BEA
This is going to be okay. More than okay. What started as a Hail Mary pass might actually turn out to be the Gazette's saving grace—thanks to the mysterious allure of one Des Cheng.
I pace in front of the mirror, practicing my big pitch. We've got an invite for a private lunch with Walter and Suki on their yacht today, and I need to knock this one out of the park. I'm no stranger to a business pitch, although let's face it—usually I'm the one being asked for money, not the other way around.
I take a deep breath and go over my notes again, trying to ignore the fact that a hundred-plus people are relying on me to save their jobs with this one casual lunch-slash-presentation.
"Hey." Caitlin appears in the bathroom doorway in a fluffy white bathrobe. "Okay ka lang?"
"Yup," I say automatically. "Okay lang ako."
Then I realize I don't need to lie, not to her. It's part of what I like so much about us—the fact that it's okay not to have it one hundred percent together in front of her every single second. The idea that it's okay to let her help. "Well, sa totoo lang, I'm pretty nervous today."
Caitlin smiles, coming to stand behind me in front of the mirror and wrapping her arms around my waist.
"You've got this," she promises, pressing her lips against my bare shoulder. "Walter was totally taken by your last night. You're a brilliant businesswoman, remember?"
"Very funny." I duck my head to drop a toothpaste flavored kiss on her mouth. "What I could really use is an early copy of Des' column. See if the stars signal success today, or if I should just give up now."
I'm joking, mostly, but Caitlin doesn't laugh.
"Bea..." she begins, pulling back and perching on the edge of the bathtub. "You don't really believe that stuff, do you? Horoscopes, it all being written in the stars?"
"No," I laugh. "Well, konti..."
It's not like I'm about to gamble my entire fortune away just because some newspaper psychic predicted luck might be in my corner. "But her columns have really worked for me lately," I say, turning back to button my shirt. "Des was the one who steered me to give us a chance, and to follow my instincts about the paper." I shrug. "It's nice to feel like somebody's looking out for me. Like I've got a kind of guide."
Caitlin nods, picking at her cuticles. "No, I know," she says softly. "And somebody is looking out for you. It's just—" She breaks off.
I look over. "What?"
Caitlin looks at me for another moment, a look on her face like she's trying to solve an impossible riddle. Then she shakes her head. "Nothing," she says finally, standing up and wrapping her arms around me, popping up on her bare tiptoes to nip at my bottom lip. "You're going to be amazing."
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It's a beautiful day to be out on the water, sunny with just the tiniest bite in the air. Caitlin looks beautiful in dark jeans and a striped cotton sweater, her dark hair back in a braid and tied with a vintage scarf. "You made it!" Suki crows as we climb aboard, throwing her arms around Caitlin like they're old friends and leading her over to the mimosa bar set up on the starboard side of the boat's upper deck.
"Glad you could join us," Walter tells me, holding a hand out to shake. He's got a distinct Colonel Sanders vibe going this afternoon, in a white suit and a captain's hat he tells me once belonged to JFK. "Got it at auction," he tells me. "I love a bit of historical oddity, don't you?"
