how much I would get paid?
“That I don’t know. Since Ms. Young has been keen that the contract’s to your liking, I can only assume you’ve been headhunted. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She batted her lashes impatiently. Slowly it dawned on me: the woman was busy and I had taken up enough of her time.
“Thanks.”
The thick manila envelope was heavy in my hand as I made my way downstairs, past the gathering of business people waiting for the elevators in the main reception hall. Only as I reached the confined space of my car did I dare let an idiotic grin fall into place. Seriously, I couldn’t stop grinning because I, Brooke Stewart, had been headhunted. It was a huge word. An important word. And it happened to me. And I, Brooke Stewart, would go to Italy. I was about to take my very first trip to Europe.
I fished my phone out of my purse and considered whom to call first. Mom was my first option, but then again wasn’t my boyfriend supposed to know first? He deserved to be put first, particularly after I cheated on him. I ignored my guilty conscience as I speed-dialed Sean’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Sean McDermott.” I could hear the usual cafeteria background noise: students talking and laughing, trays shifting, and cutlery clinking. He was probably having his lunch break.
“Guess what?” I didn’t wait for his reply. “I just got a job with Mayfield Realties.”
The line remained silent. I held my breath as I waited for Sean’s reaction, which came a second too late. “Wow, that’s awesome. Let’s celebrate tonight. I could pop over.” He sounded strained, which wasn’t the reaction I expected. Maybe he had other issues on his mind and was trying hard to be happy for me.
“Yeah, that’s not all. I’m going to Italy. There’s some big acquisition, and I’m supposed to assist Mayfield.”
A pause again, then, “That’s great. We’ll celebrate next weekend.”
“Yeah, about that. My flight’s tomorrow and I’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Then we’ll catch up when you get back.”
Did I detect a hint of irritation in his voice? I frowned and moistened my lips. “Are you okay, honey?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” He didn’t sound good at all. We remained silent for a second or two. Sean resumed the conversation first. “Actually, no. Can we talk? There’s something I need to tell you.”
Why didn’t I like the sound of that? My hands grew clammy, and my heart began to pound like a sledgehammer “Sure.” I tried to infuse a cheeriness I didn’t feel into my voice. “Our usual place? I can be there in half an hour.”
“Okay.” He hung up.
“Bye,” I whispered, even though he couldn’t hear me. My heart pounded so hard I thought my ribcage might explode. Maybe Sean saw me and Mystery Guy. Maybe he somehow found out about last night before I got a chance to tell him, and he cared after all. This was my chance to be honest and set things straight before I headed off to Italy. I didn’t want to part with something this major standing between us.