Chapter 2
two
Deep breaths.
I’ve got this, I remind myself while pacing outside the elevator bay on the thirty-seventh floor of my agency’s downtown office.
The biggest potential client of my career will arrive any minute now to hear the pitch my team has worked on around the clock for weeks.
Have I been a bit obsessive about this pitch?
Sure, but I’ve worked toward this promotion for years.
Being vice president is so close I can almost taste it, proving all the late nights and sacrifices were worth it.
I plaster on my biggest smile as the entourage exits the elevator. It’s showtime. My immediate career path will be determined by how the next few hours go. It’s time to dazzle. Prove to them why my team is the best in the business.
“Thank you so much for coming. We’re excited to share what we’ve put together.” I smile and shake everyone’s hands. Introductions are unnecessary. We’ve virtually met with this group countless times before today. Us and every other major agency.
The new chief marketing officer, Sarah, seems more approachable than I expected, based on her no-nonsense style in our previous virtual meetings.
She’s wearing a perfectly tailored red blazer, dark jeans, and what appear to be Christian Louboutin’s.
Her outfit is polished, professional, and radiates power player.
“We’ve been impressed with what we’ve seen from your team so far.
However, the bar has been set extraordinarily high from the meetings we’ve already conducted with your competitors.
Let’s see if you can rise to the occasion and wow us,” Sarah says coolly.
I smile and maintain eye contact. My body might be firmly planted in the lobby of my office, but I feel like it’s about to go careening down a record-setting hill of a high-speed rollercoaster. Exhilaration and apprehension course through my veins.
“We’re going to make it impossible for you to work with anyone else,” I reply confidently, leading the group toward the conference room where my team is waiting.
After showing everyone to their seats, I toggle my phone to Do Not Disturb and kick off the presentation that could change my entire career.
“Anyone wanna bet how quickly they call to tell us we’ve won? I’m guessing less than a day,” Jeremy says, smirking as he watches the elevator doors close.
He’s my creative director, and one of the best in the business. Who am I kidding… He’s the best, with an ego to prove it. All our competitors are trying to poach him; so are most of our clients. Thank God he’s loyal to me, not the company. He jokes he’ll leave when I do.
“Let’s not get cocky. Every other agency wants this as badly as we do. Plus, Sarah hasn’t been super forthcoming about what she’s looking for. It’s a puzzle she wants us to figure out,” I reply, heading back to the conference room to debrief with the team.
Jeremy chuckles. “You’re always the voice of reason.”
“Someone has to be. Otherwise, every client would be millions of dollars over budget, thanks to your expensive tastes.”
Jeremy’s creative concepts are brilliant but often misaligned with the client’s resources. That’s what makes us a great team. Everyone in the office says my superpower is giving Jeremy what he wants while miraculously not breaking the bank.
“Back to the contract—you’re forgetting one thing…” He opens the door with a grin. “No one has the two of us. We’re unstoppable together.”
When we walk into the room, the rest of the team is talking excitedly about how they’re certain we’ll win. They’re not wrong. We nailed it. I can feel it in my bones.
“Great job, team. Every single one of you was instrumental to this pitch. It’s some of your best work.
If we win, it’s because of your efforts.
” I make a mental note to send each of them a handwritten thank-you card this week.
It’s an old-school gesture that will never go out of style in my opinion.
“Kate’s right. We nailed it. They would be fools to choose anyone else,” Jeremy declares, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head. One of these days, he’s going to fall out of his chair, and I pray I’m in the room to see it.
“Can someone write down the day and time?” I tease. “I want to remember this exact moment, because Jeremy never acknowledges I’m right this quickly. It usually takes much longer for those words to come out of his mouth.”
The team erupts into laughter.
“True. This time it’s different, though.
We did exceptional work. I can’t wait to see the commercial we walked through airing during next year’s Super Bowl.
” Jeremy has a dreamy look on his face; we’ve already lost him to thinking about how he’s going to spend their millions and how to finagle more budget from me.
“There’s still a lot to do,” I go on. “Let’s run through the next steps and ensure we’ve dotted every i and crossed every t to get their business.”
As I wait for our project manager to pull up our plan, I grab my phone and realize I haven’t turned off Do Not Disturb.
Usually, I do it immediately after we’re done with a pitch.
Totally forgot with all the excitement. My stomach drops when my screen floods with missed calls, voicemails, and texts.
Shit.
I rarely have this many notifications unless there’s an emergency for a major client. I glance around the room, noticing no one else seems to have the same sense of dread while looking at their phone or laptop.
Double shit.
This means it must be a major problem. Otherwise, the client would’ve reached out to someone else on my team when they didn’t hear from me.
“I need to step out for a few minutes to return some calls. Vanessa, can you continue the meeting?”
She nods and starts discussing action items with the team as I gather my things and leave the room.
Once I’m in my office, I close my door and sit at my desk, hoping this isn’t a client issue that occupies the rest of the day.
The first voicemail is from a number I don’t recognize. It’s not super odd, considering I don’t have the numbers for every client saved in my phone. Probably should figure out a way to make that happen. Maybe we can create a form for clients to fill out…
“Kate Carpenter, this is Southmount Regional Hospital. We’re calling about your mother. Please give us a call back ASAP,” an unfamiliar female voice explains.
Fuck.
My mom?
What’s going on?
That’s when I notice multiple voicemails from the same number.
“Kate Carpenter, this is Southmount Regional Hospital. Your mom was in a car accident. She’s in serious condition. Please give us a call immediately,” the voicemail continues.
Tears immediately well up in my eyes as I begin to panic. My mom and I don’t have the best relationship, but I can’t lose her. She’s the only family I have left.
Hands shaking, I call the hospital, nearly dropping the phone as I answer a litany of questions to get through to the right person. I don’t think the nurse is speed talking, but the words come at me in a jumble, and I only register snippets of what she says.
Multiple internal injuries and broken bones.
Patient became critical.
Needed emergency surgery.
Surgery will take at least a few more hours.
Oh my God.
Does this mean it’s a life-and-death scenario? Tears begin to stream down my face as I attempt to remember everything the nurse tells me.
“I highly recommend you come to the hospital as quickly as possible. I know you live a few hours away,” the nurse says calmly, a hint of sadness in her tone, meaning she likely worked with my mom before she retired from the hospital. “We’ll look after her until you get here.”
Full panic mode commences as I throw everything into my bag and briskly walk out of my office.
The all-glass setup makes it impossible to leave without everyone noticing.
I’m sure my beet-red, puffy face and near run will create some questions, but I’ll deal with them later. I don’t have time to explain.
I need to go to my condo and pack.
I need to go home.
I need my mom to survive.