Zero Forks - Cat Johnson Page 0,1

the door and came to sit opposite me in the chair. “You know if it were up to me, you’d already have this account. And also between you and me, pitting you against Jerry to compete for it is bullshit.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.” And I couldn’t agree with her more. It was bullshit. But fine. If that’s the game Mr. Rockland wanted to play, I’d play. And I’d win.

I hoped.

Jeez, I’d better win. It was already hard enough having to work with Jerry as it was. I didn’t need him gloating over his victory as well.

My cell lit again with a text and I cringed, remembering I had gotten and ignored at least four more texts during my presentation.

I picked it up now and glanced at the display. “Uh oh.”

Leaning forward I tapped the text and opened the whole chain. Every one was from my sister and, even with just a glance, I could see that none of them were good.

“Everything all right?” Kim asked.

“Um, yes. And no.” I blew out a breath and decided to spill it. Kim was a friend as well as my supervisor. Besides, there’d be no hiding this anyway. I glanced up. “It seems I’m going to have a little one to take care of soon.”

Her shocked gaze dropped to my stomach, hidden behind the desk. “Um, what?”

I shook my head. “Oh, God, no. I’m not pregnant.”

Thank goodness for that since the last man I’d had sex with had been Jerry the dickhead.

Kim frowned. “Well, that’s good, I guess. But I still don’t understand.”

“It looks like my sister’s three-year old son is going to be living with me for the foreseeable future.” I glanced up from the texts about to explain further. Namely, Liza’s impending deployment with the National Guard—which I knew about—and how our parents were suddenly unable to watch Stewie as planned thanks to my dad’s ill-timed but apparently vicious case of shingles—which was a surprise to all of us.

I didn’t get a chance as Kim’s cell rang.

Her eyes widened. “It’s Rockland.”

I stopped breathing as she answered the call, doing my best to decipher her series of mmm-hmms and nods.

Finally she disconnected. Her gaze met mine as she cringed. “I’m not sure this is the best news.”

“I didn’t get it.” I sunk back in my chair, deflated.

“No. You did get it,” she said. “But in light of what you just told me about your nephew, can you handle it?”

“Yes,” I answered without thinking, elated in my victory.

“You know what this account entails. Flying to the client’s offices in California. Extra hours. Weekends.”

“I’ll make it work. I’ll hire a nanny. Whatever it takes.”

Kim evaluated me closely.

After a few seconds where I died inside at the thought she was going to take this project away from me because of my new child care situation, she finally nodded and I could breathe again.

That was until she said, “There’s more.”

“All right.” I steeled myself for whatever else she was about to spring on me, confident I could handle anything.

“Rockland decided to have both of you work on the project together.”

“Both of who?” I frowned until a niggling of suspicion crept into my brain. “No. Not me and Jerry. Together.”

I shook my head in horror at the thought.

It couldn’t be. I’d won the account. Fair and square.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

My eyes flew wide. “Why?”

“He thinks it will provide for a more inclusive branding campaign to have both a male and a female working with the client.”

“Misogynist,” I mumbled, not quite beneath my breath, angry the old man couldn’t bear to have a woman in charge of his biggest account.

The old man obviously wanted Jerry on this, but since my presentation blew Jerry’s away, Rockland couldn’t just hand it to him. So he came up with this partnership.

Even deep into the twenty-first century, the good old boy network was still alive and well, beneath the glass ceiling of corporate sexism.

Kim, being in management, didn’t agree or disagree with me. She had the good manners to pretend she didn’t hear my accusation and moved on.

“You gonna be okay with working as a team?” she asked.

I had to be, didn’t I?

It wasn’t in me to walk away and hand this client over to Jerry. Especially since I knew to my core I was the better choice.

I straightened my spine and drew in a bracing breath. “Yes. Definitely. I’ve got this.”

As if on cue, Jerry walked by, pausing in front of the window in my door long enough to deliver a lascivious