The red laser dot wavered against the projection screen, hovering just below the projected quarterly budget lines for our Midwest logistics expansion.
Mr. Henderson, our primary client from the Grand Rapids office, leaned forward, his gold-rimmed glasses catching the harsh fluorescent light of the Oak Creek boardroom.
“The third-quarter projection is off by nearly four percent, Avery,” he said, tapping his gold pen against a yellow legal pad.
I adjusted my grip on the plastic pointer, attempting to steady my wrist as I stared at the spreadsheet.
On the mahogany table, my phone buzzed, sliding an inch to the left against a stack of quarterly printouts.
I ignored the vibration, continuing to focus on the column of figures that represented six months of my life.
“We can easily adjust that margin if we source the packaging materials locally,” I said, keeping my voice level.
The screen of my phone lit up a second time, the name Scott scrolling across the display in a bright blue bar.
Then it buzzed a third time, a short, aggressive rattle that drew a brief glance from Sarah, the junior analyst sitting near the door.
A fourth vibration followed immediately, shaking the wooden surface of the table.
“If you look at section twelve,” I continued, though my eyes remained fixed on the persistent blue light of the phone.
The fifth call came in before the previous one had even cleared to my voicemail.
“Please excuse me for one moment,” I said, setting the laser pointer down beside my notebook.
I stepped out into the bright carpeted corridor, my heels clicking softly on the linoleum as the heavy oak door clicked shut behind me.
The hallway was empty, smelling faintly of floor wax and the citrus soap from the nearby restroom.
I pressed the phone to my ear, my left thumb immediately finding my silver wedding band and twisting it around my knuckle.
“Scott, I am in the middle of the Henderson presentation,” I said, keeping my voice in a low whisper.
“You need to go home, Avery,” Scott said, his voice coming through the receiver in a frantic, breathless rush.
