“Thanks. Yeah, I think it’s really coming together.”
“Cool. I’m dropping another project on you then. Don’t worry – you have two months lead time, and there will be other things coming your way.”
He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I’ll email you the details in a minute. It’s a filthy rich sixteen-year old’s birthday event. Basically, you’ll need to take her list of demands, coordinate with her mother, and just see how much can reasonably be booked.”
I couldn’t help laughing out loud. “This will be wonderful or terrible. No in-between.”
“I know the family. We throw big corporate events for them, so they’re pretty reasonable. It should be a breeze for you.”
“Thanks.”
Jonathon flashed the wide smile that made him look like a kindly uncle. “I’m glad you’re getting along so well with Owen. Having close ties with Teal Dot Media is always a good thing.”
He left before I could ask what he meant. All of the salespeople and managers seemed obsessed with our own company relations. I guess I still didn’t quite understand that part of it yet.
While going through the rest of my work, a heavy feeling was gathering in the pit of my stomach. Owen had been so sweet to me. I should have at least signed that note with a heart or something cute. Would he be upset that I left without kissing him goodbye?
I didn’t know the rules of relationships. Would he expect us to act like a couple in public immediately? Would he be angry or disappointed if I didn’t? There was no book to read on this sort of thing.
Although if there was, I could just ask Corina. I swear that girl was a walking library.
By three in the afternoon, I couldn’t stand the tension anymore, so I sent Owen a text.
Me: Hi! That clip looked incredible. My boss was really impressed, and so was I.
His reply came in seconds, which made me grin at my phone.
Owen: Hey. I’m thrilled that you’re happy. Are you satisfied with everything else?
That was clever of him to be discreet, since I was at work. My fingers tapped on the side of a phone for a moment while I pondered how to answer.
Me: Yes. It’s a very new project for me, so I’m still nervous about some of the basics. But I’m enjoying the process so far.
Owen: I’m delighted to hear that. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make things go more smoothly for you. This is our individual project. We can write our creative brief and outline however we like, and set all of our own deadlines. Right?
I loved how he understood me so well, making me feel safe.
Me: Yes. Absolutely. Also, the code you’ll need for the documents I’m sending over will be xoxo.
Owen: xoxo. Understood.
Laughing to myself, I sifted through the Silversong Records photos they’d finally sent us from their archives, selecting the most relevant photo albums. For a moment, I was about to send him a link to the cloud drive. But he’d always picked me up, and been so proactive about everything.
Why shouldn’t I just deliver it in person and surprise him? He’d definitely ask me to dinner, and I could explain that I was still nervous about our relationship being public for at least a few months.
With a flash drive in my purse and a plan in my head, I left for his office feeling like everything was right in the world.
10
_____
Owen
Catching up on email, I realized that I was grinning like an idiot at my laptop. That incredible night with Brynn completely energized me. Now that I knew she was simply nervous about how to proceed, I could find ways to help her along.
It was a lot of responsibility being a woman’s first real relationship, but I had to do everything right so that I could ensure it would be her last one, too.
I needed her. Craved her. There was no other woman for me.