Cole and I had lunch together in the employee cafeteria, as we’d started to do on Tuesdays to demonstrate our collegial relationship, and a few junior employees were brave enough to join us at our table. I encouraged one of our female programmers to apply for a newly available manager position. Her eyes shining, she said she’d consider it.
Normal ended when we returned to our office to two people waiting in our club chairs.
Anita was the first to rise, shaking her medium-length graying hair off her shoulders. Two lines creased her forehead between her eyebrows. “Bridget. Cole.” She shook our hands.
Ned straightened his glasses, didn’t shake anyone’s hand, and didn’t meet my eyes. He mumbled something I didn’t catch. Cole stared at him like he could read the board member’s mind. They must have come for a midterm check-in. Though a phone call would’ve been more efficient.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Bridget, could you come with us to the boardroom, please?” Anita’s voice was tight. So was my stomach. Maybe the cafeteria’s chicken dal hadn’t been the smartest choice.
“Don’t you want both of us?” Cole asked.
“No, we’ll speak with you separately,” Ned said. “Bridget first.”
“We’re co-CEOs,” Cole said. “You should speak with both of us.”
“I’ll talk with you later, Cole.” Ned wouldn’t meet my gaze, but he sure as hell stared daggers at Cole.
Cole’s normally tan face paled. “Could you give us a minute? I want to be sure Bridget’s prepared.”
What’s going on?Was there some bro-coded-ESP I didn’t understand?
“No preparation is necessary,” Ned said.
A drop of sweat glistened at Cole’s temple. “Remember what we talked about.” He seemed to be trying the bro-ESP on me.
He shouldn’t have worried. I knew better than to confess to anything. I was grateful we’d agreed to keep our relationship secret and was ninety-eight percent certain the board couldn’t have found out. On Sunday, we’d started on our talking points about our achievements during the trial and the benefits ofcontinuing to share the role after January, so I was prepared. I even had slides. “Let me grab my laptop.”
“You won’t need it,” Anita said.
“Just in case.” I unplugged it from its dock and hugged it to my chest like a teddy bear. “Ready.”
I led the way to the boardroom, which was our most elegant conference room. It had a long, polished walnut table surrounded by tan leather chairs. Through the wall of windows, the bay sparkled in the distance. The interior wall was also glass, but the middle of it was frosted so passersby could see only vague shapes of the occupants of the boardroom.
Stan sat at the head of the table. Having our vice president of human resources sit in on our meeting was odd, especially since I hadn’t used profanity in the office for weeks. I greeted him, then sat on the side facing the windows. Anita sat across from me, and after closing the door, Ned eased into the chair beside her.
Backlit by the windows with her face in shadow, Anita clasped her hands on the table. “Bridget, after much deliberation, the board has made a decision about Apex’s leadership.”
Oh, shit.Cole warned me not to let the board decide without presenting our proposal. Thankful I’d brought my laptop, I opened it. “Hang on a minute. I’d like to share something first.” I navigated through the file system until I found the presentation we’d drafted on Cole’s laptop on Sunday and clicked to launch it. “I thought we had more time, so this isn’t as polished as I’d like it to be, but I’d like to propose that?—”
“Bridget,” she said, “we’ve already?—”
“—that Cole and I continue to share the role as co-CEOs. I’ve listed the benefits on this slide here, and if you’ll give me a couple of minutes, I’ll run through them quickly.” I turned the laptop to face them.
They didn’t so much as glance at the screen.
“Bridget.” Ned spoke up. “We’re letting you go.”
My stomach became impossibly heavy. “You’re…what?” I gazed around the table. “Is this a joke?”
“No.” Anita’s voice trembled, and she cleared her throat. “After careful consideration and spirited debate, we voted. It wasn’t unanimous, but according to the bylaws, a simple majority suffices.”
“But…but why?” There had to be a way to change their minds. “I successfully implemented my thirty-day plan. Stan can attest that the executive team has been more cohesive since our retreat. Our staff meetings run like a dream. We’re about to execute the call center deal I brokered with Morpho. Cole projects that we’ll save five million dollars annually.”
“That deal was a coup for Cole,” Ned said. “That type of decisive leadership is exactly what we’re looking for. It’s why we’ve decided to give him the CEO position.”
My gut churned. “But…but that was my idea. One Cole and I executed together.”
