Jack sighed. Ellie may have been right, but it was hard to hear advice on his sex life coming from his own little sister. “I know, I know, sis. But I have no choice but to wait until the time feels right for me. So I can’t make you any promises.”
Tossing her golden blond hair, Ellie grunted. “Well, I’m gonna be holding my breath ’til I’ve heard that you’ve finally gone out on a nice date with some beautiful woman.”
“Well then, breathe, Ellie... because I have good news. I’m on one of those right now!”
Ellie grinned wide and pushed her empty plate aside. “My god, Jack, I can so tell that you’re in marketing... because you always know exactly what to say!”
Jack chuckled for a few seconds, and then sighed. “Yeah, well... I’m not so sure about that anymore.”
Ellie looked at Jack with concern. “Oh? What’s wrong? I thought you said you thought that revised campaign would go over well. How’d your presentation to those electronics guys go?”
Jack clenched his jaw and occupied time by sawing the last few inches of steak into tiny strips. “It was actually pushed back to tomorrow.”
“Oh? Isn’t that even better then?” When Jack didn’t answer, Ellie sighed. “Okay, c’mon bro. What the hell’s up with you? Didn’t your boss like your idea?”
“Let’s not talk about that now, okay, Ellie? Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
Ellie glared at her brother. “Tell me, Jack.”
“They... they liked it fine.”
“C’mon, don’t be like that. You know I can tell when you’re lying. You say you want to be there for me, then how about letting me be there for you too?”
Jack sighed and pushed the remainder of his steak away. It was mostly fat left anyways. “You want the truth, sis?” he said, refusing to meet Ellie’s intense gaze. “It went horribly. They’re going with Tom’s idea – and frankly, everyone knows it’s a shitty one, which says a whole ton about the shittiness of mine.” Jack had ranted enough about Tom during his chats with Ellie for her to know who that was. “And if the client doesn’t end up going with his idea, which they would be idiots to do, then chances are I’m going to be out of work for good.”
Ellie spent a moment running her tongue around the inside of her mouth. “Well then, it’s a good thing they already paid you that big bonus, right? You remembered to cash the check?”
Jack’s eyes darted up. “This isn’t funny, El. That money didn’t exactly go all that far once I’d paid off my student debt, our parents’ mortgage, bought that overpriced house... and never mind the taxes.”
“You paid off mom and dad’s mortgage? I didn’t know that!”
“I didn’t want them to say anything. But the thing is, if I lose my job, then I lose my reputation and credibility... and I’ll be lucky to get a marketing job higher than curbside sign spinner.”
Leaning back, Ellie frowned and crossed her arms. “So you’ve given up, then? Is that it?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me, El? They’re going with Tom’s idea. I’m on the sidelines now. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“But they’re not giving the presentation until tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, but...”
“But nothing!” exclaimed Ellie loudly. “That gives you all of tonight to get off your ass and fuck Tom over with one of those brilliant snap ideas of yours. I know you can do it, Jack – because you’ve done it before!”
“No, Ellie, I’m honestly not up to it. These days it seems like I can’t even think straight, never mind think brilliantly, and if there were some great idea buried in my brain... then I’d’ve already thought it up and used it.”
“For fuck’s sake, Jack!” screeched Ellie, causing multiple heads to turn and frown in their direction. “Stop feeling so goddamned sorry for yourself! You had something great with Johanna, yes, but now that she’s gone it doesn’t mean your entire life is over. You have people around you who love you, who care deeply about you... and who would be willing to help you with anything, if you’d only just man up and ask them!”
“You don’t mean...”
Reaching out, Ellie grabbed her brother’s hand. “Look, I know how you think. I know what you’re capable of. And right now, it seems like I know you better than you know yourself. So, take me back to the apartment, and let me see what you’ve got so far. Let me be your sounding board. Your muse for a night. Just let me help you, Jack, so you can help yourself.”
“You wouldn’t like some dessert first?” he asked meekly.
“Screw dessert! There’ll be time enough for sweets later on... right now, we’ve got serious fucking work to do!”
Chapter Ten
When Jack woke up on Wednesday morning, he almost dreaded the thought of opening his eyes. What sort of shocking sights would he be subjected to today?
Peeking through slitted eyelids, he found... absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. No naked bodies hovering over his head. No teens engaged in coitus on the opposite couch. In fact, judging by the apartment’s eerie level of silence, it appeared that he was completely alone.
Thank god!
Greatly relieved to begin the day in something other than a heightened state of sexual arousal, Jack sat up and stretched his arms, yawning noisily.
What a brutal, and yet strangely satisfying night! He’d been up until two AM working with Ellie on his new, edgier advertising campaign, and then even after she’d gone to bed, continued working for another two hours until his eyes were burning and he could no longer focus on the screen.
