PUBLIC PRESENTATION

I squash the thought and bite my own tongue to re-establish my boundaries. Which means keeping her in the dark as much as possible.

“I never said this presentation was for internal use,” I say, misdirecting.

Nicole stiffens. “Are you saying this is for a public presentation?”

I drink my coffee, impassive.

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asks, her stress rising exponentially.

Her vehemence catches me off guard. Setting aside her occasional flirtation with serial killer fantasies, it seems out of character for her.

“It doesn’t change anything,” I hedge.

“Of course it changes things,”Nocole says, frustrated. I notice the dark half-moon shadows under her eyes. “If you’re sharing this publicly, it could end up on the internet forever. It could end up with your competition. That shifts us from offense design to defense design, especially if you’re going up against your dad and his cronies.”

She half moves to bury her hands in her hair, but she stops and smooths them flat on the table.

Wh