Chapter 26
“Sure,” I said. “I haven’t had lunch yet.”
I let Bob and Helen know I was going out. Bob promised to keep an eye on Peaches. I took Frodo along on his leash.
Veronica chattered on the way to a restaurant with outdoor seating where Frodo was welcome. We lucked into a table in the shade. Veronica ordered a salad, but I went for a juicy burger without onions, which I promised to share with Frodo.
When unsweetened iced teas were sweating in front of us, I asked, “What’s going on, Veronica?”
“I lost my job.”
“No! What happened?”
“I was sabotaged by an idiot who wanted my position. He spied when I logged into Twitter, got my password, and started sending inane tweets. He said the most awful things about the company and my boss. To make matters worse, he picked fights with people online—all in my name!”
“That’s not your fault. Didn’t you explain that to your boss?”
“Of course! But people were complaining to the company about those tweets. They were afraid of losing clients. It was a nightmare.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Do you need money?”
“I was so embarrassed. Fired, Florrie. I was fired! I thought if I could get a new job right away, I could pretend I had made the move on purpose. You know, like I was moving up. Mom and Dad don’t know yet. Oh, Florrie! I’ve never been fired before. It was awful.”
“Veronica, you know we’ll all love you no matter what. Especially since you were wronged.”
“So I got a new job not too far from here—”
“That’s great!”
“—that I loathe. I hate every minute. I can barely face each day. It’s a horrible place. I like everyone. Right? I’m a friendly person. Right? I don’t know what’s going on there, but they’re all angry and tense. No one wants to cooperate. There’s all kinds of backstabbing going on. I spend my days huddled in my cubicle, afraid to speak or even send emails to coworkers. I reread all my emails obsessively before I send them because I’m terrified of starting some kind of in-house antagonism toward me.”
Our food arrived. Frodo immediately offered me a paw to earn his share of the burger.
I cut off some pieces for him. “I’m sorry, Veronica. That’s the kind of thing you can’t know until you actually work somewhere.”
“I want to quit.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“But I feel like I can’t because I don’t have another job lined up.”
“I have some money saved from the sale of my coloring books. I can help you stay afloat for a little while.”
“Thanks, Florrie. I’m not on the street yet. But is it awful of me to quit? Am I being a big baby? What will I say when I interview for other jobs?”
“You could tell them the truth. Say that you left because it was a hostile work atmosphere.”
“Oh right. If I were interviewing people for a job and someone told me that, I would peg her as a diva who isn’t satisfied with anything. A troublemaker and complainer.”
“Do you want to work at Color Me Read for a while?”
“Could I?”
“Sure. Bob, Helen, and I work long days. We’d love a fourth regular so we could get a little more time off. And I’d like it because I know I can trust you.”
Veronica finally picked at her salad with a fork. Her shoulders relaxed and her relief was obvious. “You’re a lifesaver, Florrie. That would prevent me from having a gap on my re-sumé. Thanks.” She toasted me with her iced tea. “I don’t know what I would do without my big sis.”
“What are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“Ugh. I know they’ll be understanding, but I shudder at the thought of Mom calling all her friends to ask if they’re aware of any openings. As if her buddies even understood what social media marketing is.” She pierced a slice of avocado with her fork. “Florrie, promise me you won’t tell them? I’ll do it eventually, but for now, I’d rather they didn’t know.”
At that moment, I couldn’t help thinking of Jacquie Liebhaber. Life was so much easier when you could depend on someone. Jacquie wasn’t my sister. She wasn’t even really an acquaintance. But if she was telling the truth, the stakes were much higher for her than anything I had ever experienced. Imagine the guilt if I told someone about her being in the carriage house and then she was murdered. I couldn’t live with myself. I was more determined than ever to keep her secret.
Veronica’s natural cheerfulness returned during lunch. When I picked up the check, she said, “I’m going to stop at the jewelry store to have my pearls restrung, then I’ll head straight to work to quit. After that I’ll come to Color Me Read. Does that work for you?”
“Perfect timing. We’re having a reopening celebration tomorrow. Emily Branscom is coming to sign books. And we’re having contests for children and adults, in which they can win coloring books and colored pencils.”
“Ohhh! Perfect. I can start social media buzz about the events at the store. This will be fun!”
After lunch, I was busy organizing the store for the next day. Helen grudgingly helped arrange displays. Bob and I set up extra seating and low tables so kids could color in the children’s room. Then we brought up folding chairs from the basement for adults to sit in while they listened to Emily Branscom talk in the parlor.
True to her word, Veronica showed up two hours later. She hustled me into a private niche and whispered, “It was awful. I don’t think they cared one bit. I wonder if someone quits every day. There was no fuss at all. My boss just said ‘okay’ and took a phone call, like I wasn’t even standing there in front of her.”
“I think you’re better off out of that place.”
It turned out that my gregarious long-legged sister was a natural saleswoman. She didn’t know much about books, but she enthusiastically rang up sales and signed people up for our newsletter.
Bob had a new crush, and Helen appeared to be annoyed by Veronica’s presence.
At ten that night, I turned on the alarm and locked up. “Want some dinner?” I asked Veronica. “I thought I’d stop by that Peruvian rotisserie chicken place.”
“Sure. I can wait outside with Peaches and Frodo.”
Thinking Jonquille and his buddy might be at the mansion installing the security cameras, I bought two chickens, a large pan of flan, and doubled all the side dishes. The scent of the chicken, black beans, platanos, and three different sauces was incredible. On the way home, Frodo kept sniffing the bag, and Peaches mewed nonstop.
I had to give Veronica credit. In spite of her high heels, she kept up a good pace and didn’t complain once about her feet hurting.
About one block from home, Veronica said, “Don’t look now, but I think somebody is following us.”