The Face Behind The Mask

6

Riding the elevator down from the 4th level of the parking garage, Skyden wondered who all the cars belonged to. More than half of the pre-COVID downtown working population were now remote workers. Another quarter were never returning following the pandemic shutdown. They'd discovered new opportunities or threw up their hands, said 'screw this,' and left the workforce. So who were all these drivers clogging the highways and filling up the parking garages?

Skyden wove her way through light pedestrian traffic, crossed the street, and entered the building where the agency was located. A team of window washers locked their scaffolding at the second floor and went to work soaping the glass.

Skyden trotted across the lobby, showed her badge to the security officer who acknowledged her with a friendly nod, and then made for the elevators.

She got off on the third floor, came through the glass doors, and, as she walked past the conference room, she noticed a meeting already in progress.

Lori intercepted her before she reached her cubicle.

In a loud whisper, Skyden asked, "Is that Tony's group in there?" Lori nodded. "And Grayson?" Lori nodded again with a sympathetic expression.

"They're in awfully early."

"Yeah, it was a last-minute emergency. You know Tony. And FYI - The 2 o'clock with the design team is pushed to 3."

"Got it."

"Stop by my office when you get a minute."

Grayson poked his head out of the conference room. "Sky! Hey, Skyden."

She brushed by Lori and hustled in the opposite direction, taking refuge in the Ladies' Room. She washed her hands in the sink and was startled when Grayson entered.

She bristled. "This is the Ladies' room."

He made a feeble attempt at a joke. "If a lady comes in, I'll go. I mean if another lady comes in."

She tore a sheet of paper from the dispenser and dried her hands, and then attempted to push past. He blocked her path.

"What is wrong with you?" she said.

"Me? What's wrong with you?"

She threw her shoulders back not allowing him the satisfaction of making her feel vulnerable and small. "This is creepy. Beyond creepy."

He didn't reply.

"I'm a married woman."

"I'm a married man."

"A happily married woman."

"A happily married woman doesn't make out with–"

"You are seriously delusional. You trying to kiss me doesn't constitute making out."

"So that's what you think happened."

"That's exactly what happened."

"You're not going to blame it on the cocktails, are you?"

"I wasn't drunk. You were." Before he could respond, she added, "Get out of here right now or I'm reporting this."

"Really? We're doing this?"

Peyton opened the door and stopped when she saw Grayson. "Oops." Grayson slipped out of the bathroom. Embarrassed, Peyton lowered her eyes and exited.

Lori entered. "Sky. Did I just see Grayson coming out–"

"I know that Tony is a major account. I get that. If he didn't mean so much to this agency I would so be on the phone to the police right now."

"The police?! Are you okay?"

"No. Actually, I'm very much not okay. I'm gonna take a half day."

"Yeah. Sure. Okay."

"I'll be back for the three o'clock." She glanced in the mirror and noticed that every drop of color had faded from her complexion.

........

When she stepped off the elevator at 2:45, Peyton was waiting for her in the lobby. She greeted Skyden with, "They're gone" and added a soft smile.

"All of them?"

Peyton nodded. She escorted Skyden down the hall past the empty conference room. "We all knew Grayson was super handsy but I mean..."

"Apparently, he doesn't think boundaries apply to him." Skyden found a space for her shoulder bag, lowered herself into her chair, and then opened her laptop.

"Lori told him he needed to leave." Skyden raised her eyebrows. "He tried joking his way out of it, but she wasn't having it." Peyton looked up. "Here she comes."

"Sky." Lori waved Skyden toward her. "Can we talk in my office?" Skyden made the short trip to Lori's office and closed the door.

"I had a talk with Tony," Lori said.

"How did that go?"

"Uncomfortable. He apologized but there was that tone, you know? Patronizing. The bro code. You girls are always making a big thing out of nothing." Her brown eyes met Skyden's then shifted back to her desktop.

Skyden sighed. "What the hell?"

"I've been fighting that battle my whole career."

"So where does the project stand?"

"I'm gonna let Josh take the lead." She lowered her voice. "Have you step back for the time being. You okay with that?"

Skyden shrugged. "Seems like a reasonable compromise."

"Hopefully, Tony and Grayson got the message and things will settle."

Skyden sat for a minute listening to the familiar sounds of her workplace on the other side of Lori's door before she said quietly, "I wouldn't count on that."