blue eyes

Chapter 2

Zoe:
The rest of Zoe's week flew by in a blur of meetings and deadlines. Every time she let herself think that she'd finally made it at work, something happened to send her crashing back down.
Friday afternoon found her in the office of the senior editor, being interrogated because one of Zoe's manuscripts had been leaked.
"I just don't understand how this could have happened," Josh Graham said with his head in his hands. "Zoe, what were you thinking?"
"Mr. Graham," Zoe replied shakily. "I swear to you on all that is holy, coffee, Downtown Books, and the New York Times Bestseller list, that I didn't release Ashley's manuscript. I have never been on that website. I don't know how it works. And honestly, I think the story has good bones, but it's nowhere ready to be released anyway."
"So then, why was it out there for the world to see and judge?!"
Mr. Graham brought his fists down onto his desk with a bang. Zoe flinched and sank even deeper into her seat. Her fingers nervously fiddled with her ID badge, picking at one corner where the lamination was starting to peel up.
"Oh my god," Mr. Graham said, noticing Zoe's fidgeting. "You lost your ID this week."
Zoe's eyes darted up to meet Mr. Graham's. His dark brown eyes were bloodshot from the stress and starting to bug out.
"I bet that garbage person who found it leaked the manuscript."
"Brandon wouldn't do that," Zoe said reflexively.
"How can you possibly know that?"
"Well, umm," Zoe slowed her racing thoughts to form solid defenses. "I doubt he has a laptop with WiFi. The library wasn't open in the time that he had my ID. And he doesn't know my password anyway. All my ID would have given him is an ID number, but he wouldn't even have known where to use it."
Mr. Graham scowled at Zoe, then turned back to his computer screen and shook his head. Zoe's gaze returned to her lap. Her hands were clasped so tightly that her fingers had turned bright red, nearly purple. She relaxed her hands, stretching out her fingers, and rubbing her fingers together to redistribute that blood flow. Soon after, her fingers located the scar on the palm of her left hand. Tracing the outline of that scar usually helped to calm her down.
"Only 4 people actually read the whole thing," Mr. Graham said, finally breaking the silence. "But 250 found it and opened it before we got it taken down."
"It's not an easy read," Zoe replied tentatively. "It took me three days to read the manuscript and finish my notes for Ashley. The story is there, but bogged down in flowery descriptions and stilted dialogue."
"Now is not the time for you to degrade our authors, Ms. Fisher," his voice was cold. "We will get to the bottom of this and if we find that you had anything to do with it, you'll be out of here."
"Yes sir."
"Now, get out of my office."
Zoe wasted no time putting as much distance as she could between herself and Mr. Graham, finding herself outside on the street before she even took a breath. The smell of exhaust and street food grounded her back in her body. Autopilot brought her to her favorite food truck by the park. She couldn't tell if the churning in her stomach was nerves or hunger, but she waited in the line anyway.
"Thanks, Mac," Zoe said, just before shoveling some fries into her mouth.
As she chewed, Zoe turned and looked back up at her office building, then down at her watch. 11:45am might as well be lunch time, she thought, walking deeper into the park. She ate a few more fries as she walked, still lost in thought about how Ashley's stupid mermaids in space manuscript could have possibly gotten leaked.
Once she reached her favorite bench by the water, Zoe unwrapped her crab sandwich and took a bite. Her eyes closed in bliss. After a few deep breaths and a few more bites of her sandwich, Zoe felt like herself again. Mr. Graham sure had a way of making her feel like a child.
Before Zoe knew it, her sandwich was gone. The fries were close behind. With a sigh, she rose from her bench and stretched. Her arms and shoulders were so tight after a stressful week spend bent over her computer. She stood and walked over to the railing, taking a deep breath of the salty air.
"You're a good writer," Zoe told herself. "You're good at your job. You've gotten yourself this far. Keep going."
