She wanted badly to join this world.
What if Jason felt as strongly about having more children as she did about going back to work? Where would that leave them?
“I’ve been busy since we last met.” Corinna stepped back and surveyed her. “I’m loving that look, Bethany. Did you style that yourself?”
No, my seven-year-old daughter advised me.
After sixteen different outfit changes, all of which Melly had patiently observed from the bed, Beth had settled for a short black dress with her favorite over-the-knee boots. She rarely wore them because they weren’t the ideal footwear for chasing after two little girls in Central Park.
“You need to wear your hair up,” Melly had said. “But keep it wispy on the sides. And red lipstick.”
Beth had been pleased with the result.
Melly might not achieve her ambition to be a princess, but she would make a great stylist.
“Let me give you the tour. We’ve only been in these offices for three weeks, so we’re still making ourselves at home.” Corinna led her down the light-filled corridor. The walls were covered with photographs of skinny, angry-looking models. It was obvious Corinna had been working with some major brands since Beth had last seen her.
“This is impressive.”
“I always wanted my own agency. I never was any good at doing what other people told me to do.” Corinna flashed her a smile devoid of warmth or humor. “We have big clients, but I want more. I’m hungry, and everyone on my team is equally hungry. Are you hungry, Beth?”
Beth knew how hungry Corinna was. She’d worked for her before.
She tried not to think about Jason’s warning.
“I’m hungry.” It wasn’t a lie. She’d been too nervous to consume more than a cup of black coffee before leaving the apartment and her stomach was already protesting.
“We are pitching for a major cosmetics brand right now.” Corinna gestured to the group of people huddled over storyboards in the glass-walled office. “They’ve created a range of looks that are simple to apply so even if you know nothing about makeup, you can look polished. When we win, we’ll be hiring.”
Beth noticed she said when and not if. Corinna never entertained the possibility that life might not go her way. Had she ever had that much confidence? “Sounds great.”
“The number one quality that I look for in a team member is loyalty. I want one hundred and fifty percent.”
Beth didn’t even bother doing the calculation to work out how much of herself that would leave for her family.
“You know me, Corinna,” she said. “I’m loyal.”
She was also a wife and a mother, but she’d think about how to balance that equation later.
“I’d like to hear your ideas on this one.”
Beth felt a jolt of shock. “Are you offering me a job??
??
“Let’s see what you have first. If I’m impressed, then you’ll join us for the pitch. After that, we’ll talk.” Corinna opened another glass door and strode into a large office. “Sit down. I’ll give you a copy of the brief—you’ll have to sign a confidentiality agreement of course—and then you can take it home and put together some ideas. Write the proposal you think will wow me. Come back next week.”
And there it was. The pressure. The expectation.
Beth hadn’t expected things to move quite so fast. She felt as if she’d been walking on a treadmill and someone had suddenly pressed Sprint. She was in danger of falling flat on her face and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
She slid into a chair, relieved to take the weight off her feet. The boots looked gorgeous, but it turned out that after five minutes’ wear they were horribly uncomfortable. “I won’t be here next week. I’m going home to Scotland.”
“Death in the family?” Corinna’s tone suggested that nothing short of death would coax a person to leave Manhattan.
“It’s Christmas.”
It was obvious that someone had forgotten to write that date in Corinna’s schedule.