“You don’t have to tell me. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
“So am I. And if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to prove what Garrett did to me.”
“Braden’s looking into it,” I say.
“He is?”
“Yeah. He thinks… Well, I don’t have any information, really, but if anyone can figure it out, it’s Braden.”
“Tell him thanks.”
“I will. You okay here?”
She nods. “My mom’s out picking up some stuff at the drug store. She’ll no doubt drive me back to the vodka bottle for the next couple of days while she stays here, but honestly? I’m glad to have her. It’s nice to have parents sometimes.”
I smile. “Yeah, it is.”
And my heart swells a little.
I think I just forgave my mother.
Chapter Forty-Five
“I’m sorry,” I tell Eugenie. “I can’t let you trademark hashtags that I created. I’m not sure hashtags can even be trademarked.”
“They can,” Eugenie says. “Of course we checked with legal first. Hashtags can be trademarked if they serve as an identifier for the company’s goods or services.”
Crap. I really should have talked to Braden about this first, but with everything going on with Tessa, I didn’t have the time.
“That might allow you to trademark susieglow, then, but not simplyskye.”
“Of course we could. You’re working for us.”
I shake my head. “I don’t work solely for you. I need to be able to use my own hashtag for other things.”
“We’re willing to purchase the rights to the hashtags from you,” she says, “for ten thousand dollars each.”
Twenty grand? Maybe I can be bought. I think she hit my price. But…
“I’m sorry. I might be willing to let susieglow go, since I wouldn’t be using it for anything else, but not simplyskye.”
“Simplyskye is a gold mine,” Eugenie says. “We’ve already drawn up the documents regarding both hashtags.”
My stomach churns, and nausea begins to claw its way up my throat. Eugenie doesn’t intimidate me. That’s not what’s going on here. But right now, Susanne is my sole source of income, other than my bakery at home that pays me in hundred-dollar bills and baguettes.
Braden, what would you do?
Maybe it’s not too late. I check my watch. “It’s about lunch time. Do you mind if I mull this over for an hour?”
She nods. “Of course. I already ordered lunch in, but if you need the time, I understand.” She plasters on a smile that seems fake.
She’s pissed off.
She really thought I’d just sign on the dotted line.
And then I know what to do. Not what Braden would tell me to do, but what I know is right for me.
“I changed my mind. I don’t need the hour. I’ll sign over susieglow but not simplyskye.”
“What if we up our bid?”
I shake my head. “Eugenie, I appreciate everything you and everyone else at Susanne has done for my burgeoning career. You all mean the world to me. But I can’t let simplyskye go. If my career continues, I’ll need it.”
In fact, I’ll look into trademarking it myself as soon as I get out of this meeting.
“We’ll have to draw up new documents.” Eugenie frowns.
“I realize that will create extra work for you,” I say, “but I didn’t agree to this over the phone, as you know.”
“Yes, I understand that.” Her jawline stiffens. “Very well. Our lunch will be here soon. After we’re finished eating, we’ll go to the art department and take a look at your new nail color.”
My steak-and-avocado salad tastes like dirt. My appetite flew the coop, but I smile and eat and make small talk with Eugenie and her team. By the time we’re finished, I’m a little less on edge.
A little.
“All right,” Eugenie says. “They’re ready for us in the art department, so let’s go see the new nail color.”
I smile. “I’m excited to see it.”
Her smile seems more genuine this time. Maybe she needed to fill her belly. The dirty martini she had her assistant mix for her probably helped as well.
The art department is at the other end of the floor. Eugenie opens the door and walks in. I follow, along with Louisa and Brian.
A woman approaches us. “Eugenie,” she says. Then to me, “You must be Skye. I’d recognize you anywhere.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I’m Adrienne Ficke, the art director. We’re thrilled to be working with you on the new shade. Come on. Let’s take a look.” She takes my arm and leads me to a conference room. Several bottles of nail polish sit on the table. A projector and screen are set up. “We have three prototypes, and we all love number one the best, but we need to get your input.”
Amazingly, she’s talking more to me than to Eugenie. Eugenie doesn’t seem to mind though. She’s definitely in a better mood. Adrienne begins going through her PowerPoint showing us how they came up with the shades.
“We took your color swatches and chose three shades to work with. Our main objective was to create a pink that could be worn with anything, so we couldn’t go too neon. That’s okay, though, because we already have the neon with the Make Things Happen that you used in your power of pink post. We needed a pink that was versatile, that could be worn day or evening, and we think we created three excellent prototypes. As I already told you, our team unanimously votes for number one, but we’d like your input.”