“Oh good, you know his name.” James tips his chin and stares down his stubby nose at me. “Graeme has experience in the digital marketing arena, and he’s done a bang-up job for us on social media over the past year. He’s a strong candidate.”

“But he lives in… Michigan. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to fill the position with someone from Seattle?”

I hate how halting and unsure my voice has become.

James waves dismissively. “We’ll relocate him.”

All I can do is stare at the swirling yellow-and-gold pattern of his tie. I’ve been with the company for three years to Graeme’s one. And I’ve done more than a bang-up job in many more arenas than simply social media, digital marketing included.

And the whole “we’ll relocate him.” We will relocate him. Will. Future tense, definite. My lungs seize. He’s going to get the job. I can feel it down to my glitter-painted toes. He’s a man, he can banter with James about sports, and his reputation as a standout all started with stealing credit for my viral monkey video—of course James will pick him. All the talking points I’ve so carefully crafted about my candidacy crumble into dust on my tongue.

James rises from his seat, all five and a half feet of him. If I stood up right now, I’d have a full two inches on him in my heels. Tugging his pants up by the belt, he saunters around his desk and perches on the edge, one shiny brown loafer dangling.

“You’re a good kid, Henley,” he says, leaning forward to pat my bare knee. I shift automatically to cross my legs away from him. Lips thinning, he withdraws his hand. “You’ve been a good sport over the years and you’ve done top-notch work for us too. Everyone recognizes that. So we want to give you a swinging chance at this.”

“Well, isn’t that sporting of you,” I say through a tight smile, trying not to choke on the condescension.

A muffled noise sounds from the desk. I furrow my eyebrows. Was that… ? I stare at the telephone. No, it couldn’t be. Allowing someone to listen in on speakerphone unannounced would be low, even for James.

Sliding to his feet, he resumes his seat behind the desk. “As part of the selection process, we’re sending you and Graeme aboard Discovery next month for a cruise.” Discovery is our ship that sails the Galápagos Islands year-round. “I was surprised to learn that neither of you has been on one of our ships before.”

“I toured Golden Dawn when it was in port last spring—” I begin.

“But you’ve never actually been on one of our cruises for a full voyage, correct?”

“Well, with my workload—”