by Judy Powell
“Restaurant? Tonight? I don’t have time for a date.”
“Well, you did say we could talk later.”
“Yes, but…”
“No ‘buts’. I’ll be back here six o’clock sharp.”
Summer nodded in defeat. Anything to get him out of here. She needed to concentrate. She breathed a sigh of relief when he closed the door behind him.
As soon as Derrick had returned from the Jamaica trip he’d called her and she had agreed to go out to dinner with him. She knew she had led him on and wanted to meet with him face to face and let him down gently. Things didn’t turn out quite the way she’d intended. Derrick had been so excited about seeing her again that he chatted non-stop and she just couldn’t find the right moment to break the news to him. Then he left for New York two days later and she just never got the chance to do it.
She knew she would have to do something about it very soon. Derrick was becoming something of a pest and she certainly didn’t want to complicate things any further by playing with his feelings. Maybe going out with him tonight was not such a bad idea after all. It would give her a chance to set things straight between them.
At exactly two o’clock Chantal knocked on the door of Lance’s office and ushered Summer in. He waved her over to a seat and mouthed, “Just a second”. Summer slid into the chair and sat quietly, waiting for him to finish his telephone call.
She pretended to be absorbed with the papers she’d brought in but the presentation was the last thing on her mind right then. She stole a furtive glance at Lance.
He was as handsome as ever. Impeccably dressed, as usual, his gray business suit was complemented by a wine-colored tie and there was the glint of gold on his wrist. As she watched him she couldn’t help but note how he exuded the power and grace of a panther. She wondered if she would ever experience that power again.
At that moment Lance looked up and Summer quickly averted her eyes. She shuffled some papers again, then looked back at him and said brightly, “All done, as per instructions.”
She leaned over and handed him the folder. He opened it and flipped through the pages slowly. She waited quietly while he read. Finally, he looked up.
“This looks good. Very professionally done,” he said, nodding. “You write like someone who’s got years of experience in P.R..”
“Thank you,” she beamed, glad for his praise. It was the first pleasant thing he had said to her all week.
He’d hardly spoken to her since his return from Jamaica and she’d had the distinct impression that he was still very angry with her. They exchanged pleasantries when they met in the hallway or in the lunch room but outside of that they hadn’t had much to say to each other. He’d spent the past week locked in his office or away at meetings.
She’d been busy too. Now that the album was done he wanted her to work quickly on the public relations campaign. He wanted the album launched and the music on the air before the summer was over. As he reviewed the document he seemed enthusiastic about her strategies and she was relieved.
“So you’re recommending sampling to college radio stations as well?”
“Yes. We have an untapped market of millions of students in colleges and universities across this country. Can you imagine how big this could get if we got even a tenth of them to listen to our music?”
He nodded but still seemed to have doubts. “And you think college students will buy this type of music?”
“Absolutely,” she said confidently. “The more aware people are, the more they appreciate other cultures and expressions of creativity. A lot of the students on my campus have started listening to Lover’s Rock and Reggae. I know what I’m talking about. Trust me.”
He looked up from the page and gave her an enigmatic look. Summer felt herself squirm a little inside but she steeled her face so that it would reveal nothing.
Instead, she continued talking as if she hadn’t noticed. “When you see stars like Beyonce and Janet Jackson using Jamaican Dance Hall music and dance moves you know there’s a market out there.”
“I have no doubt about that. What I have doubts about is whether we’ll be wasting our resources trying to pursue this particular group when they have no interest or money to give us the returns.”
“I anticipated that. And that’s why my college program is designed to pay for itself. This is where we get maximum mileage at the lowest cost by partnering with other companies who would love to target college students. It’s all there in my tactical plan. You’ll understand my strategy after you’ve read it through.”
Lance nodded thoughtfully then picked up a silver pen and made a few notes on the corner of the page. “Okay, I’ll spend some time going through the details.”
“And remember, that is just a small part of the overall strategy. If we execute all that I’ve planned this album will go platinum.”
Lance chuckled at that. “Such confidence. But that’s what I like about you. You’re young, full of ideas and so cocksure that failure doesn’t even cross your mind.”
“I thought that’s why you hired me?” She smiled.
“You’re right. That’s exactly why I hired you. I need someone to bring a fresh perspective to this business and I have no doubt that you’re the one who’ll do it.” Lance leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together. “I’m going to review your business plan this evening and we’ll have a follow up meeting tomorrow, same time. I want to go through it first then you can take me through each element of the plan in detail. After that you’ll have two days to make revisions and finalize the presentation. I want you to be ready to present it to the rest of the team and our agency partners by Friday morning.”
“Me? I thought…you’d do it.”
“This project is your baby, Summer. I need your passion when it’s presented. We need everyone’s buy-in if this is going to work, so you’ll have to sell your ideas to them.” He smiled at her. “I’m sure you can handle it.”
“Thanks.” This vote of confidence from Lance lifted her spirits. “I won’t let you down.”
