he’d picked it up and saved it. He didn’t know why. He could probably buy a full gross of identical tags for twenty bucks on Amazon. Yet he’d tucked it into that stupid box and taken the box to work, and every time he peeked inside, he felt better about life. It was as if the little charm was a promise that difficult times would eventually pass. Happiness, the letters implied, waited just around the corner.
Today he didn’t believe that, but the tag improved his mood anyway. Even faux cheer was better than nothing.
He’d just tucked the box back into the drawer with a sigh when his phone buzzed. A text from Lauren: Come see me.
Shit. He wondered whether it was the profit margins on the base model that had her agitated, or his blowup with Romeo. Neither would be fun. And he couldn’t procrastinate with her as he had with Romeo yesterday.
Teddy cast a longing look at his desk drawer, stood, and trudged a path through the cubicles. He knocked on Lauren’s closed door and waited for the invitation to enter.
Lauren, her hair pulled into a neat bun, wore a black sheath dress and a white cropped jacket with black floral embroidery. She stood next to a massive glass-topped desk with a base of reclaimed hardwood and metal train rails. Her aesthetic was definitely minimalist, and the desktop held nothing but her laptop and a small arrangement of dry-stacked round stones. A small gray couch sat unobtrusively in a corner. Elegantly framed black-and-white photos of single flowers hung on the wall—a tulip, a lily, a rose, an allium—each with a bare stem, as if they awaited the perfect vase. She’d replaced the overhead fluorescents with a modernist chrome-and-crystal chandelier, and a geometric area rug in grays and faded blues covered much of the floor. Her chair had a tall back but delicate lines.
“Have a seat.” She gestured at one of the three chairs in front of her desk, low-back things that looked nice but felt uncomfortable no matter how you sat in them. Teddy nodded and obeyed, and she smiled warmly. “I tried that Indian place you mentioned, and it’s amazing. Thanks for the rec.”
“Glad you liked it.”
“You’re right about the décor there too. It’s fresh enough to surprise without being jarring or distracting.”
Her praise came off as genuine rather than an attempt to soften the blow of whatever was coming next. Partly because, all her aspirations of innovation aside, she was the type of person who let you know exactly what she was thinking and feeling. If she didn’t like something, she said so plainly. But she was also forthcoming with compliments, which made working for her much more bearable, despite the questionable choice of office building. Plus she had vision and drive.
“Their drink menu needs more imagination,” Teddy said. “I mean, it’s okay, but...”
“Nothing new. Yeah. It’d be good if the chef took a quick glance beyond the food.”
He scooched his butt on the seat in vain hope of a better perch. “Their dessert choices, though—” But before he could wax rhapsodic about the rose chai cheesecake, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in!” Lauren called.
Teddy’s heart sank when Romeo walked into the office. He’d really been hoping for Imani. The only solace was that Romeo looked as unhappy as Teddy felt. Lauren, on the other hand, appeared entirely cheery as she waved Romeo to a seat. “We were discussing Indian food.”
“I already had lunch. And I’m allergic to some curries.”
She chuckled. “Not to eat now, Ro. Teddy told me about a new restaurant, and I was just letting him know how much I liked it.”
“Oh.” Romeo ducked his head and stared at his hands. His tightly curled hair was always perfectly shaped. He had long, broad-tipped fingers with very neat, clean nails. He probably booked manicures and other pampering treatments at regular intervals.
Lauren crossed her arms atop her desk and her expression grew serious. “I have bad news and good news.”
Teddy clamped his lips to avoid blurting out any double entendres about Romeo’s unit, and Romeo simply looked bewildered. “News?”
“Mmm-hmm. As I’m sure you’re both aware, we’re inches away from starting production—but cash flow is tight, tight, tight.”
“Imani just gave me the new numbers this morning,” Teddy said, feeling a little frantic. “I’m working on it. And Romeo and I are in conversation too.” That was an exaggeration, perhaps, but not quite an untruth.
She waggled her hands. “I know, I know. You’re all busting your butts on