Page 70 of Sins of the Father

She releases a big breath. “That’s good. Everyone is worried about you.”

“Why?”

“It’s almost nine thirty. Our meeting with Metro Insurance starts at ten.”

I cringe. “I thought it was at noon?”

“Did you not look at your schedule?”

“Apparently, not,” I mumble, put her on speaker, then pull up my agenda.

My gut drops. My entire day is packed with important meetings, and I’m not prepared for them.

“I sent you an email Friday after you left. Did you not read it?”

“No.”

“You didn’t get it, or you didn’t check your email all weekend?”

I ignore her question. “Shira, I need you to either move these meetings or get me up to speed. I’m not ready.”

Silence.

“Hello? Did I lose you?” I ask.

“Did you say you aren’t ready?”

“Yes.”

“But...”

“But what?”

“You’re always ready.”

I scrub my face. “Well, I’m not today. So what options do we have?”

“Let me get on it. I’ll brief you when you get here.”

I hang up and put my head against the seat. I’ve had barely any sleep and was running on pure adrenaline this morning, but suddenly, I feel the lack of rest.

Why didn’t you stick to your schedule?

This is what happens when you deviate.

I get into the office, and Shira follows me into my personal space. She sits at my desk and points to eight different folders.

“All the numbers are in each folder. I highlighted the changes and ran some other analytics. I think it’s all you need to get through the meetings. I can reschedule if you want, but people have flown in.”

My stomach twists. “No, you can’t cancel, then.”

“If you want, I can pull the data team together and have them sit in your meetings.”

“Please do.”

She rises. “On it.”

“Thanks.”

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