Page 116 of Big Stick Energy
But now I can’t remember why.
I take a slow breath, and then I make a decision. I set the folder down on the table across from Mr. Rudolph. “Thank you for lunch. But I don’t think this is going to be a good fit for me after all.”
He blinks. “Now, hold on—which part?”
“The part where you sacrifice Darcy’s feelings for no good reason.” I push back my chair. “Thank you for the opportunity, sir. But I can’t say yes. If Darcy isn’t welcome on a trip with me to her father’s hotel, then I don’t feel welcome, either. It wouldn’t beauthentic.”
“But…” he sputters. “Let’s discuss this. Maybe we can work something out. Tessa can come to some of the shoots, and Darcy to others.”
“No, thank you.” I rise from my chair. “I don’t think we’ll see eye to eye on this. Sorry, sir, but this opportunity just isn’t for me.”
“We were going to pay you threemillion dollars!” he calls after me.
Heads swivel in my direction, but it means nothing to me. I’ve never felt more secure in any decision I’ve made. Not ever.
I walk right out of the restaurant and into the summer sunshine. Phone in hand, I call my agent as I cross Spring Street.
“How did it go?” Bess asks breathlessly. “This contract isn’t half bad.”
“Tear it up,” I tell her. “Sorry to waste your time, but it’s not a good fit.”
She’s quiet for a long beat. “Eric, brand-wise itwasa good fit. And you’ve wanted this kind of splashy sponsorship for such a long time. So what’s the obstacle?”
“It’s the management. I thought I could work with Mr. Randolph, but I don’t think I can.” Then a terrible thought occurs tome. “God, it was a lot of money. The commission you would have made! I’msosorry.”
“No, no,stop,” she insists. “Don’t be sorry. I need you to feel great about everything you sign. But it would help me to understand the problem with this deal, so we can do better next time.”
“It’s complicated. I might…” I heave a sigh. “I might be a little in love with one of Randolph’s daughters.”
“Oh,” Bess says.
“But maybe it’s even bigger than that. I thought I wanted a big sponsorship. I thought I wassupposedto want it. Maybe I was just feeding my ego. I don’t like what it says about me.”
“Hey, sponsorships aren’tjustabout ego,” she says gently. “Or even money. It’s about expanding your brand. An athlete with a big platform has more choices when retirement inevitably comes around.”
I stop walking and lean against a brick wall. Looking up, I see a sky that’s impossibly blue. Retirement feels a long way off, but that’s an illusion. Bess’s job is to cushion the blow when it comes, and I appreciate that. “I hear you. I really do. Except you always tell your players that it’s your job to get us what we want, but we have to know what it is first.”
“That’s right.”
“I thought I knew what I wanted, but I was wrong. I was following other people’s playbooks, and it wasn’t right for me. But I think Ifinallyfound something I really care about.”
“Is it something I can help you get?” she asks.
I laugh. “Nope. I wish.”
Chapter 42
Such a Shame
Darcy
I did it. I’m done. Both exams are finished, and my final projects, too. So I’m slouched on my sofa with a soda and a plate of mini taco crumbs on the coffee table in front of me. My hair is a mess, and I’m wearing Hello Kitty pajamas.
My email pings with a new message, and it’s from Zoe.
Hey! I bet you want your phone back. I’m sending it over by courier.
Don’t kill me for my choice of couriers.
