Battle of the Sexes

Chapter Seven

Amity

"No, it's going great," I say, flagging down a cab. "Can you hold on, please?"

Pulling the phone away from my ear, I give the driver the address to the bar I'm supposed to meet Hallie at in five minutes. I could've walked there, but who wants to do that in heels?

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm back."

"Salvo said things are going well. He said he met with you today?"

"Yes. We had a pleasant conversation about the Board's vision for the future. It honestly wasn't anything you and I haven't discussed before."

"That great, Amity. How's it going with Carver?"

"Ha!" I grab the door as the cabbie takes a crazy right-hand turn. "It's going. He's as arrogant as ever."

Dad chuckles through the line. "He's a smart little shit and he has some good ideas. He just gets a little too wild sometimes."

"I can see that," I say with a grin.

"Take it easy on him," he laughs. "He means well and there's a brilliance buried in there. I've seen it. When he comes into his own, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. Remember that."

"I'm pulling up to my destination, Daddy. Are you and Mother leaving the port today?"

I hand the driver the money plus a tip and listen to my father tell me how they're meeting with Carver's parents and will be at sea starting in the morning.

"Do you need any information for your presentation?" he asks as I exit the cab.

"I don't believe so. I know exactly what I want to put forward as my vision for the future of the company," I tell him. "I was working on it today and feel really good about it."

"Perfect. I'm so proud of you, Amity."

We exchange our goodbyes as I head to the entrance of the bar.

A band is playing to the left as I walk in, some curious take on pop that's on the fence between interesting and annoying. The lights are dim, making the space seem even smaller than it is. I look around for Hallie and finally spot her in the back at a high table.

"Over here!" she waves.

I sort my way through the crowd of twenty-somethings and plop down across from her. "This place is getting busy already."

"It'sthespot from what I heard." Two salt-rimmed glasses are placed before us. Hallie bats her lashes at a tall man with a killer smile. "Thank you, Felipe."

"The pleasure is all mine, ladies."

She shoves a drink towards me. "I ordered you a watermelon margarita. Have you had one before?"

"I have not," I say, taking a sip. It's sweet and salty and the tequila bites hard. It's the perfect way to end a crazy week. "But I will be having them more often."

Hallie dances in her seat to the music, her drink in one hand. "I love them. Camryn Quinn introduced me a couple of weeks ago. She and her husband were on a vacation in Fiji or somewhere and had them."

"Must be nice to just jet-set around the world," I lament, taking another sip. "I haven't even gone out for drinks in ages."

"You are thirty years old, Amity. You need to go out while you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I laugh.

"It means eventually you're going to get married and have kids and you won't have the option to go out anymore."