“I know, I know. I’m late. But to be fair, you only had to wait an extra—” I check the time on my phone. “—forty-five minutes for dinner. Your water bowl is half-full and, even for a Maine Coone, you’re a few pounds overweight. So, no offense, but you can handle a little delay in your dinner.”
I swear she shoots me a look before walking ahead of me into the kitchen.
“I’m not trying to fat shame you. You know I’m all about body positivity here. I just mean to say that?—”
She turns back to hiss softly at me, her tail swooshing in the air as if to sayNo more excuses, human. Just feed me.
Heaving a sigh, I dump my things on the floor beside the door after locking it behind me and proceed to feed Ginger before even heading to the bathroom. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been dying to pee for the past three subway stops—I’d rather avoid death by cat at this point.
Once I’m settled, I dig into tonight’s dinner: a bag full of Valentine’s Day candy (it was a long day at work and the pink and red wall of two-for-one candy and chocolate at Walgreen’s seemed way too good to pass up).
It’s not like things have beenbadat work, but it’s been a lot, that’s for sure. Lena wasn’t joking around when she warned me the stakes had been raised with the Stevenson deal. Our client’s team had liked the preliminary designs so much that they’d increased their orders from five articles of clothing to nine, with a total of twenty SKUs. This meant we had to develop a full high-end and environmentally friendly collection, rather than the experimental pieces we had agreed to start with. Thisalsomeans that the client has gained a bit more negotiating power, which they used to press us for deeper discounts and shorter turn-around times. We want to impress them, to keep them as clients for next season, so everything has to go just right.
And while more products and a bigger line might seem like a completely wonderful development, our team wasn’t prepared to take on so much work. Each product requires development, tech pack creations which need to be sent to the factories, sample productions, and quality controls—all things that take time, energy, and money. On top of that, they require us to reserve more factory space than expected, which means having to move around lead times for other clients who don’t have as pressing delivery times as Stevenson. And this is all based only on projections. We haven’t even solidified a collection yet! Again, it’s a beautiful dance, but it takes a lot of coordination, and I just need a shot of dopamine in the form of sugar—and the cheap bottle of wine I splurged on when I stopped by a liquor store on my way home.
The entire thing has been an incredible learning experience, where I’ve been absorbing every possible thing I can from working with Lena. It’s taught me that, despite her abrasive personality, she’s incredible. There’s not a single person who doesn’t listen to her in meetings, who doesn’t follow her every word and expression. Lena is a wealth of knowledge and a true force to be reckoned with. It leaves me wondering why the hell she’s stuck in this upper management role and isn’t killing it at the top. Could it be her less-than-sparkling personality? Or has she been passed up for someone better (which seems highly unlikely)? Either way, I took her words to heart and am now trying to absorb any and every single little thing around me.
I’m on my third Reese’s cup and second glass of wine, whenhetexts.
Will
Hey, you.
Bridget
Hey back! Haven’t spoken to you in a while.
I checkthe timestamp from our last text exchange, where we challenged ourselves to say how our last meetings went with just a meme (Michael Scott screamingNo. No, no no. Noa thousand times for him; Meryl Streep playing Miranda Priestly inDevil Wears Pradagiving someone a judgmental once-over for me, because not everyone appreciates a good vintage piece in my office).
Bridget
Well, two and a half hours
Will
Two hours is a lot for us tho, isn’t it? At least lately
Bridget
Yeah. Unless we’re sleeping
Will
Nah, I’m convinced I talk to you in my dreams too
A feelingof warmth that’s grown all too familiar lately spreads through me as I reread his words, teeth biting into my lower lip.
I want to run my fingers over his words, feel them sink deep in my skin.
Bridget
Do you think we’re overdoing it?
Will
What do you mean?
Bridget
