Baron's new boss had promised to keep Wendy informed of any issues.
Based on Baron's performance over the last two weeks, Wendy was starting to feel a bit more at ease.
The friends chatted for over four hours before they all went their separate ways.
The next day, Wendy had a video call with Baron and learned that he had called in sick to work with a cold.
Wendy's first thought was: "Is he faking it?"
He had a history of faking illnesses to stay home and play video games. He had once pretended to be sick for a month straight, which ultimately got him fired.
Pretending to be sick was second nature to Baron, so Wendy couldn't help but be suspicious.
She hoped she was wrong.
After work, it suddenly started to rain.
Wendy didn't have an umbrella, but the subway station was just across the street. She put her purse over her head, ready to make a dash for it.
Just then, a Volkswagen pulled up in front of her. The man in the driver's seat rolled down the window and leaned out.
"Ms. Clifford, heading home?"
She turned to see Finch, the manager of the project department at her company.
"Manager Finch," Wendy said, quickly greeting him.
Finch gestured to the car. "Get in, I'll give you a ride. This rain isn't going to let up anytime soon."
"Oh, thank you, but that's alright. I can just take the subway," Wendy replied, quickly declining the offer. They weren't close, and she barely ever spoke to him. She couldn't possibly accept a ride from him.
Finch seemed to ignore her refusal. He opened his door, popped open an umbrella, and held it over Wendy's head.
"Don't be a stranger. We're colleagues, we should look out for each other. I heard there's a storm coming. Get in, get in."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Abandoned by All I Took It All Back