She patted her bag. “I’ve got my Halloween costume.”
“That’s great.” I pretended I hadn’t forgotten. “We’ll go trick-or-treating in my building.” I’d have to sneak out to buy candy and plant it with my tech-bro neighbors. None of them had kids. “What are you dressing up as?”
“A warrior princess.”
“That’s my girl. Before trick-or-treating, how about we go to the rainforest exhibit at Cal Academy? Maybe we’ll see a real iguana.”
“Ooh, fun!”
I looked up at Zara and smirked. “I knew you’d like it. Okay, baby. Let’s go.” I took her tote bag from her.
Zara said, “See you Sunday.”
“See you Sunday.” I’d fill our daughter’s weekend with enough entertaining and educational activities that she’d talk about it nonstop for the next two weeks. Maybe I hadn’t won the war yet, but I’d won today’s battle.
3
I TAKE THE LITERAL HIGH GROUND
First car?
Bridget:A 1981 Toyota Corolla with 258,000 miles on it.
Cole:A BMW 3-series. New.
BRIDGET
I’ve got to admit, it’s hard to focus when someone’s staring daggers at you.
Cole’s gaze was palpable, like the bristles of a hairbrush pressing into my skin. I smiled serenely and straightened in my chair. It was John’s creaky leather monstrosity, and I’d sneaked a footstool into the CEO’s office so my feet would reach the floor.
Cole didn’t have that problem. In fact, his knees barely fit under the smaller desk he’d made the maintenance crew haul in here and set up on the other side of the large office. “Problem, Cole?”
He scowled. “I don’t know why you insisted on setting up in here. This is anything but productive.”
I took off my reading glasses and set them on my mahogany desk. The top shone with decades of lemon polish. “You also insisted on being in here, hence the sharing. Besides, Gina needs the COO’s office.”
“Does she?” He tilted his head. “I don’t know why it’s necessary to get someone into the role so fast. This is a ninety-day situation, remember? When you go back in three months, where will she go?”
Heat boiled under my skin. “You brought in Akil to replace you. How do you knowyouwon’t be headed back toyourold role?”
“I think we all know who’s going to win,” he said smugly.
“Ugh, spare me from the confidence of a mediocre white man,” I muttered.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” I pushed back the oversized chair, shimmied until my toes touched the floor, then stood. I didn’t regret for a second not ceding the literal high ground to Cole. “Sorry to cut this scintillating conversation short, but I have an appointment with Gina.”
“I won’t lie and say I’ll miss your loud phone calls.”
“And I won’t miss your loud typing,” I said. He’d ordered the world’s clackiest keyboard just to annoy me, I was certain.
But I paused before I walked out the door. As entertaining as bickering with him was, I had an agenda to accomplish. “Cole.” I waited until he dragged his gaze from his screen to me. “I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you later.” I hated that I couldn’t simply implement my ideas like a real CEO, but we were in this together as reluctant partners. “Do you have thirty minutes this afternoon?”
“I can give you fifteen at six.”
Shit, I’d hoped to duck out at five so I could be on time to dinner at my parents’ for once, but this was important. “Fine. See you then.”
