Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Carissa’s phone rang bright and early Tuesday morning, waking her up. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she answered it on speaker. “Hello?”
“Carissa, hi. It’s Colin Fields, the activities coordinator at Imaginavigation Enterprises. How are you?”
Her early-morning brain fog dissipated, and she sat up. “Oh, hello, Mr. Fields. I’m well, and yourself?”
“Very well, thank you.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, I wanted to call and thank you for your presentation the other day. The Deep Creek idea you had was a huge hit with the board.”
“Does that mean—” She took a deep breath. “That is to say, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“We did indeed, but we were wondering if you would be willing to allow us to move forward with your idea internally.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“We loved your idea, and we’re willing to offer you a contract as a consultant.”
It took significant willpower to keep her tone even. “Let me see if I have this right. You liked my idea enough to use it but not enough to hire me as the actual planner?”
“Oh, well…” The cool and confident tone vanished. “Um, you see, we don’t believe you have enough experience to pull it off. I’ll be leading this event, and Jacob thought you might be willing to collaborate with me.”
I bet he did. Her heart pounded, and she glared at the opposite wall. The nerve. “I’m sorry, Mr. Fields, but I’m afraid I’m not interested in acting as a consultant. While I can’t stop you from planning your retreat in Deep Creek based on my recommendation and pitch, I’ve no reason to assist you in bringing it to fruition when I’m perfectly capable of leading such an event on my own.”
“But you would profit too. Albeit less than you would have if we awarded you the contract outright.”
“And that is precisely why I’m not interested in your offer.”
“Carissa.” Another voice, gratingly familiar, came over the line. “You’re making a mistake. This is a way for you to get your foot in the door and gain some experience so that the next time an opportunity like this arises, you’ll have this event in your portfolio.”
Closing her eyes, she ground her teeth in frustration. Jacob was right. No matter how much it hurt her pride, consulting on the event would give her the experience she needed to break into corporate event planning. Her previous attempts to expand into that world had not panned out, and the only reason she’d had the opportunity to pitch Imaginavigation Enterprises was her husband’s acquaintance with the former CEO.
She sighed. I could end this call right now and never have to deal with this jerk again. But doing so would mean starting over from scratch, and she was tired of having doors slammed in her face. Besides, she wouldn’t put it past Jacob to blacklist her to every other corporation in the DC metro area.
“I’ll consider it and get back to you,” she finally said as she swallowed her pride.
“You have twenty-four hours,” Jacob replied, and she could practically hear his smirk.
The phone beeped three times, confirming they’d disconnected. She put her head in her hands, and tears pricked her eyelids. She’d been confident that she’d nailed the presentation, and she’d hoped her experience in event planning in general would have compensated for her limited knowledge of corporate retreats.
Consulting would help her garner that experience but at a price. She expected she would be working closely with Jacob, and the idea made her skin crawl.
She needed advice, but she wasn’t sure who to turn to. Max was the first person she wanted to talk to, but she’d just told him that she should take things slowly, and she didn’t want to send mixed messages. Unfortunately, she hadn’t told many other people she was pursuing the venture in case it didn’t work out.
I need to get out of the house and clear my head. She dressed quickly and headed into the chilly autumn air. The sky was filled with ominous dark clouds that seemed to match her mood. She drove aimlessly until she found herself turning onto Main Street in Cedar Haven and heading toward Bea’s Diner.
When she walked in the door, she saw Max sitting at a booth near the back. His eyes lit up at the sight of her, and he waved her over. A warmth blossomed in her chest as she made her way toward him.
“Fancy meeting you here.” He lifted his mug in salute. “Care to join me?”
Carissa bit her lip. As happy as she was to see him, they shouldn’t be spending time alone together in public.
“I promise I won’t bite.” A smirk pulled up one side of his mouth, and she couldn’t help smiling.
“All right.” She slid into the booth across from him. “But just for a minute.”
“What brings you out here? Do you have a meeting with a bride?”
Before she could answer, the server came to take her order. She selected a chai tea, hoping the spices would lift her mood.
“No meeting,” she said once they were alone again. “I went for a drive to clear my head and ended up here.”
He tilted his head. “Something wrong?”
Once again, she hesitated. She’d meant what she’d told him the other day about keeping their distance, but right then, she could really use a friend. “I didn’t get the corporate event gig.”
His eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Did they tell you why?”
“Apparently, I don’t have enough experience.” Her hands clenched into fists on the table. “And that’s not even the worst part.” She proceeded to tell him about the consulting offer and Jacob’s smug attitude.
“He knows he’s got me. His company only offered me the opportunity to pitch on the recommendation of their former CEO. If I refuse, I’m back to square one.”
“If I were you, I’d start over and hope to find someone who isn’t such a jerk.”
“It’s not that simple.” She rubbed her temples. “Companies like Imaginavigation Enterprises talk. A lot of event coordinators work on referral. This was supposed to be my ticket into that world. Even if I try to start over, Jacob could blacklist me.”
“But why? You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter. I refused his advances at the restaurant. Men like him have done much worse for less obvious slights.”
“Then you should file a harassment charge against him. Or at the very least, report what he did to the board.”
