17. Chelsi
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
chelsi
The smell of freshly ground coffee beans and pastries hits me as soon as I open the door, leaving the slightly humid spring weather outside.
I search the room for the petite blonde force of nature who insisted on meeting with me this morning, significantly earlier than I prefer to get out of bed these days.
Anna’s face lights up the moment she spots me from across the coffee shop, giving me a princess wave, gesturing for me to join her at the table.
Her bright pink dress and perfectly curled hair made it easy to find her among the other business professionals who are dressed in more drab colors—ones Anna is rarely seen in.
“It’s so good to see you!” Anna exclaims, standing up from the table and pulling me into a warm hug. “Did you have a hard time finding parking?”
“Had to drive around the block a few times, but it wasn’t too bad.”
Technically, it took me twenty minutes to find a spot. I contemplated turning around and going home more than once, and there was a string of expletives that came out of my mouth while I was driving, but I doubt she needs to know all of that.
“Good. Parking can be a real pain downtown. It’s why I always have Sam keep me a spot in the back.” Anna smiles and waves to one of the baristas at the counter, who immediately gives her a megawatt grin and returns the wave.
I take a seat at the table, biting my upper lip as I try to understand why Anna would need someone to hold a spot for her. Screw it. I’m just going to ask.
“Do you come here often?”
Anna hands me a coffee in a to-go cup, the exact order I’d get for myself. How does this woman know so much?
“Pretty much every morning.” She takes a sip of her drink, glancing across the room at Sam again.
“If you’re wondering about the parking spot, it’s not the only one I have around town.
I don’t like to look for parking, and frankly, I don’t have the time, so I have friends at various locations hold permanent spots for me. ”
She does what? How is that possible?
My brow furrows, unable to fathom how she’s able to wield this type of influence. “How powerful are you in this town?”
She chuckles, tossing her long blonde hair off her shoulder.
“Definitely more powerful than Jason would like, but we’re not talking about that asshat today.
I’m friendly to everyone, and given my connections, they tend to be friendly back.
Most places know there are times when I need to rehab someone’s image for one reason or another, I’m more inclined to send my clients to locations I trust. And where my clients go, the paparazzi follow. ”
“People are doing you favors in hopes you’ll have someone you represent go on a date to their restaurant or swing by their coffee shop to pick up their morning brew. It’s all about media attention and social buzz.”
“Exactly,” Anna replies, holding her cup of coffee in one hand while she appraises me with her eyes.
“It’s one of the aspects of PR I enjoy the most—finding mutually beneficial situations for all parties.
I could do without cleaning up the unnecessary, often self-inflicted, drama, but then my job would be too boring. Gotta take the good with the bad.”
I nod, then take another sip of my coffee, hoping the three shots of espresso do their job and give me the jolt of caffeine my body is desperate for.
Anna taps her perfectly manicured pink nails on the wooden table, watching me with conviction. “While I’d love to say this is merely a chance for us to catch up, I’m not going to pretend I don’t have an ulterior motive.”
I sit straighter, unsure where this conversation is about to go. Although Anna and I have been friends for more than a year, she’s still incredibly hard to read and keeps her emotions locked in a vault.
“There’s no point in beating around the bush, so I’m going to lay it all out for you.” She pauses briefly, taking another sip before continuing, “I know Jake and Kate want to see you stay in Nashville. So do Addison, Sophia, and I.”
I sigh, my shoulders falling slightly. “I’d love the opportunity to start over here permanently, but I don’t know if it’s in the cards for me. First order of business is finding a new job, and the majority of my contacts are in Chicago.”
“I might be able to help you with that one if you’re open to something different.” Anna arches her eyebrows, staring at me with anticipation.
“Tell me more,” I reply, extremely curious about what she could mean. Kate’s mentioned a few times that Anna is notorious for devising interesting ideas that seem out of left field at first. They always seem to work out perfectly, making me wonder what she could have in mind for me.
“Although tech isn’t my forte, we’ve talked about the incredible strategies you implemented to generate awareness at your last company.
You have a real knack for finding innovative ways to turn a problem into an opportunity.
Combine that with your no-nonsense personality and sense of humor, I know you’d be fantastic continuing a career in PR, perhaps in a different industry. ”
I wince slightly. “I’m not sure PR is the right path for me.”
“Why not?” she asks, gazing at me over the rim of her coffee cup.
I shrug, unsure of how to explain the conflicting feelings bubbling up inside me. How do you tell someone you’re scared of failing again? That you’re unsure if you have the chops for this type of role, no matter the industry.
“Let me be clearer,” she replies, setting down her cup and staring at me with a mixture of seriousness and kindness. “Come work for me.”
My head jerks slightly out of surprise. Did I hear her correctly? She wants me to work for her.
“What exactly do you mean?” I ask, fighting down the urge to word vomit how I’m feeling and launch into countless questions.
She reaches for her notebook, opening it quickly to a page covered in writing.
“It’s time for me to hire a counterpart.
Someone to help me manage my growing roster of clients.
I could easily find someone with significant PR experience in the music industry, but I prefer a more out-of-the-box approach. That’s where you come in.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, but I am. You have the raw talent and creative mind needed for this role. I can easily teach you the nuances of this industry. Plus, you already have firsthand experience of what it’s like to navigate an extremely tumultuous situation with the press when Kate and Jake went public.
It’s another reason why you’re uniquely qualified.
