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Oh. My. God. I am a freaking idiot!

Somehow, I’d scheduled two similar emails to go to two different email segments of our list. The one that did get sent out promptly and with the right information went to a small subset of donors.

The other one was supposed to be sent to the largest group, which included volunteers, VIPs and athletes, and participating families who were connected with the charity in the past. That’s the one taunting me now.

Hot tears sting my eyes, and a ball of dread roils in my stomach.

“Hey, Ali. Is everything okay in here?”

I look up to find the foundation’s grant and research administrator, Rashida, peering in through the doorway, her eyes narrowed in concern.

All I can do is shake my head and sniffle. “No. I think I fucked up.”

“What?” she asks, her tone incredulous and disbelieving. “No way. And if a problem exists, I’m sure you can fix it.”

If only that were true. But with only two weeks before the event, I’ve lost too much time.

By now, we should have had hundreds of RSVPs. When I pull up the foundation’s event inbox, I only see twenty-seven.

Twenty-seven!

What good is that number going to do in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars? Even if all the RSVPs were billionaires who wanted to do good in the world and spend their money on helping others, the table attendance alone wouldn’t even be enough to cover the cost of the catering bill.

Disappointment floods my body, and I punch my forehead with my fist. I’m going to have to come clean and enlist the help of my boss. “Do you know if Leanne is back in her office?”

Rashida takes a step back, stretches sideways, and pokes her head around the doorframe next door. Leanne had gone to an off-site meeting earlier, and I hadn’t heard that she’d returned yet.

If she’s still out, it might buy me time to do some crisis management and come up with a solution before I have to tell her about my mistake.

Or maybe I’ll just start packing my belongings now so I’m ready when she fires me on the spot.

My coworker shakes her head. “Nope, doesn’t look like she’s back yet. Is there anything I can help you with? How about some water? You’re looking rather pale.”

“You can find me a large coffin and bury me in the shitstorm I’ve created.”

Rashida laughs but her eyes soften. “Seriously, though, maybe you can step away for a bit and come back with a fresh pair of eyes? That’s what I do whenever I’m stuck.”

With a slight nod, I rise sharply from my chair and grab for my water bottle. Rounding the corner of my desk, I step past Rashida, who offers me a congenial smile and a pat on the back.

“You’re right. I just need to clear my head for a bit, take some deep breaths, and come back with a new mindset on how to get this handled before Leanne returns.”

No sooner do I say that than a smiling Leanne comes around the corner of the hallway. “Get what handled?”

And the words of my grandmother ring loudly in my ears: Lord, just take me now.

By six p.m., Leanne, myself, and a team of very helpful volunteers we begged to come in and help have finished the arduous task of personally calling every person on our list to officially invite them to the event.

I should’ve remembered that Leanne’s not like my former boss. When she learned what happened, she didn’t get mad. She simply said, “Shit happens. Let’s clean it up,” coordinated a war room of sorts, and enlisted our helpers to assist us in contacting everyone who hadn’t received the email.

After all our calls, I sent out the original email and then called my brother and asked him to call his Viking teammates and get them signed up and on board.

With Tanner’s help, we were able to reach out to those players and the Vikings administrative staff and support personnel whom we knew would be in town.

At last, it’s time for my final call. The one I’ve been dreading since we went into Operation Fix It.

My heart beats out of my ribs as I click on Soren’s contact number and press Send.

His phone rings several times and each ring has my breath stalling out. I’m about to hang up when he finally answers, his low baritone making my body vibrate.