29. Elise

29

ELISE

My stomach flip-flops, and my hands are cold. I press the elevator button for the sixth floor, wishing I wasn’t so nervous.

But this chance feels so big.

The Luxe isn’t only a potential client. It’s a potential client who could vault me to the next level. This is the goal I’ve been reaching for.

As I wait, my phone dings and a new note from John Thompson pops up on the screen. My nerves twist higher as I open it.

Time to grab that drink? :)

I close it. I don’t want to be thinking of my competition when I walk into Nate Harper’s office at his request. I do my best to sweep John from my mind.

The elevator arrives, and I step inside, shutting off my phone as I head to Nate’s floor. The receptionist escorts me to his office and asks if I want anything.

“Water would be great.” My throat is a desert.

I glance around at his office, a handsome space with a leather couch, a black desk with only a framed photo of what looks to be Nate and his wife, and a manila folder on the wood surface. Pictures of his hotel properties from around the world adorn the walls, as well as another shot of the pretty blond woman with her arms around him under a sunset on the beach. They look happy—100 percent, genuinely happy. I can see it in their eyes.

Nate strides in with a glass of water and hands it to me. “Here you go, Elise,” he says with a smile.

I take a gulp and set down the glass, then shake his hand.

“Please take a seat,” he says, and nerves scale my body again as I sit.

He leans against the desk. “I met with a few agencies, and it came down to you and Thompson Group.”

My shoulders tense. Then, a horrid idea smashes into me. Should I have met with John Thompson after all? Would that have helped? Did I miss a chance again, even though all my instincts told me to stay the course? But meeting with the competition during the pitch phase isn’t wise. It’s not how it’s done.

“We will be outsourcing some of the media work to his shop,” Nate says, and I hold my breath. “He really knows some aspects well. But the bulk of the work is yours, and I’m pleased to offer Durand Media the contract to oversee the advertising campaign for our new European resort rollout.”

I float to the sky, a thousand stars twinkling brightly. “I’m so thrilled. I can’t wait to start.”

“Can you go to New York next week? To meet with some of my executives there?”

“I’d love to.”

This feels like more than winning. It feels like I can trust my gut again. That is the ultimate victory.