She does indulge from time-to-time and I was lucky enough to be the one to buy her a vodka and cranberry juice on her twenty-first birthday. We had a blast and our friendship has only strengthened since then.
"Read this email and tell me what you think it means." I push my phone toward her. She pops a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth as her gaze scans the screen.
"Brynn?" Her amber eyes light up. "Are you joking? You know exactly what this means."
"I think I know what it means. I need you to tell me it's real."
She places my phone down on the quartz countertop and tugs me into a tight embrace. "It's as real as it gets. Brynn Janie Interiors just landed the job of the century. You're about to become the most well-known interior designer in all of New York."
I walkpast the security guard with my temporary visitor badge on full display. It's strung around my neck from a bright red lanyard that clashes with the light blue dress I'm wearing. I don't care how I look right now because the badge is my ticket inside The Beryl, the most widely anticipated residential development in Tribeca in years.
After I received that email this morning from an assistant to the developer of the project, I took Pike for a walk around Central Park. I wanted to reply immediately, but I've learned that appearing overeager is never a good thing in business.
Anna, the assistant to Cooper Lannen, the developer, made it clear that Mr. Lannen had exactly thirty minutes to talk to me this afternoon. She was sparse with the details in the email she sent, but I read enough between the lines to know that my incessant emails and phone calls to him have paid off.
The Lannen Group NYC put the word out four months ago that they were considering hiring an up and coming interior designer to take on the task of creating a show suite for The Beryl. It's been called a risky move within the industry, but Mr. Lannen and his children have never played by the rules.
I haven't either so when I decided to throw my design hat into the ring with the thousands of others who want this job, I took a different approach. I didn't just create computer generated renderings of the two bedroom unit.
I transformed my bedroom and attached bathroom into my vision of what I pictured as the master suite of a space elegant enough to be considered as part of The Beryl. I made a video with the help of a friend who is enrolled in film school. As I walked through my bedroom and master bath, I spokeextensively about where I would source the materials for The Beryl from. I mentioned the psychology of creating a space for someone who wants to live in the heart of Tribeca. Then I moved on to spatial concepts and the necessity of creating customized units, so potential buyers will feel an immediate connection to the building the moment they walk through the doorway of the show suite. My goal was to create an experience that would strike a chord with Mr. Lannen himself. I've studied his past projects. I spent time understanding his vision of residential properties and I incorporated that into my pitch.
It was an expensive and risky gamble. I knew that even if I didn't land the job, I increased the value of my own apartment in the process. My dad might be impressed if he knew what I was up to.
I haven't said a word to him or Julian. They both know Cooper Lannen and that could have been my ticket to the top of the short list for this project. I never wanted that. I knew I could land this job on my own. I'm good at what I do. I've been obsessed with interior design since I was a little girl always asking my parents to take me to the furniture store that was two subway stops from our apartment.
The exposure from this project could send my business into the stratosphere.
I finally replied to Anna's email just before lunch telling her that I was still interested. She sent me a message back almost immediately inviting me to meet with Mr. Lannen at two o'clock.
As I trail one of Mr. Lannen's assistants toward a bank of elevators my gaze catches on a group of workers huddled around a marble column. They're putting the finishing touches on the remodel of the building and hopefully I'll be showcasing all of their hard work by creating an environment that will convince people to open their wallets and pack their belongings so they can call The Beryl home.
Landing this job will make me a household name in this city. My face will be recognizable and my business will explode. This meeting that I'm going to have with Mr. Lannen will be the most important of my life.
I take a deep breath, smile at his assistant and follow him into the barren show suite once we exit the lift. Mr. Lannen is standing in front of a wall of windows. His back is to me, his phone next to his ear. This is it. As soon as he's done, he's going to change the entire trajectory of my life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Brynn
"You know that I'm a Bishop?"I furrow my brow. "How do you know that?"
Cooper Lannen chuckles. "Julian told me all about your design business when he toured one of our other projects a year ago. I commended him on the seamless opening of the Bishop Hotel on Fifth Avenue. I mentioned how much I loved the interior design and he told me that you'd had a hand in that."
I had more of a pinky finger than an entire hand in that.
Julian hired one of the design firms who he's worked with for years to handle the interiors of the hotel rooms and the lobby. The building itself has so much rich architectural history that it made the job of the design team simple. They played off the hotel's innate charm to create rooms that are elegant and sophisticated.
My one and only role on that job was to oversee the area rugs in the lobby.
I may not have put my stamp on the space, but it was a notable addition to my portfolio.
"So, as I was saying." He pockets his phone. He took another short call after telling me I had the job. I was grateful when his phone rang. It gave me the minute I needed to swallow back the rush of emotion I felt bearing down on me. By the time he ended his call, I was back in control, or at least I appeared to be. My heart is still racing. I can practically hear its beat in my ears. "I talked it over with my kids and we all agreed that your pitch stood out from the rest and I need to say I respect the fact that you don't depend on your surname professionally. Your father has a lot to be proud of when it comes to you."
He might be. I wouldn't know. We don't talk business.
"My children are taking over the business next fall." He shakes his head and looks past me at the blank canvas that I'll soon transform into the show suite that a broker will use as an integral part of the marketing campaign to sell out the building. "It's not easy for me to hand the reins of my life's work over to those three."
I don't know any of them. I've read about Mr. Lannen's children, but that was only because I wanted to understand the full scope of the business. Each of his two daughters heads a specific division within the company and his son is in charge of international acquisitions. Even though Sonya Lannen runs the residential developments, her dad took the lead on this building. I can see why. Cooper's proud of The Beryl. That's evident in the care he's taking with its launch.
