Masterson

ELIZABETH

JUST LIKE A DRUG ADDICT, I wake up the next day regretting my hit of Roman. And just like an addict, I start promising myself that I'll get clean. Telling myself that I'll make smarter choices from now on. Unfortunately like a meth head, my addiction for the bad boy is growing stronger and more powerful with each passing day. I've been plotting and planning all morning how I can acquire just one more hit of Roman and then finally quit him cold turkey. But then divine intervention strikes and that's when it happens.

The call that changes everything.

A woman named Mrs. Daniella Nelson calls and introduces herself as the executive assistant to a Mr. Henry Lambert. Not the junior level money manager that Sloan knows, but the actual head of the entire investment group. The group that has the power to invest a lot of money into my business.

"Miss Hill, we have an unexpected break in the schedule tomorrow afternoon, and I thought this would be the perfect time for you to pitch Mr. Lambert."

Shut the front door!

"Thanks for thinking of me, Mrs. Nelson. I'd love to pitch Mr. Lambert tomorrow. Just tell me the time and I'll be there. The office on North 16th right?"

I'm going to need to email Krishna and see if he can make a few quick tweaks to my code.

"No Miss Hill, Mr. Lambert is away at The Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas attending a conference. He has a pocket of time in between two panels and asked specifically to meet with you. You'll have to fly to him."

I pause for a moment, because my first thought is of Roman. He'll go ballistic if I just leave the country without, I don't know, talking to him about it. Plus a little part of me doesn't want to leave to do something so big without getting his opinion. Oh good grief! I sound ridiculous. Maybe this is just what the two of us need. Space. A minute to get our heads together. To remember that we're cousins, not star crossed lovers.

"Umm, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to swing this last minute, Mrs. Nelson." I say with regret. The truth is, is that I don't have enough room on any of my credit cards for a plane ticket around the corner much less to the Bahamas.

"We'll purchase the ticket and reserve your room of course, Miss Hill. All you'll need to worry about is a great presentation. If you agree, your flight leaves at 8:30am tomorrow. You'll need to get there early of course because it's international travel. You have a passport right?"

"I do."

"Excellent! So should I reserve your seat and let Mr. Lambert know that you're on your way?"

This is it, Elizabeth. Your Plan B.

"Yes, thank you."

"Okay, can you email me your details? Send me your full name, birthdate, passport number and all that jazz, and I'll email you your boarding pass. Make sure to print it out and bring it with you to the gate."

"Absolutely. I'm on it right now."

"And, Miss Hill?"

"Yes?"

"Good luck."