We stepped into the lift and the doors slid closed.
‘Babe, no offence but you actually looked like Justin Bieber’s mugshot in that picture.’ Zola exploded as the lift shot us up to the fourth floor.
The doors popped open to the lobby, and once more we headed to the waiting room. As we neared it, Katy grasped my hand.
‘What will I say, Ella? I think I should tell her,’ Katy said quietly. The realisation of what she was about to do seemed to overwhelm her.
‘What do you want to say?’ I replied.
Katy glanced up to the sky, her eyes watering in thought. ‘The truth? She deserves to know.’
I smiled, although selfish disappointment weighed down on my shoulders. ‘Well, you could tell them who it was last night. But, Katy, it might be kinder pulling Fee to the side.’
She gulped. ‘Can you do it for me?’
I shook my head. ‘I think something this big needs to come from you, babe. It could end a marriage. We don’t know if they have kids .?.?. or .?.?.’
Katy paused, looking as if the wind had been knocked straight out of her.
‘Hey, guys,’ Harper said, appearing in the waiting area to greet us. ‘Good to see you again. Follow me.’
She led us back into the conference room, where Jimmy, Fee and Travis were sitting, this time surrounded by a whole load more people.
‘Come on in, ladies. Take a seat,’ Jimmy began, gesturing to the few empty seats left at the table. My eyes immediately darted to Travis, who seemed twitchy. He avoided eye contact with any of us as we entered. ‘I know it’s a little busier than this morning, but I wanted you to meet a few people.’ Jimmy sounded almost exuberant.
I glanced at Zola, whose face was lighting up. She was smiling widely at the guests.
What the fuck was going on? They must be making us an offer.
I turned to Katy, but her gaze was fixed on Fee and Travis, observing every interaction between the pair. It wasn’t much – he had his eyes stuck on a few loose papers, continuing to avoid eye contact at all costs.
When we were seated comfortably, the room fell into silence.
‘Let’s start with the good news: we loved your pitch. We loved your idea and, most importantly, we loved you!’ Jimmy began. ‘We thought The Dicktionary Club was such a genuinely unique take on the dating world, and as Katy described, an absolute necessity to protect yourself in this dating culture we find ourselves in nowadays. Whether we’re in Glasgow or the Big Apple itself!’
Katy was nodding her head aggressively, agreeing so hard I worried it was about to come off its hinges. I felt my stomach twist, knowing we were about to land a fantastic opportunity, while I wasn’t sure when or how Katy would execute the destruction of it all. I felt my breathing become shallow and I sat up, hoping for it to pass.
‘We believe The Dicktionary Club is definitely something we could use stateside, and we’d love to make you an offer.’ Jimmy winked towards me, and I felt myself blush.
‘Thank you!’ Zola laughed. ‘Amazing!’
‘Subject to a few minor clauses .?.?.’
I felt my stomach fall out of my arse. We could be about to sign up to receive a seriously life-changing amount of cash. I mean, a measly twenty grand could keep the three of us going for a few months. But I felt nervous about the clauses, not knowing what they had in store for us.
‘Minor clauses?’ Fee grinned widely. ‘Pretty major ones, Jimmy!’ She tilted her head, almost giggling. ‘Look, the most salient point here is that we loved you girls as much as your idea. And buying the rights to The Dicktionary Club – or whatever we decide to call it over here – is a tremendous idea, but ultimately we’d be looking to make you three the face of dating in America!’
I glanced at my friends, whose faces were as shocked as I felt.
‘We want the three of you to be our relatable Scottish girlies who have landed over here to rid us of the self-obsessed, entitled assholes who are ruining the dating game.’ Fee’s voice was full of energy, alive and excited.
‘But you will have to live here until the app is ready. We’ll sponsor your visas, set you up in an apartment, give you an office at the headquarters and all the time work with you to design an app that we’ll push all over the States,’ Jimmy added. ‘We’ll pay for your living expenses – we can go into detail over the finance aspect with Travis, but basically, our offer is for you to stay here for the next eight weeks, working with our developers to make the best goddamn dating app this country has ever seen! And, of course, you will each receive a signing-on fee,’ he concluded.
I knew my jaw was hanging open in a so-not-cool way. Unsure if I was dreaming or not, I turned to my equally dumbstruck friends.
‘So, what do you say?’ Jimmy asked, holding his arms out towards us in a gesture of welcome.
I looked at Zola, who seemed as if she couldn’t hold her bubbling excitement together a second longer, then at Katy, who looked as if she had been hit by a yellow cab.
