Page 116 of So This Is War
Fumbling of pens.
Eye sockets.
The only thing this is missing is maybe a little live-action reenactment.
“It means you’re all talking fucking nonsense.” Halsey takes a sip of his coffee while leaning back in his chair.
“Well, excuse us,” I say. “Apologies for not being able to have hoity-toity conversations about whatever nonsensical fiction you’re currently consuming.”
“We don’t have to talk about books,” Halsey says. “But we certainly don’t have to talk about Coach Wood pulling our pants down. For fuck’s sake.”
“I don’t know, seems charming,” Eli says just as Coach Wood walks into the conference room. And just like that, we all straighten up and start focusing on our food.
We might talk a big talk, but there’s no way in hell any of us would ever say what we said in front of Coach Wood. No fucking chance.
I can feel his eyes on me the moment he starts looking around, but instead of looking up, I take great interest in the fluffiness of my eggs. What do they do to make them so fluffy? Is it more milk? Cottage cheese perhaps? Maybe they?—
“Posey!”
Yup, saw that coming.
I look up at Coach Wood who has his arms crossed, staring daggers at me.
“Hey, Coach,” I say. “Good morning. What a great shave job this morning. Very smooth.”
“Shut up and come here.”
Not accepting compliments. Okay.
Although, if another man told me I did a nice shave job, I’d offer a thank you, but it just seems we were raised differently. Someone never taught him to express gratitude for compliments.
I approach him, but he turns on his heel and walks out of the conference room. Seems like he wants me to follow him, so I do.
When we are out in the hall, he brings me to the corner and says, “What’s the update on my daughter?”
I place my hands in my jogger pockets and ask, “Uh, what do you mean?”
“Are you making her life hell? Because it seems as though she’s having no problem working for you and advancing in her artwork.”
“Oh, uh . . . are we mad about the artwork thing?”
“Yes,” he rages.
I wince. “Okay, just wanted to make sure. So, uh, to be honest, I’m having a hard time coming up with tasks to give her. And the ones you give me, she seems to be able to do quickly. I don’t know what to tell you. She’s efficient.”
“I don’t want her being efficient. I want her to realize that her life would be better with a solid education and a stable job. You are not doing that.”
I scratch the back of my neck. “Well, can I just put it out there that maybe I wasn’t the right guy for this? You know, Silas is more of an asshole than I am. He might be the one you’re looking for.”
“I don’t want Silas in on this. I need someone who is unattached to a woman who softens him. I thought you were tough. Hard.”
Well, I’m hard, that’s for damn sure, but I don’t think that’s the version of hard he’s talking about. And I sure as hell know he wouldn’t want me to tell him that either.
“What do you want me to do? Make her fly here just so she can tie my shoes?”
That sparks a thought in his head, and I see the evil look in his eye.
Uh-oh, that was the wrong thing to say. “Yes. I do.”
