My jaw hangs open. “I… I mean.. really? What about Mitch?”
Zach waves a hand in front of his face. “Mitch has a lot on his plate. This is completely separate, and it’s a clean break from our other work. It’s the perfect opportunity to upskill you and give you a chance to showcase your talents. We need a new editor-in-chief to run the music and entertainment clients and I think you’d be a great fit. If you do well with the Thorne file we can talk about adjusting your title and pay to suit the new role.”
“Wow, Zach,” I start, “thank you!”
“Great! So that’s settled. Talk to Harper about financials, and we’re going to need a full timeline by the end of the week. You’ve got some good mockups so make sure they’re fleshed out with more detail. I’d like to see two more ad sets prepped by tomorrow and a full proposal for the end of the week.”
“I…” Zach looks up and cocks his head to the side.
“Is that ok?”
“Yes, yeah, of course. That’s fine. Thanks, Zach.”
He nods and I stand up to leave. I walk back to my desk in a daze. I’ve just been unceremoniously promoted. I’ve gone from senior editor to editor-in-chief in an instant, and my workload has quadrupled.
Harper materialises next to my desk.
“Zach told me,” she says. “Congratulations!”
She’s smiling but I can tell there are a million unspoken questions behind her smile. I nod.
“Thanks. I’m supposed to talk to you about financials.”
“Are you free at 4:30 this afternoon?”
I glance at my calendar and nod. “Sure.”
“Great, come to my office then.”
She walks away and I lean back in my chair. A 4:30 meeting means a late night, especially when we’re about to launch a huge ad campaign. I sigh. I was hoping to get away early and go see Lucas. I told him I’d call, and I desperately want to see him. But what can I do? I have to work, and this is a golden opportunity that won’t come again. I’ve just been promoted, and I have a baby to think about. I have to prove myself.
I pull out my phone and find his number. The first thing I did this morning was save it in my phone.
Hey, just got hit with a lot of work and a late meeting this afternoon. Might need a rain check for tonight, unless you’re free around 9 or 10? Blame your clients
Knocked Up by the Single Dad Page 9