Page 536 of Manhattan Bossholes

The weight on my shoulders seemed to lift a little as I ran through the possible outcomes. I was so deep in my thoughts that I kept almost running into people around me. Every time I glanced at Christopher and Julia, my resolve strengthened. He’d worked through his mistakes and fuck-ups to find happiness.

I could do the same.

“Hey, guys?” I called out to them.

They turned in unison.

“I need to go.”

Christopher studied me for a second. “Oh? Any special reason why?”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and held it up. “There’s someone very important that I need to talk to.”

A smile split his face, and Julia cheered for me.

“There’s the James I know and love.” Christopher fist pumped at me. “Go get your girl.”

28

NATALIE

Iglanced at my phone. Three texts from James in as many days, and I still couldn’t find the right words to respond to him. He said he wanted to talk.

I wasn’t ready, and I wasn’t sure I ever would be. There was no point, really. He’d made his choice, and it wasn’t me. What else was there to be said?

I could blame my workload for ignoring him, because the Pantone launch was keeping us stupid busy, but the truth was the texts felt…insincere. Almost like he was just checking in on me to make sure I wasn’t going to burn down the Branson building or go on the record with horrifying behind-the-scenes gossip. Not that he needed my help making headlines. He and Heidi were all over the tabloids with stories about her latest struggles. I’d watched it unfold knowing that it was probably killing James to be associated with the train wreck. They were officially broken up now.

Not that it mattered to me in the slightest.

“Listen up, it’s the end of day social media recap on the Pantone launch,” Calliope yelled as she walked into the creative room holding her phone over her head. “Gather round, people.”

We surged towards her as a group, nervous and hopeful. It was our first time launching something under our own leadership and we had our pride on the line, as well as the numbers. Of course, I wanted James to see what we were capable of without him.

What I was capable of.

I’d been running our department since he’d left, still juggling it with being his assistant and farming out the CEO responsibilities as well. I was exhausted, grumpy, and for the first time ever, doubting if Branson was right for me after all. I’d been hired for my creative vision, my hands-on design work, yet here I was overseeing everyone else doing the job I loved. Not that I could let on that I was unhappy. I didn’t want my mood impacting everyone else, so I faked it.

Rhea bustled in beside me. “This is still so strange for me, getting instant results. Back in my day we published in print magazines and had to hold our breath for months to see what the world thought. Now, we just push a button, and bim-bam-boom, it’s all out there!”

“I think I would’ve liked the old way,” I replied. “Everything moves so fast these days. I can barely keep up.”

She turned to scan me, frowning. “You look so tired. Are you okay?”

The way she asked the question made it clear it wasn’t just about work. “I’m fine. Just worried about the response to the launch, you know?”

Rhea stared at me a beat longer, skeptical but silent for a change.

Lavonte joined us. “I already have intel, ladies,” he whispered.

We turned to stare at him. “Well? Is it good?” I asked.

He shook his head, frowning. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“No!” Rhea exclaimed. “How is that possible? This is some of our best work!”

Lavonte’s grim expression slowly shifted to a wide smile. “It’s not good, it’s amazing! Everyone is going bonkers for it.”

“Hey, eyes on me folks,” Calliope said, clapping her hands. “I have metrics on our posts as well as a bunch of our influencers’ posts, plus I’ve been tracking our day-of sales… People, I’m thrilled to tell you that we’re setting new records!”