When Summer left Lance’s office she headed straight for the library. She loved a challenge. Lance had, in essence, challenged her to do a top class presentation on Friday and, in the same breath, do what she claimed she could do – make the launch of Super Cool’s album a smashing success. She was going to review the tapes and DVD’s with Super Cool’s past performances and incorporate them into her presentation.
She would wow the team so that they would all rise to the occasion and give this campaign their best efforts. Then, once they were all on board she’d make sure that the execution of the plan was flawless. Even if Lance hated her otherwise, he would have to respect her when she showed him what she could do.
Six o’clock came too soon for Summer. She was so enthused about being allowed to present the plan that she wanted to dedicate her time to preparing the best presentation possible. Still, she knew that Derrick was a man who would not take no for an answer so she was ready when he peeped into her office at three minutes before the hour.
“Ready to go, my angel?”
“Ready.” She shut the computer down and picked up her handbag and her briefcase. “So where are we going now?”
“Luigi’s on the Lagoon. It’s new but I hear the food is good.”
“The restaurant is by the lake then?”
“You got it. Lake view while you eat. Not a bad atmosphere when you’re in the mood for romance.”
Summer grimaced but said nothing. She smiled inwardly at the irony of the situation. Just over a month ago she’d been a waitress serving this man at a lakeside restaurant, and now she would be dining with him at one.
The problem was, she would much rather have had the irony of dining with his cousin, the man who had been turning her world upside down ever since she’d met him in The Southern Belle.
“Help you with that?” Derrick stretched his hand and took the briefcase from her then held the door open so she coul
d pass. As she stepped through the door, the thanks on her lips, she looked up and her eyes met the taunting dark ones of the man who had been on her mind.
Her heart plummeted. This was just about the worst possible time for Lance to come out of his office. Although his face was expressionless she could guess what he was thinking. Just when her spirits were lifting this had to happen.
Lance nodded to Summer and Derrick and bid them good evening. Then he took up a folder from Chantal’s desk, went back to his office and closed the door.
As they drove to the restaurant Summer leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Derrick made light conversation but although she responded to all his questions she gave him no encouragement. Eventually, he fell silent.
When they got to the restaurant Summer tried to be better company. She laughed at all of Derrick’s jokes and even shared a few of her own. She felt sorry for him. He was trying so hard to be charming. After dessert he sat drinking a cup of coffee while she sipped on green tea. He reached out a hand to stroke her forearm, making Summer jump in surprise. Tea splashed from her cup into the saucer below.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He seemed deflated by her response.
“No, it’s my fault. It’s just that you surprised me, that’s all.”
She dabbed at the saucer with a napkin then set her cup down and looked up at him. He was still watching her and she began to get uncomfortable under his intense stare.
“Do you mind if I ask you something?”
Here it comes, she thought, but all she said was, “Go ahead. What is it?”
He looked down at his coffee mug and drummed his fingers against the side. Without looking up he asked, “Do you like me, Summer? I mean even just a little bit?”
“Of course I like you,” she smiled at him. “You’re like the mischievous brother I never had.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Summer, and you know it.” Derrick looked up, obviously annoyed. “Now please, do you or do you not have feelings towards me?”
“Derrick…” she struggled to find the words, “…I don’t want to hurt you but I have to be honest; I see you as a great friend but… no, I don’t like you in the way you mean.”
“It’s Lance, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re in love with Lance.”
“Why would you say that? I never said-”
“You didn’t have to. Your reaction when he’s around says it all.”
When Summer looked confused he continued. “Whenever the two of you are in the same room you get all tense and breathless and you always look like you’re trying to run away. Then he gets all serious. There’s definitely something between the two of you.”
Summer sat silent, staring at her hands. Finally, her voice came out in a broken whisper, “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I know the kind of man Lance is. He’s got women hanging all over him. I know I don’t stand a chance, but…there’s just something about him that turns me into a bumbling idiot.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. He has that effect on lots of women.”
His sarcasm was not lost on Summer and she looked at him sharply, wondering if the conversation was going to get unpleasant.
But then Derrick just shook his head and sighed. “Well, I tried. But I know when I’m beat.” He patted the hand she had rested on the table. “Still friends?”
“Always friends, Derrick,” she replied, and squeezed his hand in return.
The next two days were hectic for Summer. She had her follow-up meeting with Lance and he gave her a few pointers on how to structure her strategies to best suit the music industry. Outside of that he had very few changes and she was grateful for that. She had so little time in which to prepare for the meeting that she was glad she didn’t have to revamp the whole thing.
She felt guilty when she had to call her mother Thursday night to postpone their planned ‘Bingo Night’.
“I’ll make it up to you, Mom. I promise,” she said, hoping Edna would understand.
“Don’t worry about it, honey,” her mother soothed, “I know you’ll come over just as soon as you can. You just work hard and present the best damn plan that anyone has ever heard.”
