Page 21 of The Hard Launch

“I removed Trevor from the tiger team.”

“Because he’s on his way to, I quote, fuck up some shit in Vegas?”

I nod. “But also because he never should have been on that team. I never wanted him there.”

She waits. I know I don’t deserve to have this made easy for me.

“Lacey, I know you’re really busy with everything else, and you’re doing incredible work. But it would mean a lot to me to have your help on the tiger team.”

She’s trying not to smile, and doing a poor job of it. She scratches the stuffed tiger between the ears.

“Sure,” she says, shrugging like it’s no biggie.

“You going to be here late?” I ask.

She looks around and I realize it’s already late.

“You want to grab some sushi? We can eat in the conference room while I bring you up to speed.”

“Okay,” she says. “Just let me finish this one thing, Mountain Carrot.”

I’m in the middle of reviewing the project plan Trevor put together, showing her where we are when she interrupts me.

“You’re a vegetarian,” she says, like she’s solved part of a puzzle.

I look at my tofu avocado roll and nod.

“For how long?” she asks.

“High school,” I say.

“Why? Do you love animals?”

“I mean, sure. I don’t know, I just don’t eat meat.”

She gives me a knowing smile.

“What?” I ask her.

“Unrelated. When did you first read Walter Isaacson’s seminal biography of Steve Jobs?”

“Shut up,” I say.

“But really. When? High school?”

I nod, a little embarrassed. “I’m a goober, okay? I know it.”

“I didn’t say that. I think it’s…” she trails off, and I see her looking for the right word.

“What?”

“Cute, I guess.” She looks me dead in the eye while expertly chopsticking some spicy tuna roll into her mouth.

I take a sip of water and try to find where I was in the project plan.

It’s not that I’m rattled. I’m just so accustomed to butting heads with Lacey that I’m not sure how to handle whatever the opposite of that is. Oh god. No, I didn’t mean it like that.

CHAPTER NINE