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“Virginia Beach.”
“As I live and breathe, Mr. Power.” Her smile fills my screen.
Get your shit together, Power. How did she get here?
This makes no sense. But I can’t figure it out now. I cannot pull my eyes away to look at my cheat sheet. Not that I need to. I know who she is. What she does.
“Plant whisperer,” I say. Butball busteris what I think.
“Yes, sir, one of the many areas my business will be focused on in the coming year as I scale up.”
My thoughts spin. Why is she here? I slide my eyes to my cheat sheet and read the target that has been prepared for me:
“You have an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from your business by thirty percent.”
Virginia’s expression changes to one of confusion as she looks away from her camera to her right. A voice offscreen says, “Just go with it.” She looks back and smiles. “Yes, quite ambitious, but with Mr. Liu’s guidance, I’m confident I’ll reach it.”
Shit. I realize my mistake when I look back at the spreadsheet. I’ve read the next person’s target, and Virginia handled my error like a pro. And since the question John prepared for her was too easy, too boring, I wing it.
“Ms. Beach, I’m having trouble keeping a plant in my office healthy. It’s called Angel Wings. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?”
“Without actually seeing the plant, sir, I can’t say for sure, but if I was to wager a guess, based on what I know about you from your Power Hour podcast and the seminar I attended? I’d say you’re not leaving enough oxygen in the room for it to breathe.”
She is so earnest in her delivery. My chest tightens and I’m certain I scowl. And then she smiles again. Bites her bottom lip and wrinkles her forehead. “Sorry. I’m just kidding. I really would have to see it to have anything of value to offer.”
My anger melts back and I force a smile. “Then consider this an open invitation to whisper sweet nothings to my unhappy plants, Ms. Beach. Up next we have Robert Ma—”
I click the Leave Meeting button as I’m saying the next entrepreneur’s name and storm from my office to Savi’s desk.
“Contact Robert Mari’s mentor and tell him I’m having internet connectivity issues. Reschedule the last three participants. And put a copy of Virginia Beach’s business overview from John Liu’s files on my desk.”
I don’t wait for her reply. I stride to the elevators and get into the wrong one. Force of habit since I rarely visit staff floors. When the doors reopen, Savannah is looking at me with a goddamn smirk, pointing to the right.
“Liu’s floor?” I demand.
“Twenty-six.”
As the doors close, I hear her yell, “You’re welcome.”
Why the fuck is Virginia Rainforest Beach in our program?
I don’t slow down to acknowledge John’s assistant Amanda on my way to his office, rap twice, then push open the door, only to barrel smack into a smiling, freckled face topped with fiery red hair.
My arm shoots out and I catch her before she tumbles backward, but the momentum pulls Virginia tight against me into a stiff, one-armed hug. I release her almost immediately, but not before my body registers the transfer of an energy that goes straight to my core and whispers, “Relaaaaax.”
I take a calming breath as I stare down at her. She’s holding her ground, staring right back at me with an authentic and confident smile.
“How?” It’s the most complete sentence I can pull together.
8. Virginia
WILLY WONKA FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Iknew that participating in the call would be a gamble, but I also figured Will Power would likely have no memory of our brief encounter and how he’d humiliated me onstage. And really, there was no credible way for me to avoid the group meet-and-greet without telling Mr. Liu the full truth, which I didn’t want to do since I’ve learned so much from him in the two meetings we’ve had so far.
I stand my ground, arms akimbo, projecting the energy that I belong here as Mr. Power stares down at me, and I look up at him, not quite defiant but in the same stare family. I’ve practiced the look for hours with Georgia, the one that says, “That’s right! I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
“How?” he asks.
