Confused, I stride alongside him.
“What do you mean? You have an assistant? Back in Miami?”
“You can take the jet,” he shrugs as the whine of the electric motor starts up. “Her name is Opal. You’re going to love her.”
Chapter 10
OPAL
Ikeep one eye on my cell phone, checking it every few minutes. I would hate to miss another text message from Irving, or, God forbid, from Veronica, this afternoon.
Just to be sure I am up to speed, I quickly read the investor proposal that Veronica forwarded to me, as well as a bunch of research on everything that is referenced in the document. During the meeting it sounded like a real estate deal, but from the proposal, it is much, much more than that.
The rough outlines sound like Cal is trying to build a sort of weatherproof compound in the Florida Keys, which are definitely not weatherproof in general. The Keys themselves are low-lying islands, and multiple hurricanes churn through this corridor every year. With the hurricanes increasing in severity as the ocean temperatures increase, most people think that the Keys are in a lot of jeopardy.
Cal’s presentation—actually, I just found out his name is Calvin—covers all of these eventualities in great detail. There are innovations in building and water reclamation, as well as communications and renewable energy production. In fact, it almost seems like the island is prepared to be completely self-sufficient, to the point where if things got really bad, it could practically be wrapped up in a shell and moved somewhere else entirely.
Or shot into space,I joke silently.
I shouldn’t even think about that. If I say it out loud, Irving will want to do it.
The image of him flickers through my mind, peppering my body with pinging ricochets of electric shocks. His behavior today really took me aback. I couldn’t believe he was kidding with me. And then, I couldn’t believe he actually admitted it. He seemed to enjoy my nervousness, to almost toy with me in a way that I would interpret as flirty from anyone else.
He drew me into the project, practically forced it down Veronica’s throat. Any other team member would have been thrilled beyond belief to be included. Why me?
Actually, I probably know the answer to that question. It’s probably the scholarship. Or maybe even the internship? I rack my brains, trying to remember when the expiration date was up for this project. I know it wasn’t supposed to last forever. Is he trying to find out if he has been getting his money’s worth?
Wait.
Am I being fired?
Horror grips me. I hadn’t even thought about it. I’ve just been skipping along, staying under the radar all this time. I should have known that I was on virtual probation, expected to outperform everyone else because I basically came in with a debt.
And have I done anything to repay it? Anything at all?
I have been so focused on not drawing attention to myself and my obvious inadequacy compared to every other person in this office, that I probably made myself look utterly incompetent. The truth is I could have been participating a whole lot more.
I mean, there is no real penalty for failure here. Sometimes people say stupid things—even thesmartestpeople say stupid things. I would have been allowed to say a stupid thing every once in a while.
Instead, I didn’t really say anything.
Oh no. Oh, no no no no no.
When my phone begins to vibrate, it practically scares the life out of me. I grab it right away and pull it to my ear.
“Hello? Good morning… I mean, hi. Mr. Galloway. Hello. What can I do for you?”
“Irving is fine,” comes his voice.
Hearing him so close to me, right into my ear, sends a shiver down my spine.
“Irving,” I correct myself nervously. “How can I help?”
“We’ve run into a bit of a situation here,” he sighs. “Can you come down for a few days?”
“Can I…” My heart stops, so I can’t respond for a couple of moments.
“Just get a bag packed,” he continues breezily, unaware that I have gone into cardiac arrest. “Have a car take you to the airfield. Ask Marty if you have any questions. He knows all the details on that sort of thing.”