Going Nowhere (A Romantic Comedy Novella) Read Online Free

opener on her desk and mimed slitting her throat with it.
    “Are you still there, April?”
    “Yes. I’ll bring the yellow highlighter in immediately.”
    “And get rid of all those other damn colors! I don’t need the stress.”
    I laughed as quietly as I could while April opened a drawer and took out the yellow highlighter.
    “I’ll be right back,” she said.
    I watched her go into Sam’s office and wished Mr. Goldblum was more approachable, more open to giving me an opportunity to show my worth. I’d never even been given a chance.
    April quickly returned, being careful to shut Sam’s door. She looked at me and said, “I hate to say I told you so.”
    “No, you don’t. You love to say I told you so.”
    She shrugged. “True.”
    I looked past her, at Sam’s office door. “So you think I’m not going to get a partnership because I don’t know how to suck up.”
    She nodded. “I’m sure of it. The Suck Up Factor. Trademarked.”
    “It is not.”
    “Who did Max say was on the short list?”
    “Zoe and Timmy,” I answered in pouty toddler voice.
    “The biggest ass-kissers of them all! Zoe laughs at everyone’s jokes, no matter how stupid, and she bakes a cake whenever a partner has a birthday. Timmy brings Sam a venti white mocha frappuccino every morning, because he knows Sam likes them.”
    “I wish he’d bring me one.”
    “Exactly. Wouldn’t you like him a lot more if he did that for you every day? The same thing happens with Sam. Sam looks fondly upon the kid because he goes out of his way. Puts in that extra effort. How else do you think people get glowing recommendations?”
    “Work ethic? Job performance?”
    April laughed loudly.
    My gaze darted around the office, wondering if she’d gotten anyone else’s attention. I looked at her, wrinkling my brow. “It’s not funny.”
    She patted my hand. “I’m sorry, Kate, but you have a lot to learn. You have to stop expecting people to reward you for your hard work. In fact, the better you perform as an associate, the more they’ll want to keep you there.”
    “What do you expect me to do, then?”
    She glared at me. “Suck up. Suck up. Suck up. It’s the only way.”
    I sighed. “Fine. Let’s pretend you’re right. How would you suggest I get started?”
    “Fine. Let me think about it.” April picked up a ballpoint pen and started to press the button on the end. Click, clack, click, clack . She stared into space and pressed the little metal nub at a rate of about 200 clicks per second.
    I grabbed the promotional Zoloft pen and held it above my head. “Your version of ‘thinking’ makes me want to kill myself.”
    “I can’t think straight without having something to occupy my hands. That’s probably why I get my best ideas when I’m touching‌—‌”
    The phone on her desk rang. She answered it then transferred the call to Sam. “What was I saying?”
    I shrugged. “Let’s move on. So what do you think I can do?”
    “Okay.” She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice. “I think you need to go straight to the source: Sam.”
    I checked my watch. I was two minutes away from being late. “I’ve tried that, but you know how he is. Very unapproachable. Won’t accept a meeting with anyone.”
    “Exactly. He’s unapproachable if you’re trying to schedule a meeting with him or do anything work related. If you could get closer to him on a more personal level...”
    I gnawed on one of my fingernails and stared at the marquee running across April’s computer screen. ‘I brake for sales.’ How wise.
    Then I looked down at my skirt again and had a grease spot epiphany. “What if there is a way I can get close to him without the distraction of work?”
    “How?”
    “I’ll go on that cruise he and Max are going on. Then he’ll have to notice me.”
    “It’s short notice. Can you get the time off?”
    “I think so. I haven’t taken a vacation in over a year.”
    April bounced in her chair. “I could come