“I need you to not mess this up forme. So we’re even.”
Why in the hell was he being so bristly with her? “Nice of you to let me know you were back in New York.”
He cleared his throat, a habit that she’d once found sort of charming, but now grated on her nerves. “It’s only been a few weeks. I’ve been busy. I would’ve gotten around to it.”
Likely story.
Echo got off her call. “Sorry about that. Should we go ahead and get started?” Echo scooped up a notebook from her desk and took a seat at the table next to Lela. “I just want to have a conversation about our next steps.”
Lela snapped to attention, opening her planner to a blank sheet in the back. “Yes. I’d love to hear more about that.”
Donovan cleared his throat again and leaned his elbow on the table, a bit too close for Lela’s taste, but she decided that she might as well start practicing the art of not falling under Donovan’s spell.
“Me too,” Donovan said. “Since this is my first time sitting in on one of these meetings.”
Echo sat a little straighter. She was a stunning and dynamic young woman. That was no surprise—she was the product of an excellent gene pool. Her wavy brown hair, flawless olive complexion, and big brown eyes, coupled with her warm and generous personality, made it impossible to look away. “So, Lela, my whole philosophy behind Echo Echo is the marriage of story, creator, and approachability. I want our products to tell a story. I believe that our creators are an essential part of that story, since they are the origin of everything we sell. And I want everything we offer, whether it’s a beautiful dress or a casual pair of shoes or a pair of earrings—or now, an amazing mascara—to be accessible to everyone.”
Lela furiously scribbled down her notes, duly impressed that Echo had a mission that went beyond merely hawking products. When she’d first met Echo in the lobby, Lela had seen the effortless radiance of her mom, Genevieve. But now, Lela saw Donovan. He’d always had a knack for picking things apart and examining them, trying to make them better or more than they were. This ability was surely part of what had made him so successful. Now Lela was seeing the same in his daughter, and it quite frankly, made her adore Echo. Lela was falling. Head over heels.
“This all sounds amazing,” Lela started. “I feel so privileged that you see Lela B being part of what you do. I also appreciate that you’ve put so much time and thought into the vision of your company. I love being a part of JTI, but this makes me feel like there will be more purpose behind what I’m doing, which is great. I’d like to do more than simply sell makeup.” Lela hoped she wasn’t laying it on too thick, but her words were sincere.
“Fantastic. I think our first step is a whole new media campaign. Electronic billboards, web advertising, bus wraps. The whole nine yards. We need to position you, and put the Lela B name out there.” Echo knocked her head to one side and pointed her pen at Lela. “Which means we need to getyouout there.”
“You mean the products?” Lela asked.
“No. I meanyou. You are the face of the company. You’re the expert and the one with the passion. You are the campaign.”
Donovan had been remarkably still, but he was now squirming in his seat. Lela could relate. This wasn’t going down easy for her, either. She liked being in the background. She wasn’t used to center stage.
“We’ll do a photo shoot. Dad has an amazing photographer friend who I think could be perfect for this.” Echo turned to Donovan. “Do you think Nico would be open to photographing Lela? He’s got that raw Annie Leibowitz vibe that I just love.”
“Are you serious?” Donovan and Lela asked the question in unison. Lela felt she was entitled to her surprise. It was insulting coming from him.
Echo reared back her head. “Whoa, you two. That was freaky.”
“Was it?” Donovan tapped a pen on the legal pad he had taken exactly zero notes on.
“Yes. The timing. The same words.”
Donovan shrugged. “It’s a logical question. You’re trying to sell beauty products.” For a moment, stone cold silence fell over the room as they all seemed to pick up the thread Donovan was about to pull on. It went something like this—selling beauty products required beautiful people, and that was not Lela. “I mean, Lela is an attractive woman, but I’m not sure she sends the right message.”
Lela planted an elbow on the table, propped her head on her hand, turned to face Donovan while wishing she could shoot laser beams out of her eyes. “And what message is that, exactly?”
She relished his initial look of uncertainty, but then she witnessed the moment when something else clicked in for him, and he regained his natural arrogance. “Look, Lela, I say this for your benefit as well as Echo’s. I know you want Lela B to do well and be successful. And I know that Echo wouldn’t bring you on board if she wasn’t confident in the line’s ability to do exactly that. But I sincerely have to wonder if a campaign with a gray-haired woman is going to help us achieve those goals.”
“Dad. I can’t believe you said that,” Echo said.
Lela slowly shook her head, not taking her eyes off Donovan while addressing Echo. “It’s okay. I understand what he’s saying.” It took an iron will to remain composed. Hearing that from the man she’d once cared about so much was a punch to the gut. And there were so many damn layers to what he’d said, it felt impossible to pick it all apart. She wasn’t about to launch into the personal, so she focused on the larger issue. She and Tammera talked about this often, and it was a topic that burned hot inside of Lela—her belief that no woman should be pushed aside because of the way she chose to present herself to the world.
“So you agree?” Donovan asked.
Good God, she wanted to slap him. Right across his handsome face. Really hard, creating a noise so loud that it could be heard out in the hall. Or maybe in outer space.
Obviously she wasn’t going to resort to violence. Donovan was an ass, but she knew what she was dealing with. And she wasn’t about to take a flamethrower to her new partnership with Echo Echo. “I don’t agree, but I’m biased. I made the choice to let my hair go gray. I made the choice to stop trying to hold on to my youth. It takes entirely too much energy. I’d rather focus on the here-and-now, which is me, exactly the way you see me. So, I’d like to hear what Echo thinks. It’s her company, after all.” Lela eased back in her chair, feeling satisfied that she’d said exactly what she needed to say. Even so, her heart was pounding fiercely.
“Dad, I’ve made a point of challenging all sorts of standards of beauty. They’re so ridiculously narrow. Size, color, shape. The list goes on and on. Why not tackle age? I think the time could be right.”
“I don’t make the rules,” Donovan said. “I think it’s great that you want to change the narrative, but some standards will be harder to do away with than others. Age is a tough nut to crack. It’s so entrenched. And you’re trying to do this with a brand that hasn’t fully established itself in the marketplace.”
