Page 30 of Written By a Woman

Both of those options were mortifying, so I opted for removing myself from the situation and ending on a high note.

“Don’t forget to put your mom’s leftovers in the breakroom fridge for me,” Signe called out when I started my return. I glanced at her over my shoulder and threw her a grin, and I felt my heart thump heavy one time at the bright look in her eyes when she saw my smile.

“You got it,” I gave her a thumbs up before continuing my retreat to my office. I didn’t see anything as I made my way back, too lost in my thoughts about the realizations I had in the last few minutes since my sister let herself into my office.

ChapterSix

SIGNE

“Are you ready?”Jacqueline asked, startling me out of my zone. I blinked up at her hovering over my desk before I quickly checked the time on my computer screen to confirm.

“Oh, yes, let me just save this really quick,” I clicked out of the reports I was working on and locked my computer screen, before standing and pushing my chair in, “Do you have the list from Nikhil?” I asked her.

Jacqueline frowned, leaning her weight on one hip and tapping through her iPad. I took a moment to admire Jacqueline. I assumed that she was only a year or two older than me, but she was interesting because some days she looked a lot younger. I had already asked her about her skincare routine in the past, and she told me that she just washes her face with the same Head and Shoulders shampoo she uses for her hair.

I then asked her what it was like to be God’s favorite, and she snorted before blushing and walking away.

Jacqueline was a tough nut to crack. Some days she would wear jeans and sneakers, making me feel like she was a normal grown woman capable of silly friendships and teasing and joking. Other days, like today, she wore her pencil skirt with a button-up blouse. Her shiny brown hair pulled back into a tight bun, not a hair out of place. Glasses resting on her nose. This made her look older, I thought. Like a mature woman whose idea of fun was sipping wine and discussing finances and investments.

Like someone who played Monopoly because they actually enjoyed it and weren’t bullied into it.

Other days, like when she wasn’t interviewing potential new employees, she sometimes wore jeans and a button-up shirt, with sneakers. Her hair would be at least half down, her glasses only coming down from their perch on her head to read something in front of her.

During interview days, she was the epitome of professionalism.

I understood the need to dress a specific way, though. Women always struggled to be taken seriously in any male-dominated field. Our clothes sometimes became armor, designed to show authority. To make others take us seriously.

“Cute skirt,” I smiled at her as I stood up and grabbed my own iPad and phone.

“Oh,” Jacqueline looked down at herself as if remembering that she wore a skirt today, before giving me a shy smile and muttering, “Thanks.” Then she blinked down at her iPad and said, “I don’t have Nikhil’s list, can you pull it up?”

I nodded and tapped away on my own iPad to the email he sent us, giving her a thumbs up and following her to the conference room. Most of the interviews were going to take place via video call, and neither of us had cameras hooked up to our work computers. So, using the conference room, and projecting the interviews on the screen, was what we opted to do.

Nikhil’s interview schedule that he asked me to sit in on a couple of weeks ago, ended up conflicting with the managerial retreat to Santa Barbara. So, Jacqueline and I were stuck here, not sitting by the pool or on the beach, but instead going through first-round interviews for potential candidates for Nikhil to hire for his team.

Knowing that they were all living it up at the Ritz Carlton while Jacqueline and I covered interviews, I secretly hoped everyone there got a sunburn. Or at least didn’t read any of the signs at the Santa Barbara beaches and got a bunch of tar stuck to the bottoms of their feet.

As we entered the conference room, waving hello to a passing intern who was watching over the front desk while I helped interview, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

I pulled my phone out to see a message from Mary.

Mary: It’s such a bros club here, but it’s easy to ignore the insane testosterone levels when I’m sunbathing at eleven am.

Me: I hope you forgot sunscreen.

I smirked as Jacqueline held the door to the conference room open for me to walk through.

Mary: I wish you were here, I’d love to have another uterus to talk to.

Me: Be sure to mention that to the bros next time they ask me to organize all that for you.

Mary: I’m sorry!! …Want me to make it up to you?”

Me: …I’m listening.

I pocketed my phone to take a seat.

“Oh,” Jacqueline blinked at something on her iPad, “Nikhil added another interview since the last time I looked at this.”

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