qualification at this place? Could she see the application? But Samantha didn’t get beyond the musing as the new blonde broke into a smile when she saw Sam and, oh my God—Tanya?
Seriously, universe?
How was this fair?
“Samantha? Oh my goodness. How are you?” Tanya said, showing off her flawless smile and perfectly tanned skin.
“Great. How are you, Tanya?” Her brain worked furiously to understand the series of events. Tanya was here. At Serenity. Which she guessed made sense as Tanya worked in massage therapy and—lucky her—she’d apparently stumbled into the very spa Tanya worked for. What a fantastic coincidence!
“Busy day,” Tanya said, pulling up the chair next to Samantha. “Our new memberships are keeping me on my toes. Lots of intakes to navigate. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m having quite a day, too. Maybe a little less navigating on my end, though. I could probably use some,” Sam said quite honestly, because running into the perfect-looking girl Libby left her for was her nightmare scenario. Happy Monday to her. She owed the powers-that-be a gift basket.
Mallory seemed to pick up on something and looked between them before an element of understanding crossed her features. She made brief eye contact with Sam and offered a confident smile. That helped, because though she felt the need to hyperventilate and run from the room, Mallory had her. And when Mallory was in control, all was well with the world.
“Shall we get started?” Mallory asked.
And they were off.
Mallory ran through a series of print, Internet, and TV options including Brooklyn’s commercial spot concept. Samantha listened, admiring Mallory’s charisma, her polish, as she delivered the very detailed pitch. There was a reason she landed them account after account. When she finished, Eleanor raised a sculpted eyebrow.
“I like it. I think we might want to incorporate a few more of the Serenity principles, however. There are ten, you know. Each one very important to Serenity and what we stand for on the planet.”
“I didn’t. I’d love a list,” Mallory answered.
“I’ll make sure our receptionist gets those for you.”
“Excellent. I’ll now pass the proverbial baton to Samantha, who will go over some of the financials we should agree upon before we sign.”
Samantha sat up a little straighter in her chair.
Oh, that was her.
Right.
She opened her leather-bound folder and pulled out the first budget. The one that afforded them the funds they needed to do a bang-up job, with a touch of wiggle room for error. No way Serenity would agree to hand over the amount of cash she was about to ask them for. They’d shown themselves to be rather protective of their funds in prior meetings, but this big number would be a jumping-off point for negotiations. She had a second and third budget prepared, in which they’d cut Savvy’s fee beyond what she felt was fair and gone with a smaller budget for the TV spot.
After handing a copy to everyone, Samantha began to explain the need for each line item and the cost associated with it. She was already picking up hints of disdain from Eleanor: a well-placed sigh, rubbing the back of her neck, and let’s not forget the appearance of a crease between her eyes that, earlier, Samantha wouldn’t have guessed possible before it appeared. Did serene people crease?
When she finished, Eleanor didn’t hesitate. “I’m not sure this is a figure we can commit to at this point. It may be a tad ambitious. What else can you do?”
Sam paused. Totally predictable. “I understand. Let’s look at some other options.” Tanya was staring at her with a mixture of regret and sympathy. Oh dear Lord. She didn’t need this woman to feel sorry for her. She was fine, damn it. Fine.
“Wait,” Tanya said. “Eleanor, Samantha knows what she’s doing. And I, for one, trust Savvy’s expertise. I think ambitious might be the way to go.”
“You do?” For whatever reason, Eleanor
Seriously, universe?
How was this fair?
“Samantha? Oh my goodness. How are you?” Tanya said, showing off her flawless smile and perfectly tanned skin.
“Great. How are you, Tanya?” Her brain worked furiously to understand the series of events. Tanya was here. At Serenity. Which she guessed made sense as Tanya worked in massage therapy and—lucky her—she’d apparently stumbled into the very spa Tanya worked for. What a fantastic coincidence!
“Busy day,” Tanya said, pulling up the chair next to Samantha. “Our new memberships are keeping me on my toes. Lots of intakes to navigate. What about you?”
“Oh, I’m having quite a day, too. Maybe a little less navigating on my end, though. I could probably use some,” Sam said quite honestly, because running into the perfect-looking girl Libby left her for was her nightmare scenario. Happy Monday to her. She owed the powers-that-be a gift basket.
Mallory seemed to pick up on something and looked between them before an element of understanding crossed her features. She made brief eye contact with Sam and offered a confident smile. That helped, because though she felt the need to hyperventilate and run from the room, Mallory had her. And when Mallory was in control, all was well with the world.
“Shall we get started?” Mallory asked.
And they were off.
Mallory ran through a series of print, Internet, and TV options including Brooklyn’s commercial spot concept. Samantha listened, admiring Mallory’s charisma, her polish, as she delivered the very detailed pitch. There was a reason she landed them account after account. When she finished, Eleanor raised a sculpted eyebrow.
“I like it. I think we might want to incorporate a few more of the Serenity principles, however. There are ten, you know. Each one very important to Serenity and what we stand for on the planet.”
“I didn’t. I’d love a list,” Mallory answered.
“I’ll make sure our receptionist gets those for you.”
“Excellent. I’ll now pass the proverbial baton to Samantha, who will go over some of the financials we should agree upon before we sign.”
Samantha sat up a little straighter in her chair.
Oh, that was her.
Right.
She opened her leather-bound folder and pulled out the first budget. The one that afforded them the funds they needed to do a bang-up job, with a touch of wiggle room for error. No way Serenity would agree to hand over the amount of cash she was about to ask them for. They’d shown themselves to be rather protective of their funds in prior meetings, but this big number would be a jumping-off point for negotiations. She had a second and third budget prepared, in which they’d cut Savvy’s fee beyond what she felt was fair and gone with a smaller budget for the TV spot.
After handing a copy to everyone, Samantha began to explain the need for each line item and the cost associated with it. She was already picking up hints of disdain from Eleanor: a well-placed sigh, rubbing the back of her neck, and let’s not forget the appearance of a crease between her eyes that, earlier, Samantha wouldn’t have guessed possible before it appeared. Did serene people crease?
When she finished, Eleanor didn’t hesitate. “I’m not sure this is a figure we can commit to at this point. It may be a tad ambitious. What else can you do?”
Sam paused. Totally predictable. “I understand. Let’s look at some other options.” Tanya was staring at her with a mixture of regret and sympathy. Oh dear Lord. She didn’t need this woman to feel sorry for her. She was fine, damn it. Fine.
“Wait,” Tanya said. “Eleanor, Samantha knows what she’s doing. And I, for one, trust Savvy’s expertise. I think ambitious might be the way to go.”
“You do?” For whatever reason, Eleanor
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