* * *
HOLLY
Catherine's hair is the kind of haircut that requires maintenance I can't fathom. Every strand in place. She probably has a standing appointment. Every week.
The Whitmores arrive—Richard tall and precise, Patricia elegant and sharp-eyed.
“You must be Holly,” Richard says, extending his hand.
“I've been looking forward to seeing your approach in action.”
“Mr. Whitmore,” I shake his hand.
“Richard, please. And this is my wife, Patricia.”
The chef's tasting menu begins—small, perfect courses. Patricia and Catherine are deep in conversation about their holiday plans. Richard asks Evan about foundation strategy.
I'm included, but mostly I'm observing. Learning the rhythm.
“So, Holly,” Richard says, turning his attention to me. “Walk us through your vision for Thursday night. What makes this year’s gala different?”
Don't blow it.
“We're trying a different emphasis this year,” I say. “Less focus on the institution's history and the size of its endowment. More focus on its impact—the actual people being helped.”
“The institution's history,” Catherine says, her voice still pleasant but suddenly cooler, “is my husband. My family. That history represents thirty years of my husband William's life's work.”
Oh no.
“Of course, I wasn't?—”
Catherine's smile is now perfectly gracious and perfectly cold.
Richard clears his throat.
My hands are shaking under the table.
“Can you give us an example?” Richard asks. “Of the kind of story you're planning to feature?”
I glance at Evan. He gives me a small nod.
I steady myself.
“There's a woman named Diana. Forty-three years old. High-school dropout who spent twenty years working retail, barely making ends meet. Last year, the foundation funded a career training program that got her certified as a pharmacy technician.”
Patricia leans forward. Catherine is silent.
“Now she's working at a hospital,” I continue. “Making three times what she made before. Saving to put her daughter through college. And when I asked her what the best part of the new job was, I expected her to say the money. Or the stability.”
“What did she say?” Richard asks.
“She said it was the respect. That people call her by her name and value her expertise. That she's not invisible anymore.”
No one speaks.
“That's your story right there,” Richard says finally. “Not 'we funded training programs.' We helped someone become visible.”
“Healthcare seems to be a powerful pathway,” Patricia observes. “Nursing and medical training, specifically.”