Zoe felt her pockets and realized that she didn't have her headphones. She scanned the waterfront until she found an empty dock, then started walking that way. As she climbed down the stairs onto the dock, she scrolled in the music on her phone until she found "Go the Distance" from Hercules. She hit play and tucked her phone into her jacket pocket.
"I have often dreamed of a far off place," Hercules sang, just loud enough for Zoe to hear. "Where a great warm welcome will be waiting for me."
Zoe hummed along as she walked past all the docked boats. Hercules was the only movie she had growing up, so she knew every word and the songs made her feel strong. As the chorus neared and the music swelled, Zoe felt a fire growing inside her. She ran to the edge of the dock and took a deep breath.
"I will find my way," Zoe sang loudly into the bay, suddenly not caring if anyone could hear. "I can go the distance. I will find my way if I can be strong."
A boat came in to dock just after the chorus, so Zoe resumed humming along. She checked her phone and had two missed calls and three text messages, all from Mr. Graham's assistant. With a sigh, she waved goodbye to the ocean and turn back towards the city.
"Done already? I was hoping for a full show."

Brandon:
Zoe's eyes flew up from her phone and found Brandon leaning casually on a pile, smiling at her. Her cheeks flushed immediately, but she smiled anyway.
"Oh god," Zoe said, her hands covering up her flaming cheeks. "How much did you hear?"
"You've got a great voice," Brandon replied, still smiling. "Lots of feeling, like you really meant it."
Zoe looked down and busied herself with straightening her already perfect coat and pants.
Do I make her nervous? Or is she just embarrassed that she got caught?
"Thanks," Zoe laughed. "I've been singing that song most of my life. And also other songs. Not just that one."
"Sure," Brandon said with a smirk. "You seem like a well-rounded human."
Zoe blushed again and stared meekly into Brandon's eyes.
Her eyes are so deep, but so closed off, Brandon thought. I could stare into them all day. Wait, what?
"Do you want to talk about whatever made you so upset?"
"S-sorry, I missed that," Zoe stammered, breaking eye contact and shaking her head a little.
"I said, 'Do you want to talk about whatever had you feeling that way?'"
"Oh, umm," Zoe hesitated. "Just work stuff. One of those days."
"Did you lose your ID again?"
"I wish," Zoe sighed. "Louis' bark is much louder than his bite."
"Hmm," Brandon pondered. "Someone else with an overinflated ego making you feel like crap."
"Pretty much," Zoe agreed, before frantically looking around.
"Relax, Hercules," Brandon said with a smile. "We're alone out here and I don't think the dock is bugged."
Zoe returned the smile. Brandon relished his ability to make her happy.
"I really should get back to work," Zoe said, gesturing towards the stairs to the waterfront.
Brandon took a step to the side to let her pass, then fell in step behind her. Two weeks ago, he never would have considered building a friendship with a strange woman, but here he was, unable to just walk away. At least Zoe didn't seem to mind.
The pair walked in a content, but slightly awkward silence up the dock and through the park. Zoe paused as they got to the edge of the park, then turned to face Brandon.
"How did you find me today?"
Brandon flinched, caught off guard by this sudden query.
"I was already in the park," he replied. "You walked right past me with your food. I waved, but you were way too in your head to notice me. You seemed upset and I wanted to ask if you were okay. I wasn't expecting the concert."
"Oh," Zoe said. "I'm fine. Or I will be."
"Okay," Brandon said, not sure if he believed her or not.
Zoe waved goodbye and turned to walk away, then stopped and slowly turned back around.
"I'm not asking this because I suspect you or anything," she started. "But you didn't use my ID to hack into my work accounts, did you?"
"Of course not!"
"I-I didn't think so," Zoe said, flinching a little at Brandon's tone. "I just—"
"So," Brandon huffed. "That's what you think of me, then?"
"No, I swear," Zoe pleaded. "There was a leak and when my boss was grilling me about it, he remembered that I lost my ID and made the accusation. I defended you!"
