We had to face this head-on. Tonight.
17
WE’RE INEVITABLE
Favorite song?
Cole:Debussy’sClair de Lune.It relaxes me.
Bridget:You’re such a nerd. My favorite is “Dreams” by The Cranberries. My parents used to sing along to itat volumewhen I was a kid. The lyrics were light and happy. Good memories.
BRIDGET
“Look, Bridget.” I met my own stare in the mirror in my hotel room. “You didn’t get where you are by not meeting conflict head-on. You have to talk to him before you go back.”
That pair of near-kisses had festered for far too long. Almost every time I’d looked over at him as we relaxed by the pool, I’d caught him staring at me. Which meant I couldn’t ogle his muscular legs under his swim trunks. In three days, we’d head back to the city, and the day after, I’d get my emergency passport. When we returned to the office, we had to be perfectly clear on where we stood.
Firmly in the colleague zone. Especially since he had a girlfriend.
I shook my head, my eyes going wide. That he had a girlfriend wasn’t the most important part. We were co-CEOs. Competitors. It was completely inappropriate for us to be anything else. If our employees found out—ifthe boardfound out—my career would go straight down the drain like one of those power-flush toilets my dad coveted at the hardware store. Tessa had made the mistake of sleeping with her number two at her startup, and the stain on her career had taken years to wipe clean.
I smoothed down my dress and checked that there was no lipstick on my teeth. Then I grabbed my handbag and my key card and stepped into the hall.
Cole’s room was a few doors down from mine, and he waited for me. He wore his suit from the visit to the office last week. It looked freshly pressed, and he’d shaved his scruff. He crooked an elbow. “Happy Thanksgiving, Bridget. You look lovely,” he purred.
“Ew.” If I hadn’t overheard that conversation with his girlfriend, I might’ve fallen for his flirting. I clutched my bag with both hands. “I can walk without support, thank you.”
“Of course.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked beside me to the elevator. Silently, we rode down to the ground floor, and I led the way to the restaurant.
When we were seated at a table for two, he picked up the wine menu. “Do you mind if I…?”
“No, it’s fine.” The conversation we needed to have might go better with a little lubrication.
After we’d placed our orders and the sommelier brought the wine Cole selected, Cole raised his glass. “To a successful site visit and corporate retreat, and to the woman who planned them both.”
My cheeks heated. “Thank you. You think the retreat was successful?”
“We spent time together, and we all know each other better now. We had some good planning sessions, and everyone has their focus areas for the next quarter. Plus, that game of capture the flag”—his jaw ticked for a second—“helped with team unity. I’d call it successful. You shouldn’t need me to tell you.”
“It’s nice to hear someone else say it.” I straightened my fork and knife. “I’m surprised you admit it.”
He spread his hands wide. “We don’t have to be enemies, despite how the board set us up. We can be whatever we want to be.”
“No, we can’t. I mean, of course we can. What I mean is…I’m sorry I crossed the line the other day after we fell into the river. And, um.” I winced. “When I almost touched you inappropriately in the hot spring.”
He leaned back and swirled his glass of red wine. “I’m not sorry.”
Heat flared in my belly. “Oh my god, that’s so gross. I knew you were ruthless, but I didn’t think you were unprincipled.”
“Unprincipled? What’s wrong with two consenting adults acting on an obvious attraction? Our animosity was nothing more than unfulfilled sexual tension. We’re inevitable, Bridget, like opposite poles of magnets.”
I wouldn’t let him distract me with hisunfulfilled sexual tension.“We’re no such thing.” I lowered my voice. “You have a girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” He set down his wineglass. “No, I don’t.”
“Don’t lie to me. I heard you on the phone with her. With Cait.”
He stared at me for a moment, then he laughed long and loud. “Cait.” He stopped to laugh again. “Caitlyn is my daughter.”