The clock on the wall read nearly eight o’clock, well past the time that everyone else would’ve headed off to class. Jack didn’t need to be at the office until nine this morning, and had mentioned as much to Ellie when she went to bed. Still, he was amazed that he’d managed to sleep through the morning bustle of four rowdy teens, who from experience were anything but quiet! He must’ve been truly exhausted.
Stiff and groggy, Jack got up and shuffled down the hallway. All three bedroom doors were closed, and when he knocked on Ellie’s just to double check, there was no response. Following a quick trip to the bathroom, he wandered into the kitchen and found a yellow sticky note on the refrigerator door.
“Jack – didn’t want to wake you! Breakfast in microwave. Everyone going”
The note cut off abruptly, but after a groggy moment of confusion, he flipped it over and found the rest scrawled on the back.
“to big party tonight. Back by 12. Luv u & good luck @ work! —El”
Popping open the microwave door, Jack smiled. Under a clear plastic cover was a ready-to-nuke plate heaped with scrambled eggs and sausage – awfully considerate of them!
Putting on a pot of coffee to brew, Jack wandered back to the bathroom to shave and get dressed. Lathing his face with shaving cream, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. His big presentation was as good as finished: handouts printed and collated, PowerPoint perfected, talking points memorized, video reworked with all-new narration... although, this time he had to settle for using his own voice.
It had been several months since Jack last met face-to-face with a major client, partly due to his own internal wrangling, and partly because his bosses had stopped bothering to question his lame excuses. Jack suspected they might have begun to suspect that he was no longer the best man for the job. But, now he was fighting for his very survival. Ellie appeared to have complete and utter faith in him... and he just needed to have that same faith in himself!
Bless Ellie!
Jack’s hand paused, the disposable razor sitting just under his nose. He hadn’t realized it until this very moment, but working with his sister last night had been one of the most enjoyable experiences he’d had in the past year. Despite their age difference, the two of them clicked perfectly – like she knew exactly how to direct his train of thought until the ideas just poured out of him. The two of them had worked so well last night, he almost wished he could have Ellie around permanently.
For the longest time, Johanna had been Jack’s raison d’être: she’d reinforced his confidence though unconditional love and support, and kindled in him a desire to provide her with the best that life had to offer. Today, he found a new muse coaxing him on from the back of his mind: Ellie.
His mind drifted back to yesterday morning’s episode in the kitchen, and the corners of his lips curled up into a little smile. She could prove useful in more than one way.
And then, the smile instantly disappeared.
What the hell was he thinking? Ellie was his freaking stepsister! Nothing like that could ever happen. Ever.
He just wanted to make her proud. So she wouldn’t worry. Yes, that’s all it was.
As the distant coffee maker gurgled and beeped that it was finished, Jack wiped his face clean with a towel and rubbed his hands together excitedly. With this brand new idea, he would be able to show everyone at work – his boss, his team, Tom, and most importantly the executives from Matsukisha – that he, Jack Wilson, still had it.
This was going to be a great day. He just knew it!
* * *
As the conference room lights brightened and the automated window blinds began to rise, Jack’s boss remained in a contemplative state – hunched forwards, fingers tented, with a distant look in his eyes.
Jack waited in silence until, at long last, Mr. Morton leaned back in his chair. “Hmm,” he said.
Considering how much convincing it had taken Jack to even get the man to consider taking a look at his updated proposal, that was a very promising “hmm” indeed.
Tom snorted, obviously having made up his mind already. “You’re not seriously considering going with that?” he asked incredulously. “Especially now, at the last possible minute?”
Mr. Morton picked up a folder and flipped back and forth between a few of Jack’s printed advertisement mockups. “I don’t know, Tom... can you give me a good reason why I shouldn’t?”
“Well sure – like, it’s too far out there, of course!” came Tom’s emphatic reply. “It’s crude, it’s crass... it’s aiming for the lowest common denominator. Matsukisha is a Japanese company, and the Japanese want refinement, dignity, respectability... not something that looks like it was written by a bunch of stoners.”
“Mmm, I don’t know. I think they want above all are results, and it’s certainly a memorable campaign. Jack – what about the censors? Will they be any problem?”
Seated across the table from his boss, Jack smiled. He could already tell where this conversation was headed, and Tom wasn’t going to like it!
“Some quick searches last night says we shouldn’t have any real problem, so long as it’s a legitimate word and pronounced clearly. There’s precedent for this kind of thing. Might still get some complaints from the Parents Television Council, though...”
“Eh, that’s expected for pretty much anything that’s good,” interrupted Mr. Morton. “Frankly, the bigger fuss they try to make, the better for us. Can’t buy press like that...”
