The voice in Jim's head said, DO IT NOW.
He reached into his pocket - and found his room key.
Panic surged through his whole body.
"Are you alright?"
His mind reeled. Did it fall onto the floor of the car while he was driving? Did he lose it while they were walking from the hotel? Suddenly, he remembered: you changed clothes before you left. The panic stopped. But he knew he wouldn't be completely at ease until he was back in Scranton and looking through the pockets of the pants that were sprawled across his bed.
"Oh. Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I just remembered something I forgot to do back home. I'm sorry."
Her expression went from worried to sad. His throat fell into his stomach. The voice in his head got stuck in an endless loop: idiot, idiot, idiot ...
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she said to herself, as they walked to the corner to hail a cab.
* * *
Jim and Pam were all awkwardness as they entered the ESPN Zone.
"Hey!" Ryan yelled, arms outstretched. He hugged Pam a little too long. Behind him was Michael, who leaned in for his hug, only for Pam to give him the Heisman.
"Isn't this cool?" Ryan enthused, gesturing at the room around him. "What a great idea for a party! This is cutting edge!"
"So who invited the whole Scranton branch?"
There was David Wallace. He slapped Jim on the back and asked, "How are you doing?" Pam thought she detected concern in his voice. She looked at Jim curiously.
"I'm doing great. Thanks for asking. Pam Beesly, meet David Wallace."
"So this is the famous Pam! The hardest working woman in show business."
"Michael keeps us all busy," she replied modestly.
David gestured toward a younger man behind him. "Michael, this is our intern, Luke. I told him I'd get him some face time with a legendary salesman. Somebody who can show him how the world really works. Would you spare him a few minutes? It would be a real favor to me."
Michael bowed his head. In his best Darth Vader impression, he said, "As you wish." In a voice that was more Grover than Yoda, he warbled: "Begin we will, your Jedi training." He led the intern toward the bar.
"Nice," marveled Ryan. "Way to get rid of Michael AND the intern."
David shrugged. Jim grinned. "You were a temp once too, you know." He turned toward David. "Did Ryan ever tell you about the time he left the pita pocket in the - "
Pam shot Jim a warning look: what are you doing? Then she interrupted him: "Excuse me. "I'm going to get something to eat and see if I can find Grace. It was nice meeting you, David."
Ryan checked her out as she walked off. "You and Pam seem a little tense tonight. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. We're fine," said Jim.
Ryan was still eyeing her. "I always liked Pam. She had a crush on me once. So everything's good between you two?"
What the hell? thought Jim.
"It's going great."
"Just checking."
"So, Jim," said David, "Tell me what Scranton thinks of the new web site."
Jim was grateful for the change of subject. "Dwight thinks it's man against machine. Like John Henry. He challenged it to a duel and outsold it on launch day."
"What do you think?"
"I think it'll be cheaper to sell to customers online. But I think it'll be harder to keep them. A salesman builds a relationship that you can draw on. You can build loyalty. Pitch new products. Increase demand."
"You do that through email," protested Ryan. "It's called viral marketing."
"Really?" said Jim. "I thought it was called spam." He immediately regretted the crack. Then he remembered how Ryan looked at Pam, and decided he didn't anymore.
"If you're selling online, then it becomes all about price. They'll just buy from Staples. It's all the same to them."
Ryan was now glowering. "They WILL buy from Staples unless we start working smarter. And harder." He emphasized the last two words.
David seemed to ignore Ryan. "So what do we do about that?"
"I'd take a close look at the numbers. Track sales through the site and through the branches. Compare the repeat customer rates. That'll tell you if you have a problem."
Ryan folded his arms. "That's great, Jim. We appreciate the advice. Now, where'd you go to business school?"
* * *
Pam stood at the buffet line. What the heck, she thought. It's Christmas. It's the company's money. And I'm hungry. She put back the carrots, pita bread and cheese she had just taken. She replaced it with a small pile of chicken tenders and a good dollop of ranch dressing.
She was debating whether to take one more piece of chicken when she saw Karen Filippelli standing next to her.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Many perils await our favorite couple in the Big Apple: Michael, Ryan, Karen ... and a good helping of angst.
Chapter End Notes:
As always, reviews are welcome. And as before, no rights asserted, no infringement intended. Thanks for reading!
