Page 97 of Boss Me

“What the hell are we celebrating?” I swallowed, but the lump remained in my throat.

“You have a little cushion.” She waved the envelope. “Okay, it’s not so little. A nice, fat cushion. And as of today, I have a job. We’re both healthy, we have a roof over our heads”—we both looked up at the yellow water stain on the ceiling; was it spreading?—“and we have a fruity Chianti to go with it.”

So, despite my low bank account balance and that tuition payment looming, we ordered pizza. And, sitting on my bed-slash-couch, we drank the Chianti. After too much wine and not enough pizza, I said, “Mimi. Mimi. Look at me.”

She blinked bloodshot eyes at me. Low alcohol tolerance was a family trait. “Yeah, Benny?”

“I’m done with love. You hear me? No more. You’re going to find someone and have a couple of kids, and I’ll be the cool uncle and live next door.”

“You know that won’t make you happy, sweetie. If anyone ever needed love and a couple kids, it’s you.”

“Need love?” I laughed, bitter. “Not anymore. I love this dog.” I scratched Coco between the ears. “I love you. And I’ll love your man. Like a brother, I mean, not like a weird love triangle. And I’ll love your kids. And Mom and Dad. That’ll be enough.”

It had to be. Because I had a feeling this time, my heart wouldn’t stitch itself back together, not like it had after I’d broken up with Trey.

“But what about”—she waved her slice toward my groin—“companionship?”

“Oh, I’ll fuck anyone who’ll have me. But no more love. I promise. In fact, I’ll find someone to fuck right now.” I stood, but it was too fast. I swayed and plopped back down on the couch, and the glass of wine in my hand sloshed, splashing me and the couch. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” I grabbed a napkin from the stack on the coffee table and dabbed at it.

“Don’t worry about it. The fabric’s dark. It won’t show. It’s a shit couch anyway.”

“Believe me, I know.”

We laughed, the way I hadn’t since I’d left the island. Since he’d broken my heart. And the laughter gave me hope that I could move past Cooper Fallon. That I could live my life with my heart on the inside where it belonged and not let everyone I met break off a piece of it.

Coco seemed to know what I needed. He curled up next to me, his head propped on my knee, watching me with his soulful brown eyes. Cooper’s gone, he seemed to tell me, but you still have me.

It would have to be enough.

34

COOPER

“Sit.”

One word was all it took for me to know how my conversation with Jamila would go. I lowered myself into the cushioned wicker chair on her veranda overlooking the ocean. She perched on the chair beside me and poured me a hot cup of the chamomile tea she liked. It smelled like dirt and the wrong kind of flowers, pale and small.

Lifting her own mug to her lips, she said, “I assume this visit is for business, not personal?”

“Yes.” Jackson and I had split up the board of directors. He’d taken his stepfather, Charles, who was also the chairman, and the half most likely to listen to him. He thought he could sway Charles to our side.

I’d taken Jamila and the other half. The difficult half. None of my other visits had been successful. Either Weston had gotten there first or they’d lost faith in Jackson and me. Maybe both. I assumed Jamila would be an easy win, so I’d left her for last. She should have agreed with me, considering our longstanding friendship. But the frown on her deep purple lips tightened my chest.

“Listen, Jamila—”

“Don’t you ‘listen, Jamila’ me. I’m a member of Synergy’s board of directors. I have to vote for what’s best for the shareholders. Weston, asshole that he is, presented a strong argument the other day. And I’m not so sure keeping Synergy independent is the best move for you, my friend.”

“What?” I set down the scalding tea. Despite the chill morning air, my body heated. “I built this company. Why would I want it broken apart by Gurusoft?”

She sipped her tea and set down her mug. Her eyebrows arched. “I seem to remember sitting on a different veranda and talking about your future with the company. The Cooper I spoke to then was burned out. Hurting. Done with Jackson. And Synergy. You sang a different tune.”

Shit, I remembered it, too. The pain. The exhaustion. The hopelessness. What had changed? For one, I’d taken three weeks off work. And I’d had a good conversation with Jackson. He was pulling his weight so far, having exactly the kinds of interactions he hated with the board members, schmoozing and talking numbers, when all he wanted to do was write code.

But the biggest difference was Ben. He’d reminded me the company wasn’t only mine and Jackson’s. It was bigger than the two of us. People I cared about depended on it, believed in it. I’d been selfish to consider only myself.

“I can’t—we can’t—let our employees down. If Gurusoft takes over, it’ll be the lucky ones they lay off. You know how toxic their work environment is.”

She bit her lip. “I’ve heard things. Everyone has. But are you sure you’re willing to stay, take back control from Weston, and act like the company founder they need you to be?”

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