Coming Home (8 page)

“I know it’s just a sketch, and, well, it’s just what you do.” He
shrugged one shoulder. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, either, but it was
still really good. Did you have to make my nose look so big, though?” He put
his hand up to his nose.

“I don’t think it looks big.”

“Ah, she speaks. I was beginning to wonder if you shredded your
tongue along with all that paper.” He rocked back on his heels, smiling as if he
just won something. He grew serious and looked at me. “Really, Rebecca, it’s
okay that you sketched me.” He leaned forward a little. “Do you want me to
sketch you in return?”

I tried and failed to suppress a smile that time. “You told me
that’s what they hired me for and you can’t draw. I think I’ll skip that, but
thanks for the offer.” I stopped smiling and finally looked him in the eye.
“Thank you for helping me to clean that up. I don’t know how I would have done
all of that by myself.”

“I have no doubt you would have figured it out. All you needed
was a chair.” He hesitated a little. “I actually almost left you alone. I
wasn’t sure if you wanted me to see it.”

“What made you stay?”

“I heard you say it didn’t mean anything, and I thought you were
talking to me. I thought you were defending yourself.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize I said that out loud.” I shook my head. “I
didn’t see you until you put me on your shoulder.”

“Rebecca, I’m not sure what was going on here. Obviously someone
thought it was funny to play this . . . prank, but I don’t get it. I mean, if
it was funny, I would have left it up and laughed right along with it.” Ryan
shifted a little. “It just seemed, I don’t know, obsessive. A couple here or
there may have been set out to embarrass me, but walls?” He shook his head.

I nodded. “It seemed a little much for me, too.”

“We have to tell Matt.” My eyes snapped to his. “I know you don’t
want anyone to know about it, but we have to. Do you want me to go alone, or do
you want to come with me?”

I sighed. He was right and Matt had to be told. If for no other
reason, he needed to know about all the paper that was wasted. “I’ll go by
myself. It was my sketch.”

“But it was my face. It might not have been directed at you.”
Ryan put his hands in his pockets. “I’m not exactly a favorite around here.”

Could it have been directed at Ryan? It was his face, but it was
my office they went through to find it. “I’m not sure who they were aiming for,
but it was my office that was gone through.”

“Well, I’ll let you bring it up with Matt if that’s what you
want, but I know he’ll want to talk to me, too. I’ll just do it later.” Ryan
reached into his back pocket and brought out a couple of sheets of folded
paper. He separated them and handed me one. “Here.” It was a copy of the
sketch. I just looked at it. “It’s to show Matt.”

I took it and looked at the other folded paper he was sticking
back in his pocket. “What’s that?”

Ryan shrugged. “I told you it was a good sketch. I’d like to keep
a copy if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” I hesitated and looked him in the eye. “Is it
weird that I drew you?”

He immediately started shaking his head when the word weird came
out of my mouth. “I don’t think it’s weird at all. Actually, I’m flattered. It
might have been weird if it was one from the gym or something.” He shrugged.
“But just me sitting in a meeting. It’s okay.”

“Thanks. I’ll tell Matt as soon as he gets in, but can we just
keep it between us? I don’t really need the whole team to know about this.”

“Sure.” Ryan looked at his watch. “Matt should be in any minute.
Just go up and get it over with, and I’ll talk to him after you.”

I checked my office and found the sketch back in its original
place as though it was never taken. I quickly looked through the other sketches,
and there wasn’t anything personal that anyone could use. It was mostly just
glimpses of what I could catch outside the windows during meetings.

I sat for a minute, trying to think who would want to do that. I
knew Matt would ask, and I didn’t know who would do something so immature. The
only person who knew I had it was Stacy, and she certainly wasn’t talking to me
as if she were mad at me. I didn’t even show her the finished sketch. She had
only seen it that one time in the meeting.

Could Wade have looked for the sketch since I wouldn’t show him?
He probably would have gotten the wrong idea about it, but would it have caused
him to plaster it all over the walls? I’d given him no indication that we were
anything other than friends, so he couldn’t be jealous. I wondered if I should
have sketched one of Wade to make him feel better.

