She Handed Her Boss A Sealed Resignation Letter, B…

The Riverside project data still requires analysis. The wetlands initiative is entering phase two. You know all of that.”

“I also know I submitted a formal resignation.”

He smiled faintly.

“Return to your desk. We’ll pretend this momentary lapse in judgment never happened.”

For a few seconds, I could hear only the low hum of the ventilation system and the muffled ring of someone’s desk phone outside his office. Then I nodded once.

Not because I agreed. Because something inside me had gone very still. That afternoon, I visited human resources.

Diane Brooks, the HR manager, sat across from me in a small conference room beside the employee break area. She was usually brisk and cheerful, with a neat bob haircut and a rotating collection of floral scarves. That day, she shuffled papers she did not need to shuffle.