“But . . .”
“And the reason you do that is not because you’re arrogant or egotistical but because you’re scared. You’re afraid to take a risk, afraid to put yourself out there because you might make a bad choice. So you wind up hiding behind your beauty, hoping that Mr. Right will eventually find you and break through your defenses.”
I was speechless.
But Marge wasn’t finished. “And I’ll bet the reason you’re so scared is because the one man you did choose, the one you thought was Mr. Right, turned out to be the biggest mistake of your life. Ever since you’ve been afraid to venture out and take a risk again. So even though a part of you is desperate to try to build a relationship with Peter, another part of you says to stay back and wait. All you do is hang around and hope he’ll break through your barriers to pursue you.”
I couldn’t look at her.
She came across the table, gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. “Think about what I’ve been saying, Jess. Just see if there isn’t some truth there.” Then she left.
That night I tossed and turned in bed thinking about what Marge had said. Some of it had been painful and not all of it was true, but I had to admit that she’d been right about a lot of things. Finally, sometime in the early morning hours I came to a decision. Even then, I slept only fitfully.
As soon as I got to work, I made a phone call and then went off to put my plan in action. I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, but at least I wasn’t being passive.
Shortly after I got back to my desk, Peter came up to meet with Mr. Moffatt again. They spent a long time going over marketing plans together, but finally the session broke up. As he was leaving, Peter stopped by my desk and said, “I’m really looking forward to working more closely with you, Jess.”
I took a deep breath and stood up. “Peter, earlier this morning I met with HR and made arrangements for a transfer. In two weeks I’m going to start working in another department.”
He took a step backward as though I’d slapped him in the face. “But why, Jess? Have I done something to offend you?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mr. Moffatt standing in the doorway to his office with a look of concern on his face. I focused on Peter.
“No, Peter, you haven’t done a thing, it’s me. Over the last few months I’ve developed strong feelings for you. But the company strictly prohibits relationships between employees and their bosses, and since I intend to pursue those feelings, I can’t work for you.”
Over Peter’s shoulder I spotted Marge peeking around the corner, but I kept my eyes on Peter, holding my breath to see how he would respond. He stared at me in surprise. “But you never said or did anything,” he said.
I glanced at Marge. “I know,” I said, “but I am now.”
Peter said nothing, and time seemed to slow down. Then, as I stood there with my heart in my throat, he suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my shoulders in his hands. “Under the circumstances, I think we can dispense with the customary two-weeks’ notice,” he said, and kissed me with such passion and promise that I could scarcely hear the applause coming from Marge and Mr. Moffatt.
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