Chapter 2

2

C ouldn’t this meeting have just been an email? Jenny wondered to herself, sipping on her coffee that did not contain nearly enough caffeine to get her through this.

So far, it had been nothing but the usual protocols and general practices, updating on the latest techniques and safety regulations that they, here at Oakwood Pharmaceuticals, had in place.

“Seriously what is this?” Joy Schaefer whispered to Jenny at the meeting. “None of this is new information.”

Jenny nodded and fluffed her hair around her face. Partially to block her eyes from being seen, when they she closed them. The movement also kept her somewhat awake. Or at least fidgeting. “This would be the perfect time for a hologram, you know,” she whispered back.

“No kidding. Maybe the aliens will help us out with that.”

Jenny smiled. “That would be nice.”

“You ladies have something to add?” Emilio Lopez asked from the front of the room.

Jenny and Joy shifted in their seats, Joy sinking down a bit.

“Just wondering if the aliens have any new tech that we’re going to bring into our workflow,” Jenny said.

Mostly true, anyway.

“As a matter of fact, they are part of the reason I am having this meeting.”

Jenny perked up.

As did Joy and several others in the meeting.

“As most of you know, the universe has gotten a whole lot bigger in the last few years, as we see out the windows every day.” Emilio gestured to The Bridge, barely visible through the conference room window. “We, here at Oakwood, want to facilitate as much of that growth as possible.”

“Are we, uh, going to work with the aliens?” Another employee asked from the other side of the room.

“We are in discussions to work with the government programs, and see if we can get representatives to The Bridge to foster?—”

“So we’re going to be sending people to that thing?” Joy asked.

“Only if approved,” Emilio replied. “And only those who have excellent scorecards with the company.”

There was a shift in the room, the mood turning.

Of course, it was about the scorecards. Everything with Oakwood was about the company scorecards.

“Whelp, I’m out,” Joy muttered.

She wasn’t the only person who said such a thing, either. Around the room, quite a few people looked dejected, since their personal scorecards were not in the top percentages of the company.

Murmurs immediately started, and Emilio tried to get everyone in the room to listen further, but the frustration dominated the conversations.

“What about you?” Joy asked.

Jenny shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t look at it.”

Joy blinked. “You don’t?”

Jenny shook her head. “He always says I’m doing fine, so I don’t worry about it.” The last time she’d had a review, Emilio had said she was getting a raise. That was all she really paid attention to.

While she made a point of doing her job as correctly as possible—coming in on time, completing work in a timely fashion, cleaning her area when work finished—she didn’t really care about the scorecard.

If she watched it regularly, she would only obsess about it not being perfect. It happened in her previous job—she spent so much time obsessing over her company scorecard that she was making mistakes in her job, and it wound up getting her fired.

Here, she didn’t touch it, only asked that her boss let her know if there were any issues. As long as she was where she needed to be, then she was fine with it.

Maybe she should. The idea that she could get aboard The Bridge because of it? That would be worth obsessing over.

It would be better than obsessing over whether Phil was outside, stalking her again.

No matter how much she did, it seemed like he was around. She’d block his number, and he’d find a different way to reach her. She even found a note on her front door the other day.

She’d climb the damn Bridge herself, offer herself in tribute or something, just to get away from him.

Regardless of the police reports, nothing seemed to stick. He was always on the edge of being legal, which was maddening.

“Maybe I need to, see if I’m even on the level to ask to be put on that program.”

“Good luck. You should be.”

“Jenny, come in here,” Emilio Lopez called to Jenny as she walked by his office.

She paused and clenched her coffee cup—her lifeline since Phil had started his relentless stalking.

It didn’t matter what she did, or how she reached out to the police. If he was around, he was gone before they showed up.

Almost like he’d bugged her phone or something. Yet she didn’t want to get rid of it, because all her evidence was on the phone.

She took another sip of her coffee, forcing a smile on her face, and stepped into the office. “Hi, did you need something?”

He gestured for her to sit down, and walked over to the door, closing it behind her. “Just wanted to have a few words with you.”

Her shoulders slumped.

She’d probably screwed something up recently.

That’ll screw up her chances to get on The Bridge team.

Between Phil’s stalking texts that were still technically legal since he’d not actually threatened her, and Mister Fluffikins yowling all night because she won’t let him out anymore, sleep was very lacking.

Mister Fluffikins never liked this time of year, because she kept him in as it got colder, anyway. But now, she worried Phil would try to ambush her on the balcony, or worse, hurt Mister Fluffikins. Which she couldn’t really explain to Mr. F. He just thought he was being horribly mistreated.

And took it out by screaming the song of his people every night.

“Sure, boss. What can I do for you?” Jenny asked, smiling. Though she knew it probably didn’t reach her tired eyes.

He sat down behind his desk. “Truly, I was more curious about what I can do for you.”

“In what way?” Jenny asked.

Crap, what had she done wrong? Did she mess something up, and not even know it?

“You’re tired,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “I can see it on your face. The way you do things. I was curious if you’re okay.”

She forced a smile onto her face. “I’m sorry, I’ll do better.”

“This isn’t a reprimand, Jenny. I mean it when I ask, is there anything I can do for you? You haven’t been yourself for the last couple of weeks.”

“I’m just not sleeping. My cat is keeping me up at night. He’s mad that I won’t let him out since it’s getting colder.”

Emilio nodded. “They like to go out, don’t they?”

“Yes. He loves to go out and bring me his hunt.”

“Maybe some earplugs would help with the noise? Help you get some sleep?”

“Maybe,” she said, wanting to get out of the room. While she appreciated her boss’s concern, she wasn’t about to dump on him the real reason she wasn’t sleeping.

And earplugs wouldn’t help.

If anything, it would make it worse—any little noise has her on edge all night, fearful that Phil might be up to something.

Her gaze darted around the office. Pictures hung around the room—his family, company artwork from projects Emilio had worked on and other signs he’d been in that office for a long time.

He’d been her boss since she started here.

“Jenny?”

She met his gaze. “Yes?”

“I have known you a while. I don’t think it’s your cat that’s keeping you up.”

“It’s okay, it’s not anything?—”

“Please. If there’s anything I can do to help you.”

She forced a smile on her face for a second. “Moving to Mars would be helpful.”

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t have a ship to Mars, but if you’re ready to get off this world for a bit, I might be able to help you.” His gaze darted to the window.

She looked as well.

At The Bridge. A flutter started in her stomach.

A tremor, really.

To go up on that? She couldn’t believe it.

She looked back at Emilio. “Really?”

“They want a bioengineer with genetic skills, and you were the first one that came to mind.”

She blinked. “I, uh… I would live there?”

“Temporarily, of course. But it’s starting in a couple of days.”

“For how long?”

“Just a few weeks. I know the holidays are coming up, and if you’re not interested in being away from family this time?—”

“I’ll do it,” Jenny said.