“Who’s the target?”
“Nobody. Forget I said that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we need more signups for today’s tour of The Salty Old Sea Hag.”
“Nice try.” Sienna drops her fork with a heavyclink, her eyes locking onto mine. “You’ve got ‘Men Are Trash’ tattooed on your forehead in glitter pen. It’s throwing off your whole hyper-competent aesthetic.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “You wanna talk about Cole, or do I have to guess which felony he committed?”
I open my mouth to deflect. Instead—
“I caught him snooping on my iPad this morning.”
Crap. I didn’t mean to say that. Love that I’m just volunteering information now.
I sit up straighter, because if I’m spiraling, I’m doing it with good posture.
“He was sitting on my bed,ourbed, all innocent, as if he wasn’t elbow-deep in my entire production workflow while I washed the shampoo out of my hair.”
My hand finds my smoothie. Lifts it. Sets it back down. Picks it up again as though it’s going to help.
“We’re up for the same promotion and last night we…” I take a giant, freezing gulp of kale and betrayal. “Ugh. Forget it. He got what he wanted.”
“Did he offer a reason, or act like a guy about it?” Sienna asks, brow raised.
“Oh, he tried.” I roll my eyes so hard I see my brain. “Allegedly, the alarm went off, he ‘accidentally’ swiped the wrong way, and oops! My entire campaign deck fell into his lap. Like he was trapped in magical iPad quicksand and he couldn’t escape.
“And you think that’s bullshit.”
“I know it is!”
Sienna doesn’t argue. She uses her fork like a backhoe, shoveling a bite of eggs into her mouth that would legitimately choke a pregnant manatee. She shrugs. “Okay.”
I blink, the fire in my gut sputtering. “Okay? That’s your expert analysis?”
“You believe he lied. That’s what matters.”
“I feel like you’re supposed to have a stronger opinion.”
“I do.” She takes another bite. “Not done eating yet.”
I blink at her. Once. Twice. I can’t process the audacity of this woman.
She chews. Swallows. “Priorities, Ivy. I don’t give advice on an empty stomach. It ruins the delivery.”
“Well, would you believe this isn’t the first time he’s tried to outmaneuver me?” I exhale. “It’s—Gah! I actually thought for a split second… that he wanted me. Not my tablet.Me.”
Sienna goes quiet. Not the “oh shit, what do I say now?” quiet. This is different. Considered. She’s looking at me, really looking, and I realize how steady her eyes are.
“Can I tell you something?” she asks.
“Just say it. You’re going to regardless. You have no filter.”
“See, only forty-eight hours and you already get me.”
She sets her fork down. Breathes. Like she’s buying herself one last second. Her eyes do the unexpected. They falter.
“Ivy, I am painfully—so painfully—attracted to you.”
“I’m sorry, you’re what now? Did you just… are you… You’re gay?”
“Queer. Yes.”
