"Fine," I say, giving a dramatic eye roll. "I’ll tell Molly that my bedroom is up for grabs."
My phone rings again. I check the name… and then do a double take as if I read it wrong.
Randolph?
"I need to take this." I stand from the couch and pad into the kitchen, leaning against the counter. "Hello?"
"Natalia," Randolph's voice is efficient, which is the only gear he has. "I'll be brief. I should have called sooner."
"What’s going on? We settled everything with the Olympics. Luka’s in the clear—"
"This call isn’t about Luka. You did great work on everything, and he’s in your capable hands. This is about something else."
"Ok, what’s up?"
"I agreed to go with Legacy PR under the assumption that you would be handling my clients directly. That was the arrangement I was sold. When that changed—let’s just say, it’s been a shit show for the last few months." A short exhale. "I don't trust them. I didn't trust them then, and given what's come to light today, I trust them considerably less now."
"I understand."
"Luka tells me you’re starting your own firm?"
"That's right."
"Good," he says. "Are you open to taking on more clients yet?"
"That's the long-term plan, yes."
"Then let's talk next week. I want to discuss moving my full roster to your agency." A pause, and then something that might be the closest Randolph gets to warmth. "You were the right person for this from the beginning. You shouldn't have had to chase my client halfway across the world to prove it."
"I found it character-building," I say.
There’s a soft chuckle on the other end. "That’s the nice way to describe Luka. I'll have my assistant send over a meeting request." And then he's gone, because Randolph doesn't do goodbyes, only agendas.
I stand in my mom's kitchen for a moment, holding my phone, listening to the faint sound of the TV in the other room and the wind outside the window.
Then I walk back into the living room and drop onto the couch as if my bones have turned to liquid.
My mom looks at me sideways. "What was that about?"
"I think I just launched my career."
She blinks. Then, a slow smile. "Oh yeah? Can you take on that much?"
Then it hit me. I’ll need help.
"I'll need a really good lawyer." I look down at my phone, already typing. "And I know exactly who."
I opened Molly's thread.
Are you serious about moving to Seattle? A new job with your name on it has just opened up.
I set the phone face-up on the cushion and reach for the last of the peanut butter pretzels.
On screen, another rose ceremony begins.
I send out a text to Luka:
Are you going to be jealous if I take on more clients? Randolph just called. He’s moving his clients to me.