Matt’s secretary wasn’t in yet, but I could tell someone was in
the office. I took a deep breath and looked at the copy of the sketch one more
time. I lightly knocked on the door, but part of me wished he didn’t hear it or
was too busy to see anyone.

“Come in.” Matt called out.

I took another deep breath and opened the door. Matt was leaning
against his desk with his arms around Vicki’s waist. Vicki had her hands on his
chest and was smiling. I felt very uncomfortable and wished they had separated
before calling me into the office, but it was good to see Vicki smiling.

“I’m sorry. I can come back.” I started to back out of the
doorway.

“Nonsense.” Vicki hadn’t turned around to me yet and pressed
quick kiss to Matt. “I was just—” She turned and finally looked at me as she
stepped out of his embrace. “What’s wrong?”

Matt’s gaze snapped to me and narrowed his eyes. “Rebecca, what
is it?”

Vicki came over and pulled me through the door to shut it behind
me. I handed her the copy. “This is very good, but I don’t understand why this
should upset you. It’s yours, isn’t it?”

I nodded as my phone beeped. It was a picture message from Ryan.
“Thought you might have trouble forming the words. Just show them this.” I
opened it, and it was a picture of what the walls looked like before we took the
pictures down. Looking closer, I saw that he had taken it while I was standing
there crying and trying to figure out how to clean it up. My eyes started
burning again, and I closed them to try to stop the tears from coming.

Vicki took the phone from me and looked at the picture. “Is that
. . . here? Downstairs?” All I could do was nod. Vicki gave the phone to Matt
as she walked me to the chair.

“What the fuck?” Matt stood straight up, glaring at the phone.

“Matt, you’re lucky Ashley isn’t here.” Vicki turned back to me.
“So do you know what happened?”

“Ryan sent this to you?” Matt interrupted and again all I could
do was nod. “Did he fucking do this?”

“Matt, calm down and call him up here.” Vicki took the phone back
from him and gave it back to me.

“He didn’t do it. He helped me clean it up.”

Matt still called Ryan up to the office, and the four of us
talked about what happened and who we think did it. Ryan thought it was someone
trying to embarrass him. I thought it was directed at me since they went
through my office to get the sketch. I told them when I had done the sketch and
that Stacy was the only one to see it, but Wade was upset that I didn’t show
him.

Matt said he was sending an email about the missing paper, but wouldn’t
say anything about what the paper was used for. He assured me it was most
likely just a prank and no real harm was done. He said since nothing else was
missing from my office and the sketch wasn’t altered with sayings or additions
to Ryan’s face, we should just think of it as someone’s poor attempt at humor
and move on.

I spent the rest of the morning in my office, working on some of the
sketches that someone had left me. It was easier to pull my work from the ideas
that were given to me than to come up with my own sketches. My mind was so
jumbled with all the images of my horrendous morning: the walls plastered with
copies of that sketch, Ryan’s somber face throughout the cleanup and shredding,
and the picture he sent to my phone that recorded my total disbelief and
embarrassment. I put my elbows on the desk and my head in my hands just as my
office door opened.

“Hey, are you okay?” Vicki came in with a couple of sacks from
the health deli down the street. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“I’m fine, and, no, I haven’t left the office all morning.” I got
up and moved to the table as she took out the lunches. “Thanks. How much do I
owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“Thank you. I’ve been sketching some this morning. Let me go wash
up and I’ll be right back.”

Vicki nodded. When I returned, she was looking at my desk. “What
are you working on?”

“Someone left some really cool sketches while I was out with my
mom, and I was just trying to switch them from charcoal to digital for print.”
I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled the sandwiches. “Thanks again
for lunch.” I sat down as Vicki sat and I started to eat.

She looked over at the desk again. “Do you really think they’re cool
sketches?”

I nodded with my mouth full. “Absolutely.” I took a drink. “I
only wish I could thank whoever did them because they’ve really helped me catch
up.”

“This is a little much for one person, huh?”

I noticed Vicki was more picking at her sandwich than eating it.
“It is a full-time job, but I’ll get faster. I promise.”

