“Thanks. I can’t take much credit for that. It’s all my husband, Donovan, and his daughter, Echo. I’d love to send you a box of Lela B skincare if you’re up for trying it. Not that you need it. You look amazing.”
“That’s so sweet. I’d love to sample what you have. Always need to keep my eyes open to everything the competition is doing.”
Brooklyn sucked a breath through her nose. “Mom, what brings you by the office?”Completely unannounced. With zero advance warning.
“I actually have something I need to talk to you about. In person. But we can discuss it later if you’re in the middle of something.”
“Well, Lela and I were about to have lunch.”
“I can step out if you two need to talk,” Lela offered, her sights darting back and forth between Brooklyn and her mom.
“No, no.” Her mom shook her head. “My daughter and I can catch up later.”
Laurel appeared in the doorway. “Lunch is here. I’ll get you all set up in the small conference room.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve encroached on your plans,” her mom said.
Brooklyn wondered how she always managed to get into these situations with her mother, where she felt guilty for something she hadn’t done. “Mom, why don’t you join us? Laurel always orders plenty of food.”
A pleased grin crossed her mother’s lips. “I’d love to.”
Brooklyn sighed. She’d really been looking forward to time with Lela, but the reality was that Brooklyn was overdue for a visit to see her mom, so maybe this was for the best. “Perfect. We can head over in a minute.” Brooklyn got out a big binder to show Lela the mock-ups of the next twelve months of subscription boxes. Her mom, seeming disinterested, took a seat and tapped away on her phone.
“You plan this far in advance?” Lela asked as she perused the pages.
“The themes, yes. But we use a shorter lead-time with the actual products. You never know when a hot new brand will turn up in the marketplace. We like to have the most current stuff if we can.” Brooklyn didn’t really want to cut a deal with Lela with her mom present, but she didn’t have a choice. “Do you think you’d ever want to put a product in one of our boxes? We could even do an exclusive if you have any new products you’re trying to launch.”
Lela’s face lit up. “Oh, absolutely. No question. I’d love to do it.”
A wide smile bloomed on Brooklyn’s face, but her mom cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, managing to convey her disapproval of things without a word.
“But we can talk about that later,” Brooklyn added. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
The three gathered in the small conference room for a lovely lunch of chicken caesar salad, raspberry iced tea, and fresh baked oatmeal cookies for dessert. The topic of conversation was an easy one, the common denominator—beauty and business.
“Ms. Monroe, what was it like when you started your company?” Lela asked.
Her mother dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin, but it felt like a pause for dramatic effect. “Incredibly difficult. Imagine climbing a mountain in a snowstorm. Carrying two kids. In heels.”
Brooklyn had often cringed at the stories of her mom’s struggles. They always felt so overwrought. But now that Brooklyn had experience with the business side and was seriously pursuing motherhood, she was starting to see it through a different lens. “Uphill both ways. Right, Mom?”
Her mom wagged her finger playfully at Brooklyn. “You joke, but I’m serious.”
“Oh, I know.”
“The industry has always been surprisingly misogynistic. You’d think a business with so many women customers would be more female-friendly, but no,” her mom said. “Back in the late 70s and early 80s, I was getting laughed out of the room. Women were considered consumers of cosmetics, and sometimes makeup artists, but trying to be a female entrepreneur and run my own company? Forget about it.”
“That bad, huh?” Lela asked. “I was in high school and college during that time, so I thankfully avoided most of that.”
“Let’s put it this way. I got my ass grabbed more times than I care to think about.”
Brooklyn nearly dropped her salad fork. “You never told me that.”
“That’s horrible,” Lela said. “I’m so sorry.”
Brooklyn reached for her mother’s arm. “Mom, why didn’t you tell me that before? That’s terrible. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
Her mom shrugged. “I never told you because I didn’t want to discourage you. And I’d hoped things had changed enough that you wouldn’t encounter the same thing.”
