Page 18 of Blindsided

Me: You can’t send a text like that and then not respond!

Me: What the fuck happened?

Me: TILLY!

Tilly: Jesus, calm your tits.

Tilly: I beat your high score in “Tetris.”

Me: YOU DID WHAT?

Tilly: You were at work, and I was bored. It just sort of happened. Honestly, I did it like the second round I played.

Me: *GIF of the kid with his mouth turned down and blinking*

Tilly: *GIF of girl innocently smiling*

Me: I might spank you.

Tilly: Don’t threaten me with a good time.

Me: I stepped right into that one.

Tilly: You did.

Me: Now I know what I’m doing tonight.

* * *

Me: HOW?!?!?!?!?

Tilly: That’s a lot of exclamation marks.

Me: Tell me your secret right now, or, I swear, I will never make you another cup of coffee ever again.

Tilly: That’s a serious threat when I have no clue what you’re talking about.

Me: “Tetris.”

Tilly: Ohhhh. Haha. There is no secret. Just be better at the game.

Me: *Glares* No coffee for you!

Tilly: Nooooo! I’ll teach you. I’ll do anything! Please?

Me: Fine. You teach me. I give you coffee.

Tilly: Done.

* * *

I pick up my phone for the umpteenth time today, hoping to see another message from Tilly. Over the past two weeks, we’ve texted almost every day. Most of the time, it’s nothing of consequence. Other times, I find myself opening up to her about things I never talk about. Things like how stressful my job is sometimes and how I don’t always feel as confident as I seem.

Anytime I need advice, her responses are always insightful. I never feel like she’s giving me some fake platitude to make me feel better about myself. I’m also not the only one sharing my vulnerabilities. Tilly has shared on several occasions how insecure she’s become as she’s gotten older. Being surrounded by women ten years younger than her isn’t easy after everything she’s learned about the modeling business. Texting with her has become the thing I look forward to most in my day. Not to mention the random times we talk over the phone if we’re both available. Hearing her laughter—even through the phone—is a balm to any stressful day I’ve had.

Setting my phone in the drawer of my desk, I attempt to focus on my job again. As the CFO of Sidelines, there’s no end to the list of tasks I have to do every day. Most of the time, I love my job. Adam and I built this company from the ground up. It’s our baby, and the pride I feel coming into work every day hasn’t gone away in the almost ten years we’ve been in business.

But like anything, there are days when my job is hard. I don’t always feel like I’m a good boss or doing my best. And compared to Adam, I’m the biggest slacker out there. He exudes perfection in all aspects of his life. Only since he met Ellie last fall has he started sharing his imperfections. It’s given me permission to accept my own limitations—granted, I’m still working on it.

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