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other issue. Tomas. She couldn’t get him off her mind. They’d always given each other wide berth, not getting too close. He’d never actually been mean to her, but they had a strange rapport going which included insults, verbal jabs, and then carrying on like it was no big deal. Their relationship had shifted this weekend—at least it seemed that way to her—and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Every time she did, her stomach dropped and left her in a mildly breathless state—not unlike the sensation of a three-hundred-foot plunge on a rollercoaster caused.
    Someone rapped at her office door. “Come in.”
    Lillian, her assistant, walked in with several sheets of paper in her hand and a hesitancy in her step. The brunette had been Talia’s assistant for the past few years and moved up to the executive offices when Talia did, too. They worked well together. Lillian understood Talia’s temperament and didn’t take her occasional snapping and ranting personally. She kept Talia organized and in return, Talia gave her time off whenever she needed it, usually because of one thing or another concerning her children. Parent-teacher conferences and childhood illnesses kept her busy, and as a single mother Lillian didn’t have much help. Talia sympathized and did what she could to help her balance work and home.
    Talia’s gaze followed her assistant until she came to a standstill in front of the desk.
    New furniture had been one of the perks of the promotion. As the senior vice president of creative services, she could have chosen any of the more modern designs of glass and chrome like her male counterparts, but she’d settled on a warm cherry wood desk with clean lines and matching cabinets with frosted glass doors.
    “A few of us put something together, and we wanted you to take a look,” Lillian said.
    “What is it?”
    Lillian took a deep breath. “You said if I prepared a plan for a company daycare, you’d review it.”
    Talia had made the off-hand remark in answer to Lillian’s request that perhaps she could lobby the owner for an on-site daycare sponsored by the company. She hadn’t expected Lillian to actually put together a proposal. One of the negatives of being the only woman on the executive team meant the female staff made requests of her because they assumed she understood their plight.
    She held out her hand. “Let me see.”
    Lillian handed her the sheets of paper stapled together and waited with hands clasped in front of her. The proposal contained neatly typed paragraphs and a budget illustrated with a table and pie chart.
    “Where did you get these numbers?” Talia asked.
    “We found the averages online.”
    She glanced up from the sheet. “Jay’s not going to accept averages,” she said before returning her eyes to the document. She circled the numbers and wrote “be specific” to the side. She flipped to the next page and perused the contents. Overall, the proposal was a decent plan to get the point across but needed more detail. She wrote notes and suggestions in the margin and crossed out a few sentences before handing the pages back to Lillian.
    “Add in the info I requested and delete the mushy stuff I crossed out. Jay is logical and he only cares about how much this is going to cost and whether or not the cost is worth the investment.” Lillian nodded her understanding and Talia decided to go all in. What the hell. “Make the changes and I’ll take the proposal to him and see if I can convince him to set up the daycare.”
    Lillian squealed. “Yes! Thank you, Talia.”
    “I’m presenting it, Lillian. There are no guarantees.”
    “I know, I know, but thanks. It’s great having a woman on the team, you know? Someone who looks out for our interests. And I know you don’t have kids or anything and you’re a busy executive, but you understand how difficult it is for those of us who do have children. Thank you so much.”
    Her enthusiastic response made Talia feel