Page 44 of Made Better Together

“Lovely—” Sally starts to say.

“Hi everyone,” a booming voice says. It’s another man. Maybe our father’s age?

“Connor, this is Bernard.” Grace introduces us, a different energy in her voice. Disgust? Annoyance? Both? “He manages several football players.”

He grabs my hand to shake it, his grip sweaty. “Good to meet you, young man.”

I wipe my hand off on my pants after he lets it go. He ignores me the rest of the time, bellowing and interrupting the others that filter in and out of the circle. It ruins the cheerful-if-dull vibe of the event, and soon we leave.

“Sorry about him,” Grace says in a low voice as we head to the elevator. “He’s not my favorite.”

“No one ever tells him to shut the eff up?” If I wasn’t a lowly intern, I might have.

Grace gives me a half smile. “Nah. You’ll have to deal with lots of personalities in this business. You get used to it.”

I don’t know. If dealing with this kind of person is what’s required, I’m not the man for the job.

I push that thought from my mind as I accompany her to the keynote dinner shortly later. It drags, though everyone at our table is nice at least.

But the next day reinforces my earlier assessment. The small talk, the networking, the long panels about marketing and contracts—most of it isn’t my thing. I load up on Red Bull and muscle through, for Grace.

Ultimately, I’m glad I’m here for her, because when her panel comes up late in the afternoon, she nails it.

HOST: Grace, as many people in the audience may know, you’re currently competing in international track events. What drew you to the management side of the industry?

GRACE: Well, I’ve always loved planning and organizing things. Who else is an eldest daughter here?

Several laughs join with applause.

GRACE: Some may find the coordination and scheduling side of the business not as enjoyable, but I’ve always liked bringing order to chaos. With my MBA, I also gained tools for assessing and nurturing business opportunities. Being able to bring all of that to the table for clients is satisfying.

HOST: So interesting. And how does being an athlete help you in the business itself?

As she answers, her confidence grows. It’s fucking amazing that she’s found this role, truly something she loves. The fact that she can still run competitively while doing it is a godsend.

When her panel’s over, she comes back to the table, ecstatic—and relieved. “It was okay, really? I was okay?” she says softly.

“You were perfect,” I reassure her. “I’m so proud.”

She grins from the praise, and several of our other tablemates give her kudos.

Seeing my sister in her element confirms my earlier instincts.

I don’t think this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.

But it’s my job for now, and until I have a better option, I must stay the course. Not to mention, Grace recommended me to Milo, and the last thing I want to do is embarrass her by quitting the internship early.

When the evening is over, and we return to our hotel rooms, my head is swirling in ways I can’t share with my sister—so I instead reach out to someone else.

CONNOR: Hi from NYC.

CONNOR: [sends pic of skyline from hotel]

EDEN: Pretty!!

CONNOR: You excited for your game tomorrow?

They’d won the first four, while I was in LA.