Page 1 of The Amazing Date

Chapter 1

Rylee

Rylee

Garrett Richardson, principal in charge of accounts, rocks side to side in the high-back leather chair at the head of the conference room table. His gaze has been avoiding mine for the last five minutes, and I know bad news is on its way. Yesterday, he danced in the hallways, having landed our biggest account to date—the world-renowned Claire Ballet Company. Their star dancer and daughter of the founder, Sylvie, took over ownership of the company a mere sixty days after hanging up her pointe shoes, the news shocking the industry as she sidelined her parents, who had built the prestigious company from the ground up. Rumors of a closed-door feud have leaked, and Sylvie’s actions seem to confirm she and her parents are on different pages. She’s wanting to make a statement out of the gate, kicking their longtime digital agency to the curb and selecting our small boutique shop to scrub their digital image on all platforms.

It’s a major get for us as agencies four and five times our size were in the running. Our shop is considered small, but size is relative. We have four locations, two outside the United States, with two hundred and fifty employees, along with an extensive network of freelancers and consultants we can call on within a moment’s notice.

Across from me sits Kira, my office frenemy. Both of us are on the fast track of rising talent in the firm, the young, fresh, aggressive type that drew Sylvie to KLC Digital Media. Garrett wasted no time broadcasting to the rest of the agency we are the top two candidates. I paint a plastic smile on my face, pleased with the two-page summary I sent to Garrett last evening listing my recent accomplishments, including stepping in to help Kira get an out-of-control campaign back on schedule last month.

Kira matches my insincere smile and twists toward Garrett. We are both twenty-four years old, same height at five five, and probably wear the same dress size, but we are worlds apart. She crosses her legs, drawing attention to her inappropriate short skirt, the navy and gold stripes more appropriate for a college pep rally than an office. A dry chuckle escapes from my throat, causing Garrett to finally glance in my direction. I scoff at his raised brow, letting him know how ridiculous and transparent I find Kira’s ploy.

Garrett is a twenty-two-year industry professional. I’m sure every season he’s crossed paths with an overeager, manipulative, let-me-take-a-shortcut hack like Kira. I shouldn’t be concerned. Yet, I lean forward, the tips of my two-inch pumps pressed into the carpet. Garrett has barely looked in my direction since I’ve entered the room.

Garrett clears his throat and starts. “Well, let’s get to it. As you know, this is an incredible opportunity for our firm. What sold Sylvie is our ability to be nimble, read the market, and build creative and memorable material that cuts across age groups. Both of you are incredible talents and bring different skills to the table. In an ideal world, I’d have both of you work on the account.”

Kira doesn’t even attempt to hide her eye roll. I flick a finger in her direction, the presence of Garrett preventing me from selecting the digit she truly deserves.

“Kira,” he states, shifting in his seat, and my heart drops. “Congratulations.” Her thin hand shoots toward him, their handshake like a red flag in front my bull temperament. My hands squeeze the edge of the conference table to prevent the charge.

I rise from my seat, lifting my leather portfolio to my chest. I fight the urge to jump across the table and kick him in the shin, but an image of the damage I’ve caused the last time I kicked something flashes through my mind. An impulsive action that reverberates within me to this day.

I take a deep, cleansing breath and attempt to recall all the lessons I’ve learned since that time. Stay professional, you’ve prepared for every scenario, follow your script. “Congrats, Kira. Thank you, Mr. Richardson. Please let me know if there is anything you need from me.”

His eyes tighten in concentration, more bad news about to be unleashed in my direction. “There is one thing. It’s actually a suggestion Kira made last night, and one which I had already been considering.”

“Uh, last night?” I’m the last one out of the office every night, last night being no different. Kira left at five thirty and Mr. Richardson at seven.

“Yeah, I met some colleagues for drinks to celebrate the signing, and Kira and her friend just happened to be at the same bar.” He doesn’t even hear his own words. While I was sending him a dossier on why I’m the logical and prudent choice, really the only choice, she busied herself stalking him on the corporate shared calendar, ambushing him at the restaurant, and plying him with liquor and flirtatious smiles. I know he’s a man, but I thought this account was more important to him than— I don’t finish the thought, not wanting to give it another second of my energy.

“We’re going to need Hans on the Claire account.” Garrett delivers the latest bombshell as intended, a fait accompli.

“He’s the top creative at the firm, Mr. Richardson. I have him on two of my accounts. We are—”

An emboldened Kira cuts off my protest. “Which is why it makes sense for him to be on the ballet account. Our best creative for our most important client. It’s what they deserve.”

“And what do I tell my clients?” I direct my question at Garrett, twisting away from Kira, wishing she would disappear in real life as easily as she does from my view.

He takes a deep inhale. “You’ll figure it out, Rylee—you always do. I have a two-page report that confirms it.” He adjusts his tie. “Do it today. I know your vacation starts tomorrow. Have a good time.”

His mention of vacation gives me pause. It’s my first time off from work in over two years. My best friend, Gabriella, insisted. We haven’t had a chance to connect in almost a year, both of us sensing we are overdue.

She’s my best friend, my college roommate, and the one person on this planet who keeps me sane. She stayed in Chicago after graduation, taking a job with a local accounting firm, while I took my spanking new marketing degree to the big city of New York. We constantly text and talk to one another, but it’s been too long since we’ve spent time together.

We’ve been planning this vacation for the last three months, and it has been number one on my list of things to do for nearly as long. However, I wonder if my vacation has played into Garrett’s selection of Kira.

Before I can speak, Garrett disappears through the door. I remain dumbfounded, not realizing Kira is staring at me with a shit-eating grin. “And that’s how you win an assignment. I bet your stupid checklist didn’t cover that.”

Gabby is the one who introduced me to the power of checklists. Of planning. Of preparation. The two years we shared a room in the dorms transformed me from an out-of-control mess to an organized professional. It’s so different from the approach to life I followed prior. An approach that would have looked much like the path Kira is following. With Garrett safely down the hall, I now flip Kira the appropriate finger.

She feigns injury, hands pressed to her chest. “Ms. Excel has a little fight in her after all. I’ll have to let Hans know, over drinks, of course.”

The old me would react. A disciplinary hearing with HR surely would have followed. But this is the new me, the mature Rylee. My eye roll is my best defense, Kira not worth the energy of a confrontation. I give her my back and twist my phone to review my task list. It’s only midmorning, yet half my list is already checked. I strike off the meeting with Garrett and then highlight in red the next item.

Checklists are my safe space. They help me tamp down my destructive, impulsive nature that has been buried in a cocoon ever since I destroyed the life of my best friend’s brother. It is my biggest regret in a life filled with them, and to this day, I attempt to force myself to be a better version of myself. It’s still a work in progress.

I review the next item on my checklist. Pat yourself on the back for landing the Claire Account. Now get to work.

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