Read Online Some Kind of Perfect (Calloway Sisters #4.5) by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie - Free Book Online Page A

you so much time, love?” I flash him a half-smile.
    One afternoon, Connor let me inside his boardroom while I waited for him. Cobalt Inc. owns a handful of subsidiaries, including a company that produces paints and crayons. That day, a board member joked about naming a burnt-red color dirty whore , and with one word—one goddamn word—Connor had the board member exiting, head hung in shame.
    “Leave,” he said.
    That’s all it took.
    I’ve been CEO of Hale Co. for only three years. He’s been the CEO of Cobalt Inc. for five, but he was respected the minute he was given the title.
    I saw it.
    Connor switches his club to his left hand. “I never said we’re the same. It’ll take you more time, but it never would’ve taken me this long.”
    “Of course not.” I don’t take the jab to heart. It’s true. I rub the back of my neck and sigh heavily. “Things are so much easier for you.” I expect him to agree, but he wears this expression like I’m stepping over facts.
    “I spent years preparing to take over my mother’s company. It’s what I aspired to do. I also make difficult things look easy. No one can do what I do, and it’s not a fault of your own but just a testament to how skilled I am.” There’s my conceited friend. “Just so you know, when I was interim CEO, the board treated me like a child sitting at the adult table. I had to win them over too.”
    I wonder how he sees me.
    He spent his whole life wanting to be the head of a corporation. I had no aspirations. In fact, I rejected the idea over and over. At the last minute, I fought for the position, but I had practically no competition. I’m still trying to earn my place, and I’m realizing that maybe I should have to. It’s only right.
    Connor taught me a lot. I’d tell him as much, but he definitely already knows.
    I skim his wavy hair, still perfectly styled, and his collared shirt, all six-foot-four of him standing straight and confident. I nod, more to myself. “In short, Connor Cobalt is a god. Don’t touch him.”
    “You can touch me, darling.”
    I suck in a breath. “Don’t give me ideas, love. I always aim to please.”
    “Something we share.” He grins a billion-dollar grin.
    I smile with him as we head back to my brother and son. I pocket my phone, under the new belief that respect may take years, but it’s years’ worth fighting.

 
    < 6 >
    September 2018
    Lucky’s Diner
    Philadelphia
     
    DAISY MEADOWS
    “Send me the link.” I scrape the mustard off the top of my hamburger bun. I forgot to ask for no mustard , but I easily carve out a chunk of the bread.
    Daisy Petunia Meadows: resident condiment banisher. Need your mustard gone? Trying to ward away that pesky horseradish sauce you just can’t stand? Call Daisy. She has you covered.
    I smile and adjust my earbuds. I currently sit at a secluded booth in Lucky’s Diner. My laptop is wedged between the napkin dispenser and mini condiment holder. I already told Willow on Skype that she’s cuddling with the ketchup and mayo.
    “Okay, hold on a sec,” she says. “I’ll send it to you and then we can analyze.” In the Skype window, Willow leans closer, her finger dancing across her own keyboard. An X-Men: Apocalypse poster is taped to the wall behind her.
    She’s in her dorm room, all the way in London.
    I never questioned Willow’s decision to go to college out of the country. I never stopped her or convinced her to stay. I know what’s best for my best friend is what she wants, and she wanted this.
    Even so, Ryke and I had a pretty deep conversation about my muddled feelings after we all said our goodbyes at the airport. It took me a minute or two, but I was able to explain them well enough.
    Ryke: She’s going to come back, Dais.
    Me: Yeah but I was her best friend, and in a year or two, I might not be anymore. And it’s so stupid because people make friends all the time, but it still feels like I’m losing something.
    Ryke: She probably will make other