bribed her to stay on vacation, so I can’t really complain.
“I wasn’t ever really going to fire you, no matter what happened. Not from day one. And the hell with my uncle, I’d have found a way around it.” I didn’t even realize that until I said it out loud.
“Whatever.” She swivels her chair around so she’s sitting with her back to me, and pulls her phone out of her purse.
“I do, however, really need you tomorrow night.”
“I have a dinner date tomorrow night. With the owner of the Sunni Sunni company.”
I stare at her. “Marshall? Not seriously.”
She does a half turn with her chair so I can look at her angry face. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
She can’t go on a date with that womanizing weasel. But I can’t tell her not to. “You don’t have to do this,” I choke out.
“I have an employment contract that says otherwise. No doll, no job. And even if you wouldn’t fire me, your uncle would insist.”
She’s going on a date. With another man. She might actually kiss him good night. Her lips might touch another man’s lips – because of me.
“I wouldn’t let him,” I protest.
The ping of my watch reminds me that I have other places to be. I ignore it and stand there, blinkingly stupidly.
“Yes?” Winona says with an edge of impatience.
“I should have answered your texts. And phone calls. And email. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to hate me,” I blurt out.
She meets my desperate look with a wall of ice. I crash up against it and shatter.
“There are very few people I waste that much emotion on,” she says coolly.
I turn on my heel and spin away from her. As I’m walking to the door, I glance at one of the giant gilt-framed mirrors on the wall and see Ariel high-fiving her.
I spin around and glare. I’ll take sass from Winona, but I’m not tolerating a full-scale employee rebellion. “I saw that!” I snap at her.
Ariel flips me off. “Did you see that?” she calls out. Then her eyes widen in panic and she turns around and runs out of the room at full speed.
Anger wars with hurt. Winona knows how crazy busy I am. Would it kill her to cut me a little slack? If she cared about me, she would. Now I feel like she was just looking for an excuse to dump me. Hell, she was the one who said I didn’t have to put her in my schedule every day.
I meet Winona’s eyes with a nasty scowl. “Have fun on your date,” I say icily.
Nice. Winona and I are both being absolute bitches.
When I get to my floor, I glance at the door at the end of the hallway. I should go in there. I’ve been hiding from it for twenty years. Maybe I’d draw strength from it. Maybe it’s time… No.
I wait until I get back to my office to collapse in my chair with a tortured groan. Note to self: don’t ghost a chick who has self respect.
I’m steeped in gloom, and I probably blew any chance I have at a relationship with Winona. I need to know that at least my sacrifices are not in vain. I pick up my phone and call my sister. Alice, Steve, and Tamara are coming into town on Sunday to celebrate her birthday with a day on the town, but this can’t wait.
She answers in two rings. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling all right?” she asks.
“Why would anything be wrong?” I say, taken aback.
“You’re calling me during work hours and it’s not my birthday, Thanksgiving or Christmas. What’s wrong?” she repeats.
I sigh. God, please, spare me from overly perceptive women.
“You understand the importance of taking the company public, right? Of having stores overseas? Of fulfilling Dad’s vision?”
She goes silent.
“Hello? Are you still there?” I snap.
“I understand that it’s important to you,” she says finally.
I swallow the sour frustration that’s brewing up inside me. “Because it was important to Dad. This was always his vision, and I’m making it a reality.”
She sighs. “That was his vision decades ago. And I’m not arguing against what you’re doing. Maybe against the way that it’s consuming your life.”
“Consuming my life?” I splutter. “I have a life! Hudson’s is my life! What’s wrong with that? I enjoy what I do here.” Do I? I wonder. I’ve been so frantic to get all this done, for months now, that I can barely tell.
“My husband is dedicated to his