AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
It’sa long day of meetings, and of Jill.
She arrives in my office a couple of minutes after I do and proceeds to unleash her thoughts on the new strategies Julian and I have been mapping out. I sent them to her late last night for her consideration and she’s not happy with them.
“I don’t understand why I wasn’t involved in this,” she says, her eyes flashing with anger. “I’m the COO, Owen. God knows why, though, when it’s clear you’d rather have Julian by your side.”
I loosen my tie. “You’re involved in it now, Jill. And I’d appreciate your thoughts on it.”
She stares at me. “Do you ever listen to me? I’m standing here telling you I want to have a discussion about who you want as your COO, and you’re standing there not even addressing that.”
“You didn’t say you wanted to discuss that. You simply stated that you are the COO.”
“Yes! And I said I don’t understand why!”
Fuck.
This argument will go round and round, and not achieve a damn thing if I let it continue. Jill has a way of not saying what she means, and I have a way of misunderstanding almost everything she wants me to hear.
“Okay.” I push out a breath. “Would you like to discuss your COO role?” Fuck knows, I don’t have the time for this today, but something tells me I need to make the time for it.
“Yes, but not right now. Can we talk tonight?”
“I can’t tonight. I can come in early tomorrow morning or stay back tomorrow night. Or you tell me when is good for you.”
“Tonight is better for me, but I can rearrange things and do it tomorrow morning at ten.”
I nod. “Done.”
Julian passes her on her way out. She doesn’t say a word to him, and I can’t see her face, but I assume she doesn’t give him a smile.
“She doesn’t look friendly today,” he says as I sit at my desk.
“No, and I suspect tomorrow’s not going to be any better.”
I fill him in on my conversation with her, suggesting we put our new strategy ideas on hold until I speak with her tomorrow.
I see Jill three more times during the day. She snaps and snarls at me each time over whatever issue she brings up.
As the day goes on, I wonder what will become of our talk tomorrow. She’s right that I would prefer Julian as my COO, but only because my working relationship with her has become almost too difficult to be effective. The simple fact of the matter is that if Jill wasn’t my ex-wife, and I didn’t have all the emotional baggage I have with her, I wouldn’t keep her on as COO. I’ve reached the point where I can’t ignore that any longer.
* * *
“Did you love it?”Adeline asks as we pack up our mats from the yoga class we’ve just done.
“I learned that my ankles are stiff and I’m inflexible,” I say.
Charlize laughs. “But did you love it?”
I eye her yoga pants and the tank she’s wearing. I can’t say I loved the class, but I can say I enjoyed being with Charlize. I spent a great deal of time glancing at her so I could understand the sequence and positions. She understood my struggle and gave me the cues I needed. I enjoyed that connection, not to mention watching her move her body.
“I’d come to another class.”
“Good.” She smiles.
We say goodbye to Adeline and then Charlize says, “I was thinking we could order takeout from the place where you got those lobster noodles from. And that we could sleep at my place tonight.”
“Are you missing your bed?” We’ve spent most of our nights together at my condo.
