Page 13 of The Boss

"You're my boss."

"Temporarily."

"You're still my boss."

"And you're still the woman who ordered Shirley Temple for the sake of childhood nostalgia."

Her cheeks flush. "Like I said, we are at work."

"No one else is here now. Tell me something true."

For a beat, I think she won't give in, but she glances at my tie and says, "Your tie is expensive and boring, and you probably have twenty identical ones."

"Fifteen, actually. Same pattern, different color."

"Oh, well, that's much better. You probably have them shipped from your personal tailor in Italy."

"He's in Boston, and he hand-delivers them himself."

Vivian's jaw hangs open. "Now it makes so much sense you'd pay for overpriced bourbon."

A grin splits my face, and I laugh. The tension in the room shifts, not disappearing but changing quality. Less sharp, more electric.

"Welcome back, Vivian. I thought I lost you."

Vivian shakes her head, but she's fighting a smile. "You really are a nightmare boss."

"And you're finally interesting again."

"I was never not interesting. Just ask Jaden, Lea, or even Levi."

"You were beige for three days straight."

"Beige is professional."

"Yes, but no one looks at a box of crayons and picks beige."

"Strong opinions from someone who wears boring ties."

"Okay, fair enough."

She picks up her pen and starts tapping it against the table. "What do you like then?"

The question catches me off guard. "Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"I like the woman who wasn't afraid to voice her opinions while wearing a dress that should have been illegal and looking like every man's wet dream."

Her tongue peeks at the corner of her mouth as she fiddles with her earring. "That woman was having a very weird night."

"What made it weird?"

"She was dreading Monday morning."

"Why?"

"Because she'd heard terrible things about her new temporary boss."