Page 27 of My Best Friend's Bully

The coffee table is covered with thousands of puzzle pieces and they’ve barely made a dent in it. I sit down and start working on one edge as Dad comes back in and hands me a mug.

“How’s school going?” He sits down across from me and Mom takes the spot next to me.

“Good, good.”When I’m not too busy thinking about my best friend’s brother. “Yeah, it’s been a lot lately but I’m keeping up.”

“Don’t overdo it, Jordan. Remember to take time for yourself.” My Mom tuts, studying my face.

“I do, Mom, sometimes. I see Cole every day, you know_”

“And that’s great, but there’s something to be said for a little variety in your friend group. Maybe even some room for someone who is more than a friend,” she says, and Dad pretends to cover his ears.

I laugh, but I’m thinking of Tyson.He is definitely more than a friend.Is he even a friend?Mom tilts her head to the side.

“Wait a minute, are you blushing?” She leans over and playfully smacks my Dad on the leg. “She’s blushing! Is there someone you want to tell us about?”

I bury my face in my hands. “Mom, no, God. You know I don’t have time for that.”

Mom purses her lips. “So you say, honey, so you say.”

I peek between my fingers.

There’s a sparkle in her eye that warns me this isn’t the end of her questioning. I am not a good liar, especially to my parents, but Tyson is a secret worth keeping.

Chapter 14

Tyson

It’sfinallythebigday. I take extra care getting dressed and make sure to leave early, even though my flight got in after midnight last night. The benefits of having your own jet. On the way to the office, I have the driver stop so I can pick up pastries and coffee for the launch team.

The lead-up to the launch hasn’t been entirely smooth. No launch ever is, but I’m proud of my team and the way they handled the multitude of obstacles along the way. As promised, I’m launching at the end of the week. Thursday, which will give the team an extra workday on Friday to iron out any of the initial kinks and hopefully give everyone a proper weekend afterwards.

And maybe I’ll find some time to see Jordan this weekend when I get back to Chicago. If I can get her pinned down without Cole around to catch us. It’s been tricky these past few days, sneaking over to see her or having her swing by the house accidentallyearlybefore Cole gets home from one of his work shifts. Somehow, she and I have managed to hide our… whatever it is, from Cole, but I can tell the guilt is eating away at Jordan. Lately, she seems aloof, or distracted whenever we’re together.

Focus.I get my mind back on the launch and use my foot to open the office door, my hands full of breakfast pastries and coffee.

“Hi boss. How was your flight?” Rebecca saves me, grabbing the box of pastries to free up one of my arms and we take them to the breakroom together. “What a nice treat,” she continues, snatching a fresh-stuffed cannoli from the box and popping the creamy end into her mouth.

“It’s well-earned,” I say as I type out a brief message from my phone to let everyone know there’s food waiting for them. “Donuts are the least I can do for you and the launch team. You’ve all done a fantastic job.”

I leave and make my way to my office before the team shuffles in, knowing how awkward it can be to have the boss hanging around. I’ve got three messages, all from board members, looking for a status update for the launch. With great pleasure, I delete each of them, one at a time without responding. I’ll craft a single email to send off to them all and they can wait until then. Sometimes, I have to remind them whose company it is.

“Tyson?” Rebecca is standing in my office doorway wringing her hands. “I just got a call from Amanda. She’s got the flu and she can’t make it in today. She said she could work from home.”

Shit. Amanda is my best engineer and the lead on this product. I was counting on her to be here. A sudden ache in my cheek makes me realize I’m clenching my jaw and staring at Rebecca like I’m about to jump her. I force myself to take three calming breaths, picturing Jordan’s smile until some of the tension eases from my body. So much for a smooth launch.

“Should I tell her we need her here and give her a separate office to work from so she doesn’t get everyone else sick?” Rebecca’s tone is carefully neutral.

I massage my temples between my fingers. “No, no, of course not. Tell her to take the day off, and as much time as she needs after that. I don’t want her working from bed, either. She needs the rest, so we’ll manage everything here.”

It kills me to say it but I know it’s for the best. I have to protect my people. They’re the most important asset this company has and, as I have to remind the board members, they are people, too.

Rebecca nods and flashes me a smile. “It’s going to be okay, boss. We’re almost there.”

“Almost.”

She leaves my office to pass the message on to Amanda, shutting the door behind her.

I want to rage. It’s the worst time for someone to get sick, and I recall how, when I was a programmer, I worked through my sicknesses to make sure shit got done. But I am not that kind of boss, the kind of boss that makes people give up their lives for their job, even when I can be tempted to push to get the job done.

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