a touch of gray at his temples. According to the information I found online, he comes from humble beginnings and started his company from the ground up, all on his own. I respect him on that basis alone.
I take his hand. “Pleasure’s mine, Mr. Tremblay. I hope you enjoyed the presentation.”
He rocks back on his heels, nodding. “Very much. Your firm has some pretty innovative ideas.”
“They seem to be working for us so far.” This is my window of opportunity. If I can reel him in—at the very least, plant a seed—this could be a groundbreaking account. “Are you in the market for some innovative ideas?”
“Looks that way.” His expression turns inquisitive as it flicks to Ryder, who’s shooting us side-glances while he continues his conversation. Mr. Tremblay turns back to me. “But what I could really use is some innovative personnel.”
My brow furrows. “Personnel?”
He hands me his business card. “I’m looking for a new Marketing Director. Someone with a fresh perspective and cutting-edge ideas. I’ve heard your name mentioned in certain circles, and I’ve done my research. Your work at The Colson Group certainly doesn’t look like that of a rookie. I’d love to speak with you about how I think we can be of help to each other.”
Words claw at my throat, desperate to get out, and I end up stammering like a doofus. “O-oh, I, um. Thank you so much for the offer, sir, but I’m pretty comfortable where I’m at now.”
He puts his hand up. “And I respect that. All I’m asking is that you consider it. The position comes with a lot of freedom. You’d be in charge of your own team, lead product release strategies, and develop company-wide marketing campaigns.”
That sounds…awesome.
A huge step in my career, to be sure.
“Just think about it,” he adds when I don’t respond. “I promise it’ll be worth it. Call me and we’ll set up a meeting.”
I nod, dumbfounded as I stare down at the business card in my hand. I intended to get his business, and instead, the CEO of a major international company is actually offering me a dream job. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I really appreciate it,” I murmur. “Thank you again.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
“One question, sir,” I blurt out when he starts to walk away.
He turns around expectantly.
“The position… It would be based out of Atlanta, wouldn’t it?” The location of their headquarters.
His eyes crinkle in the corners. “Yes, it would be. We would pay for all moving expenses, of course.”
Feeling numb, I nod again. “I’ll think about it.”
“Please do. I can tell you have a very bright future, Ms. Castellanos, and I’d love to have you on my team.”
My heart is pounding as he disappears into the throng of conference attendees. I immediately try to discount everything he said, to forget every word, but I can’t. It’s inside my head now like a tumor.
“That looked promising,” Ryder’s voice suddenly rumbles from my left, making me jump. “Did we hook him?”
I crush the business card in my hand and shove it in my pocket before he can see it. I don’t want to explain what just happened here. Not yet. Not until I get a handle on how I feel about it first.
And what my answer is going to be.
It scares the hell out of me that, in this moment, I don’t know.
“Yeah,” I answer flatly. “I think we might have.”
He gives my waist a quick squeeze. “That’s my girl.”
Guilt instantly assails me. The feeling that I’ve already betrayed Ryder is ridiculous and irrational. I shouldn’t feel guilty about considering taking an attractive position at another company. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I’m at. And yes, I might be young, but I feel like I’ve earned this.
The betrayal is there, nonetheless.
Because the fact of the matter is… I might be the one who just got hooked.
“Is everything okay?”
I’m staring up at the Godzilla-sized sparkling ball in Times Square as it slowly descends in the final minute of the year. The scene around me is in full pre-pandemonium swing. Thousands of on-lookers staring in the same direction, buzzing with the same hyped-up energy that’s possessing the whole city of New York tonight. It’s an atmosphere vibrating with new beginnings and togetherness, and yet…
I’ve never felt more lost.
“Gretchen?”
My heads whips around to Ryder. “Huh?”
His smile is tight. “You okay? You seem distracted.”
In the crammed nightclub we hit up earlier, I was hot in my ice blue Chanel dress, filled with