Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
ABIGAIL
O n Monday morning, I got to the office with so many ideas for the Fit Gal campaign that I felt giddy. The other firms who would be pitching to the company were also good, but I knew I was the perfect person to represent and market Fit Gal.
I was literally a fit gal myself. What the hell did Simon know about that? Sure, there was a Fit Guy possibly coming up in the future, but for now, the company was focused on marketing to women. That was where my edge lay.
At the event, Ashley had said no matter how fit you are, you could be a Fit Gal and I really wanted to lean into that. I understood exactly what she was trying to say, and while the phrasing and delivery of the message could stand a little work, I believed in her ideals.
That was what I had to convey.
My first team meeting to develop the mock pitch was this morning, and after dropping off my stuff in my office and ordering coffee for everyone, I headed to the conference room to get started. Dad was in town and joining us, and I was truly excited to have him back.
He’d been spending a lot of time down in Houston helping Olivia and London get settled and to ensure a smooth handover of that branch. The Andersons were also the largest client we had in Texas and it had been real important for them to be comfortable with Olivia taking over as their primary contact person within the firm.
Mom was still living in New York though, and she always would. So would I. Dad had been splitting his time between the two places, but he was planning on being mostly here now that Liv was fully running the show in Houston.
Already chatting to the team in the conference room, he smiled when I walked in. “Good morning, darling. You ready to win this thing?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
Yesterday had been tough for me. Sitting in that park with London, I’d felt like my heart had broken all over again, but then she’d reminded me of how far I’d come and every word she’d said had been true.
While they had all been in Houston, I had been in charge around here and things had been going really well. I’d done my time learning under both Dad and Olivia, and when they’d left, I’d spread my wings and I’d flown.
I hadn’t fallen out of the nest and gotten crushed. Instead, I had soared, taking over without a hitch and bringing in new clients without any concern for the fact that the branch was under new management.
Around here, I had really been kicking ass and taking names, and if Simon thought that being up against him would trip me up, he had another thing coming. A hush fell as I sat down, and I smiled at the team gathered around the table.
“Good morning, everybody. Thank you for being here.” The door opened and Emma, one of our office assistants, came in with our caffeine. I clutched my chest and grinned at her. “Thank heavens. You’re a lifesaver. Alright, everyone. Grab some wakey-juice and let’s get going.”
To kick the meeting off, I told my people about the Annual Fit Gal Olympic Games and the observations we’d made there. Obviously, I didn’t say anything about Simon or Astor and Co also being in the running for the contract.
The rivalry between our companies was the stuff legends were made of, but it’d been a very long time since we’d competed against one another for a client. So long, in fact, that I wasn’t even sure if it’d ever happened outside of Dad and George bumping heads back when they’d both been starting out.
“What I would like to focus on is that you don’t already have to be the fittest woman in the world to be a Fit Gal,” I said. “Any woman, all women, can be a Fit Gal and that’s the idea I’d like to build our pitch around. Women supporting women. Women working together to get healthy and to stay that way. I’d like to build the brand around that sense of community and strength in unity.”
As I continued, Dad seemed more and more at ease. By the end of the meeting, he was smiling from ear to ear and he pulled me into a hug once the others had left. “I’m so proud of you, Abi baby. Your campaign idea is incredible. They’d be crazy to go with anyone else.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back. “I’m so glad you could be here. It always inspires me when you’re in the room.”
He chuckled. “That’s good to know, darlin’. I’d never want to step on any of your toes. You’re all doing such a fantastic job.”
“I love you,” I said on a soft sigh as I let go of him. “Don’t ever go back to Texas. You’re so encouraging and everybody here loves having you around.”
Dad’s eyes crinkled on a smile as he took a step away from me. “Oh, no. No. No. I’m retiring, remember? I don’t mind coming in to visit on occasion and being here to give my input when you’ve got big pitches coming up, but this place is all yours now.”
“Maybe I should hire you as our office mascot,” I suggested jokingly as I gathered up my things. “You sure are excellent for morale. We could use your energy around these halls more often again.”
He laughed. “That’s sounds great, darling. Thank you for your consideration, but no. The only place I’ll be going more often from now on is home and the golf course.”
I sighed. “Well, you can’t blame me for trying.”
“I certainly don’t.” Dad waited until I was ready to leave the room and walked me back to my office. “Your mother and I have missed having you girls around the house. We want to have a family dinner tonight while London is still in town. Are you available?”
“I’ll be there,” I promised before I saw Austin striding down the corridor toward us. My gaze dropped to my watch. “Crap. We’re going to be late.”
