Page 191 of If Our Hearts Collide

“It’s just that,” she starts, shuffling through my sketches and write-ups, “these seem a little immature and vindictive, don’t you all think?”

Silence fills the space, and instantly I’m taken back to elementary school when I was called into the office over an issue with another kid that I clearly shouldn’t have been a part of, but because I was unable to defend myself, I took the blame.

While not the same thing, I won’t be that shattered, quiet girl who sits back and just allows someone to walk all over me.

“I value everyone’s opinions, as this is in the early stages of the planning process. However, I’ve done a lot of research on the target audience for these box themes that I’d like to share with you all.”

“A Google search can’t be counted as research,” Jill says, partially under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear.

A few workers glance my way. Their eyes are kind. I imagine Jill talks to them this way too and that it has less to do with me being new and more to do with it just being her personality. I guarantee if Angie or Claire were present in the room, I’d be treated differently by her. But I don’t need to be rescued all the time. I can try to handle some things on my own.

Reaching into my bag, I pull out my data sheets that I constructed and consolidated to make it easier for my peers to see my efforts. It’s not enjoyable to try to prove myself, but I also understand the need to establish myself to those who don’t know my work ethic well enough yet.

“Here are the top one hundred videos that have been trending on three social media platforms over the last six months.” I spread out the graphs so everyone can see. “Across the various platforms, there’s a correlation in content topics among viewers aged twenty to forty. Granted, I filtered and focused on the videos where females were the creators.”

Several teammates lean over to get a better look.

“This is fascinating, Penny,” one says.

“Great job researching,” another compliments.

“Well, what is in common?” Jill says in a hurry.

“Several things, actually,” I say. “First off, there’s a social epidemic of women being cheated on. And then there’s a strong desire to find the right man.”

“So, you used those trending ideas to construct box themes?” a worker asks.

“Exactly,” I confirm. “And I wa?—”

“But social media is constantly changing,” Jill interrupts.

I nod. “It is. I agree with you, Jill. But so is Plus None. This is not a stagnant company but an evolving one. It is a cool, modern subscription business that strives to create products that appeal to the everyday woman in thenow, which means staying on top of trends or predicting them before they go viral. And whatbetter way to know what those trends will be other than to use these massive platforms to gather our data and study the market?”

Several people clap their hands together, making me blush, and making Jill look like she could use some Retinol serum for her scowl.

“Well done,” Angie says from the doorway, beaming with pride.

I didn’t even know she was there witnessing some of our discussion.

When the meeting is over, I join my sister-in-law in the break room for a snack.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Angie.”

She gives me a side hug. “You are shining in this fluid role, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

We hang out at the table, snacking on some cheese slices and fresh fruit that gets delivered weekly to stock the fridge.

I pop a strawberry into my mouth, savoring the taste of summer. “I could get used to this.”

She smiles. “I hope you do.”

“You have created such an amazing company with Claire.” I glance around the lounge. “It’s truly a dream to work in such a welcoming place.”

“Thank you. I’m just glad that Jill didn’t get to you. I know she comes off harsh, but she’s going through some things right now.”

My smile dims. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

“It’s no excuse, but she could use some grace. Heaven knows I needed grace in my life at one time.”

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