“Um, sir,” interrupted Tom, “I don’t exactly know what’s going on here, but I do know we’ve already agreed to use my campaign. I’ve already rehearsed everything. You can’t change now!”
“Look, Tom. Push your ego aside for one minute and think about what’s best for the team. We’ve got one chance to impress these guys – one chance to show them that In Touch is the best place to entrust their tens of millions of advertising dollars. I know you and Jack have both worked hard, so give me some time to think it over. I’ll let you know what I decide before lunch.”
“But sir...” began Tom.
“Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all for now.”
Pushing his chair back and getting to his feet, Jack flashed Tom a smug grin as he packed up his laptop. After what that man had said the other day – after all he’d done in the past to get a leg up on Jack – Tom deserved just a little comeuppance. Shame that he’d still benefit if Jack’s campaign won them the client.
Safe and refined, or edgy and memorable. Knowing what was at stake for the firm, Jack didn’t envy Mr. Morton’s decision. Still, he was reasonably certain which one would win out – and he had Ellie’s dirty mind to thank for that!
He’d better get to work on practicing his all-new presentation.
* * *
At exactly ten minutes after five o’clock, Jack stepped outside the packed boardroom and closed the frosted glass door behind him, sealing in the boisterous roar of animated voices talking over each other. Walking stiffly and briskly along the plush carpeted hallway, past glass-walled offices and politely smiling employees eager to go home, Jack made a sharp left turn into the men’s restroom and locked the door behind him.
Finally allowing himself a moment to exhale, a huge grin spread across his face. Retrieving his phone from his inside breast pocket, Jack quickly tapped out an excited text message to Ellie:
I GOT IT!!!
...For once in his life feeling that something legitimately warranted the use of three exclamation marks. A minute later, his sister’s economical reply came back:
gr8 tlk l8r af prty <3
Jack laughed and clicked his tongue. “Can I buy a vowel?” he joked aloud to the empty bathroom, in an especially good mood for the first time in ages.
He did hope that Ellie would have fun at her party tonight. It was disappointing that their schedules would keep them apart for much of his last night in the city – on his night of glorious victory, no less – but it was unreasonable to think that she’d want to wait around by herself in the apartment for whenever he might finally get home from work.
Jack sent a quick response with his love and a caution to drive safe if it snowed as predicted, and then walked over to the granite sink and splashed cold water in his face.
The next step was to return to the boardroom and offer everyone well-deserved congratulations, while making sure that the just-signed contracts had every ‘i’ dotted and ‘t’ crossed. There was absolutely no room for mistakes on his watch! Later on, the entire team was going out for a big celebration dinner at a high-end downtown restaurant, where Jack would set the example by ordering the most expensive dish on the menu and drinking copious amounts of alcohol, all on the company tab.
After all... considering the huge profit he’d just made for them, Jack figured he more than deserved a little reward!
Chapter Eleven
Just before ten o’clock at night, Jack dragged himself through the front door of the darkened apartment and flicked on the light switch.
Having gotten so little sleep last night followed by such a long, strenuous day at work, Jack’s body was sore and weary, and about ready to shut down. Mentally, he felt nothing but a deep sense of satisfaction, having capped off a tremendously successful proposal with a fantastic dinner, where he’d stuck with the original plan of ordering the most expensive menu items – much to the amusement of his co-workers, who ribbed him about it all evening long. And, even though he didn’t end up drinking nearly as much as he’d thought he would, Jack could definitely feel the pleasant warmth of alcohol flowing through his veins. Normally this would be the perfect cure for a cold Chicago winter’s night alone... except, as usual, the apartment was stifling hot, with the radiators cranked way too high.
There’s no way he’d find the time to fix them now. Best leave it for the super.
Kicking off his slush-covered boots and hanging his heavy winter coat on a hook, Jack absentmindedly called out Ellie’s name before remembering that everyone was off at some party.
Honestly, though... who in their right mind holds a party on a Wednesday night? That’s what Fridays are for!
Pondering the fluffy snowflakes that had begun drifting down during his drive home from the restaurant, Jack decided he ought to check the updated weather report for his trip home in the morning.
Grabbing the television’s remote control off the edge of the computer desk, his hand brushed the mouse ever so slightly –
prompting the desktop computer to abruptly whir to life, the monitor flickering on and displaying a multitude of icons over a background photo of Rachel, Beth and Ellie... their three heads pressed together and grinning toothily.
Jack automatically smiled back at the cheery photo, apparently taken after one of Rachel’s winning volleyball games. He absolutely loved how happy his sister looked in it, and made a mental note to ask Mark to email him a copy.
Figuring the softly humming computer would eventually go back to sleep on its own, Jack turned on the television and tuned to the weather channel, finding a reporter in the middle of discussing the unseasonably high temperatures on the west coast.
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