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"Well, in that case, shall we get this party started?"
"The floor is yours." Greene gestures toward the projector.
The room falls silent, all eyes on me. I click to my first slide and start to talk. I'm in the zone, confident and smooth. Nothing Greene says can shake me.
And then, out of nowhere, she walks in—Bailey. My heart rate picks up as soon as I see her.
Focus, man!
You've made it this far without losing your cool.
Keep it together.
But there's something about her today, the way her hair falls over her shoulders, the way her makeup glows on her cheekbones. It's like I'm seeing her for the first time and it's throwing off my game.
Finally, my presentation comes to an end.
Nailed it.
Or so I thought.
It's time for questions and Greene starts firing them off.
"So, Logan, can you clarify the projected ROI for this quarter?"
"Uh, sure," I mumble, my eyes darting to Bailey. "It's, um, projected at... 15%."
Greene raises an eyebrow. "Your slide shows 20%. Are you confident in your projections?"
"No, no, I am," I rush to correct myself. "I misspoke. The ROI is 20%.”
"And what about the risk assessment? What measures have you put in place for potential issues?"
"Measures... right." Beads of sweat collect on my forehead. "There are... several measures in place. Like... uh..." My mind is a blank. Every answer I had prepared slips through my fingers, the words disappearing like smoke in the air. I can see the doubt creeping into Greene's gaze.
Before I can blurt out a half-hearted response, Bailey chimes in, "Logan, didn't you tell me that you have a contingency plan in place to mitigate any potential risks?"
She's feeding me lines, her answers weaving seamlessly with my fumbled responses. She must have picked up on my struggle and decided to step in.
The room falls silent again. I take a deep breath, steadying myself.
"Yes, Bailey's correct. We have a contingency plan in place which..." I outline the plan, demonstrating the thought and strategy put into it. My confidence surges back to life, my words flowing smoothly again.
Greene throws me another question, and I rattle off data points and projections as if I've done it a thousand times before.
My temporary lapse is forgotten. Thank God.
Greene leans back in his chair, his fingers steepled as he contemplates what he's heard.
Finally, he speaks up. "Well, Logan, that was quite a presentation. Informative, comprehensive, if a little scattered at times," he adds, "but Bailey seemed to have a good grasp on the details you weren't sure on. It's clear you two make quite the pair."
My mind fumes.
A pair? Bailey and I?
What about me?
This is my goddamn presentation.