"I don't need your defense," Brandon said, his inner walls going back up. "I'm just fine on my own."
Brandon turned on his heel and marched away. He could hear Zoe calling after him, but he was too stubborn to turn around.
Damn women, they're all alike. Of course they poisoned her against you and she fell for it. Why did you think she was any different?
"Because she is different," Brandon said out loud, turning around and running back to where he left Zoe. He rounded the corner just in time to see her drop her shoulders and walk away.

Zoe:
Zoe stood watching Brandon disappear into the crowded street, unable to move until she lost sight of him. With a sigh, she turned and walked back to her building.
Why did you even bring it up? You sure ruined... whatever that was.
Zoe paused her inner scolding as her phone buzzed again.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
A text from Mr. Graham in all caps was never a good thing. Zoe picked up her pace and dictated a reply.
"Ran to get lunch. Almost to the elevator."
She flew through the lobby, ignoring waves from the security team, and got to the elevator just in time to throw her hand in the closing doors. As they opened, she wished she'd just waited for the next one.
"I'm surprised you're still here,"  Lara, Ashley's manager, said with a smirk, arms folded across her chest. "I figured you'd be fired after last night."
"I had nothing to do with the leak," Zoe said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. "I value my career too much to make a mistake like that."
"Oh make no mistakes, honey," Lara scoffed. "Ashley will have you blacklisted in this industry the second she finds out it was you. I'm sure that's why she called this meeting. She does love a good show."
Keep it cool, Zo. You did nothing wrong. They have no proof. You can't be fired for something you didn't do.
The elevator dinged and Lara swept into the corridor as soon as the doors opened. Zoe took a deep breath and followed a few steps behind. Suddenly someone grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into an empty conference room.
"Thank god I found you first," Mr. Graham's assistant Rachel hissed. "Were you planning on marching in there with no defense?"
"I didn't even know what was happening in there until thirty seconds ago," Zoe whispered back. "And what defense do I have? My cranky cat who knows that I went to bed at 7pm like the grandma I am?"
"Would you shut up and listen to me?!"
"Geez, sorry," Zoe huffed.
"I had Eliot from the tech team do some digging," Rachel said, pulling out her phone. "She found the IP address for where the story was uploaded. It's somewhere uptown. And she also tracked your phone and saw that you were home all night and asleep when it happened."
"Damn, Eliot's good," Zoe breathed. "I hope I never get on her bad side."
Zoe's phone buzzed in her pocket.
"I just sent you the receipts," Rachel said. "But you didn't get them from me."
"But you just said—"
"Do you want to get us both fired?"
"No?"
"You shouldn't have to use them," Rachel hissed, clearly annoyed that Zoe wasn't reading her mind. "But you have proof that you're innocent, so just ride the truth until someone gives in. Got it?"
Zoe nodded shakily, not sure that she understood anything. Rachel shoved her back into the hallway.
"FISHER!"
Mr. Graham's roar made Zoe jump. She took off in a run, then slowed herself down to a brisk walk. Innocent people don't panic. She made herself take a deep breath just before she rounded the corner on the all glass conference room with her head held high.
"God, finally," Ashley said, rolling her eyes. "Are we waiting for anyone else?"
"My assistant was supposed to join us, but we don't have to wait," Mr. Graham said coolly.
"Time for some heads to roll," Ashley smirked, standing to her feet.
Poker face, Fisher. Don't let her get under your skin.
Zoe maintained a neutral expression and hoped that her heartbeat wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear. Ashley's eyes narrowed. She was clearly annoyed that Zoe seemed so calm.
"First, I want to know who pulled the plug on my story," Ashley said. "Was it you, Josh?"
"No, one of our search filters caught it and pinged someone on the tech team," Mr. Graham replied. "We have filters set for all of our authors to make sure your work is never stolen or copied and a team monitoring those filters at all times."
"I want that whole team fired," Ashley said.