34
ALICE
Alice knew Julia would be gone. And yet when Monday came and Julia wasn’t in her office, there was still a part of Alice that thought Julia was just home with a cold, or maybe away, in Aspen or Kauai. She made multiple trips to the fourth floor: Nicole sitting at her desk, typing with perfect posture, and for a bizarre moment Alice wondered if Julia had existed at all.
This strangeness was highlighted by Pierre’s return on the day after. Normally Alice was unaware of Pierre’s movements, tech support not being executive stomping grounds, but he was obvious as he strolled the floor, security trailing. ‘You’re the third team I’m going to be adding,’ Pierre said, hands in pockets. ‘Because I don’t want burnout. Coverage for the coverage and all that. I expect everyone to make obser
