On the way back to the office, Jamie dawdled. As long as she was by herself she could exist on a plane where the last hour of her life had not actually occurred.
She paused at shop windows, pretending to admire the shoes, the clothes, the décor—whatever was on display. But she actually couldn’t see a thing. Her brain was too full of Jared and his disclosure for her to think of anything else. At one point, she realised she’d been staring for five minutes at a heartrate monitor in a pharmacy window. She looked around, hoping no one had noticed her zombie-like trance. She needed to pull herself together or she would find herself in a psychiatric facility.
A child? Jared a father? Ellie’s father?
It was all too much to take in.
Could she still marry him? Did she even want to?
Jamie shook her head. She was getting too far ahead. She had always prided herself on being a methodical thinker but in the space of five minutes, she’d gone from signing a notice of intention to marry, to contemplating calling the whole thing off.
She needed to slow down and take things step by step.
Back at work, Jamie flipped open her laptop and typed in Melissa, pre-school teacher, Sydney.
One hundred and eighty-four thousand results.
Damn! She would need more information from Jared if she was going to track this woman down.
Ben poked his head around the door. ‘Angel’s ready for you in the conference room.’
Jamie clenched her fingers. Oh Christ! The meeting where she was supposed to present her business plan for Spin and a plan for her own consultancy. The presentation was ready to go in her laptop, but mentally she wasn’t prepared at all. Normally, she liked a few minutes before a major meeting to collect herself. Check her make-up and confirm the presentation was all in order.
There was no time for any of that.
‘Of course. Just need a minute,’ muttered Jamie as she unplugged her computer and gathered a few random papers sitting on her desk that she thought might be relevant to the meeting.
‘Are you okay?’ Ben was still at the door. ‘You seem a bit stressed.’
‘I’m fine. Fine,’ she said a tad too brightly. ‘Had an extra coffee this morning. And you know how that makes me a little—’ She fluttered her hands about. ‘Now, have I got everything?’ She looked desperately about her desk and then stood.
‘You’ll be fine.’ Ben’s hand in the small of her back was a shock. A pleasant zap of electricity. ‘You’ve got this,’ he murmured and propelled her towards the doorway.
For a millisecond, she believed him.
For once, Angel was sitting. There was no one else in the conference room and the emptiness of the eleven other seats only served to double Jamie’s nerves.
‘You’re late.’ Angel glared over the rims of leopard-print reading glasses.
‘Sorry, sorry. Just got caught up at—’ A meeting with our wedding celebrant where Jared declared he may have a love child. ‘Oh, never mind.’ Jamie waved her hand. ‘I’m very sorry to keep you waiting.’
‘Well, let’s hope it was worth the wait.’ Angel’s voice was cold. It wasn’t like her. Jamie’s nerves were now spiralling out of control as she fumbled with the power cord to plug her laptop into the projector.
‘Here, let me.’ Ben leapt to her side and took the cord from her hands. She gave him a grateful smile.
‘Well, let’s begin.’ Jamie stood as her first slide came up on the projector screen.
Forward Strategy for Spin Cycle: Developed by Jamie Travvers
She had another presentation on the laptop as well, titled Opportunities for PR Consultancies in Dubai which she would deliver second. At the end, Angel would give her unbiased opinion on which strategy had the most potential.
‘I thought you were going to present a business plan,’ said Angel sharply.
‘I … I … er … I am,’ Jamie stuttered. ‘This is a strategy. A plan.’
Angel sighed. ‘A forward strategy is not a business plan, Jamie. I thought you knew that.’
‘I’m sorry, but I thought you wanted big-picture stuff. Where I want to take the company. Understand my vision for what Spin Cycle can be.’ Jamie’s fingers trembled. She felt Ben take a protective step closer.
He cleared his throat. ‘Angel, if I can just step in there. I helped Jamie put this presentation together and I think you’ll find it contains all the information you’re looking for—cash flow, projected growth, earnings and expenses—it’s all there, if you just give Jamie a chance.’
‘Very well then. Continue.’ Angel leant back in the chair and closed her eyes, which is what she did when she wanted to concentrate.
Thank you, Jamie mouthed to Ben. He nodded and clenched his fingers into a fist as if to say Be strong. You can do this.
But she couldn’t.
The figures swam before her eyes and the words seemed nothing more than meaningless squiggles and dots. Jared’s revelation had completely thrown her. How could she concentrate on work when her entire relationship was on the line?
As Angel grilled her on the specifics of each plan—‘How do you account for 8 per cent growth for Spin in the coming financial year?’ ‘Name the top five PR consultancies in Dubai and explain how yours will be different?’—Jamie felt the room becoming more stuffy.
After the fifth question about the impact of technology on the ‘PR space’ in both Dubai and Australia, Jamie collapsed into a chair.
‘I can’t do this,’ she whispered.
‘What did you say?’ Angel leant forward. ‘Why are you sitting?’
‘I’m not feeling very well.’ Jamie put her head between her knees.
‘Here, have this.’ Ben touched her shoulder and pressed a glass of water into her hands. Jamie gulped gratefully.
‘Jamie, I don’t know what’s going on with you but quite frankly, on the basis of these presentations, I don’t think you’re qualified to run anything more than a game of bingo, let alone operate my business, or your own.’ Angel removed her glasses. ‘I expect more from you.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Jamie weakly. ‘I’ve got a lot on my mind.’
Angel huffed. ‘If you’re talking about this hare-brained wedding of yours, I have no sympathy. You’re in PR. Event organisation is our bread and butter.’
‘Please, just one more chance.’
Angel stood and rested her knuckles on the table. ‘All right. I’ll give you one chance to redeem yourself.’ She paused. ‘The Nala show. It’s happening in four weeks, April seventh, and it’s all yours.’ She rapped her knuckles. ‘You put on the best fashion show Australia’s ever seen and I’ll give you a choice—either take over here at Spin, or go to Dubai with my blessing, and a personal introduction to an old friend of mine who happens to be the General Manager of Dubai’s tourism corporation.’
Jamie thought quickly. April seventh. Two days before her wedding day.
She sucked in a breath. ‘I’ll take it.’