Quitting the Boss by Ann Victor Page A

smelly diapers, you have to hold my hair when I hurl.”
    “Can I stay with you?” Carly sighed, turning to Jenna.
    “I’ve got room,” Cash interjected.
    Carly laughed at Cash’s offer. “I’m sure you don’t want me and Abigail cramping your style.”
    “You wouldn’t be cramping and I won’t drink myself into oblivion. Even if I did, look, no hair to hold.”
    Carly laughed again. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    Jenna noted the only PM who hadn’t joined their huddle was Serenity. “You’d think she’d be happy I’m leaving,” Jenna said under her breath.
    “Who?” Jalen asked.
    “Serenity,” Elisa offered. “She hates Jenna.”
    “What’d you do to her?” Jalen asked as if it was obvious Jenna was at fault.
    “Hell if I know,” she shrugged. Jalen had more of a reason to dislike Jenna than Serenity did, but for some reason, the woman had always disliked her. Jenna chalked it up to conflicting personalities. Serenity wasn’t a very effective project manager and with her cold personality, she was difficult to work with.
    “Speaking of hell,” Jalen said, nodding toward the door, “Alec just walked in.”
    Jenna tried not to let her head spin around as if it was on a magnetic spindle drawn to his presence. Instead, she turned slowly.
    Any relief she might have felt at him coming to her send off party was quickly crushed when she saw the scowl on his face. Without even offering a nod, he took up residence at the bar with Gavin and a couple of the project coordinators who were probably talking baseball.
    “He looks pissed,” Cash pointed out.
    “Go find out what’s going on,” Elisa insisted, elbowing Jenna in the arm. “You’re the only one who isn’t afraid of him.”
    “I’m not afraid of him,” Jalen and Cash said in harmony.
    Carly and Elisa both snickered.
    “I’m sure if Alec wants us to know what’s going on, he’ll tell us,” Jenna offered. No way was she going to ask him here. She wanted to talk to him, but any conversation between them would either be brutally cordial or too heated for an audience.
    “I bet he got dumped,” Jalen said, a smirk lifting one side of his mouth. “You all say all the time that life is good when he’s getting laid and it’s hell when he’s not. I say he got dumped.”
    “I wonder who the mystery woman is,” Elisa cooed, always eager for gossip.
    Time for a drink, Jenna thought, not wanting to speculate or let her urge to strangle Jalen steer her down a road she was better off avoiding. She signaled to the waitress and held up her glass.
    Jenna didn’t normally drink, but this was supposed to be a celebration and she didn’t really mind having the alcohol numb her a little. Unfortunately, with only one margarita consumed, she hadn’t quite achieved the numbing sensation yet.
    Without making it obvious, Jenna kept track of Alec, grateful for the gift of wide peripheral vision. He was dressed casual in jeans and a baseball jersey. He lingered at the bar, sparing her a glance every now and then, but the scowl never faded. She had no idea what to expect from him tonight, but she didn’t think he could avoid his team forever.
    Finally, when her second margarita was half gone and the conversation had turned to a debate between Elisa and Cash on who could offer the best temporary accommodations to Carly and Abigail, Alec and Gavin made their way across the room.
    “I think a toast is in order,” Gavin offered.
    The group cheered in agreement. Jenna made eye contact with Alec for only a second, but she was well aware his gaze was trained on her.
    “I’ll let Alec speak to her contributions to the software development team, but I can say without any doubt the program department is gaining a tremendous new director of training.”
    Another round of cheers.
    “Jenna will do a tremendous job for the company as the director of training,” Alec added, patting Gavin on the shoulder. “She will most certainly be missed in software