“That’s not happening. Not after what he did to Tori. Nobody in this group would pick him over Tori.”
“Except maybe Bailey,” Cohen says.
I shrug my agreement.
“Is that the only thing bothering you? Her living with him?” Cohen asks.
“Maybe not. I don’t know where it’s going. I mean, everything’s all roses right now, but I have a feeling she’s going to get tired of my schedule really quick. I’ve got to go to my mom’s tomorrow night and spend the night. I’ll be there all day on Saturday to watch my grandma. My mom’s got a twelve-hour shift that starts at six a.m.” I glance over at him. “I’ve been down this road before, you know.”
He nods. “I remember. Madison, right?”
I just look at my beer, the weight of my life bearing down on my shoulders.
“How’s your brother been since you moved out?” he asks. “Is he helping like he should?”
“If it’s convenient for him. But I can’t be too pissed off at him. He’s got school and a social life.”
“You’ve got work and a social life.”
I shrug. “I’m used to helping more than he is.”
“Maybe it’s time he gets used to it. Just saying.”
Logan appears in front of us. “Another round?” I consider my beer and then check my phone. Logan smirks at me. “Ask her what kind you should get. Tell her I’ve got a new lager you might like.”
“Fuck you,” I say. But he’s right. When’s the last time I checked my phone before wondering if I should have another beer? I am losing control in this relationship. I’ve got to set some boundaries. I just hope I can stick to them.
26
Kylie
It’s hard for me to believe things are going as well as they are. Last week, I was getting my feet wet, acclimating to the project, which has been to scout out organizations across the southeast who may be willing to sponsor stays for families for the week at cost. Initially, I was to have turned my results over to Jack, and then he would take it from there, but I’ve convinced him to let me make a presentation explaining my results. My plan to knock their socks off is underway. Now I’ve just got to figure out how to get them barefooted.
My phone dings, and I see it’s a text from Brett.
Are you ready to make your presentation?
As I’ll ever be.
You’re going to kill it.
I reply with a smiley face, which matches my own expression. Part of the reason I’m not as nervous as I should be is because of Brett. His assurance in me builds my own confidence.
Jack’s assistant peeks around the wall of my cubicle. “They’re ready for you.” I nod and grab my laptop.
When I step into the conference room, my heart pounds as I see Robert sitting there. I had asked Jack who would be in the meeting, and he said just him, Easton from Group Sales, a guy from Accounting, someone from Marketing, and Janelle, who heads PR, which was going to be scary enough as it was. I’m jumping in at the start of a planned budget meeting. I plaster on a smile. “Hi, everyone.”
“Kylie, I hope you don’t mind if I sit in,” Robert says. “I was intrigued when Jack told me you’d requested to make a presentation.”
“It’s no problem,” I say. “I’ll talk to anyone who wants to listen.”
The room echoes with a courtesy laugh, and I point to the projector. “Do you mind if I hook up?”
“Please,” Robert says.
I quickly get set up. I’ve never given one of these before, so I stayed late last night to figure out how to use the equipment. I grab the remote for the PowerPoint and get us started. “I was given a goal to find contact info for fifty organizations who would be good to solicit for our outreach initiative. Once I hit that goal, I drilled in on each organization to gather more information so that whoever reached out to them would know more about the company, their past philanthropy efforts, the correct contact person who would actually take the call….”
This elicits another laugh, which I wasn’t really going for, but okay.
I continue. “In this process, I did what I do best and just started talking to people. And then people would refer me to other people, and then it kind of snowballed. As a result, I have made solid contacts with twenty-two of these resorts, and they’re ready to sign on as soon as we can present them a contract.”
I continue on with the presentation, showing the various organizations and what they focus on, explaining that I worked with Jack on details, pricing, timelines, etc. At the end, Robert studies me, as my heart spins, waiting for his verdict.
“This is really impressive, Kylie.”
I give a contrite nod. “Thank you, sir. I actually enjoyed doing it.”
“Would you like to do it some more?”
I shrug. “Sure. I can keep going as long as you’d like me to.”
“I mean, would you like a permanent position in Outreach?”
I can’t contain my smile. “Yes, I would love one.”
Robert turns to Jack. “Jack and I will discuss title, salary, responsibilities, and we’ll come back to you with an offer in the next day or two. Will that work?”
“Wonderfully,” I say. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
“Thank you for taking the ball into the end zone.” He opens his laptop. “Let’s move on to the budget. I’ll sit in on this as well.” He glances up at me. “You may go, Kylie.”
I grab my stuff and exit the room, grinning like an idiot. Just as I’m getting seated, Bailey pops her head around the corner. “So, how did it go?”
“It went really well,” I say, trying to contain my excitement.
“Clearly it did. Look at you. I haven’t seen you this happy since you walked in the door.”
“I
