by Kelsie Fann
Darcy cleared his throat. When Liz looked back up at him, his smile had disappeared. He was back-to-work Darcy. “What’s your vision for this branch?” Darcy asked, kicking off their meeting with a hard-hitting question.
Liz switched gears, ready to talk about work and prove herself to Darcy. “My creative team starts tomorrow. I’ve got interviews with sales and administrative professionals next week. My goal is to have the company fully staffed in two months.”
Darcy pulled out a notebook from his briefcase and started taking notes. “End-of-year profit projections?” Darcy asked, not looking up at her answer.
Liz thought about her answer for a second. Should she be ambitious? Or conservative? It was the beginning of April, so she had eight months to turn a profit. She shrugged. Go big or go home, she thought. “Six hundred thousand.”
Darcy stopped writing and looked up at Liz; all comradery disappeared from his stiff face. “Ambitious. Let’s hold off on hiring too many people until you land some clients. I know it will be tight, but we need to make sure you stay lean enough to survive your first year.”
Liz nodded. “I can make that work. I’ve already got three people for my creative team hired. I’ll need at least one for sales.”
“Let’s keep it at four for now,” he said.
Liz knew if she didn’t have any administrative staff or more sales people, it was going to be a long seven months, but Darcy wasn’t giving her another option. “Okay,” she agreed slowly.
Darcy reached down into his briefcase and pulled out a packet of paperwork and handed it to her.
“What is this?” Liz asked.
“Where I keep my industry secrets,” Darcy said.
Liz flipped through the papers. “You still work on pen and paper?”
“My dad said he liked to be able to hold what he was working on. Guess I picked it up from him.” Darcy looked at her for a second too long, and Liz glanced down to get a break from his gaze.
“Your parents started Pemberley Media?” She stared at the papers in her lap and took a breath before meeting his eyes again.
“Yes. My mom was his first hire—she also named the company. Like I told you when we first met, she was an Austen fan.”
“Is she still involved?”
Darcy shook his head. “She quit once they started seeing each other. My dad always said, ‘If you want to date, go to a restaurant—not to the office.’”
“Oh,” Liz said, thinking the previous generation of women had it much harder than she did. “Your dad still works at Pemberley?”
Darcy shook his head again. “My parents died in a car crash. Four years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Liz looked into Darcy’s brown eyes, but he quickly looked away. She wanted to comfort him somehow, but he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would want to get into an emotionally-charged conversation with his employees.
“It was a tough time.” He coughed and looked up, all sentimentality disappearing from his eyes. He pointed to the papers in her hand. “Hopefully this packet contains your first client, The Sassy Sweet Tea Company.”
“That name has got to go,” Liz said.
Darcy inhaled as he agreed with her. “Definitely.”
Liz flipped through the papers. “I’m assuming they sell sweet tea.”
“Specialty sweet tea,” he said. “Exotic flavors, florals, spices.” Darcy shut his folder full of papers. “You’re pitching in two days. They need a complete image campaign, quick. They want to be able to pitch investors by the end of the quarter.”
He stared at her, waiting for her response. She grabbed the canvas arm rests underneath her hands; this was a test.
Liz had spent the last few months sleeping at her mom’s house, working for an hourly rate that was less than a third of what she made before, and she wasn’t going to fail this test. “Okay, we will be ready. Why don’t they already have a firm?”
“They do,” Darcy said. “I just asked them to give us a shot.”
“Who are they working with?”
Darcy shrugged and shook his head. She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why he didn’t answer her question.
She waited for a few seconds before stating the obvious, “I need to know who my competition is.”
“Hamilton’s media company, Exact Solutions, was hired, but it’s on the chopping block. We’re up to bat. I’ve set up a meeting.”
Hamilton. Liz stopped thinking at the sound of his name.
Liz forced herself to keep her breath steady; she didn’t want to alert her boss, who was not Hamilton’s biggest fan, to the fact that she liked his enemy. In the past few months, they’d gone on four dates. One trip to the beach, two dinner dates, and a picnic that was as sweet as the strawberries she’d packed in their basket.
