The inside of my palms feels sweaty. It’s relief, and the sudden return of nerves. We’ve done everything we can.
Now it’s up to them to judge us.
Jenna starts to gather up our material.
“Thank you,” Isaac says. He rises from his seat and buttons his suit jacket. “This was a detailed and well-researched pitch. We’ll have to look it through further and deliberate, but we’ll get back to you soon. Some of the things you’ve suggested may require another meeting.”
“We’re always available,” I say.
“Great.” He walks around the table and shakes our hands. Toby’s, then Jenna’s, and finally mine. “Good work,” he says. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“That was the goal,” I say.
His lips curve again. It’s slight, only for me, and then his hand releases mine. “You succeeded. Until next time, Miss Bishop.”
“Mr. Winter,” I say.
The team files out. Amanda mouthsvery impressiveour way, and Jenna gives her a wide smile back.
Afterwards my team goes out to lunch. “Let’s get a glass of wine to celebrate,” Toby says. We’re sitting at a popular lunch spot, the soft sound of others around us eating and talking.
“What are we celebrating, exactly?” Jenna asks. “Winter Corp hasn’t decided if they’re going to buy either concept yet, or if they’re even going to hire Exciteur to oversee and plan the whole thing.”
“No, but we delivered one hell of a pitch,” he says, “and whether or not they like it, they can’t take that away from us.”
“True,” I agree. “I’m so proud of what we did in there. What we put together in just a few weeks. They could hate it and I still know that we over-delivered.”
“Hell yeah,” Toby says.
Jenna rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Fine, let’s get wine.”
Excitement and exhaustion and far too many emotions course through my body. It’s the familiar feeling that comes after a nerve-wracking event is done and dusted.
I make it all the way through lunch before I excuse myself from the table to make a call. I step outside, and find his name in my recents.
Isaac answers on the second signal.
“Sophia?”
“Hello,” I say. “Are you in a meeting?”
“No, I’m in my office.”
“Great. So, what did you think?”
He sounds amused. “I told you what I thought.”
“No, you gave us a few diplomatic sentences. Tell me what youreallythought.”
“You gave me modern,” he says, “even though I’ve told you at every single turn that I don’t want it.”
“Yes. But I did give you two options, you know, just in case.”
“I know, and I appreciate the nominal effort you put into the first pitch.”
“It was more than nominal.”
“Okay,” he says, and chuckles. “I believe you. But you still believe most in the second one. Don’t you?”