The elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the corridor leading to Seamus’s office. She used to dream of walking this corridor, lined with minor works by modern artists, thinking that one day, with her instincts and dedication, it could be hers. That hunger had become nothing but a bitter taste in her mouth now.
As Seamus had promised, all of the executives were there. Himari was the only other woman in the room and the only person to greet her with a genuine smile. Luke was at the head of the table next to Seamus. He didn’t react at all to her arrival.
Nina wished she was as unreadable as him but she knew everyone could see her nerves were frazzled. As soon as she opened her mouth they’d hear how much her confidence had been knocked lately.
Clearing her throat, she waited for Seamus to welcome her back.
‘Nina, right on time. How was your trip?’ he said, looking relaxed.
‘Good morning.’ She reached for the water bottle and poured herself a glass. ‘Scotland was productive and… interesting, thank you.’ She found she couldn’t trust herself to lift the glass to her mouth without her hands shaking so she left the water she so badly wanted on the table. ‘Shall we make a start?’
Nobody said a thing. Himari clasped her hands together and placed them on the table, very serious.
‘Well, you’ve already heard my whisky idea and you’ve signed off on a deal for an exclusive relationship between the Cor distillery and Remy’s bar and restaurant chain. Congratulations, Himari, for taking the lead with that account.’
Unexpectedly, Himari interrupted. ‘I think we can all agree that was an excellent find. Well done, Nina.’
‘Yes, well done,’ Seamus added, not at all grudgingly. Perhaps he was pleased with her after all?
She was surprised to see the ripple of admiration and agreement going around the table. Some of the execs took notes, others whispered between themselves. This was going better than she had feared. Maybe she was closer to getting her old position back than she realised?
‘Ium, I met a number of creatives and company directors while in the Highlands. I emailed the full list to you this morning.’
More nodding from the execs around the table and lots of consulting of tablets and scrolling through her document.
‘I established a dialogue with each of them and even though they didn’t,um…’ she faltered, her neck flushing hot then cold. ‘I didn’t get as far as discussing potential collaborations or brand extension opportunities with them…avenues are open for you to explore if you wish to.’
Seamus steepled his fingers under his jutting chin. ‘Do you have anything concrete to show us?’ he asked. ‘I don’t think I need to stress the importance of bringing us another deal along the lines of the distillery connection.’
Nina opened her palm where she clasped the USB stick containing her presentation. She glanced at the tech stack on the desk. All she had to do was load it up and give the pitch she’d prepared with Mutt back in Port Willow.
He’d sat cross-legged on her bed while she rehearsed, scrolling through the flashy presentation on her laptop. He’d been grinning and nodding encouragement, leaning forward intently, hanging on her words. She’d felt ready to take on the world then. Now, however…
‘Nina?’ Seamus called to her through the haze of memories and the sound of her accelerated breathing.
‘I’ve made a presentation,’ she said, still looking at the stick in her hand, ‘but,uh, the product speaks for itself really.’ The truth was, she didn’t want to give them the perfect pitch she’d prepared. Deep down she already knew they’d want her product. ‘I…uh…’ Nina fought hard to focus on the expectant eyes staring back.
Someone looked at their wristwatch, another folded their arms, getting fed up waiting. Himari looked concerned. Luke didn’t move a muscle.
She’d seen him in meetings just like this, watching other hopefuls presenting their ideas. He’d been just as cold and unmoved with those strangers as he was watching her now.
How had she spent three years sleeping beside him? What a horrible waste of her time and energy. In that time she’d courted so many investors and influencers, set up so many collaborations, and she’d brought in money for Microtrends Brand Development and Lifestyle Forecasting. It struck her that she’d proven her worth time and again.
Had she been proportionately rewarded? Surely if she had, she’d have her own apartment by now and she wouldn’t be camping out at the Holiday Inn tonight. If she had, she’d have a bank account bursting with cash, like Luke’s. ‘If you’re valued, you’re rewarded,’ Luke would say in meetings. She’d seen him argue for generous employee packages and lavish contracts for his friends and valued associates. Had he fought for her? Had she fought for herself?
‘You asked me to prove my worth, Mr Ryan, and I think I’ve done that. You sent me away, having demoted me.’ She looked at Luke now, ‘Having dumped me, in the middle of the Scottish Highlands, and I found you a whisky collaboration deal. I knew that wouldn’t be enough, so I gathered together some of the local creators and we workshopped a new product.’
Seamus leaned forward in his chair as Nina pulled the black bow on the gift box on the table.
‘I made use of our contact, Mr Cor at the distillery, to source the right kind of cosmetic-grade denatured ethanol, that’s pure alcohol to you, and I worked with Munro, a glassworker, who designed a special bottle, and Eugene Fergusson,’ she couldn’t help smiling as she said Gene’s name, picturing him stooped over the great copper still at the But and Ben, demonstrating the lavender oil distillation process, ‘provided the essential oil.’
Everyone was watching Nina’s hands as she lifted the lid off the box and reached her hands inside. The scent hit her as she cradled the bottle she’d watched Munro make from scratch. Touching the cold, pale lilac glass she felt herself transported back to his workshop by the loch in that buzzing industrial estate full of makers. She could still smell the heat from the furnace and the sizzle of the metal filings as they were incorporated into the molten bauble on the end of the glass-blowing rod. She felt the hiss of the steam in her very blood as she remembered how he’d cooled the bottle having shaped it so carefully into the rustic rectangular apothecary-style bottle she was turning in her hands now. It was so slender and beautiful and inside the liquid glinted in the harsh white office light.
Looking at the product she’d worked so hard to produce, she was hit by the heady smell of the lavender oil diffused through pure, clear alcohol – green, soapy and fresh – and the magic ingredient, white willow,Salix alba, so clean and woody. Atholl had shown her how to extract and mix the tincture following the advice of his old tutor, imparted long ago.
‘Nina?’ Seamus was impatient now.
All she had to do was spray the fragrance in the air, let it diffuse its way through the penthouse office, insinuate itself into the air vents, seep into the execs’ skin, and she’d have handed over another perfect deal.
