Page 82 of Until We're More
But I wouldn’t let myself do that. I couldn’t spiral and lose my purpose, regardless of how much more effort life in general took these days. Deep breath in, deep breath out, and then I forced one foot in front of the other while telling myself I could make it, even as I questioned why I’d ever agreed to this meeting.
The former fighter I’d come to meet with stepped into my path, a wide smile on his face. “Chelsea.” Carlos extended his hand, all formal-like. “Thanks for coming.”
The smile I attempted in return didn’t feel quite right, but at least I managed to keep the corners propped up for a second or two. “Sure thing. How are the tweaks I helped you make on your social media accounts working out? The turnout seemed really good for Finn’s fight.”
“Better than any we’ve had in a long time, and I have you and Brooklyn to thank for that. Which is why I wanted to talk to you before you left town.” Carlos started walking, and I assumed that meant I was supposed to follow.
He stepped inside an office, gestured at the chair across from the desk, and then settled into his own chair. “We need more fresh ideas—things to get more people to more fights.”
“Oh.” Since he’d seemed super confused about online ads when I’d suggested them and I had promised to show him how to set them up himself later, I’d been expecting a request along those lines. I figured I’d take him through the process and then go back home and try not to cry for a few hours, because that was my life right now. “Well, after my impromptu stint as a ring girl, I was actually thinking that you guys could do something like that. Maybe have an open spot once in a while for a so-called ‘amateur ring girl’ night. Filling in and experiencing that sense of camaraderie in the air was a total rush, not to mention more empowering than I thought it would be.”
Sure, part of the adrenaline had been from the heat in Liam’s eyes and the buoying hope that whispered he was attracted to me… The vise around my heart tightened, the misery that constantly ebbed and flowed pouring faster once again. I clung to the theory that someday it wouldn’t hurt. That it’d eventually heal all the way.
Most of the way.
The point was, the first time around the cage was hard, but by the third round, I felt confident strutting my stuff. “It was a nice ego boost, and I think more women could use that. Maybe some would just want the attention, but it also might bring people who wouldn’t ordinarily attend. They’d be there to support their friends and family, and then of course they’d fall in love with the sport, because how couldn’t you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Carlo said, adding a finger-gun snap.
I didn’t think I’d ever been finger-gunned, and I found it oddly satisfying, as well as inspiring. “Then you should take it a step further and have a night where some of the fighters step into the female fights as ring boys—gets both more guys and girls there.”
Carlos nodded as he scribbled in his notebook, then he smacked down his pen and grinned at me. “See? That’s what I’m talking about! We tested out a local marketing firm, and I could tell they were trying, but they just didn’t get the sport. I need someone who has the marketing knowhow, has great ideas,andunderstands the world.”
“I could ask around,” I said. “See if maybe I could find someone who’d work out better for you.”
He cocked his head and studied me. “I think you’re missing my point. I already found someone who’s perfect for the job, which is why I called a meeting with her.”
Wait. Was he saying…?
“Me?” I pointed a finger at my chest, as if he’d need the clarification. Evidently, I did.
He nodded and huffed a short laugh. “Yeah, you. I don’t expect you to give me all the ideas for free. I want to hire you.”
“But I’m about to accept another position. Technically, I already accepted it.”
“Technically,”he said, a teasing note in his tone, “I’m willing to make a competitive offer.”
I blinked as he detailed the salary and the benefits. He went slightly above what the position in Denver would pay, which would be eaten up by the higher living expenses here, but still. Hadn’t I wished more than once that I could choose which accounts I worked on? That I could work more with people I liked and see that what I did made a difference?
“I’m supposed to leave for Colorado this weekend,” I said, because this was too much, and I hadn’t planned for it, and I didn’t know what to say. The Denver office was giving me a couple days to resettle, and then one week from tomorrow, I was supposed to move into my new office and hit the ground running.
“What if you didn’t? What if you stayed?”
My heart gave an involuntary squeeze. Those were the words I’d wanted Liam to say. Instead I heard them from one of his friends, a guy who’d offered me a job in the world Liam thought I couldn’t handle. But staying meant I’d be in the same city Liam was, knowing he was mere miles away but that I still couldn’t have him… That I hadn’t been enough, and he wasn’t willing to even try…
The flow of misery increased until my lungs were so bound in it that I had to force them to take in oxygen. That was before I even factored in living in the same city as my mom—three days at the house with her and I was ready to pull my hair out.
I’m stronger now.
Just maybe not strong enough to see Liam without falling apart.
“Did Liam put you up to this?” Part of me wanted Carlos to say yes, because it would mean that Liam did want me here, and another part of me would be offended. I could get my own jobs.
“Liam has nothing to do with this,” Carlos said. “He doesn’t know, and it’s up to you if you want to talk to him before taking the job, but just take it. We’d love to work with you. I think you can take our events to the next level.”
I reached up and fiddled with my earring. “It’s a big change from what I’ve been doing. Honestly, I think it’d be an exciting change, one I’d be good at.” That came out without having to think about overselling myself or being bold and assertive, because it was true. I did know this world. I knew what happened behind the scenes and in the cage and most everything in between. I’d gone from a girl who would’ve never watched a fight if I hadn’t moved next door to the Roths to one who now paid money to watch fights from my living room.
Sure, feeling that connection to Liam factored into it, so I could call him afterward and discuss the fights with him, but this world had become part of me along the way. And if I accepted this job, Liam’s fight would be the next big event I’d help promote. I wanted that for him—to have the seats filled and for everyone to discover a new champion was going to be crowned. Or belted or whatever.