They were at the point in the relationship where people usually made things official or broke up, but with her trying to start the new branch in Savannah, and him in town only every couple weeks, neither of them were ready for more commitment.
Liz definitely didn’t want to steal a client from the guy she was seeing. Liz tapped her fingertips on the packet as she debated in her mind what to tell Darcy.
“Maybe our time would be better served approaching a different client.” She tried to turn his focus toward another company. “Someone without representation.”
Darcy’s gaze burned into her eyes, like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking. Liz could feel Darcy’s hatred for Hamilton. What was really between those two? Was it just a schoolyard feud? Or was it more?
Liz looked into Darcy’s brown eyes and sighed. “I don’t want to undercut someone’s business.”
Darcy’s lips pinched together. “I can hire someone else for the job.”
Liz stared at Darcy’s clenched jaw. Her stomach twisted at the thought of betraying Hamilton, but she knew Darcy wasn’t going to be dissuaded. “No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.”
“Good,” Darcy said. “Any ideas?”
She didn’t have any, so she closed her eyes for a few seconds and thought. After a few seconds, she felt the spark of creativity. “My mom always says sweet tea is the nectar of the South,” Liz said. “It’s always stuck with me. Like it’s more than a drink, it’s a lifeblood. What if they rebranded it as Nectar?”
“Nectar. I like that,” Darcy said. His fingers curled around his sleek silver pen. He wrote down her word slowly. As she watched the ink move across the page, she realized Darcy had the worst penmanship she’d ever seen.
“What?” he asked, watching her stare at her his lap.
She nodded toward his terrible handwriting. “You going to be able to read that later?”
Darcy shut his notebook and placed it back in his briefcase. “I’ll know where to find you if I have questions.”
A few beats passed between the pair; neither of them made eye contact. Without another word, Darcy stood. He cast one last disdainful look at the red chair he’d been sitting in, then he turned to Liz.
“Thanks, Lizzy. Send me your thoughts on social, sponsorships, and maybe an influencer campaign or two.”
Liz’s skin crawled at the extra syllable Darcy added onto her name. She hated being called Lizzy, mostly because of her awful childhood memories of being teased with “Lizzy the Piggy.”
“Just one thing.” She stood to face him. If he were going to be her boss, she couldn’t handle him calling her Lizzy. “It’s just Liz.”
He nodded and smiled. “Just Liz then.”
She relaxed, glad that he didn’t ask any questions. “Thanks,” she said.
Darcy walked toward the door. He didn’t look back, but Liz couldn’t take her eyes off him. There was something about the way he moved across the room so purposefully that made her desperate to know what he was thinking about, and what he thought of her.
The doors closed behind him, and Liz blinked, looking around. The movers had finished moving in the furniture. The office was filled with stainless steel desks and
black high-backed chairs.
Liz walked into the executive office and looked at the back where Mr. Chambers used to sit. She thought about sitting there instead of the front of the room where she was constantly confused for a secretary, but after a few seconds, she set her purse down—on her new metal desk—exactly where her old desk used to be in the front.
5.
Liz landed The Sassy Sweet Tea Company, her first account, and convinced the owners to change their product’s name in less than ten minutes. To celebrate her victory, she needed tacos with her team, stat.
Before she could text Rose, Elise, and Stella, she got a message from Darcy. “Do you have plans for dinner?” he asked.
Liz’s heart jumped. Was he asking her on a date? She shook her head; he was her boss. Of course, he wasn’t. “Celebrating with my team,” she replied before her mind could wander to any other strange places.
“James is in town to see the office. Need you to come to dinner with us before we leave tomorrow.”
Liz’s eyes focused on the word “us.” Did that also mean her enemy Caroline? Liz had successfully avoided her for the past few days, and she didn’t want to run into her when she should be celebrating.
She started typing. “I can just send you my notes. I don’t want to get in the way of your discussions.”