Vicki looked up. “That wasn’t a crack about you being slow. I
really meant it’s too much for one person.” She sighed. “How would you feel if
you had another artist to help out on the bigger projects?”

I took a bite so I could have a few more seconds to think about
my answer. If I said no, I was going to have to bust my butt to make sure
everything was done quicker than I’d been doing. If I said yes, it was admitting
I couldn’t do the job. I wasn’t sure what to say. Either way I felt screwed.

“It’s not a trick question. Would you be comfortable if there were
another artist on staff, or would that make you think we don’t believe in you?”

She was worried how I’d feel if they hired someone else? They
should have really only been worried about getting the job done. Since when was
the employee asked if another employee should be hired? “I guess I wouldn’t
feel uncomfortable as long as we weren’t in competition. I really didn’t like
that at my old job. Everyone was trying to outdo the other, and it just got
awkward sometimes. I mean we’re here for our job, not a competition.”

“So you wouldn’t mind?” I shook my head, trying to figure out
what Vicki’s issue was. “I just don’t want to step on your toes or make you
think you can’t handle it.”

“Wait. You did the sketches?” Vicki was hesitant, but nodded.
“Then why did you hire me? You don’t need me here.”

“Well,” Vicki cleared her throat, “I was incapable of returning
to work for a while for different reasons, and so Matt and I agreed to fill the
job.”

So Vicki was the one who left for personal reasons. “Was this
your office? I can move to a cubicle.” I made the offer because she was my
boss, but inside I was praying she said no.

“My office is still upstairs next to Matt. You don’t need to
move, but I wanted to make sure you’d be okay if I came back to work
full-time.”

Yes, I could keep my office. “It wouldn’t bother me. I actually
think it could be fun.” I pointed at my desk. “And those are some awesome
sketches.”

Vicki and I spent the rest of the afternoon, discussing how to
divide the work and projects. I loved the idea of Vicki and me sharing the
workload. I wouldn’t be as stressed out, and I’d only have to go to half the
meetings I’d been going to. The hours would still be long and demanding since
there was so much to do, but at least I felt as though I could breathe.

The more I got to know Vicki, the more normal she seemed to be. I
enjoyed talking to her about almost anything. She was so different from the
first time I met her. The jealous, paranoid woman that stormed over to me had
been replaced by a kind and generous person I actually looked forward to seeing
at the office.

~*~

I rounded the corner and heard a very disappointed Ryan
reassuring someone. “No, I understand. Really, it’s okay.”

Matt put something in Ryan’s hand. “You can still take the
tickets. Have a good time. I’m really sorry I forgot about this other thing I
have to do.”

“Those are your tickets. Maybe you can still make it after your
other thing gets over. Take your daughter.” Ryan tried to hand them back.

Vicki walked up behind Matt and wrapped her arms around him. “Are
you almost ready?”

“I was just trying to get Ryan to take the tickets.”

I was glad Vicki hadn’t left yet. I still needed her approval on
the latest copy and I really wanted to get this finished. “Vicki, can you look
at this really quick.”

“Sure, I’ve got a couple of minutes.” She took the board from me
and nodded her head. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. It looks great.” She
started to hand it back to me and looked at Ryan while he was trying to give
the tickets back to Matt. “Rebecca will go.”

“Um, go where?” I tried to take the board back, but she swatted
my hand away, putting the board under her arm.

“Ryan has two tickets to the Rangers’ game and needs someone to
go with him.” Vicki turned to Ryan and repeated it a little louder. “Rebecca
will go with you.”

Ryan finally stopped arguing with Matt and turned to me. “You will?”

I shrugged. “Apparently, I will.”

“Come on, Rebecca. What were you going to do anyway?” Vicki held
up the board. “Work?” She started shaking her head. “Matt, give the kids some
money to have a great time tonight and let’s go. This will be in my office
Monday morning, Rebecca.” The way she said Monday morning gave me the feeling I
wasn’t allowed back in the building this weekend.

“Matt, we really don’t need your money.” Ryan started to protest
the cash Matt was handing him.