The next day after I settle in at work, feeling relieved that #EloraandKaelric is trending once again—the leaks and the cast posts doing their job—Rick Calloway knocks on my office door.
“I’m sure you’ve heard Simone isn’t coming back,” he says as soon as he enters, getting right to the point.
I nod. “Yes. She called me.”
“We’d like to offer you her position,” he says.
Oh, wow. I wasn’t expecting that. I figured he was here to tell me they will consider me and that there would be some kind of interview process with other candidates to consider.
Heck, last night when I lay awake in bed thinking about how this would all go down, I even imagined Luke putting his hat in the ring and him getting the job, and me having to actually find out how to work in mattress testing after all.
But now Rick’s in my office, offering me the position, just like that. Me. Claire Archer. Soon-to-be VP of crisis management.
Answer the man, Claire.
“I’d be honored,” I tell him honestly.
He leaves without a goodbye, and I stare at the door as it clicks shut. This is . . . big. It’s huge, actually.
And I have no one to share it with. My family and Sam will be excited for me, of course, but they won’t truly understand the gravity. Gigi would probably ask me how much the pay raise is.
Which is probably something I should have discussed before saying yes.
I could get Tessa in here and tell her. She’d get it. But the person who’d really understand, the person I actually want to tell right now, is the one person I can’t.
All because I couldn’t keep my lips to myself.
Later that night, while Sam is at work and I’m lying on the couch, my phone beeps.
My stomach drops when I see who it’s from.
Luke.
I almost don’t want to click on the text to see what it says. But I’m too curious.
Luke:Meeting with the studio 9 AM tomorrow.
It’s what I expected. Was I hoping for something else? Of course. But that was foolish. I know how the curse works.
We’re just colleagues now. Like the conference room never happened.
I didn’t think I could be more heartbroken than I already was.
But I was wrong.
Chapter 26
PR Tip #16:The room will tell you everything you need to know. You just have to be willing to read it.
The next morning, I drive to the studio alone.
It would have been my turn to drive for the carpool this time, but under the circumstances, I didn’t feel like offering. And Luke never asked. The only text I got from him was the one last night, and I didn’t reply. There wasn’t a point.
The traffic is oddly light on a Thursday morning, as if the universe is trying to hurry this up rather than help me put it off like I want to.
I can’t put it off, though, because I’m a professional. But this soon-to-be VP of crisis management kind of wants to turn backaround, swap this white blouse and red pencil skirt for pajamas, and get back into bed.
But I won’t. Because I have a client who’ll be sitting in that conference room who needs me. And now I’m officially her PR manager. Simone won’t be coming back to take over. Something I still can’t truly wrap my head around.