“Late for what?” Dad asked before smiling and reaching past me to shake Austin’s hand. “How’re you doing, son? It’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, he’s happy to see you too, but I’m afraid Aus and I have to get down to Starburst Coffees. They’ve got a fresh menu being released in a few weeks and they’ve invited us out to come try their new drinks and talk through some campaign ideas.”
Austin shot Dad an apologetic look. “Sorry, Mr. W. We’ll catch up next time you’re at the office?”
Dad chuckled. “If you really want to wait that long. Otherwise, come pop around the house sometime. We’ll crack open a couple cold ones and you can tell me all the trouble you two have been causing around here while I’ve been gone.”
Austin laughed. “You’re sticking around in the city for a while this time?”
“Sure am,” Dad said, then waved us off.
I grabbed Austin’s arm and started dragging him toward the elevator. My friend followed, easily keeping stride with me as we left for the meeting with one of our existing clients, a chain of coffee shops that had better not be planning on taking their caramel macchiato off their menu.
“How’s the Fit Gal stuff coming along?” he asked once we were on our way to the flagship store of the chain. “I’m assuming that’s why Nate came into the office today.”
“Yep.” I leaned back against the seat of the ride share Austin had had waiting for us outside our HQ. “Thanks for arranging the car, by the way. I totally thought we were going to be late.”
“Never.” He smoothed out his tie and glanced at me again. “So, Fit Gal? Simon?”
I groaned. “Don’t say his name, but the Fit Gal pitch, we can talk about. It’s going to be amazing. I guarantee it. I really feel like I already know their brand well and I definitely know that our team could market the heck out of them.”
“Totally agreed,” he said without hesitating. “The only question is whether you think you can beat the little boy to get the contract.”
I scoffed. “It’s called Fit Gal , Aus. When it comes time for Fit Guy, you and Simon might have to go toe to toe, but Fit Gal? I’ve got this.”
He chuckled. “It’s good to see you getting back to yourself. You had me pretty worried back in LA.”
“I had myself pretty worried back in LA.” I blew out a breath and watched the scenery crawling by outside as our car slowed at an intersection. After taking a minute to make the mental switch from Fit Gal and Simon to Starburst and Austin, I smiled at my friend. “What about you, big guy? Anything come of those plans of yours to make a move on Hazel while we were in California?”
“Nope.” He shook his head and let out a low groan. “I mean, I made the move, but she turned me down.”
My heart dropped for him, but I laughed. “She’s going to make you work for it, but I did warn you about that.”
“Sure, you did. I just thought that eventually, things would start going my way. They’re not, though. Really not.”
I sighed as I looked back at him, wondering how long Hazel was going to keep playing hard to get. Although she kept denying that she had feelings for him, I knew she did. I’d known the girl most of my life and I’d seen the way she looked at him when she thought no one was watching.
She was crushing on him. Hard.
And I didn’t blame her. If Austin and I hadn’t forged the bond we had while I’d still been completely broken up over Simon, I was sure I’d have harbored a crush on him once upon a time too. The dude was hot—objectively speaking, anyway.
Tall, blond, and handsome, he had these gorgeous, glittering sea-green eyes and an effortless sense of style. He was funny, smart, capable, and I’d met enough of his girlfriends to know he was the type women obsessed over getting back together with long after he’d walked away.
Austin was the guy you took home to your mother and she handed over your grandmother’s engagement ring without a second thought. Hell, he was so much a part of our family, I was pretty sure my parents would hand over our granny’s ring even if it wouldn’t be going to any of their daughters.
“Keep your chin up,” I told him as we slowed to a stop outside the coffee shop where we were meeting our clients. “You’re awesome. Sooner or later, she’s going stop running and let you catch her.”
He winked at me. “From your lips to God’s ears, but we’re here, so get your game face on, baby girl. Let’s go impress the hell out of Marty and Wendy.”
I laughed and thanked my lucky stars once again to have a friend and coworker like him. Austin and I bounced off one another throughout the meeting, and as always, our teamwork made all our dreams work.
The client loved our proposals and we hammered out exactly what they wanted for the campaign. Right after wrapping up with them, I sent my notes to the team at the office from my laptop and smiled when I looked up at Austin.
“Another one done and dusted. Do you want to go celebrate?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do you mean celebrate at the office with sparkling cider before we get back to work?”
I shrugged. “Unless you feel like waiting a few hours, that’s the best we can fit in right now.”
Laughing as he nodded, he held out his hand to help me up and I took it, letting him pull me out of my chair before we headed to the exit. As we were leaving, I opened the door to see Simon reaching for the handle from the other side.
A soft groan fell out of me before I could stop it, but I was definitely looking into the forest-green eyes of the one who had walked away. Come on, universe! What are you doing to me? What in the absolute heck is going on here?