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“You’re perfect,” she crooned. “Reception out there will be spotty at best, but I’ll try and call when I’m all done,” she said, kissing me one last time before heading out.
I took a quick shower, and the damn smile Brynn put on my face remained the entire fifteen minutes.
I didn’t even try to hide it as I walked into the marketing firm. What would be the point? I was the happiest I’d ever been, and was kicking myself for denying my real feelings for Brynn for so many years.
I settled behind the small desk in my office, drawing up the focus group numbers, and my smile immediately fell. I read over the comments, ensuring I read each one at least twice to make sure I came to the same conclusion as the focus group’s leader.
And I was.
Fuck.
The males in the focus group weren’t responding well to Brynn’s campaign. More than half of them responded negatively to it while the other half were indifferent. Shit, that was half of Nike’s demographic. We couldn’t risk that, even if the females in the focus group gave it high ratings.
But the numbers for males were great for Seth’s version of the campaign, giving it the slight edge in overall percentages.
Which meant we’d have to go with Seth’s proposal for the final.
Something twisted in my gut with the thought. Brynn had busted her ass on her proposal, but then again, Seth was part of her staff, part of the entire team. She likely had a hand in his project, but we’d been so busy I wasn’t sure.
You’re thinking like a boyfriend, not a businessman.
Shit, I was. That’s why I felt torn between the two. And Brynn would hate that. She’d always been the one to tell me not to treat her differently. If she saw these numbers and our roles were reversed, she’d do the same thing.
Still, I fired off an S.O.S text to her in the hopes she’d get it and we could have a quick chat about it, but she’d said reception was bad out there, so who knew when she’d get back to me. Time wasn’t on our side with the Nike reps flying in tomorrow morning, Brynn set to fly in only two hours before they arrived. She’d already made plans to come straight from the airport to the office.
“Hey, boss,” Seth said as he knocked on my opened door about an hour later. I hadn’t heard anything from Brynn, which left my stomach in knots about the whole situation. “I’ve got some final touches I wanted to show you.” He motioned to some storyboards tucked beneath his arms.
“Great,” I said. “I also have some news. We’re going with your proposal for the final,” I said, completely ignoring the zing of guilt that hit my stomach.
Brynn would understand, she wouldn’t be able to deny the numbers either. And after we landed this deal, we’d be free and clear to declare our relationship to the public, which would only give us more reason to celebrate.
BRYNN
The flight in Charleston where we’d filmed the last of my proposal shots was thankfully on time and smooth.
I’d caught a few hours of sleep at the hotel last night, and made sure I was presentation ready before even boarding the flight. The schedule was tight with the Nike execs flying in, so tight that I hadn’t even been able to connect with Weston after he’d sent an S.O.S text last night, which thanks to reception hadn’t even come through until I’d boarded the plane, but I hoped to catch up with him at the office this morning. Besides, I was sure the text had likely been about something that happened on our favorite show. If it had to do with the project, he would’ve called or at least said as much in his text.
And it was hard as hell to be worried about anything like that on a day like today.
Because today was the day I’d make my mark on this company. The day I’d finally set myself apart and prove to myself that I was more than just lucky when I snagged the personal assistant job for Weston all those years ago. I wasn’t just lucky, I was good. We were good as a team, in business and in matters of the heart. Sealing this deal would only further prove how much I belonged in this world, even if I sort of fell into it by being Wes’s best friend.
I walked into the office with more than just a smile on my face—I felt it in my heart. Nothing was going to crush the joy I had coursing through my veins. I was on top of the freaking world—Nike was only one proposal away from giving us the account.
A few of the interns smiled at me sheepishly as I headed to my office to prep for the big meeting, but it wasn’t until I spotted Jake and Seth talking in the corner next to my office that I started to furrow my brow. They hushed their voices the second I walked by, the two of them almost looking sad as they darted the opposite direction from me.
Huh, weird.
I headed into my office, full of adrenaline. The Nike execs were already being set up in the conference room as per my instructions to Amelia, and I could practically taste the praise I’d get from Weston later after I landed such a huge account. I wasn’t trying to be over-confident, but the proposal myself and my team had come up with was fire, and we’d worked our asses off on it.
“Good morning,” Amelia called as she came into my office. “How are you holding up?” she asked, her voice dripping with sympathy.
I pulled up the meeting points on my iPad, then glanced at Amelia. “I’m fantastic,” I said. “Ready to crush this pitch.”
Her eyes widened, and she shifted her shoulder bag across her chest. “Oh…” she said, biting her bottom lip. “That’s great, Brynn. You’re definitely going to slay this meeting.”
I narrowed my gaze at her, confused at her tone.
“What’s going on?” I asked, apprehension blooming in my chest. First the interns, then Jake and Seth, and now her?
