Page 6 of Taking A Chance

Lyla: What?! For what?

Me:Isn’t it obvious?

Lyla:Wait, you’re just assuming he was being sleezy? You don’t actually know?

I think about her question for a second. I mean, of course he was being a jerk. Why else would he invite me in? What would he want to do? Pour me a cup of hot tea and talk about our feelings?

Me:He’s a guy. It’s not that hard to guess.

I throw my phone down, uninterested in listening to Lyla want to see the good in people. Who just invites woman after woman into their apartment with good intention? No one, that’s who.

Pulling myself up off the floor, I replay the events of the evening as I make it into my bedroom and look for pajamas. Declan is taller than I realized or remembered. Perhaps the fact that I avoid being near him at all costs is to blame. Well, I suppose I avoid him in all cases except distress, like having just been assaulted.

I think about how I flung myself at his body and gripped him like he was some kind of damn life raft and I was stranded at sea. I bet I got tears and snot all over his shirt.Damn.I should’ve offered to wash it. When I finally stepped back from him, he looked as though he’d been running his hands through his hair, over and over again. His nearly black eyes seemed to penetrate my soul. It was all very unsettling. But I won’t deny that he smelled heavenly. There’s something purely intoxicating about a man’s scent. He was all woodsy and spice.

He’s attractive, for sure. Maybe I’d blocked that fact out due to my hatred for him. Not that his attractive face or solid muscled body is of any consequence. I still hate him. I simply hate him a little less for rescuing me.

I shake off these unwelcome thoughts, focusing instead on my presentation for work tomorrow. My marketing team and I have been waiting for months to be able to present this information to the board of directors for one of the biggest companies in town; and now, we finally have our chance. Last year, the board saw decreasing profit margins in several product lines and contacted us for a proposal on creating new campaigns for all the failing ones. Our hope is that they like the campaigns enough to not only adopt across those failing, but the entire product line in general. Tomorrow we’ll present our ideas and show statistical market research in effort to prove the changes will be lucrative.

Admittedly, I’m nervous. Our ideas are quite progressive, and this company is old school—very set in their ways. My team has to convince them that forward thinking is the only solution. We hope to gain them as a permanent client through this challenge, which feels more and more like an audition every day.

Despite being straight out of college with dual advertising and marketing degrees, I flailed for a little while. I had no idea what to do. Then, one day, I woke up and decided I wanted to start my own company. After about a year of being a one-woman business, I finally had enough clients and steady income to hire a few employees. Now, we’re one of the most well-known woman-owned marketing companies in Boston. I also purposely hired all women. Now, we’re five strong on the team and continuing to expand.

I still live somewhat modestly, only because I know at any moment there could be a downward trend, a growing pain, or some other hiccup to set us back. If my parents taught me one thing, it was to always be prepared for the future. The company’s money is not my money. We do our part to donate to charitable organizations and update our technology. Plus, the entire team goes on vacation together every year as a team building exercise, and we set aside money for that.

When I finally lie down in my bed around midnight, I’m confident about tomorrow’s presentation. But thoughts of the way the rest of my evening went, linger heavily. Perhaps I need to lay off the online dating for a little while. Most annoying of all the thoughts swirling in my mind are Declan’s dark eyes, peering down at me—hell, through me.

I’m affected, and I don’t like it.

5

Cora

“A toast!”Claire yells over the crowd, holding up her glass of champagne.

Claire was the first employee I ever hired, and she’s been by my side through the thick and thin of this company’s growth. I’m happy to be celebrating this victory with the entire team tonight, but especially Claire.

“To the woman who taught me everything. The leader of this team. Cora!” she says, as the rest of the team joins in at the end to cheer.

“Thank you, ladies. But honestly, it took the whole team to get here,” I say, clanking my glass against all of theirs.

As I sip from my flute, I look around at them, thankful for each of their talents and contributions. When I hired Claire, she recommended Anna, who’s a wizard with market projections. She’s also one of the coolest people I know and sports a pixie cut she often pushes up, making it resemble a faux-hawk. She and her wife Liliana adopted their first child last year.

Monica is the introvert on the team—quiet until you get to know her. I worship her complexion and keep begging her to tell me what her skin regimen is, but she won’t give it up. Her dark skin looks so smooth she gets complimented on it literally everywhere we go.

Sara was the last to join the team. She’s also the youngest. She’s still in her carefree non-committal phase, single and mingling with much better luck than I tend to have. She rounds out the team and provides a youthful energy when we’re in a slump.

“Hey,” Claire says, interrupting my thoughts. “Doug is out of town, so I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

Her husband, Doug, is one of the best men I know. They’re so in love it’s almost disgusting, and I’m inclined to believe their love is the reason I’m so picky and won’t settle.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“I have tickets to an art exhibit opening and I don’t want to go alone,” she says, eyes wide and pleading.

“Ugh, is this one of those stuffy fancy exhibits with classical music playing all night?” I ask, recalling the last one she took me to. Silver platters of snails and tiny desserts the size of croutons had me starved all night.

“No, no, nothing like that. This one is in the new modern art gallery that just opened up,” she explains.

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