And They Had a Great Fall

Chapter Two

chapter two

K at opened her closet, pulled out running clothes, and prepared to start another normal Tuesday. Since Ben’s death, she’d gotten very good at singularly balancing the logistics of their household with the unrelenting demands of her job.

Kat had skillfully optimized her morning routine down to the minute:

6:15: Wake up Becca, help her get dressed, and feed her a healthy breakfast (usually Greek yogurt and berries).

6:45: Uber to Becca’s Montessori preschool two miles away (the best on the Upper West Side).

7:15: Drop Becca off and run home, detouring through the winding paths of Central Park. This was an efficient way to both fit exercise into the mornings and catch up on the latest industry podcast. Today’s selection was an interview on CNBC featuring the CEO of PathMobile.

7:35: Shower, first coffee of the day, a banana and an organic granola bar.

8:15: Walk to the office, pick up a second coffee.

Having perfectly executed the morning, Kat continued her walk to the office. She went to resume the CNBC podcast from her run, but instead, she found herself scrolling through her library on Spotify. She clicked on the playlist titled “Kake.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d listened to music, much less that playlist, which during lockdown, had been on perpetual repeat.

She let out a small laugh as she remembered Jake creating it during the pandemic. Just as the title blended their two names, the content combined his music taste (hip-hop with a side of R I can hire help if this is too much.” She was steeped in guilt over the burden she put on Ben’s parents. She was a constant reminder of the son they’d lost, and it ate away at her.

“Kat, stop,” Linda interrupted. “I’ve told you before, please don’t worry about paying us back and no, you don’t need to hire help. We are always here when you need us,” her voice was devoid of the earlier cheerfulness. “Text me your flight time, and I will come get Becca for as long as you need.”

Kat was relieved when she could hit “end” on the call with Linda. She pushed it to the back of her mind as she went to her last stop. Emily Meyer, President of Product, was Kat’s second-in-command. Emily would need to take a larger role with the on-the-ground US teams while Kat worked out of Denmark for ten days. Kat had no doubt Emily could handle the role. Emily knew the job and did it with the same precise efficiency as Kat. This will be a good challenge for her , she thought. Emily was just waiting for the day when she would have Kat’s position, and instead of a competitive relationship, they made a good team.

“Great idea to see an early-launch market,” Emily said offhand. “Things are fine here. We don’t even need you.” She winked at her, teasing. “I’m guessing this has to do with you being named COO next quarter?” Emily was fishing, but Kat didn’t bite. If Kat became COO, she would recommend Emily for a promotion into Kat’s job. A lot was riding on the launch, for both of them.

Kat kept them focused on the task at hand. “Let’s go through the status of each departmental workstream today at 1:30 so we’re both in the loop. I’m worried about the design and marketing departments. They say they’re on track, but I saw an email last night about a delayed video creative. Marketing is notorious for missing our deadlines,” she said as she left Emily’s office.

As Kat walked down the row to her office, it finally hit her. She was indeed going to Copenhagen. This is the best decision for my career and for Becca , she convinced herself. That shiny brass ring was right in front of her, and she was grabbing on with all her might.

As she settled in to review the marketing plan, she was interrupted by her text chime. She glanced down to see Jake’s number pop up on her screen. She stifled a smile as she swiped open her phone to reply. Going to Copenhagen has nothing to do with Jake , she thought as she typed confirmation that she was coming. It’s not about hearing his voice last night … and most certainly not about how much I’ve missed him. Her heart raced and she set her phone face down on her desk . She buried her head in her hands and whispered to herself, “What the hell am I doing?”