Star placed her head back on the table in defeat. Laura was a Year 3 teacher at the school, so was more than aware of The Parents of the school. The competition was off the charts, and something that was often talked about around the dinner table. Last year, for Year 3’s Romans’ battle against the Year 4 Egyptians, one parent had kitted their child out in full Roman armour. The parents had spared no expense, but it had caused quite a ruckus among the other parents and children. Laura had spent most of the afternoon soothing children’s broken hearts instead of preparing for war. They’d all wanted the same outfit as their classmate and were unhappy with their cardboard replicas. This year, Laura had promised they would create their outfits in school as part of their art course to prevent any further disruption.
Head still on the table, Star’s phone pinged.
“Don’t thank me yet, but that should help,” Laura said with a wink, before moving away from the table.
Star opened her messages and stared down at the text containing a link to a YouTube clip on “How to Build a Tudor House”. Her excitement grew as she clicked through to the link, taking in the description and templates. Star left her seat and moved across the kitchen, throwing her arms around her best friend.
“What would I do without you? You’ve saved my skin, yet again,” Star said, tears forming in her eyes.
“Don’t be silly, you’ll make the pregnant woman cry!” Laura said, hugging her back. “Besides, I’m a teacher. Of course I have an arsenal of useful YouTube clips and templates. I couldn’t survive day-to-day if I didn’t!” Stepping back, she added with a wink, “And don’t be too grateful. It’s quite a feat, but we should be able to cobble it together by Friday.”
Skylar returned to the kitchen, and Star bent down to show Skylar the picture of the Tudor House Laura had just sent her. “What do you think? Can we superstars do this?”
Skylar’s grin said it all, and Star’s heart melted a little further. Laura stuck her hand in the middle, and they all piled theirs on top. “To the Tudor House!” Laura said before throwing their hands up in the air. The tension of ten minutes ago was gone; the project finally felt possible!
“Come on, munchkin, we need to get to school. Give Mummy a kiss and we’ll see her tonight, ready for the big build,” Laura said, her hand resting on top of Skylar’s head.
“Bye, Mummy, see you tonight. Safe travels,” Skylar said, running forwards and throwing her arms around Star. Star scooped her up, knowing this hug would keep her going for the rest of the day.
“You be good today and I’ll see you tonight with all our necessary building materials.” Star bent down and kissed her daughter’s cheek, inhaling deeply before she let her go. Yes, that would get her through today. That, and a large quantity of caffeine.
Star waved Laura and Skylar off before grabbing her bag and heading for the car. With Laura taking Skylar to school, Star had been given the breather she’d needed this morning. If she could get a seat on the train, she could list the building materials they required for the house. Planning was everything. Sometimes she missed things – everyone did – but she just had to catch up. And on the positive side, at least it wasn’t Thursday morning; she had three days to get this done. Thank goodness she’d pulled the all-nighter last night. She was not sure what she would have done if she still had that outstanding.
Chapter Two
Star got to the office with twenty minutes to spare. This gave her the time to grab a large, extra-strong coffee from the on-site cafe in the lobby and print out a copy of the report before heading up to Lucas’s office. Star took a seat outside Lucas’s office, her confidence growing with every minute she waited for him.
Yesterday’s team meeting had gone well. The presentation and sample advertisements were all falling into place. The buzz coming off the team was positive and gave Star the confidence that they had nailed the client’s brief. Hopefully Lucas and the Account Manager would feel the same way. She was looking forward to the next phase, which was taking their ideas back to the client. If she succeeded, then it would be full steam ahead and her new position would become permanent, along with the pay-rise that went with it. The client had been delighted so far. But this was the last hurdle, and not something she wanted to mess up. There was too much riding on the success of this project – not just her reputation, but her and Skylar’s future. If everything went to plan, she and Skylar could finally afford to move out and get their own place.
Checking her email quickly, it did not surprise Star she was still missing Jackson’s figures needed to complete the presentation. Her all-night session had been the result of one of her team members not pulling his weight. After yesterday’s meeting, she’d pulled Jackson aside and told him the information he had provided had been substandard and only half complete. Star had requested the update by the end of yesterday, but nothing had arrived. Jackson had disappeared and hadn’t answered his phone, which meant compiling the data had been down to her.
Star wasn’t the only one sick of Jackson Brown’s games; other team members were starting to complain about his inability to deliver anything in a timely fashion. Some had even approached her, as she was their manager, but Star was biding her time. Jackson’s backstabbing and laziness were a persistent drain, but Star was determined he wouldn’t win.
To do that, she must see this project delivered on time. Her meeting this morning with Lucas Hunt, the CEO was important. He’d added it to his calendar as a favour, and had promised to go through the presentation before she presented it to the Account Manager on Wednesday. Their long-standing friendship and his support of Star had been a bone of contention with Jackson, who continued to shout favouritism from the rooftops along with other more derogatory comments. Star knew Jackson would look to discredit her any way he could.
In reality, Lucas Hunt had been a part of Star’s life since she was a university student. She had first met Lucas while dating his son, Damian. For over two years, she had been part of the Hunt family. Lucas always said he’d recognised her potential for marketing and advertising from the beginning, so even when things had ended with Damian, Lucas had followed Star’s progress. When Skylar came along, Lucas had arranged for an internship while Star continued with her studies to ensure she could support herself and her child. For that, she would forever be in Lucas’s debt. When her life had felt like it was ending, Lucas and Mary, his wife, had thrown her a lifeline. It was not something she would ever forget.
Over the past six years, Lucas had offered immense encouragement, acting as an unofficial mentor. Although he stayed out of her career, leaving that to the correct channels, he offered advice and help from the side lines. Star was lucky; like Lucas, her direct managers had spotted Star’s potential, and had put her on the company’s fast-track programme.
Star needed to find a way of putting Jackson Brown in his place, but that could wait.
Star looked up as the buzzer at Pam’s desk went off. Pam grinned and waved her into Lucas’s office. “Good luck, Star, you’ve got this,” she said.
Star grinned and moved towards the door. It was time to shine.
∞∞∞
Star’s meeting with Lucas lasted half an hour. It was intense but highly productive. Lucas had been complimentary on the team’s work and Star’s position managing them. He’d suggested a few improvements, and Star had made notes, promising to have them updated and ready for Wednesday’s big meeting. Thanking Lucas for taking the time to see her, she’d made her escape, high-fiving herself on the way out of the door.
“So?” Pam asked as Star passed her desk.
Star couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “It went really well,” Star whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. “Lucas loved the presentation and was thrilled with the outcomes from the focus groups. We have some more feedback due in, but we are almost ready to go.”
“Congratulations,” Pam said, her eyes lighting up.
Pam Fletcher was in her early sixties, and her skin held laughter lines that told the story of her life, yet her hair was still a rich chocolate brown. She’d always laughed that no one would ever see her go grey. Pam was elegant, with a grandmotherly nature that enveloped those she cared about in a blanket of love. Star was lucky enough to be one of those on the receiving end.
Star had known Pam almost as long as she’d known Lucas. Pam was Lucas’s PA and right-hand woman. For the past forty years, Pam had helped the company grow into the international conglomerate it was today. There wasn’t anything or anyone Pam didn’t know. Lucas’s wife, Mary, always said with a laugh that Pam was his office wife, even though Pam had been happily married to Gerry for thirty years. Outside the office, their families were close, and it was a bond that had stood the test of time. Lucas Hunt and Mary were godparents to Pam and Gerry’s children, while Pam was Damian’s godmother.