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“Shut up, asshole!” she smarts back at him. “Anyway, I need to talk to my boss alone.”
“Technically I’m your boss too.”
“Technically you can go fuck yourself. Now, seriously…I have womb talk to tend to.”
Ugh, I knew this was coming. I’ve tried to put it off as much as I can because I don’t want to think about Fran leaving CPM, even if it is just for a year or so, until the baby is old enough to be left with childcare. I’ve tried to talk to her about options, but a wet nurse is too medieval, and the idea of breastfeeding at work isn’t appealing to her either. Fuck, I could do without this today.
When Dex leaves us, she takes his chair and sits there looking at me with narrowed eyes.
“Go on, tell me the bad news.” I twist to face her. “I’m still all for a wet nurse or opening a company crèche.”
“You’re a bad, bad man, Damon Coldwell.”
“The crèche would benefit the staff…”
“I’m not talking about maternity leave. We’ve settled that. Come end of June I’m officially out of here, and I won’t be coming back for a year. We discussed this—we agreed.” She rolls her eyes as she twists her MacBook to me. “If this was the real reason for bringing Ava here, why bother with Rhodes?”
I look over the photo of Ava and her friend. She’s perfection; thick pink lips, neat straight nose, and piercing eyes that feel like they see right into your soul, even in the picture.
“Why not?”
“I’m a pregnant woman. Don’t make me exert myself.”
“Business, that’s why. Monroe was meant to be too busy licking their wounds to make a move for Callum Warner.”
“But not only have they made a play for him, they’re suing the shit out of our asses!”
“Like you said, Warner will more than swallow any losses.”
“And Ava?” Fran scoots her chair closer until her knees touch mine. “Are you prepared to lose her?”
“Once Warner is in…”
“I’m going to stop you right there before you become a liar to everyone around you.” Cupping my jaw, she leans closer. “I’ve always loved you, Damon. You’re the brother I never had. I’ve held my tongue and waited for you to realize that this…” She looks around us. “This place isn’t everything. I mean, you’ve had everything all your life. Your parents loved you beyond reason. They gave you the best life possible with all the things a person could ever want or need. You have no reason to be this man. You might think you don’t care if she leaves, but that’s because she’s here now. Don’t spite your heart for the sake of your wallet and your pride.”
She stares me out with soft glittering eyes. And while her hands smooth down my face, I hold in all the things I want to retort.
Standing, Fran sighs as she packs her laptop back into her purse. I walk her toward my office door, pausing halfway to adjust my shirt.
“Listen,” she breathes, stepping to me. Her hands busy themselves righting me before they land on my chest. “It doesn’t matter what Grayson and Dex say. At the end of the day, this is your company and you can do whatever you want.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I’ve told you a thousand times before, I’ll always have your back. But please, make sure Warner happens. As the CFO, I’d like to leave with fireworks and champagne popping.”
“You can’t even drink.” A laugh finally leaves my lips, and she wraps her arms tightly around me.
“I’ll get drunk off the fumes.”
“Secondhand drinking, huh?”
“Better than secondhand smoking,” Fran huffs like she’s even a smoker. “Doesn’t harm the baby.”
“You’re going to be a good mom, Franny,” I tell her, giving her the bump in confidence I know she needs right now.
“Good?” she winces. “But I’ve always been the best at everything.”
“Motherhood isn’t a competition.” I hug her back, and in the middle of our snickers, a soft “Oh” breaks us apart.
