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I make an extremely undignified sound. “I don’tlikehim. I’m just not one hundred percent sure how to deal with him. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously! All jokes aside, it could never happen. We both know that.”
“Because?”
Did an alien abduct my friend?
“Because, oh I don’t know, maybe I could get fired?”
“You wouldn’t get fired. Just tossed off the assignment. And you probably wouldn’t get that grade-level promotion. You could always recuse yourself before it becomes an issue.”
I can’t believe we’re having this discussion.
“First of all, Angel, Inc. supposedly can’t afford another delay. Second, I’ve worked my entire career to keep moving up. I don’t intend to let something like this stop me. And third, I really don’t like the guy in that way.”
That last one is a blatant lie, but that’s beside the point.
“And fourth, you’re supposed to help me make good judgments, not bad ones.”
God knows I can do that all on my own.
“Fine,” she says as the waiter brings our food. We thank him and she picks up her napkin, putting it on her lap. “Good judgments. In that case . . .” She nods to my phone, which happens to be lighting up as we speak. “If that’s him texting back, I’d suggest not answering him for a while. Or maybe until tomorrow. If you really want to be an extra-good girl, wait ’til Monday.”
I swallow, wanting to look but knowing I shouldn’t.
“Right. Monday.”
That’s a good idea.
I pick up my fork and vow to enjoy our lunch, Hayden-free.
No need to look at my phone. It doesn’t matter what he texted because I’m not getting back to him until Monday morning. Nine o’clock.
That is the very next time Hayden Tanner will be hearing from me.
12
Hayden
Sunday afternoons are my favorite time of the week.
If people could just walk my neighborhood on a lazy Sunday afternoon, they could appreciate that there’s more to the city than Times Square. Nodding to Benji, the owner of the corner flower shop, I make my way toward Canal Street.
After working all morning at home, I decided a midday break was in order. Enzo’s in the office, but I have no plans on heading there until tomorrow. That guy never gives it a rest, but I know from experience that burnout is a real thing.
You can get so burnt out on your job that you hire someone else to raise your only child and then ship him off to boarding schools. At least, that’s what my dad did. I don’t plan on repeating his mistakes. No wife. No kids. No one to let down but myself.
Not that I plan to do that anytime soon. This company will be successful. Period. No ifs or buts about it. Enzo is a genius, and for some reason he’s letting me ride his coattails.
Lost in thought, I’m not expecting my phone to vibrate. When it does, I pull it out and stop in my tracks.
After not hearing back from Ada yesterday, I didn’t expect a response when I messaged her she could expect me to text her again.
Ada: Sounds good.
I stop and answer back.
