The worst part is that Marion seems oblivious. An uneasy feeling starts in my gut, but it’s too late to change my mind about the job. I already declined all the other interviews I had lined up, and I have to have medical for all my prenatal stuff—not to mention when the baby finally comes.
Marion finally shows me into HR, which is tucked in the back. We walk into the director’s office.
“Hi, I’m Heather. Nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Heather. I’m Amy.”
“Welcome to the Blaire Group. We’re so happy to have you here.” The words roll from her mouth smoothly and perfunctorily, like she’s rehearsed them hundreds of times. “Marion’s incredibly excited.” Her gaze flicks to Marion with a hint of derision, then back to me.
He laughs, apparently missing the disdain in her eyes. And she specifically said, “Marion’s incredibly excited,” as though she herself couldn’t care less. I note she hasn’t offered me or Marion a seat, making us stand when she has three empty chairs on the other side of her desk.
His phone pings. “Excuse me. I need to take this call.” Marion walks off, leaving me with Heather.
“Do you have any questions?” she asks with a polite smile that says she’s busy.
“Actually, I do. Could I have a copy of your maternity leave policy? It was missing in the packet I received with my offer.”
Her eyebrow arches. “Are you starting family soon?”
“Well. I want to be prepared.”
“It’s on the intranet. We’re paperless for things like that. But I wouldn’t worry too much about taking a few weeks off.”
“You’re very flexible,” I say, surprised.
“Well. It isn’t hard to be flexible in certain cases.”
There it is again. Sarcasm and judgment.
Enough is enough. I don’t have time for bullshit or intraoffice drama. “If this is supposed to be a prank, it honestly isn’t funny.”
Genuine confusion pushes out the sarcasm and judgment. “What do you mean?”
“You and a bunch of people in the office have been acting strange around me,” I say. “I find it off-putting.”
She frowns. “Nobody ever asked about it before.”
I cross my arms. “Maybe they were more tolerant of unjustified censure. I’m not.”
“It’s just…” She sighs, betraying her discomfiture. “Well. Marion’s excited.”
“You told me that already.”
“We aren’t.”
Who is this “we,” and what the hell is this about? My colleagues and I have never had any strong feelings about hiring decisions at GrantEm, unless the new hire turns to be a mistake. But none of the people here had a chance to work with me or get to know me, so that can’t be it.
“How come?” I ask.
She sighs softly, then speaks matter-of-factly. “Because when you’re busy and you know your new colleague isn’t going to pull her weight, it’s bound to be irritating. And usually, I’m the one who has to step in and mediate the conflict that arises from such situations.”
“What a— That’s ridiculous! None of you know me well enough to decide that.”
She shrugs. “We know Marion hired you.”
“Just because he might’ve made a few hiring mistakes before—”
“From GrantEm Capital,” she says. “Look. You only need to stay here long enough to put in the time to keep your signing and relocation bonuses. I’m sure you can pull that off. Now, I need to get back to my real work. If you tell Marion any of this, I’ll deny it, so don’t even think about it.” She gives me a