“It’s my word against his, and they have a relationship with him. Besides, if I reported him now, it would look like I was retaliating for not getting their business.”
Max was quiet, and she took a sip of her tea, hoping it might make her feel better. It didn’t. The drive hadn’t helped either. Perhaps she would have been better off staying home and wallowing for a bit.
“Why not start with local businesses? Planning holiday parties and the like?”
Max was doing that thing Chuck used to do, trying to fix things instead of letting her vent. Was that just a habit with men from her generation?
“I already plan holiday parties for some local businesses. Corporate retreats are a whole different animal because you’re not just booking a location and entertainment, you’re planning an entire week of activities as well as lodging, food, and the like.”
“What about?—”
She held up a hand. “I know you’re trying to help, but I didn’t come here to brainstorm my next move. I wasn’t planning on talking about it at all, but you asked. Let’s change the subject, okay?”
It came out harsher than she’d intended, but she didn’t have the energy to manage anyone else’s feelings that day. A pained expression crossed his face. He gave a gruff nod and stared at the table.
Great. Now she’d upset him too. The day was off to an amazing start. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should go. I don’t want to take it out on you.”
“No, please stay.” He blew out his breath. “Melody used to complain about the same thing. I do better when I have a tangible problem I can fix. But I’m trying, and if you want to vent, I’m here to listen.”
“Thanks,” she said, and she meant it. But suddenly, all the fire had gone out of her. She was not in a good place for company, and she didn’t want to risk taking her frustrations out on Max any more than she already had. “Actually, I’m going home.”
He blinked in surprise. “Already? But you just got here.”
“I need some time to process this and make up my mind about what I’m going to do.” She downed her tea. “Thanks for letting me vent, and I’m sorry I intruded on your breakfast.”
He stood and pulled her into his arms before she had a chance to stop him. “I’m here for you. Anytime.”
Plastering a smile on her face, she extricated herself from his embrace and waved goodbye. Once she was in her car and driving home, she let the reality of the situation hit her full force. She barely made it home before she fell apart in her car, leaning against the steering wheel and letting the tears fall.
“What am I going to do?” she whispered.
That question haunted her for the rest of the day, and by the evening, she still wasn’t sure. She vacillated between taking the consulting gig to garner experience and telling Jacob where he could stick his offer. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she wasn’t sure she could stomach the idea of working with him.
But the idea of going back to the drawing board and trying to figure out her next plan of attack gave her a headache. She feared her lack of experience would continue to be a barrier, even if her ideas were well received. And if she couldn’t expand her business, she wasn’t sure what she would do with it when she was ready to retire. She’d hoped integrating corporate retreats into her business would make it a more attractive sale. Without that expansion, she wasn’t sure how enticing the business would be to potential buyers.
Her phone rang, and irritation boiled in her belly when she recognized the number. She debated ignoring it, but that wouldn’t be professional. With a groan, she picked it up and answered. “Hello, Jacob.”
“Actually, it’s not Jacob. It’s Colin.”
“Oh, hello, Mr. Fields.”
“Listen, I know Jacob gave you twenty-four hours to decide, but I wondered if there was anything I could do to sweeten the deal to convince you. The position isn’t what you want, but it would be a foot in the door with not only our company but the larger corporate world at large.”
“Believe me, I’m aware,” she said, unable to keep her aggravation out of her tone. “And it’s not that I’m averse to coming on as a consultant.” Even if it still grated on her nerves that they were more interested in her idea than her ability to implement it.
“Then what’s holding you back?” When she didn’t immediately respond, he added, “If you don’t mind my asking.”
She bit her lip. What she wanted to say warred with what she should say. Was there a tactful way to tell the activities coordinator that her main aversion was working with his boss? Probably not. And anything she said would likely be relayed to Jacob, which would put her in an even worse situation.
“I’m concerned there will be friction between Jacob and me.” Her anxiety eased a little. That sounded vague enough to explain her hesitation without saying anything directly negative about the CEO.
A nervous chuckle came over the line. “I can understand why you’d say that about Jacob.” He cleared his throat. “How about this? We can meet outside of the office to limit your interactions with Jacob. I’m happy to set up working lunches at restaurants or even come down to your neck of the woods to discuss things. We can even do virtual meetings if that’s easier for you.”
He had a hint of desperation in his voice, which only confirmed that he was in over his head. She felt bad for him, and she had to admit his offer was enticing. She could still garner the experience she needed to pitch other companies while maintaining a positive business relationship with Imaginavigation Enterprises. And if she could do that and avoid Jacob, all the better.
“All right,” she finally said. “I’ll do it. But I want a contract drawn up detailing my consulting fee and terms allowing for that amount of flexibility.” Chuck had always insisted she get everything in writing.
“I’ll get our legal team on it first thing tomorrow,” Colin promised. “And then I’m hoping to get started as soon as the ink is dry.”
“That works for me.”
After they hung up, the joy she normally felt after closing with a new client didn’t come. She was still too anxious. Even if she never set foot in the offices of Imaginavigation Enterprises again, she doubted she could avoid Jacob altogether. But she’d made her bed, and all she could do was hope Colin was true to his word and kept his boss as far away from her as possible.