” She pauses for a moment and softens her smile.
“I know losing your job feels like a setback, but I think it might end up being the best thing that ever happened to you. Joining me in a new industry could be exactly what you need for this next phase of your life. I know you can be exceptional, or I wouldn’t suggest it. ”
“So, I’d be working for you and Jason?” My teeth tug at the corner of my lip, wondering what it would be like to witness the two of them go at it multiple times a day.
“Oh God, no!” Her entire body shakes like she is trying to get that thought out of her mind. “I don’t actually work for Jason. I could never work for him. Can you even imagine?”
“I was under the impression you worked for Jason’s management company.”
“Nope. My company manages the PR for musicians across various genres. I specifically lead our country division and work with all Jason’s clients. But I don’t work for Jason. I work for the actual artist. I refuse to let that man ever be my boss.”
“Where would I fit in?”
“My client roster is jam-packed. I have an extensive waitlist of artists who want to work with me. The founder and CEO of my company, Darren, has been pushing me to scale up the division for almost a year. He’s fine with me hiring any warm body to be my counterpart, assuming I can magically transform them into a mini-me, even though I’ve explained countless times that it doesn’t work that way.
Powerful men with money don’t like to take no for an answer.
” She rolls her eyes and sighs. “I’ve been searching for the right person with the tenacity for this role and a strong PR skillset.
What you were able to accomplish in three years at your last company was highly impressive.
You’re the only person I’ve met who could potentially become another me… Well, a more edgy version of me.”
I place my hand over my heart and exhale. “That’s incredibly kind of you to say, but I’m nowhere near your level. You’re a legend.”
Anna waves her hand dismissively. “You’re not giving yourself enough credit, Chelsi. You have the experience and soft skills to do this. Plus, I’d be by your side the entire time, sharing everything I know. I wouldn’t push you into the deep end without any help. I’m not Jason.”
My mind whirls with possibilities. Moving to Nashville permanently. Working alongside Anna. Creating a name for myself in an industry I’ve always admired from afar. Being able to be on the sidelines for red carpets. Helping manage the public perception of a celebrity.
“What do you think?” she asks, clasping her hands together on the table and cocking her head slightly.
“If I’m interested—and I’m not saying I am—but if I were, what would the next steps look like?”
“You say yes, and we pick a start date,” Anna replies matter-of-factly.
“Your boss wouldn’t want to speak with me first?”
Anna chuckles, covering her mouth with her hand to dampen her laughter. “I practically run that place. Darren doesn’t do anything, besides show up and collect a massive check. It’s been that way for years. Although it might be his name on the door, everyone in town knows it’s my business.”
Her ability to commandeer guaranteed parking spots around town makes more sense.
“Can I think about it?” I ask, wanting significantly more time than this coffee chat before I make a life-changing decision.
“Of course! Call me anytime with questions.” Anna stands up, grabs her notebook, and places it inside her bag.
“Take as much time as you need. I’m not planning on talking to anyone else about this role until I’ve heard back from you.
You’re my first choice—my only choice if I’m being honest. I could definitely use the help with all of the drama that’s about to break soon. ”
“Really. Care to share more?”
“Come work for me and I’ll tell you everything, including where the bodies are buried because everyone has at least one.” She puts her bag on her shoulder and locks eyes with me. “There are a lot of benefits in being the secret keeper and fixer for the most powerful people in this town.”
I nod. “I do love some good gossip, but I’m not sure if cleaning up everyone else’s drama is how I want to spend my days. I’ll definitely consider it more, though.”
Anna smiles, gently placing her hand on my shoulder. “Please do. We could make a very formidable team.”
When she walks out of the coffee shop, I replay our conversation, trying to understand how she can have so much confidence in my abilities after only knowing me for a year.
She might be familiar with my previous work, but it doesn’t seem enough to offer someone a job on the spot.
Shouldn’t she want to formally interview me?
Ask me a litany of questions about how I’d handle fictitious situations?
Not that I want to really do any of that.
While I want to believe this role could be ideal for me, I don’t want to be anyone’s pity hire.
What if she’s only offering me the job as a favor to Jake?
She wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t ask someone to do that, right?
Unease grows within me as I start to spiral, questioning whether I should trust her offer at face value or if there’s more to it.
I’m interrupted from my thoughts when someone taps me on the shoulder.
“Morning, Chelsi,” Alex says, looking down at me as he holds a to-go coffee.
Heat blossoms in my chest and starts to spread up my neck into my cheeks. Why does this man seem to evoke such an odd reaction in me?
“Morning,” I reply, not sure what else to say because my mouth feels like it’s full of cotton.
“Meeting someone?” he asks, taking a sip from his drink.
My breath hitches as his eyes rake over my body. I have to be seeing things. This man can’t be checking me out. Rumor has it he doesn’t even date. Jimmy claims Alex is basically celibate.
“Yeah. Just got done chatting with Anna.” I hold my breath, curious what he’ll do next. I want him to ask to join me. To show some interest in continuing our conversation from the other day. To know that this indescribable pull I feel toward him isn’t one-sided.
He nods. “It’s good to see you. I guess I’ll see you around.”
I swallow hard. “You, too,” I murmur, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice.
He keeps his eyes locked on mine for a brief moment before breaking the contact and walking away.
I’m left sitting by myself, wondering why it feels like this morning has somehow altered my future.