Me:
Please change my name in your contacts to Sofie Fairfax, CEO of Fairfax Media.
Nalani sends a screenshot of my contact card. Sofie Fairfax, Boss Bitch.
Nalani:
Sorry, this stays.
Claudia:
So happy for you, I will consider.
Noelle:
Shut. Your. Face!
She sends a screenshot of my contact card.
Noelle:
Done!
Me:
See you all at 5-ish
Claudia:
Spoiler alert, Sofie Fairfax, CEO of Fairfax Media, got ‘stabbed’ by THE Killer last night.
“I know my memory doesn’t always serve me properly, but tell me it’s not the fourth of July with snow on the ground?” Dad jokes from behind me.
I hold my phone to my chest and lie like a freaking rug. “Nope, just my friends shooting off fireworks in honor of my new title.”
“Wait until you tell them your salary change.” He winks. “You ready?”
“I am.”
James is driving. Heat on low, windows fogged just enough to blur the skyline. No music. He never plays music when it matters. Matteo rides shotgun, coat zipped, eyes moving without drawing attention.
Dad sits beside me in the back, scarf folded in his hands like he doesn’t quite remember when he took it off.
“You’re sure about the zoo?” I ask.
He smiles, warm and certain. “I’m sure.”
Good day.
The farther north we go, the lighter he seems. His shoulders drop. His fingers stop fidgeting with the scarf.
The air at theBronx Zoois sharp and clean, the kind that turns your cheeks pink. The trees are bare, paths dusted with old snow that crunches underfoot. Fewer people here than at Central Park.
Dad takes my arm automatically. “You always wanted the bears first.”
I smile even though I very clearly remember it was he who loved the bears. “I did?”
He nods, like it’s obvious. “You wouldn’t relax until you saw them. You thought they’d go inside if we didn’t get there in time.”
