“I hope something good came out of it, too.”
The elevator doors slid open and they walked through the office. “Our subscription numbers have seen a massive spike. And the Posh Male initiative is definitely a go. We got a ton of sign-ups. So that’s good.”
“Gotta love that.”
“Definitely.” Although it meant that they were going to need to hire more crew in the warehouse, and as to where they were going to put all of these people, Brooklyn didn’t know. “Marketing, the art department, and senior admin are up on on this floor,” she said, giving Lela the lay of the land. “The web department is on four, database management and customer service are on three, accounting and other admin is on two. And fulfillment is on the ground level, but we’re going to have to move it out of Manhattan soon. It’s growing too fast and it’s too expensive to expand in the city.”
“Impressive. How many employees?”
Brooklyn noticed that Laurel had a line of people at her desk waiting to talk to her. She juggled so much, and Brooklyn would be lost without her. Brooklyn was thinking about asking her assistant if she needed one of her own. “Two hundred and nineteen.”
“Exactly?”
“Yep. Although Frida in accounting is moving to San Diego next month. Her husband, Yuri, got a job in sports marketing with The Padres. So we’ll be down a person, but hopefully we’ll get her replaced.”
“You know a lot about the people who work for you.”
“I just want people to feel valued. That’s all.”
“I don’t know if I could manage so many people. That’s why I love being a division of Echo Echo.” Lela’s cosmetic company, Lela B, was a joint venture with the lifestyle company owned and operated by Lela’s daughter-in-law, Echo. “Someone else handles all of that.”
“I can’t imagine not having my hands in everything. I’m too much of a control freak.” They arrived at Brooklyn’s corner of the Posh Post world. “Come on in. Have a seat.”
“Super cute office.” Lela sat in one of the chairs opposite Brooklyn’s desk.
Brooklyn plopped down in her own chair. “Thanks. I’m really happy with it, even if it’s busting at the seams.” On the floor in the corner, opposite the teddy bear graveyard, sat a stack of bins for Brooklyn to go through. Even though she had a team that tested every sample that went into a Posh Post subscription box, Brooklyn still signed off on everything—smelling and touching the products, making sure the packaging design was aesthetically pleasing.
Laurel appeared at the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to let you know that your mom just stormed past reception. She’s on her way up.”
Brooklyn choked back a grumble. “Any idea what she wants?” Brooklyn looked across the office, hoping to catch Virginia before she left, but her glass-walled office was dark and empty.
“No clue. Sorry. Do you want me to try to stop her? I’m not entirely comfortable with that idea, but you’re the boss.”
“No. It’s fine. Maybe she’ll get distracted by Giorgio.”
“Who?” Laurel asked.
“Giorgio. The ridiculously handsome new intern.”
“I’m always amazed how you know everyone’s names. It’s his first day.” Laurel glanced back over her shoulder and sure enough, Brooklyn’s mom had not made it past the tower of Giorgio. Her mother liked to say that no woman needed a man, but in truth she was quite the fan, especially when they came with a handsome face. “Huh. You were right.”
“I know my mom,” Brooklyn said.
“Okay. Well, your lunch will be here in fifteen minutes. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Sounds good. Thank you.” Brooklyn redirected her attention to Lela. “Sorry about that. It’s always a little kooky around here.”
“I don’t know how you do it. Now that I’m married, have a grandchild, and am doing my work onGood Day USA, I wouldn’t be able to function if I hadn’t given up the operations side of Lela B. I just do the top-level work of making product and packaging decisions. It gives me more time for the things that really matter.”
Brooklyn couldn’t help but think about her own lot in life, and the ways in which she hoped it would eventually mirror Lela’s. Brooklyn talked about simply hiring a nanny when she had her baby, as if that was going to be enough to make motherhood and her career exist in complete harmony. And her plan was assuming a lot—a trouble-free pregnancy and a little one without any issues. What if there were problems? Postpartum depression, or a baby with special needs, or a health condition requiring extraordinary care. There were so many unpredictable factors at play. And even if everything went smoothly, for someone who had a hard time giving up control, it was not going to be easy to simply hand over her child to someone else.
Brooklyn’s mom appeared in the doorway looking perfectly put together—rolling dark waves framing her face, with flawless eyebrows and a neutral lip. She wore slim black pants, matching turtleneck, nude heels, and her prized 1980s-vintage Birkin bag hooked on her arm. “Knock, knock. I hope I’m not interrupting.” Of course, she wastotallyinterrupting. But it was too late for that.
Brooklyn rose from her seat and rushed over to kiss her mom on the cheek. “Mom, I want you to meet Lela Bennett, the founder of Lela B Cosmetics. Lela, this is my mom, Aurora Monroe, founder of Aurora Cosmetics.” It was kind of amazing—Brooklyn had two titans of her industry in her office. Her mom was a legend, and although Lela might not be quite as well-known, she was certainly an icon.
“Ms. Monroe, it is so amazing to meet you,” Lela stood and eagerly shook Brooklyn’s mom’s hand. “Don’t tell anyone, but I still use the Aurora Beauty overnight cream. It’s so rich and silky.”
Her mother smiled and shot Brooklyn a look that essentially said,See? I’ve still got it. “That’s so wonderful to hear. I haven’t had a chance to try your products, but I’m a great admirer of the marketing you’ve done around your brand. It’s very impressive.”
