I shook my head in confusion. “Wait a minute, are you saying that Scott hates you because you recommended him for a promotion? I’d have thought he’d be eternally grateful.”
Peter shook his head. “In your world and mine, that would be true. But in Scott’s world, no one is as smart as he, and the idea that he owes anything to anyone is anathema to him. You might say he’s never forgiven me for putting him in my debt.”
Now it was my turn to shake my head. “But I still don’t understand why he’d take the risk of revealing his affair. Wouldn’t that get him in trouble with Magnetadyne?”
Peter’s voice was cold and bitter. “Not really. The company would see it as a personal matter between Callie and Scott; they wouldn’t want to get involved. No, I think the reason Scott wanted me to find out is to provoke me into doing something foolish that will get me fired. Even if I don’t, he’s probably hoping that I’ll be so humiliated here in the office that my work will suffer while I’m caught up in a messy divorce.”
He looked at me carefully. “And I think he decided to use you as the messenger as payback for resisting his advances.”
My cheeks flushed, first in embarrassment and then in anger. But although I resented being used by Scott, I was more concerned about Peter. The tone of his voice worried me. “What are you going to do now?” I asked.
He clenched his fists tightly for a moment, then relaxed. “For the time being, I’m not going to do anything except concentrate on getting ready for Expo. I damned sure can’t afford to lose my job now. But once it’s over, you can be sure that I’m going to divorce Callie and find a way to even the score with Scott.”
“Peter, I’ve experienced betrayal in my life, so I can understand some of what you’re feeling right now. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. But whatever you decide, don’t do anything that will wind up hurting yourself.”
“Thanks, Jess,” he said quietly. “I appreciate that. I also appreciate the courage it must have taken for you to bring this to me. The only thing I’d ask for now would be for you not to let anyone else know what you’ve found out. As for me, I’m just going to bury myself in work; that’s the only thing I know to do to help with the pain.” He looked at me wryly. “It will also give me an excuse to stay away from Callie.”
I glanced back at him as I turned to leave and I felt like my heart would break. It was devastating seeing a good, decent man whose whole life had suddenly collapsed on top of him.
There were only a few work days left before Expo, and the tension seemed to ratchet up every day. Part of that tension, of course, was simply a reaction to the deadlines connected with such a high-stakes event, but this time there was an added animosity between Marketing and Sales that seemed to infect almost everyone on the two teams.
Pouring fuel on the fire were the rumors about Mr. Moffatt. Not only did the water-cooler conversation hint that his retirement was imminent, but now the story was circulating that Scott Benson would be succeeding him. The result was that the people on Scott’s team became more obsequious than ever trying to curry Scott’s favor, while the people who worked with Peter were upset and anxious at the prospect of corporate life under Scott’s rule.
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