6. Rick #2
“Oh my god,” Sofia breathed, her eyes widening. “I’d forgotten how beautiful this is.”
“The Nugget doesn’t mess around.” I smirked, digging in.
For the next hour, the conversation flowed effortlessly.
We talked about everything and nothing—the nightmare clients from my past, both of our childhoods growing up in Golden.
We had missed meeting each other in school because I went to a private school and she attended public.
We talked about her family’s connection to the Blueberry Bakery and other clients that she’d brought to the firm since she was hired full time last year.
She had an incredibly sharp, sarcastic wit that kept me on my toes, and I found myself laughing more than I had in months.
I was just reaching for the last jalapeno-laden chip when I felt a sudden, heavy pat on my shoulder.
“Rick? Holy hell, man, I thought that was you!”
I turned around on my stool, my heart skipping a beat as I recognized the towering frame and thick beard of Marcus Lorence, co-owner of Clear Creek Brewery.
Standing right beside him was a bored-looking dark-haired man who was scanning the room, eyeing each and every woman as if looking for someone.
“Marcus,” I said, instantly shifting into executive mode as I stood up to shake his hand, though my mind was frantically spinning.
I had gone to school with the guy. I knew he was co-owner of the account my father was trying to get, but I hadn’t thought he would recognize me.
We’d gone to the same school, but Marcus was from one of the wealthiest families in the state, so we hadn’t run in the same circles. “Great to see you. What are the odds?”
“We were just finishing a late meeting,” Marcus boomed, his loud voice cutting through the bar chatter.
“This is Ed Collins, my other half at CCB.” As I shook the man’s hand, Marcus looked past me, his eyes landing directly on Sofia, then back to me, a knowing smirk creeping into his face.
“I’d heard that you were back in town. And who’s your friend? ”
“This is Sofia Ferreira,” I said, gesturing to her. “She’s our lead strategist on your campaign.”
“A pleasure, Sofia,” Marcus said smoothly, pulling out a nearby empty stool without asking and gesturing for his partner to do the same.
From what I remembered of Marcus, he’d been the “It” boy in our class.
He’d dated all the popular girls, starred in all the sports, and had been everything but valedictorian.
That honor had been mine. “Can we join you for a round?” he said, his eyes zoned on Sofia. “Is that our amber ale?”
“Absolutely,” I said, catching Sofia’s eye, then waving to our waitress for more glasses and another pitcher of cold beer.
Once the fresh beers arrived, Marcus leaned his massive forearms on the table.
“So, Rick, your dad’s been excited about your big pitch for months.
Give me a teaser. What’s the vibe? Because the corporate agencies in Denver are trying to turn us into a brand for hipsters and jocks, and it just doesn’t feel like what we had in mind. ”
I smiled, gesturing toward Sofia. “Well, Marcus, I’ll let Sofia give you the five minute pitch, because she’s the one who is working on it.”
Thankfully, Sofia didn’t miss a beat. The momentary panic in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by that fierce, confident spark I’d noticed over the past week.
“I’ll make this a short pitch,” Sofia said, her voice smooth, articulate, and completely captivating.
“The other agencies want to sell your beer to people who only look at mountains on Instagram or watch sports on the television. We want to sell it to the people who actually climb mountains and play the sports. Our concept is entirely hyper-local. Clear Creek isn’t just a beverage; it’s the ultimate, premium reward for living the Colorado lifestyle.
It’s forged in the Rockies, and poured right here in Golden. ”
Marcus stared at her for a beat, a slow, appreciative grin spreading across his face. He slapped his hand on the table. “Hell yes! See, that’s what I’m talking about! ‘Poured in Golden.’ I love that. Man, I can’t wait to see the full presentation next week.”
He took a long gulp of his beer, then paused, his expression turning a bit thoughtful.
“Though I should probably give you a heads-up,” Marcus added, leaning in a bit closer. “You guys have some unexpected local competition. Another Golden agency reached out to us out of the blue, and they actually managed to snag a pitch meeting with us the day before yours.”
I raised an eyebrow, my competitive instincts instantly flaring. “Really? I didn’t know there was another agency in Golden?” It was half joke and half truth. Golden wasn’t a big city, but it was big enough, and I’d been gone long enough to lose touch with what was going on.
Sofia shook her head when I glanced at her in question.
“Yeah, apparently.” Marcus nodded. “The guy who called to schedule the appointment, apparently used to work for your dad. He said that he knew our account inside and out and had just upgraded to the best firm in town. What was his name again? Leo? No, Leonard.” My gut twisted.
“He said that he had just signed on with the new firm and promised me that he could give us the ‘Gold Standard’ treatment for half your agency’s fee. ”
The air at the table instantly turned to ice.
I sat back, my jaw tightening as a wave of pure disbelief and anger washed over me. Next to me, Sofia went completely rigid, her glass freezing halfway to her mouth.
“Leonard Whistler,” I said, in a flat and dangerous tone.
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Marcus said, completely oblivious to the nuclear bomb he’d just dropped on our table.
He glanced at his watch and stood up, draining the rest of his glass.
“Anyway, we gotta run. Sofia, seriously impressive stuff.” He took her hand and almost raised it to his lips, before stilling.
“I look forward to seeing your whole pitch next week. Rick, tell your dad I said hello.”
“Will do,” I said, forcing a polite smile until he and the other guy disappeared into the crowded front of the restaurant.
The moment they were gone, I turned to Sofia. We stared at each other in absolute, stunned silence.
“Are you kidding me?” Sofia breathed, her voice a mix of shock and pure outrage. “How did he get hired at another agency in Golden that we didn’t know about?”
“He’s desperate,” I said, a dark, humorless laugh escaping my throat. “I guess they’ll hire anyone if they’re that small.”