“Mom, I can’t believe you said the ‘D’ word.” Summer gave an exaggerated gasp of shock. “I’m appalled.”
“Go on and leave me alone, girl. At my age I’m allowed a few curse words.”
“You might be the only one left who still calls that a curse word,” Summer said, laughing, “but, for you, it’s progress. You used to have a fit when I said ‘hell’.”
“And don’t you think you can start now, young lady.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Summer said humbly then spoiled it by giggling.
Her mother sighed then spoke in mock disgust, “You’re a hopeless case. Now just get off this phone and go get your presentation done.”
“Okay, Mom. Sleep tight.” Summer spoke softly into the phone, then waited.
“Good night, dear.” Edna replied, then there was silence.
“Hang up the phone, Mom.”
“No, you hang up.”
“No, you first.”
“No, you…”
“Alright, alright,” Summer growled. “I’ll go first. But next time it will be your turn.”
“Alright, dear.” Edna’s tone was smug.
“Bye, Mom. I love you.”
Summer need not have worried so much about the presentation. Her tactical plan for the launch of ‘Super Cool – A New Era’ was so well received that Lance congratulated her afterwards. He particularly liked the way she had brought aspects of his life, such as his experiences growing up in the country, into the campaign. He said it lent some credibility to the artiste’s image as ‘one of the people’.
Her spirits soared at his praise. She walked sedately back to her office, closed the door behind her then punched the air with a celebratory “Yes!” After that she sat at her desk and pretended to be absorbed in her work but inside she was still caught up in the great impression she had made.
Her initial success gave her new impetus. She had so many ideas for other campaigns. She’d been working on one for Top Cat and, buoyed up by Lance’s praise, she was anxious to share it with him. She checked her watch. Two forty-five. She had just enough time to do an abbreviated version and pass it to Lance before he left at the end of the day. She knew he often took work home on the weekends and wanted him to review it so she could have his feedback next Monday. She turned to the computer. If she was going to get it to him by five she’d better get cracking.
Summer was close to finishing the summary when she glanced at her watch. She hissed when she saw that it was ten minutes to five. She didn’t want Lance to leave without it. She dialed Chantal’s extension.
“Chantal, Lance hasn’t left yet, has he?”
“No, he had some teleconference or other to finish up. You know how he is,” she said, and Summer could almost see her rolling her eyes. “It’s almost five o’clock on a Friday afternoon and he’s still trying to squeeze the most out of every minute of the work day. I keep warning him that if he’s not careful he’ll-”
“What time will the conference call end?”
“They usually last around thirty minutes so I’d guess about five fifteen. You want me to tell him-”
“No, it’s okay, thanks.” She cut in again, trying to keep the conversation brief. “I’ll just try to catch him before he leaves.”
“Well, I’m packing up to leave myself. You have a great weekend,” Chantal said.
“Thanks. You, too, Chantal.”
At exactly ten minutes after five Summer stapled the pages of her report and dashed down to Lance’s office. The door was closed and she wondered if she should knock or just slide it under the door so he would see it on his way out. She didn’t want to disturb his call so she bent down to execute her plan B.
She was on her knees, the paper halfway under the d
oor, when it opened and she found herself peering up into Monisha’s startled face.
16
“What are you doing down there?” Monisha eyed her suspiciously.
Summer felt her face suddenly grow hot and she stammered, “I’m…I’m sorry. I was just going to slide something under the door.”
She struggled to her feet, trying to be graceful although rising elegantly from such an awkward position was difficult. When she was on her feet she smoothed her skirt then held the paper out to the woman. “Would you mind handing this to Mr. Munroe?”
“I’m right here. You can hand it to me yourself.” Lance’s voice came from behind Monisha then he appeared, briefcase in hand, obviously ready to leave. “What is it?”
“Nothing. I…” Suddenly she was tongue-tied. “I…was just going to leave something for you to look at over the weekend…if you had time. But I can see you’re busy.”
She turned to leave with the document but Lance grabbed her arm. “Wait. I’ll take it.”
He pulled the papers from her stiff fingers and read the title. He smiled. “You’re on a roll, I see. Another business plan. I look forward to reading it.”
She nodded and bid them goodnight then walked stiffly down the hallway back to her office.
When she had closed the door behind her she let her shoulders droop in defeat. Her hands trembled and her heart beat fast. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. They were probably laughing at her right now. She grimaced at the thought. Then something else occurred to her – what if they thought she’d been spying on them, maybe even trying to listen to their conversation. She would have to clear this up with Lance on Monday.
Worst of all, though, was the realization that Lance and Monisha were seeing each other. She had always thought it but Chantal’s remarks had made her doubt this assumption. Now she knew for sure. She felt so deflated that she couldn’t bear another minute in her office. She had to get out of there, get them out of her mind.
She quickly shut down her computer, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. There was only one place she could go to ease her turmoil. She wouldn’t even bother to go home first. She exited the building and headed for the train station.