“I want you to be at dinner in person,” he texted back quickly.
Liz flopped on her bed. It sounded like Icy Darcy was back, and now she now had to sit at the same table with him and Caroline for at least an hour instead of celebrating with her friends.
Liz stood in front of her closet; she had no idea what to put on, but it wasn’t going to be black. She wouldn’t let Caroline have the satisfaction that she wore something “slimming” again. Her hand lingered near an electric blue dress in the back. She slipped it on and looked at herself in the mirror. No, she wasn’t a rail like Caroline, but she wasn’t a piggy anymore either. Just a normal, average-sized girl with real curves.
She turned around and looked over her shoulder. The blue dress was probably too fitted for a business dinner, but it was the most conservatively cut with wide straps, and it stopped just below her knees. She wondered whether she should throw a jacket on top, something to tone down the color, but she wanted to feel bold and brave. So, she threw on some strappy black heels, grabbed her clutch, and walked out of the door.
Liz walked into Alba, the best restaurant in town, known for mouthwatering steaks and desserts that made people want to rethink their religion. The host was talking with another customer so Liz opened her clutch and checked her lipstick. She’d gone for a dark, berry color. Something bolder than usual tonight.
When she looked up, Darcy was standing in front of her. “I saw you walk in,” he said. He extended one arm in front of her, and his other grazed the small of her back. “Back left,” he said softly.
Liz walked toward the back, feeling Darcy’s warm touch through her dress. Something about the intimate gesture made her heart race.
When Liz got to the table, she surveyed the other guests: Caroline, Georgia, and James. Liz stood behind the empty chair in front of James. Just like his sister, James had strawberry blond hair, and Liz immediately saw the family resemblance in their perfect noses and creamy skin.
Other than a few physical similarities, they couldn’t have been more different. Where Caroline was beautiful but rigid, James looked affable and sweet. As he stood to greet her, a big grin spread across his face.
“Liz, congratulations on your first client.” His eyes crinkled when he spoke.
Liz smiled and shook his hand. “Thank you. Good to see you again, James.”
“You as well, Liz,” he said. Caroline didn’t even look up. Instead, she scrolled through her phone, offering a two-finger wave to Liz.
Darcy walked to his chair and nodded toward the end of the table where his sister sat. “This is Georgia, my sister. I believe you met at Dee’s wedding.”
The petite blonde stood up quickly, walked around the table, and hugged Liz. Liz embraced the girl tightly. “Hi, Georgia, good to see you again.”
Georgia let go of Liz. “Sorry to crash your dinner. Darcy wanted me to see what an expansion is like.” Caroline looked up from her phone, glaring at the interaction between Liz and Georgia.
Caroline reached toward Georgia and petted her shoulder as she sat back down in her chair. “You are always such a joy to have around.” Georgia’s cheeks turned pink, embarrassed at Caroline’s affection.
James leaned toward Liz just an inch. “If it’s okay, Liz, we need to talk about a little unfinished business in our Chicago office. Then I want to hear all about our first southern client.”
Liz agreed, and almost instantly, James, Darcy, and Caroline launched into a debate about some event happening at Chicago office while Liz and Georgia sat silently.
Liz was grateful to have a moment to gather her thoughts, and after a few minutes of hearing the trio debate about northern clients, projects, and deadlines, she noticed Darcy’s sister seemed incredibly uninterested. She leaned over to Georgia.
“Bored?” Liz whispered toward Georgia.
“Definitely,” Georgia whispered back and smoothed the skirt of her floral dress. The pattern and light pink color made her look so young. Liz smiled at her, thinking about the previous decade of her life.
“I love your dress,” Georgia said to Liz. “It’s so . . . ”
Liz adjusted one of her thick blue straps. “Tight?”
“I was going to say sophisticated,” Georgia said.
Liz smiled; she liked Darcy’s sister. “Well, thank you. Yours is great too.”
Georgia shrugged. “I can’t wear fitted stuff. I look like a twelve-year-old boy.”
