Lori Borrill – Putting It to the Test (страница 4)

Separating the tree-lined park from the soggy marshlands to the east was a paved jogging path that supposedly stretched all the way to the small airfield a few miles away, though Bev and Carly never cared to see for themselves. Between the plantar fasciitis that ailed Bev’s feet and Carly’s general hatred of exercise, the two always opted for the short route, which involved cutting off the jogging path at the far end of the park and circling through the square, picking up something for lunch on the way back around.

“I don’t know.” Bev shrugged. “I suppose I’d consider you funny.”

“You suppose?” That didn’t sound convincing.

“Yeah, I suppose. I mean, you wouldn’t make my top-ten list of hilarious people, but you’ve had your moments.”

Carly frowned as Bev picked up her pace, her blond ponytail whipping like a pendulum once they crossed the street and started down the jogging path. Intent on losing the twenty pounds she’d gained since her wedding four years ago, Bev had more enthusiasm for their workouts, and Carly nearly had to break into a trot to keep up despite being five inches taller.

“Why are you asking me if you’re funny?”

“Because Matt Jacobs thinks I’m not.”

Bev eyed Carly inquisitively. “Since when do you care what he thinks?”

“I don’t. I was just taken aback when he said he didn’t think I was capable of making a joke.”

The mere thought added pep to Carly’s stride, irritation fueling an extra dose of adrenaline. Ever since Matt walked away from her cubicle this morning his comment had been stuck in her craw. “I can’t believe he thinks that,” she added.

“I can’t believe it matters to you. You’re fun, friendly, and everyone likes you. You don’t have to be the office comedian, too. Besides, it’s only his opinion.”

“So you’re saying he’s wrong. I am funny.”

Bev shrugged. “I’m saying, why the big fixation over Matt Jacobs and his opinion of you? Neil insults you all the time and you never bat an eyelash.”

“Because Neil’s always kidding. It’s just his way.”

And Neil wasn’t the iron-chested, dark and studly sex magnate that ruled her dreams every night.

“Maybe Matt was kidding, too,” offered Bev.

“He wasn’t.” Carly had played the conversation over in her mind a dozen times and remembered very specifically that he had not been kidding. He’d truly been shocked when she’d explained her joke about the survey.

And, of course, she also remembered the tiny flutters that had swept through her stomach when his shock transformed into pleasure. He’d almost seemed smitten with her, delighted to see a side of her he hadn’t expected, and for a fraction of a second her body had responded with joy.

Until his words had sunk in and quickly squashed the moment.

“Forget what Matt said, I’ve got something bigger to talk about.” Bev panted, her breath growing heavy as they followed the path along the edge of the marsh.

It had felt like a perfect spring day when they’d stepped out of the office, but now, in the high-noon sun, it was beginning to get warm. Carly noted with relief that they were only a short distance from where the path met up with the trees and the rest of their walk would be shaded.

“You’ve got scoops?” she asked.

“That compatibility survey they’re making us do for the Singles Inc. project.”

That got Carly’s attention. Could they have picked the winners already? She’d thought they had through the week to complete the surveys.

“Remember Patty, my friend at Singles Inc.?” Bev huffed.

“Yeah.”

“According to her, things aren’t exactly as we were told.” She glanced briefly behind them, then went on. “She heard one of the candidates had already been picked by Hall. This whole business about filling out the compatibility surveys is only to find out who’s going to be on the project with him.”

“Him?”

Bev tipped her sunglasses and flashed a blue-eyed glance at Carly. “Yeah, he’s got the man picked out. Which means all the other men on staff filling out the surveys are just wasting their time. Their surveys won’t even be considered, only the women’s.”

Carly shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

“The whole thing is a ruse, Carly. Hall’s not looking for the two most compatible designers on staff, he’s looking for the woman who most closely matches the man he’s chosen for the job.”

As Bev’s words sunk in, an angry pool formed in Carly’s stomach. “Don’t tell me who the man is.”

Bev nodded.

“You’re sure it’s Matt?”

“Positive.”

Steam filled Carly’s veins until she recalled her confrontation with Matt that morning and her anger turned to dread. She’d been so cocky about him having to fill out the survey to get the job, had accused him of trying to cheat even. And all the time Hall had already lined him up for the project.

