Page 2 of Mine Forever
And now the one ace I had in the holeis gone.
Not only is this charity ball one of the most talked about events of the year, but it’s also the only thing that stands between me and bankruptcy.
If I don’t pull off this event, I can’t pay the balloon payment on my loan.
If I don’t pay the loan, I lose everything. Including the team of fifteen people I treasure and that depend on me for their livelihoods.
I’m not a huge corporation, but I have a decent-sized business and pay my people well for the work they do. We all work hard and reap the rewards.
At least, that had been the idea when I started the company and hired my employees.
Still, we’re a family and I need to take care of them.
Unfortunately, I went to college and got a PR degree, not a business degree, so I’ve learned some lessons from the school of hard knocks.
Money management being top of the list.
Katie walks in with her pale pink “cat mom” mug, a tendril of steam rising from it. “Mason’s out?” she asks, sinking down in the chair on the other side of my desk.
I sigh. “Yeah.”
She nods. “I figured as much after I saw the article about his accident.”
“How did I not hear about this?”
She flips a lock of her rose-gold hair over her shoulder. “Don’t you watch the news?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I watch the news. Current events, world issues, the weather. What I don’t watch is the E! News channel.”
She sips her coffee. “Well, see? You should. If you did, you’d know he was hit by a certain Hollywood starlet who’s drinking again and nearly killed him. Nasty accident.”
I rub my forehead to ward off the marching band setting up behind my eyes. “Well, send a gift to Barb so it will get to him. Bottle of whiskey or something.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
And she’d no doubt make me look good, like always. She’s a gem, in spite of her irrational love for the color pink and a wardrobe that makes her look like she stepped out of the fifties.
I lean my head back and sigh, turning my chair toward the window. It isn’t a big window, but the location and view are worth every penny of the exorbitant rent I pay.
Tears well up in my eyes, and I blink hard against them.
No time for tears, Eden.Real Mitchells don’t cry.
Yes, Mama. I’m sorry.
I clear my throat and face Katie. “Okay, we need a name that’s going to draw a big crowd, preferably someone in the sports realm, like Mason. These guys want donations, so we need to bring someone in that will lighten the deep pockets of those coming to the event.”
Lost in thought, I sip from my cup and almost gag, forgetting it’s chai tea. “Can you get me some coffee? I ended up with someone’s chai tea.”
“On it.”
When she comes back with my coffee, she rattles off a couple of movie stars we’ve worked with in the past, a well-known motivational speaker, and a retired basketball player that would still draw in the high rollers.
“Yeah, we’re not getting any of those this late in the game.” My nerves spark under my skin, and I need to move. Pacing my office, all I can think of is complete blanks.
“I know you aren’t going to like this suggestion,” Katie says, “but I know who would be perfect for this if available.”
I raise my head, frowning. “Who?”