Georgia reminded Liz of Dee. She wasn’t just thin, she was small-boned. She didn’t have one curve on her entire body; her wrists looked like they would snap under a little pressure.
Liz had no idea what it felt like not to have curves; she’d had them since she was thirteen. She reached out and put her hand on Georgia’s. “You look perfect. How do you like Savannah?”
Georgia’s face lit up. “I like it. I went to some really cute shops today. There was a wallpaper store that I fell in love with.”
“Wallpaper?” Liz asked.
“I just graduated from Northwestern. I was a design major.” She looked down at the table. “Darcy says it was a waste of time.”
James jumped into their conversation. “Darcy can’t talk. He did an internship at a non-profit.”
Darcy’s chest puffed out. “I was a freshman in college at the time.”
“But you said it was your calling,” James snorted.
Darcy stared his at his partner, and James stopped talking immediately.
“Well . . . ” Liz wondered what was so bad about non-profits. “Your degree is definitely better than mine—I didn’t even finish college.” Liz wanted to make Georgia feel better, but she was interrupted by Caroline.
Her high-pitched voice prodded into their conversation. “Shopping is a waste of time here, Georgia. The wallpaper was probably filled with apples and pears . . . or worse, vertical stripes. I’ll take you shopping in the city when we get home.”
Here we go, Liz thought. This time, she was ready for Caroline. “Actually, we’ve got a lot of good stores here. While I can see why it might not appeal to you, Savannah is a great place to live.”
Caroline locked eyes with Liz. “This place doesn’t appeal to anyone.”
“I like it. It seems like a sweet place to live,” Georgia said softly.
“Georgia, you’re meant for a big city. You’re too talented for a small town.” Caroline turned to Liz. “Georgia was valedictorian of the most prestigious high school in Chicago.”
Georgia looked down at the tablecloth; her cheeks turned pink again. Liz wondered why Georgia embarrassed so easily, but she remembered being a young woman herself, struggling to find the right words to say to people a decad
e older.
James jumped in, changing the subject. “Liz, tell me about all the smart and attractive employees you’ve hired.”
“James,” Darcy said. “Don’t start.”
“Okay, just smart employees then.” James nudged Darcy.
Georgia leaned over and whispered to Liz, “My brother says James is going to bankrupt the company with sexual harassment lawsuits.”
“I’ve never crossed the line,” James said. “But I may have stepped on it a few times.” Darcy glared at his friend as James picked up his wine glass and swirled the deep red liquid around.
“James struggles with the no-dating policy,” Darcy filled Liz in on the joke. “Especially when it comes to interns.”
Liz laughed and looked at Caroline, who, for the first time, was slumped in her seat. Liz celebrated inside, realizing the no-dating policy meant there was nothing going on between Caroline and Darcy. She loved the fact that probably for the first time in her life, Caroline couldn’t get what she wanted.
Caroline interrupted Darcy. “Darcy, you never know when the right woman might sweep you off your feet. She’d have to come from the right family, of course. Have the right education.” Caroline looked at Liz.
“I can say never, Caroline. Because I mean never,” Darcy spoke harshly to the strawberry-blonde woman, but she didn’t back down. She glared at him as she took a sip of her drink.
“Okay, so what do we need to talk about with Liz?” James steered the conversation once again.
Liz took a deep breath, ready for their questions.
“Can you give them an overview of your first-year goals?” Darcy asked.
Liz nodded and launched into her creative, sales, and profit goals for rest of the year. As she answered questions, gave feedback, and tweaked her plan for her first months in office, the waiter served dinner. James and Darcy ate while they talked, but Liz couldn’t focus on the food. She was consumed with impressing her bosses.
When the waiter cleared the plates, Liz realized she hadn’t eaten more than five bites. When the waiter came by to ask about dessert, Liz was ready. She ordered her favorite desert: bread pudding, and she refused to look at Caroline, who was sitting on the other side of Georgia with a judgmental scowl.