My assistant stepped into the room, the subtle scents of cocoa butter and cherries tickling my nose. “Cord will be here in five.”
Mason cocked his head and flashed a toothy smile. “Hi, Pearl. It’s nice to see you today.”
I wasn’t sure why, but Pearl didn’t like him. I’d asked her multiple times if he’d done something to her, if he’d been harassing or bothering her, and she’d always said no. Still . . . Douche.
She raised an eyebrow but otherwise ignored Mason and handed me a manila folder. “You have that conference call at ten. Here’s the prep you wanted, and I left the résumés on your desk for the operations position. You need anything else?”
I thumbed through the meticulously organized research on new FitMi users. Our growth was unreal. We were having a hard time recruiting enough qualified coaches to keep up with demand. While I loved the success of our app, I’d never wanted a desk job. I missed working with clients in the park or teaching self-defense classes.
My roommate, my girlfriend, and I came up with the idea for the app in college. Back then, I was studying exercise science, Cord was earning a degree in computer programming, and Kelsey was in management. We’d spent months searching the crowded market to see where we could fit. Even finding a name not already in use was a challenge, and it took us years of hustling to make the company a reality. I’d taught exercise classes and worked as a personal trainer, Cord had made his way up the corporate food chain in IT departments, and Kelsey had powered through her MBA. Nights and weekends meant work sessions in our cramped apartment. Those days felt like a long time ago.
“Nothing else. Thanks,” I said to Pearl.
Mason kept on smiling. “I’m good, too.”
Pearl shot him a withering stare. She was taller than him and slender with dark, smooth skin and hair in box braids. I was certain she could knock him out if it came to it.
Mason’s voice grated on me from across the room. “You know, Pearl, I’m not a bad guy. You don’t always have to shoot imaginary daggers at me.”
“I’d use real ones, but your suit’s so pretty, I’d hate to get it bloody.” Pearl turned on her heel and called over her shoulder, “I’m not rescheduling that call again, Wes, so be on time.”
“I don’t think she realizes I’m a VP,” Mason muttered once Pearl was out of earshot.
“She realizes—she just doesn’t like you. Pearl is nice to everyone. What did you do?”
“Nothing. I’m being pleasant. It’s not my fault she doesn’t like me.”
“If a woman treats a man like she treats you, there’s a reason. Fix it. It’s not the kind of place we run.”
“I get it. We’re a girl-power, everyone-is-beautiful, fat-can-be-fun kind of place,” Mason said with a mocking edge to his voice. “I know. I engineered the brand, remember?”
The app had taken off overnight, and I never got the crash course in being an executive. For example, how was I supposed to deal with a vice president whose glib tone and habit of checking his phone mid-conversation set my teeth on edge?
Cord pushed through the door then, holding a Big Gulp, and tossed his wet umbrella into the corner. “What’d I miss?”
Mason set his device aside, finally. “Wes was just reminding me of the company’s mission.”
“I bet.” Cord shot me a WTF look across the table. “Sorry I’m late—issue with the servers. So, what’s—”
Mason’s phone vibrated across the table, and he scrambled to answer it. “Give me a minute.” He held up a dismissive finger and stepped out the door.
I cut my gaze to my friend. “What would it take to fire him?”
“Cause and probably a severance package the size of Wisconsin. What happened?” Cord leaned back in his chair in a way that made him look like a sitcom dad ready to solve problems and dispense wisdom.
“He isn’t on board with what we do.”
“Not sure that, alone, is a fireable offense. What did he say?” Cord sipped from the bucket of Mountain Dew. I had given up reminding him we ran a health and fitness company years ago.
I repeated Mason’s words back with air quotes. “Who says that shit? He doesn’t get us.”
“Sure, he does.” Cord shrugged. “He’s just a dick.” My buddy was the laid-back, agreeable person everyone should have as a best friend and business partner. The things that kept me riled up seemed to roll off him.