Page 45 of It's Not PMS, It's You

“Is something wrong?”

Usually I only had to go into the office one day a week at the most and the last time Gary had arranged an impromptu meeting, there had been layoffs. I was confident my job was not in jeopardy, but this was unusual.

“Nothing’s wrong. The board thought it would be a good idea for you to be here for the meeting today to see how we do things. I agreed.”

Okay, well that was different. I loved working from home, but being able to attend my first board meeting was exciting and something I had been looking forward to.

“I’ll be there. What time?”

“Nine.”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

“Oh, and uh, try to take it easy on Mason today. I know you two butt heads when you’re in the office, but keep in mind he still has a huge stake in the company. You’ll need to keep the peace until you’re at the helm.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about a thing. See you at nine.”

I disconnected the call and set my phone on the desk.

It was true Mason and I butted heads a lot, which I didn’t like since we were working for the same company. It would definitely make it awkward once I took over, but that would be his problem, not mine. When I took over, the men would have to check their egos at the door.

We play as a team or you’re out, it was as simple as that.

The thing I disliked the most about Mason was that he was friends with my archenemy, Stewart Peters. I certainly hoped he would never leak confidential company information. It wasn’t something I needed to worry about, but it had crossed my mind. Hopefully, he was not that stupid.

I glanced at my to-do list, knowing I would probably be up until at least midnight with this hiccup in my plans of having to go to the office and attend the board meeting. I would have to rearrange some things, but I would keep the lunch in place since I had to eat, and the office wasn’t far from Little Italy. I had never turned down an Italian meal in my life, so the thought of canceling the lunch hadn’t even entered my mind for a second.

I love my carbs.

The first thing I had to do was let Dee know about the change of plans.

As usual, she was one step ahead of me when my phone vibrated with a text from her.

Dee: I canceled our video conference since you’re coming to the board meeting.

Ruth: Good morning to you, too. Let’s meet after lunch.

Dee: Got it. Speaking of which, I would totally be your best friend forever if you brought me some lasagna and garlic bread.

Ruth: You’re already my best friend, so what else do you have to offer as a bribe?

Dee: I will CONTINUE to be your best friend.

Ruth: Sounds like you’re blackmailing me again. When will the madness end?

Dee: When I see lasagna on my desk. Oh, and don’t forget the garlic bread and parmesan cheese.

I laughed, but then stopped when my phone vibrated again with a call from Nick. He was supposed to be at my place any moment to start work. Hopefully, there wasn’t a problem.

I answered the call. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Ruth. It’s Nick.”

“Good morning. What’s going on?”

“Well, I’m kind of in a predicament and I’m just trying to figure out what to do.”

“Okay . . .” I said. “What seems to be the problem?”