“Hey, Lauren. Sorry I haven’t returned your calls. I’m on vacation with my family in Tuscany and it’s been kind of a no-business zone.”
“No worries. Tuscany must be awesome.”
“It is. Okay, I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m signing with the Gordon Group; there should be an announcement in the next couple of days.”
My heart plummeted to the rotting planks beneath my feet.
“Okay. Can I ask what led to your decision?”
“I enjoyed our talk, and I think you would have been a great person to have in my corner. I liked the idea of working with a woman agent who knows the business and has been where I am now. But I heard some stuff about your boyfriend, about how he was asking your clients to invest in some shady shit.”
I closed my eyes. “I wished you’d talked to me about it. That was happening behind my back, and I’ve since parted ways with him. I never gave him leave to approach any of my clients. That was all on him, and I’ll be making sure he makes full restitution.”
She cleared her throat. “Glad to hear it. But it just felt easier to go with someone who doesn’t have that kind of drama surrounding them. My mom advised me to go with my gut, and unfortunately, you got the short end of the stick.”
I swiped at a tear. Thad’s actions were ripping my business apart.
“I get it. And I appreciate you reaching out to me personally to let me know.”
We exchanged pleasantries and I clicked off. For God knew how long, I sat there, contemplating how my life had been put in reverse.
I needed to stop hanging around the D-zone. Time to lace up and go on the offense.
“Okay, that’s the last one.” Esme ticked a box on the list of clients and held up her clipboard. “So, it looks like we have nine loyalists, four quitters, and three wishy-washy-I-wanna-think-about-its.”
Summer winced. “Not sure we want to call our valued clients quitters or wishy washy.”
“Ex-clients, because I’m not sure I trust anyone who says they want to mull it over.” Esme smiled at me. “Sorry, boss.”
“I see your point, but I’d rather give them the benefit of the doubt. They were likely just trying to avoid conflict by not firing me to my face.”
I needed to get out ahead of my public relations issue, so I had spent the entire morning calling each of the clients I had not seen on my recent road trip to assure them that Thad was not operating with my approval. I had convinced most but lost a few.
Meanwhile my ex was nowhere to be found. I had stormed over to his apartment building this morning, where Donny the doorman told me that he hadn’t seen him in several days. A couple of my rookies were out immense sums of money, and Thad would have to pay them back. That was non-negotiable. If I could fix that, then I could go some way to making it good for my clients and restoring my reputation.
A text came in from Alexei.
You owe me a date. A real one.
This should have been another unwanted complication, but oddly Alexei was the one person I could rely on during this mess.
“Who’s that? One of our wishy-washies?” Summer shook her head. “You have me calling them that now.”
“Nah, that’s not it. Her mouth is doing that weird thing.” Esme leaned in as I raised my phone screen out of view. “Is that a smile?”
“I smile all the time.”
Esme gave a funny little snort. “No way. You’re the dragon boss lady, as you should be. But it’s nice to see you in a better mood, especially as Thad could never produce a reaction like that.”
Summer glared at our PA. “Esme! That’s not true.”
It kind of was. These Zoomers and their truth bombs. “Okay, my minions, you are dismissed. Off you go and try not to lose me any more clients.”
As Esme left, Summer lingered. “You know I don’t have to go on this vacation.”
Hatch and Summer were leaving for Paris tomorrow. My client would be checking in with Passepartout to do some publicity shots before the happy couple took in the sights in the City of Love.
“It’s part business and one hundred percent romance. You are going on that vacation.” I smiled to put her at ease. “Summer, there’s not much we can do now but wait for the dust to settle. I appreciate you thinking of the agency first, though.”
