1

SOPHIE

“I don’t think anyone really has a price. You’re just refusing to admit what yours is,” Maya says again, like she’s been thinking about it for a while and won’t let it go.

Vanessa leans back in her chair and looks at her. “What about you then? What’s your price? Fifty bucks?”

Maya laughs immediately, shaking her head. “I wish. If I was that cheap, life would be so much easier than this.”

Tyra tilts her head. “How exactly would that make anything easier?”

Maya shrugs like it’s obvious. “Because then I could just pack my things, quit, and disappear from my boss’s life without stress.”

Vanessa laughs a little. “Yeah, but you’d miss us.”

Maya pauses for a second, then nods. “Okay, that part is true.”

I smile and look at her. “So what is your price then?”

Maya goes quiet for a moment. She leans forward slightly, lowering her voice like she’s about to say something serious, something secret. “I could tell you… but then I’d have to kill you.”

I don’t even hesitate. I grab a fry and throw it at her. She laughs and jerks back, acting offended but clearly enjoying it.

Vanessa turns her eyes toward me. “You’re all talk, Sophie. But really… what’s your price?”

I shake my head slowly. “I don’t have one.”

Maya lets out a short laugh, like she doesn’t believe it for a second. “Liar.”

I shrug again, calm. “I like my job. I really don’t need anything else.”

Maya doesn’t drop it. “You still have a price. Everyone does.”

“No, I don’t,” I say, a little firmer now. “I actually like what I do. I like my work, and I like the people I work with. You’d literally have to drag me out of there.”

And I mean it. I didn’t fall into this job. I worked for it. I got into Harrison Calloway during my internship while I was finishing my master’s in finance. Harrison Calloway is the biggest investment capital firm in the Midwest, and the third biggest in the whole country. It’s not a small place where people just pass through.

Harrison Calloway himself, the founder, has been running it since 1984. During my internship, I reported directly to him. He didn’t ignore interns like most people at that level. He actually watched, corrected, and taught. He saw my work, paid attention to it, and didn’t just brush it off.

When I graduated, I got a full-time position without having to beg for it. He approved it himself.

Now it’s been five years. I’m the youngest person to reach a fourth-level director position. That puts me just one step below vice president. I still don’t fully act like I belong there sometimes, but I do the work, and it shows.

Vanessa rolls her eyes at me. “How do you even enjoy that? It’s just numbers all day. That sounds exhausting.”

“Exactly,” Maya agrees quickly, like she’s been waiting to say it.

“It’s not just numbers,” I say. “And even if it was, what’s wrong with that? Numbers don’t lie. Two plus two is always four. There’s no guessing, no confusion, no maybe.”

Tyra groans and leans back in her chair. “That sounds so boring. Where’s the fun in that? Where’s the excitement?”

I look at her. “Fun? Is that what you call your job?”

Tyra smiles a little, like she already expects this argument. She works in medical device sales, and she’s often inside operating rooms guiding doctors on what equipment to use. “At least I’m in surgeries. That’s way more interesting than sitting behind a screen all day.”

I make a face and shake my head slightly. “Blood is definitely not for me.”

“Same,” Maya and Vanessa say at the same time without even thinking.

Tyra points at Maya right away. “What are you even complaining about? Your phone dying?”

Maya smirks. “Very funny.” She’s an editor, and she spends most of her day reading steamy romance novels and editing them.

Vanessa nods slowly. “Honestly, that sounds like a dream job.”

I turn toward Vanessa. “What about real estate? You liked it, didn’t you?”

Vanessa shrugs one shoulder. “I do like it. It’s fine. It’s just not exactly something that keeps me warm at night… unlike Maya’s job probably does.”

Maya groans loudly. “How many times do I have to explain this? Real life is better than B.O.B. I like my job, but if I don’t get actual attention soon, I’m going to break some kind of record.”

I grin. “What record? Two weeks?”

She nudges me hard with her elbow. “Shut up. That’s not funny.”

Tyra leans back in her seat again, quieter now. “Honestly, none of us are really doing great right now. It feels like a dry spell for everyone.”

Maya looks at her. “What are you talking about? What about Lamal?”

Tyra’s expression shifts a little. She looks away for a second. “I think I need to end it.”

I sit up a little. “No. I like Lamal.”

Tyra shakes her head slowly. “It’s not there anymore. I can feel it. I just can’t get it back, no matter what I try.”

Vanessa reaches over and covers Tyra’s hand. “Are you okay?”

Tyra shifts in her seat, uncomfortable but honest. “I’ll be fine. I just need to do it. I just don’t like how it’s going to happen. It’s going to be awkward, especially since we work together. Lesson learned. Don’t date someone you work with.”

No one disagrees. We all just sit with that for a moment and nod.

Then my phone alarm goes off.

I glance at it and sigh. “Sorry, I have to go. Harrison called a meeting for managers and above.”

I pull out cash from my wallet and drop it on the table without thinking twice.

Maya smirks at me as I stand. “Go enjoy your numbers, Sophie. And let me know when you finally figure out your real price.”

I pick up my bag and shake my head. “Don’t wait for it.”