She jumped out of the chair. Standing, she was taller than me by only half a head. “You can’t do that! We’reco-CEOs. Webothhave to sign contracts!”
That’s what legal had said too, and it pissed me off. Deliberately, I rose until I towered over her. “John signed contracts alone. We should each have signature authority.”
She planted her fists on her slender hips. Having to crane her neck to look up at me seemed to make her madder. Her cheeks were stained as red as her lips. “You don’t have the authority to sign a goddamn contract without consulting me!”
The office door opened, and Stan Bellic, our human resources vice president, stepped in. Glancing at Bridget’s flushed face, he said, “Let’s keep our voices down, shall we?” He shut the door and strode between us, forcing Bridget to step back. “And watch your language, Bridget. The entire floor could hear you.”
“What?” Clearly, she had to replay what she’d said. Actually, what she’d said was pretty mild. John had a reputation as a screamer, plus he dropped F-bombs like they were rose petals at a wedding.
The redness seeped down her chest. “Sorry, Stan.”
“I warned you Monday that we couldn’t have you arguing like this. You’reco-CEOs, not my nine-year-old twins.” He chuckled.
Behind Stan’s back, I crossed my arms and smirked. Maybe I was secretly a nine-year-old, but I was exhilarated not to be the one yelled at this time. She didn’t take the bait. She let out a fake laugh to mirror Stan’s. “Got it. I promise, I won’t raise my voice again.”
“Not good enough. My office. Right now.”
My chuckle was real.Schadenfreude, honey.
“Both of you,” he said, whirling to face me.
That wiped the smirk right off my lips.
5
IN THE VICE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE
Where have you traveled?
Bridget:I’ve been to a few countries in Europe on business.
Cole:I’ve visited twenty-five countries across six continents.
BRIDGET
Sitting in Stan’s guest chair, I felt even smaller than my 5 feet 1 inch. His space gave vice-principal’s-office vibes with the low chair and its hard cushion. He glared first at me, then at Cole over his half-rim reading glasses as he held open a file folder. It had a lot of pages in it.
Was thatalldocumentation of our spats over the past eleven months? Did we have a permanent record? I half-wondered if a paddle was concealed in his credenza, like the one that hung on the wall behind Sister Mary Catherine’s desk. Not that I’d ever been to the vice principal’s office. I was president and most senior member of the (sadly, purely metaphorical) good-girls’ club in school. My underarms were sticky.
“Look.” I held out my hands. “I said I’m sorry. I don’t understand why further disciplinary action is needed.”
All I’d done was raise my voice a teeny bit and say “goddamn.” Plus, I’d done it in the privacy of my—our—office. John’s open-airfucksused to echo through the hallways of the building. Obviously,hewas a man.
Cole shrugged. “I’m not planning on lodging a complaint.”
I glared at him. Like he had a leg to stand on. He was as guilty as I was. My blood still simmered from that deal he’d brokered without consulting me.
“You’rebothbeing disciplined,” Stan said, “for your frequent public disagreements. Though only Bridget will need to complete the online anger management course.”
I popped to my feet. “What?”
Stan’s white eyebrows lifted.
“Fine,” I huffed, flopping back onto the hard chair. “I’ll take the damn—I mean,darnanger management class.”
“Are you both familiar with the Tuckman model of team development?” he asked.
“Of course.” I sat up straighter, thankful I’d taken that management training course when I’d been promoted to VP.