She slowed her pace and sighed. How long would she continue to make a fool of herself in front of that man? It was bad enough infatuation turned her into a babbling idiot whenever he was around. Now the one moment she’d held her wits long enough to tell him off, she’d ended up being wrong about the whole thing.

It was too humiliating to consider.

“Does he know?”

“I don’t think so. Patty told me they were keeping it really close to the cuff. Only she, her boss and one analyst there are aware of Hall’s instructions on how to tally the surveys. In fact, now that I’ve told you, I’ve been ordered to kill you.”

Carly would have laughed if she wasn’t so dumbfounded, not certain whether she should wallow in embarrassment over popping off to Matt when she was the one with egg on her face or ire that once again he was being handed the big job.

Ire was winning by a nose.

“So all the surveys are for nothing?”

“All the men’s surveys. The women’s are legitimately being used to match against Matt’s.”

“I can’t believe it,” Carly fumed. She placed her hands on her hips and slowed down to a stroll. “Matt’s walking away with another top project again.”

“Matt and whoever strikes the closest match to his survey.”

She stared out over the grassy lawn. The warm day had brought a crowd out from under the fluorescent canopies to enjoy lunch at the tables or hold an outdoor meeting. It was the first sign of spring, normally Carly’s favorite time of year, but today even the good weather wasn’t enough to hold up her spirit.

“Why do they think he’s so great?” she asked. “So he’s got, like, double master’s degrees. Big deal. He’s arrogant and flippant and not the least bit interested in sharing that wealth of talent with anyone else on the team. Why they keep raising the man to the level of he-god, I’ll never know.”

“He-god?”

Carly frowned. “You know what I mean. He doesn’t deserve the constant accolades. There’s a lot more to being a company asset than good Web design.”

“True,” Bev agreed, stepping over to a park bench and plopping down for a rest. “Though he’s got a few assets someone’s company would enjoy.” She smiled as Carly sat down next to her. “You ever noticed him on casual Fridays? Man, does he have a butt for a pair of jeans.”

Noticed? Carly had studied that butt so many times she could pick it out of a lineup. But this wasn’t where she wanted the conversation to go. Matt Jacobs had had enough of her attention over the last two years. If there was ever a day to squelch it, today would be it.

“He used to play pro baseball, you know,” Bev added. “Can you imagine that ass in a pair of those tight-knit baseball pants?”

The Anaheim Nationals, two years in their AA league before he’d been “cut loose,” as Adam had put it. He hadn’t said much more than that, just enough to feed a few steamy images of Matt in a uniform—and then out of it.

She shook off the thought, annoyed that she could be so easily pulled off track. This conversation wasn’t about Matt’s assets but how he’d become her personal liability. If this latest move by Mr. Hall wasn’t enough to permanently exorcise her lust for that man, she seriously needed to consider psychotherapy.

“Can we get back to the subject, please? We’re talking about Singles Inc. and who deserves that job. Mr. Hall lied to all of us. This project was supposed to be a fair game.”

Bev blew out a sympathetic sigh. “I know, but in retrospect, none of this surprises me. It’s our biggest account. There’s no way Hall was going to let the project randomly go to two people on the staff. He needed one person in there as his anchor to make sure the job ran smoothly.”

“And that anchor couldn’t have been me?”

“Carly, they love your work. You and Matt are the two top designers on staff. They still consider you one of the best.”

“They did before Matt came along. Now who knows what they think? I haven’t had a challenging project in over a year. It’s just the same old stuff, info screens without any user interactivity. How am I supposed to keep up my programming skills if I’m just putting graphics and text on pages?”

This job was not working out as she’d planned. She wasn’t supposed to have hit a glass ceiling at the age of twenty-six. She was supposed to be on her way up the ladder, making the steady climb to bigger jobs and a bigger salary. Granted, she hadn’t expected to spend her life working for Hall, but she’d thought as new opportunities opened up she’d continue to be in the running. But since Matt had come on board, her career seemed to have come to a screeching halt, and if she wanted to keep progressing, maybe it was time to accept the fact that she’d have to do it somewhere else.