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Chapter One
Jack
Itake a deep breath, wipemy sweaty palm on my pencil skirt, and steady my hand over the mouse pad on my MacBook Pro. The eighty-two-inch monitor at the end of the conference table churns as it works to refresh my presentation. This will be the first time my peers on the LivFit product development leadership team will see the video my marketing team put together. My heart thumps, loud in my ears and interrupting the thick silence in the fourteenth-floor executive conference room. My marketing team has done a knock-out job, but my mostly middle-aged male audience in this room will be a hard sell. Definitely more difficult to win over than my true target audience.
The screen finally refreshes to display a classy photo in black and white. The couple wears wedding attire, but their bodies are blurry in the background as they hold out their left hands toward the camera. Their fingers are the only part of the picture in focus, and the gold rings pop against the shades of gray. The woman’s ring has a two-carat marquis diamond catching a ray of light and the man’s version has three diamonds inlaid with a brushed gold band.
“That’s stunning.” Geoffrey Tanner, my boss and the VP of product development, reclines in his chair at the head of the table, holding a pen lengthwise between his fingers.
I smile and lift my brow. “Just wait.” Then, I begin the video.
A montage of happy couples from every creed and persuasion moves across the screen. A man proposes, a woman slides a ring onto her partner’s finger, a couple in wheelchairs roll down an aisle, two men in tuxedos dance. All of them wear the products my team has been working on for the last year. The narration has a James Earl Jones quality that truly highlights the two inaugural products for the new LivFit in Luxury line. When the video finishes, all the men in the room clap, some slower than others. Eddie, the newest team member and a fantastic hire in my opinion, seems the most enthusiastic. Bruce stifles a yawn as his hands meet only thrice.
Geoff tosses the pen on the table. “Nice work on the marketing side, Jack. How’s the schedule and testing coming along?”
When I started at LivFit, Geoff was the first person to start calling me Jack. At first, it annoyed me, but then I liked the shortened version of Jacqueline. So much of our work is done via email, and having an androgynous name levels the playing field for me in this male dominated industry.
“Right on time.” I flip to the next slide in my presentation and run down all the program statistics around cost, scope, schedule, and testing progress—all with a little green light beside them. I make sure to cover a couple of the issues the testing team found simply to demonstrate how the team is solving problems.
In the end, Geoff gives me a single, satisfied nod. “Eddie, how’s the college-age project going?”
I stop sharing my screen and Eddie takes over, covering the other initiative that has recently started. LivFit’s products have historically targeted the mid-thirties age market, where people are established and making enough money to afford wearable tech. My program aims to penetrate the jewelry market whereas Eddie’s strategy is to win over the young adults. He claims the colleges he’s visited to do market research all have a huge cycling population, so the latest concept is an anklet.
While he walks the team through the details of the proposal, I scan the room and the faces of my fellow directors. Aside from Eddie and myself, there’s Bruce, the guy who should have retired ten years ago; then Derrick, Nathan, Sean, Calvin, and Anthony, each belonging to LivFit’s original target market. As I watch them, I wonder why they give Eddie’s presentation more energetic attention than they’d given mine. Doesn’t matter. I’m going to hit the proverbial home run with this one. I can feel it in my bones.
“Thanks, Eddie.” Apparently convinced, Geoff gives him the go ahead and dismisses the meeting. “Have a good weekend everyone.”
All the men get up and trickle toward the door. I stand to join them. It’s Friday at 4 p.m., so I’m anxious to begin my working weekend. Saturday and Sunday are when I get in the most productivity, and that’s necessary to be on my top game. I don’t mind, though, because my goal is to take Geoff’s position in another few years. And then... wouldn’t CEO be nice?
Since I was sitting in the farthest chair from the exit, I’m the last in line to leave.
“Hey, Jack,” my boss calls. “Can you hang back?”
I feel light in my high heels after that presentation and nearly bounce as I pivot around to face him. “Sure thing.” In a few quick strides, I’m back where I started, placing my laptop and mobile phone on the table. I sit down and cross my legs. “What’s up?”
Geoff scrolls through something on his laptop. “Our numbers for the last quarter are fabulous, and your market research is promising. The early ads for your rings have been getting a stellar response.”
My spine straightens. I’m proud of the product my team has created. Being held after class to receive praise for a job well-done is something I thrive on. It was a weekly occurrence at Berkley. Although I’m preening, I try to remain humble. “You’ve let me build a wonderful product development team. And Marketing did all the imagery. Most of this early success is thanks to them.”
He nods. “Keep this up and you’ll be taking my job soon.”
I strike a clutch-my-pearls pose. “Thank you.” Then, my voice pitches teasingly. “But not unless you’re planning to retire early.” It might actually be right on time, but deference to superiors is always a good practice.
Geoff closes his computer and twists the ring on his left hand’s third finger. “Are you doing anything fun this weekend?”
Odd that he held me back to ask about my plans. Surely, he’s not going to—no. He and Eve are the happiest couple I could imagine. I flip a hand in his direction and shrug. “Oh, you know me. I’ll probably hit the treadmill a couple of times, but aside from that, I have a lot of work to get through before Monday’s quality review.”
He chuckles. “You fit right in with this team, Jack. I’m so glad I fought to promote you.”
“Me too, Geoff. This really is my dream job.” I clutch my hand tighter around my laptop to avoid any of my nervous ticks. “And thank you again for that.”
“No thanks necessary. You make me look great.” He scoots forward in his chair and slides his laptop into his lap. “One more thing before we leave.”
Mirroring his posture, I prompt, “Anything,” and immediately regret the eagerness.
“The quarter’s numbers and revised budget just came in, and I have some dollars to spend on a team-building event.”
“That’s wonderful. What are you thinking?”
