Page 166 of Manhattan Bossholes

CORA

Iwas quickly becoming obsessed with the vegetarian pad thai in the cafeteria, and I had no idea how I was going to get my fix once my contract with Elixir ended. I took a bite, humming happily to myself, savoring the complex flavors. It was the perfect blend of sour, sweet, salt, and spice. Now all I wanted to do was whip up a cocktail to pair perfectly with the meal—a gin base, with a dash of lime and some kind of herb to complement the flavor profile. Basil, maybe? I’d run it by Dot and Javeed when they sat down.

Chris had already disappeared into the quiet little side room with his meal, but Dot and Javeed had been arguing over the pros and cons of the pasta primavera versus the bacon and cheese quiche the chefs had just removed from the oven, so they were currently in line, waiting for their food. While I was still alone, I pulled out my phone, planning to scroll through the analytics on my latest Masked Mixer video and not think about what happened the other night between me and Aiden, but a new text from my mom distracted me.

When do you think you’re going to arrive for the reunion?

The nice thing about going back home was that I didn’t have to worry about accommodation. It’ll be some time tonight.

But what time?

I don’t know. Wasn’t really planning things down to the minute. It depends what time I get out of work. Why?

No reason. Just wanted to have your bed made up. Love you, honey.

I frowned down at my phone. There was definitely a reason, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the bed. Knowing my mother, my bed had been made up since the moment I’d mentioned coming home for the reunion. There was something else going on with her. I’d felt a little silly when telling Aiden all my theories that day he drove me to Newburgh, but now I was certain there was something Mom wasn’t telling me. I was trying not to be a helicopter daughter—I knew she was entitled to have her own stuff going on—but it wasn’t like her to keep secrets.

And I was determined to sit down with her and get to the bottom of things as soon as I got home. All I had to do was get us in the same room, where she couldn’t escape or conveniently be too busy to talk, so we could hash this out. I hated the thought of her struggling alone. What if it was a situation like Trent’s grandmother where she was having health issues but didn’t want to admit it?

I opened Snug to get my mind off my worries. There was nothing else I could do to solve the situation with my mother right now, whatever that might be. My latest Masked Mixer video was getting great numbers, the views and likes trending to be my best-performing video of the week, and the comments were still pouring in as people asked me to post the recipe. I usually added it to my stories the day after a video went live in order to keep the engagement going.

One of the comments was from Jennifer. @MaskedMixer This is just the pick-me-up I need after a tough shift. Can’t wait to try this!

I frowned even as I hearted her comment. I loved the support, of course, but it was Jennifer’s mention of her tough shift that concerned me. Was work not improving at all for her? I hated that she was having such a rough time at work, and that she was still so dissatisfied with her job. She’d always loved cooking so much—the same way I loved mixing drinks. Had that love started to fade? What if she left cooking behind altogether?

I jumped into my private messages. Some of them were spam, some comments from fans, but one caught my attention. It was a message from Ironwood Distilleries, one of Elixir’s direct competitors.

@MaskedMixer Congrats on the contract with Elixir! What an amazing opportunity.

Ever since I’d started posting the behind-the-scenes glimpses of Elixir on my socials, there’d been a marked increase in interest in my partnership, especially from fans, but Ironwood was the most well-established company to have reached out to me so far. I kept reading.

Ironwood would really like to chat once you’re done with Elixir about an opportunity of our own. We think we’d be a really good fit and would like to talk about a partnership.

Another potential brand deal! This was exactly what I’d been hoping would come from my partnership with Elixir.

But the phrasing of the message brought me up short. “…Once you’re done with Elixir.” Part of me couldn’t imagine my time with Elixir coming to an end. I still wondered if Aiden might consider keeping me around post-launch. There was always more to do: follow up on the line, flavor tweaking, post-release social media coverage. Aiden had told me I was part of the team, and if that was true, maybe there was a reality where I kept working for Elixir.

But was I sure that was what I wanted? The job had been amazing so far, and the development with Aiden was…honestly, amazing also. But it was also scary. Things had gone so badly between us before, and I still didn’t know why. Was I really willing to take another chance on him? On the other hand, was I willing to let a chance like this go, when I had chemistry with him that made my heart race? Every time I let my thoughts drift back to that kiss in the doorway, my cheeks heated, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it meant.

I’d been dreaming and drooling over the man for weeks, but I hadn’t actually thought something might happen between us. I massaged the space between my eyes. None of that had anything to do with my job or my career, though. And I didn’t know what the best choice was, professionally. Turning down this opportunity would close doors I’d been working my tail off to open, but leaving Elixir—a place where I’d found my footing, where I’d become part of a team, where I’d expanded my Masked Mixer platform—before I needed to, might also be the wrong decision. I was happy here, and I didn’t like the idea of rushing to jump ship, especially if Aiden might be considering a contract extension.

I started typing. @IronwoodDis I really appreciate the opportunity, but I’ve got a couple things on the go right now. That wasn’t a lie. I was currently juggling Elixir Free, my social media, and now this reunion. Thanks for reaching out, but I’m not in the market for a new partnership at this time.

I sent the reply.

“Can you do braids?”

I jumped at the voice, turning around to find Dominic’s daughter, Hailey, hovering at my shoulder, wearing a pink unicorn shirt and light-up sneakers. “Oh, Hailey, hi.” She’d scared the crap out of me. “Come to work with your daddy again?”

“Ms. Linny has the ’fluenza,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

“Gosh, Ms. Linny is going through it,” I said. “Must be all those little germs running around.”

Hailey nodded gravely, not really understanding, making me chuckle. I looked around the cafeteria for Dominic, spotting him by the entrance, caught in conversation with a pair of suits. He gave me an apologetic little wave.

Hailey nudged me, offering up two pink hair elastics. “Will you fix my hair? Daddy’s not good at braids.”

“Oh, honey…” I couldn’t say I was particularly good at braids, either, or doing little girls’ hair. It had been a long while since I’d been a little girl myself, and I’d never had any sisters to practice on. I usually just wore my hair down and ran a curling iron through it. When I was working in the lab, I pulled it into a ponytail to keep loose hairs from getting everywhere, but that was as complicated as it got. “I’m not sure I’m the best person for the job.”