Page 11 of Token

Aurora stared at her for another somber beat before erupting into laughter. “Oh my god, that is a thing of beauty. This is genius-levelhow to capitalize on a crisis. You know what, screw working with them and come work with me. We’d make a formidable team.”

“We would, wouldn’t we,” Kennedy said, a wistful note in her voice. “You know, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Being my own boss. Working for myself.”

Since she’d been laid off, it was almost all she thought about. A business of her own. Where she failed or succeeded on her own merits. Where the fate of her employment wasn’t subject to the whims and desires of someone else.

But debt-ridden temporarily employed media relations specialists weren’t exactly great credit risks, and banks actually expected repayment of their loans. They were funny like that. Which meant striking out on her own would have to wait. How long, she wasn’t sure, but with the end of her student loan payments tantalizingly close, it could be much sooner than she dared hope.

Much sooner.

“You will. One day. We both will,” Aurora assured her, and probably herself. How could she not, considering her family? Her father was a Hollywood director, her mother a model-turned-actress-turned-executive producer, and her three brothers were all super successful in their chosen fields—although, Nate wastheoverachiever to beat all overachievers. Naturally, Aurora, the baby of the family, wanted to forge a path of her own.

Just like Kennedy.

“We should open up our own PR agency.” As soon as the words were out, Kennedy slapped a hand over her mouth.

Where had that come from?

Bymuch sooner, I guess you meant right now,another voice answered.

Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. “Are you serious?”

This morning she could barely afford to open a lemonade stand, much less her own agency, but everythinghadchanged. Now she knew her worth. At least, to ECO. That knowledge changed the trajectory of her life and what was possible.

As to the question of whether she was serious or not, Kennedy didn’t need to mull it over long. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.”Her voice grew more emphatic with each word, the agency’s mission and purpose taking shape in her mind.

“Look at what happened to me today. The company needed me so Sahara wouldn’t take one look around the conference room and take her business elsewhere. Which tells me if that’s happening at ECO, it’s happening at a lot of other companies. And with the growing pressure on Hollywood, boardrooms, educational institutions, and Big Tech to diversify, I’d say the pool of potential clients could make an agency that manages issues of a‘diverse nature’—” she air quoted the term “—very profitable, wouldn’t you agree?”

“So you want tohelpthose companies?” Aurora asked, looking understandably skeptical.

“Okay, I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out. I think we can agree that most companies aren’t like your brother’s. He made it a priority to create an inclusive and diverse workforce. Most companies have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century, just like ECO Apparel.But now that I have my foot in the door, I can push for those kinds of changes, especially if I have someone like Sahara making it a condition of partnering with them.”

Aurora sighed, nodding. “I can’t argue with you on that. Constellation is definitely the odd company out, especially in the tech industry.”

Kennedy had to give it to Nate—he’d built a company anyone would be proud of.

“And as we grow, we can expand our services by offering diversity and inclusivity, and sexual harassment classes and training.” Kennedy had taken a certification course to teach both at her last job. It had been cheaper for the company than paying an outside firm.

By the gleam in her eyes, Kennedy could see Aurora’s enthusiasm for the idea growing. “And with my background in crisis management, we’ll have all the bases covered.”

“Exactly.” It would be a full-service boutique PR agency with an emphasis on diversity and inclusivity.

“Oh my god, I love it.” Aurora’s eyes were fever bright. “Does that mean you’re going to turn down the job and I’m going to quit mine?”

Kennedy’s nod and smile were tentative. “I think so. But only if you’re in.”

“Oh, I’m definitely in.”

A kaleidoscope of butterflies took up residence in her stomach. “Have we lost our minds?” Kennedy asked in a hushed voice, unable to believe they were actually going to do this.

Aurora grabbed her hand and squeezed hard enough to cause Kennedy to wince, barely able to contain her excitement. “We’re two badass women ready to make our mark.”

“Yeah, that’s us, two badasses,” Kennedy said, laughing.

“So what are you going to do about ECO? They’re counting on you to land Sahara.”

Kennedy had been giving that some thought. “I’m going to tell them the truth. I can’t be their employee, but they can be our client. Our first.”

“That was my thought too. And this way we’ll be able to charge them a lot more than what they were offering.” Aurora’s expression became thoughtful. “So, what do you want to call it?”

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