“Yes. We have to move with the times, you know? Especially if this is a chance for an entirely new sub-franchise. It won’t have the benefit of legacy, not like the Winter’s luxury locations, and trying to artificially cram the same aesthetic into newly built hotels just won’t work.”
“Mhm,” he says. “You’re pitching again.”
“Force of habit. So, did you hate it?”
He sighs. “I think you’re a genius, and that both you and your team are worth every costly cent we’re paying you.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll have to look it over more thoroughly. But I see the point you’re making. I didn’t before, not truly. Now… I’ll have to think about it.”
“Take your time,” I say. “Run it through your own focus groups.”
“Yeah, we might do that too,” he says, and then he chuckles again. “It’s funny. The first thing I wanted to do after that pitch meeting was discuss it with you.”
I lean against the building. The New York air is colder now, the chill of fall here to stay, and it’s refreshing against my flushed cheeks. “Funny,” I say. “I wanted to talk to you too.”
“Oh, is that why you called me?”
“Funny,” I say. “You’re just such a comedian.”
“It’s my true calling.”
“So,” I say.
“Yes,” he says.
I clear my throat. “You know, technically, you haven’t made a decision yet, so we’re not really in business together.”
He laughs. It’s warm on the other end, familiar, and a bit private. Not something he shares with just anyone. “That’s true,” he says. “Technically speaking.”
“And I know how much you love technicalities.”
“They’re my favorite.”
I run a hand over a crease in my dress, trying to smooth it out. I’d steamed it just this morning. “Think we can make this two-week thing last a little longer?”
There’s silence on the other end. I wish I could see his face, and hear the way the words sounded when he received them. “We could,” he says. “I’d like that. But yesterday…”
“I’m sorry about yesterday. That wasn’t my best moment.”
“Please don’t apologize.”
“Let’s just avoid places where we know a ton of people.”
“Okay,” he says. “I have a family dinner tonight, but would you let me take you out tomorrow?”
“I have a better idea,” I say. “Come to mine. I want to try cooking.”
He chuckles. “I’ll be of absolutely no help.”
“I know,” I say, “and we might have to order take-out again, but it’ll be an adventure.”
“An adventure,” he repeats, voice warm. “All right. I’ll be there.”
24
ISAAC