“Look, Cole.” He spread his hands. “We’ve all done it. I get it. Back in my day… Well, we’ll just say, guys your age are bound to be horndogs. But you need to focus on your job. We need you.”
“You need both of us,” I insisted. “We bring unique strengths to the role?—”
“You can cut the bullshit,” he said. “Bridget tried to feed us that line. This was the plan from the beginning. We needed to appease certain board members who were looking to consider more diverse candidates.”
Acid boiled in my chest. “So you mean it was rigged. Why didn’t you say something earlier? Why’d you let her—let us—hope we could change the outcome?”
He raised his palms. “The competition was good for you both. The deal you brokered with Morpho for the call center was a stroke of genius. A slam-dunk. It’s why we didn’t have to wait the full ninety days.”
“That washeridea!” I roared.
“Huh. She should have said something.” He wrinkled his forehead. “Regardless, the board’s decision is made. Congratulations, Cole.” He stood and circled the desk.
He stuck out his hand, and I shook it automatically.
“What the hell is that?” he asked.
“What?”
“That cheap bangle on your wrist. We have a dress code, you know.”
“It’s from my daughter.” I pushed down my sleeve.
“Get rid of it. Our CEO needs to exude dignity.” He smiled without showing his teeth. Dignified. “You’ll do great things.”
How could I do anything great when I hadn’t been able to save the job of the woman I loved? I slumped in the uncomfortable chair. For the first time in my life, I was utterly defeated.
37
EFFING PILLOW TALK
A quality you value in a friend?
Cole:Loyalty.
BRIDGET
Being available to pick up my niece from school was a new low. Don’t get me wrong; I loved helping my sisters. When Denise put out an emergency text on the sisters’ chat asking for help, I’d been the first to volunteer. Not having a job at two-thirty on a Tuesday for the first time since I’d turned fifteen was demoralizing, to say the least.
I plastered on a smile as the school nurse walked Ashlyn from the clinic into the main office.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” I asked her.
She swallowed hard and shook her head. Her wince reminded me of the evening I’d spent with Cole and Caitlyn when she’d been sick. Maybe the same bug had worked its way down I-680 from Walnut Creek to San Ramon. I swept thoughtsof Cole and his daughter from my mind. He was history. Ashlyn was the present.
“Not good, huh?” I glanced at the nurse.
“She complained of a sore throat,” the nurse said. “And she has a slight fever. Rest and plenty of fluids should have her back at it in time for Christmas.”
I gathered Ashlyn to my side. “Does she have any assignments we need to finish at home?”
“It’s two days before holiday break,” the nurse huffed. “They’re watching movies and having classroom parties. I don’t know why they’re even here.” She grumbled something aboutgerm factoriesand flashed a tired smile. “You can sign her out at the front desk. Happy holidays.”
I reached for my wallet before I remembered you didn’t tip school nurses. If anyone deserved extra cash at the holidays, this woman did.
After signing her out, I walked Ashlyn to my car and buckled her in. She didn’t even fight me about the booster seat, which was a sign of how bad she felt. Before I closed the door, I leaned in. “Would you rather go home or come to my place for a sleepover?”
“Your house,” she croaked. “Please.”
