“Addison. It’s great to meet you.”
“Mr. Price. It’s a pleasure, sir.” I take his hand and firmly shake it, trying to remember everything my dad told me about the importance of a good handshake.
“Dan is fine,” he says with an easy smile.
Oh, sure. You’re interviewing me for a job and I’ll just call you Dan, like we’re going to go out for a beer after this.
We sit at the small table in his office and I pull out my portfolio for him to look over. Conversation kicks off easily between us. He asks about previous clients and compliments campaigns I’ve worked on like he’s actually familiar with my work and wasn’t just handed a file on me ten minutes ago. I feel like the interview is going really great. It doesn’t even feel like an interview—more like two professionals in the same field talking shop. It’s actually unsettling how comfortable this is, almost like it’s a formality. I know I’m damn good at what I do, but there’s no way my reputation preceded me here.
“I’ll cut to it, Addison,” Dan says, closing my portfolio and tapping his fingers against it. “We like you. We like what we’ve heard about you. We’d love for you to come work with us.”
I blink. “Seriously? Oh my goodness. That’s amazing.” I’m beaming and I can’t even hide it. This is the shot of serotonin I needed. My head is in the clouds, floating around, marveling at my good luck.Look at me. Addison Scott. Doing it all on my own.
Dan leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. “Well, your old employer happens to be our newest client, so it’s perfect.”
No.
“You already are familiar with the company, so it would be a natural step for you to take over that caseload,” he continues.
No.
Dan leans forward, pulling a sheet of paper out of the folder sitting in front of him. “Plus, the letter of recommendation we got from Matt Whitlock was hard to turn down.”
Fuck.My stomach drops.
“The what?” I ask as I try to lift my jaw back up. The warmth drains out of me so fast it leaves me freezing. How the hell did Matt find out where I applied?
“It was a good letter, Addison. A great letter, even. He said you’re talented, and we’d be fools not to hire you. He really went to bat for you.”
This wasn’t a coincidence.
I know exactly what this is. This is about control. About power. Any ounce of success I have will forever be tied to him. The fact that I got this job will mean I’m indebted to him. With Peabody as a client, I’ll have to go right back to working with him. We’ll always be connected. I’ll never be free.
Even when he’s not here, Matt’s still in the room.
I’m about to do something reckless and stupid, but I know it’s the right thing. I take one last deep breath before I throw a match over my gasoline soaked career.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ve wasted your time.”
“What?” Dan stares at me, confused, like he’s never been rejected before.
“I can’t accept this job.”
What the hell did I just do?
2
kick off
THE MAN BY TAYLOR SWIFT
I step out of the Burke Communications building and onto the busy New York street.
The air is thick in the city, between the sharp smell of exhaust and the salty scent of hot dogs and roasted peanuts. Taxi horns blare like impatient geese.
I take a few steps away from the building and exhale deeply. I thought this job would be the antidote, but it’s just another vial of poison. I thought I’d be celebrating right now in some bar for a mid-day drink to toast my new beginning. I thought I’d finally have done something forme. Instead, I just turned down the job offer of a lifetime, and I’m standing on a street corner unemployed.
And I don’t even have friends anymore in New York to celebrate with or bitch to.
