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“Is there a reason you’d rather give your presentation before Troy, Sage?” Mowrey asked.

“Yes. As it happens, I have my nephew staying with me for the holidays while his mother helps with disaster relief in Florida. He is expecting me to attend his Christmas party this afternoon and I’d hate to disappoint him.” She bit her lip from explaining she’d been unaware of this meeting. She refused to give Troy the satisfaction of offering excuses.

“You mean to say you want to leave early to attend a children’s Christmas party?” Dirk Williams was clearly unimpressed.

“Yes,” she returned unequivocally.

“Evidently, my colleague doesn’t fully understand how much is riding on this presentation,” Troy inserted.

“I believe I do,” Sage countered. She had yet to take a seat and remained standing at the back of the conference room. “The one lesson I’ve learned since my five-year-old nephew’s arrival is what’s most important in life. I’m keenly aware of all that’s riding on this launch. The Hudson Group is our largest account. We highly value your confidence in us. I can assure you that both Troy’s team and mine have worked incredibly hard on our media strategies.”

“That’s yet to be seen,” Troy said, glaring at her. “My team has gone above and beyond on what we feel will garner immediate consumer recognition.”

Mr. Williams nodded to Sage. “Seeing that Ms. Madison is eager to attend this party, perhaps she should have the opportunity to prove herself.”

“As you wish,” Mowrey said, and gestured for Sage to take over the meeting.

Proud of what her team had scheduled, she outlined the publicity schedule, highlighting every aspect of social media, television, online advertisement, and printed material. It stretched the budget she’d been given to the max.

When she finished, she did a quick look at the time. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d miss the party.

“Have you come up with a slogan to go with the soda?” Dirk asked.

This was the moment Sage had dreaded. She didn’t want to announce that her team didn’t have one. Put on the spot, however, she knew she had to say something. Then it came to her. When she’d fed Ricky his favorite breakfast, he’d said something that she remembered. That it would flash in her mind at this moment seemed like divine intervention.

“The tagline is: This is the good stuff.”

The room went silent, as if the simplicity of it had shocked them. Sage was afraid she’d completely blown it.

“As I explained earlier,” Sage said, cutting into the silence, “my five-year-old nephew is currently living with me. The other morning, Ricky had yogurt with granola for breakfast. He told me this was the good stuff, and when I asked why, he said his mother told him so. Mothers are going to love this new soda for that very reason—it has the good stuff. Most children would choose drinking soda over Vitaminwater. Moms will gladly hand them Buzz because it has what’s good for them. The good stuff.”

“This is the good stuff,” Dirk Williams repeated, giving no indication of his thoughts.

Holding her breath, Sage waited for his reaction and got nothing.

“I would like to hear the slogan from Troy’s team,” Dirk Williams said, and gestured to Troy.

Sage took a seat and waited. She could only imagine all the ways Troy had tried to worm his way into the Hudson Group’s favor.

Troy took his time moving to the front of the table. She was convinced he had placed himself in that position to show her he had dominance. He smiled at Sage as if to tell her she didn’t have a chance.

“My team took a different slant,” he started. “We wanted those who indulge in drinking soda to know they were doing more than turning to a thirst-quenching drink—much more.”

Sage noticed he had the full attention of the Hudson Group.

“Instead of selling our product to mothers, we feel the primary consumer would be adults looking for a better choice when it came to soft drinks. We wanted our audience to know Buzz meant much more. By purchasing this drink, they were supporting the American worker. The American economy. Our slogan reflects all this.”

He paused for dramatic effect.

“So what is it?” Mr. Mowrey asked.

Troy straightened and with a flair announced, “For health. For life. For country.”

Sage had to resist rolling her eyes. Talk about overreach. Her gaze shot to Dirk Williams. Like he had with Sage, he gave no indication of his opinion one way or the other.

Again, the room went still and silent. Sage stood, the sound of her chair scooting back echoing so loud it felt as if she’d broken the sound barrier.

“I hope you’ll excuse me,” she said. “I have a little boy anxiously awaiting my arrival. It might appear that I am putting family above my responsibilities to this account, and in some ways, you could say I am. You see, in the last few weeks I have discovered what is most important in this life, and that’s being available to a little boy who misses his mother. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m heading to a Christmas party.”