Love

managing to sound confident even though she was quaking inside. She detailed the reasons behind her color changes, the minimal updating of the design itself.
Though their expressions were impassive, she took heart. She ran through four more alternatives, each bolder and more creative than the one before. The last, in which the company’s name would be embossed across an artistic swatch of fabric from its latest collection, had the substance, fluidity and style that she was convinced was both an exciting and impressive change from the current outdated design. The embossing would give it a texture she thought suitable for an internationally prominent manufacturer of rich textiles.
She caught the subtle exchange of glances between Lansing and his art director. “I love it,” Lesley Bates said finally.
“So do I,” Lansing agreed, taking a closer look at the final proposal. “You’ve captured exactly the look they need. But you’re right about Halloran Industries. The old man is not looking to do something this drastic. He’d be happier with the first one.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Lesley countered. “I’ve always had the feeling that Jason’s the conservative one. Brandon didn’t get where he is by avoiding risks.”
“What about Jason, then? Since you can’t go over his head, do you think you can convince him?” Lansing asked the art director.
Lesley Bates shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. For one thing, he’s not all that interested in anything going on over there these days. From what I hear, he’s bored and making no pretense about it. I doubt he’ll be the least bit interested in rocking the boat. He’s certainly not going to put his faith in someone with little formal training and no experience.”
Nor was he likely to put his faith in a woman who’d labeled him a liar and a thief, Dana thought with a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She listened to the arguments pro and con on her designs, trying desperately to hear something that would indicate for certain that she would get the job even if Jason Halloran turned down her designs. She didn’t like having her fate linked to the whims of a man she’d publicly insulted.
Unwilling to leave the decision to chance, she decided she had to do something and do it fast to convince them she was the sort of bold, assertive designer they owed it to themselves to hire.
“Let me talk to him,” she said impulsively. Of all the limbs she’d ever climbed out on, this was by far the most dangerous. It was also a mark of her desperation. “If I sell him, I get the job.”
John Lansing smiled. “I like your attitude, but you’re taking a big risk and an unnecessary one at that. It’s up to us to convince the client.”
Dana fought to hide a grim smile. He had no idea how big a risk she was offering to take, both professionally and, in some way she couldn’t quite define, to her own emotions. She took a deep breath. “It’s worth it. This could be the break I’ve been praying for. I believe in these ideas. If I could sell you, don’t you think I could convince him?”
“Could you give us a moment?” the art director asked. “Leave the designs and wait just outside.”
Dana nodded. Outside the office she paced and paced some more, wishing she dared to kick off the uncomfortable heels. Though they’d sounded enthusiastic about her work, she wasn’t sure that they were equally excited about hiring her. She’d sensed the unspoken reservations. The art director had come right out and said she was an amateur. Her ideas, though, were bold and new. Even they couldn’t deny that.
Still, she sensed that a lot more was at stake for the Lansing Agency than she’d realized. Maybe she’d put them into an untenable position by suggesting that they send a mere novice over to Halloran Industries. It didn’t matter, though. Her audacity was just about all she’d had going for her her whole life. She wanted this job so badly she ached, even more so now that she’d had the small taste of real professional approval of her ideas.
It was another ten minutes before they called her back in. “It’s a deal,” John Lansing told her. “But Lesley will go with you as a backup. Okay?”
The request was hardly unreasonable. Even so, the possibility that the art director would learn the whole story about her previous encounter with Jason Halloran made Dana almost as nervous as the prospect of making her first presentation to a man who had little reason to give her a break. Because she had little choice, she nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll call you when we have the appointment scheduled,” Lesley Bates told her.
John Lansing handed her portfolio back to her and walked her to the door. “You have a bright future, Ms. Roberts. I hope we’ll be working together soon.”
“I hope so, too.”
Outside, Dana clutched her portfolio and made one more thoroughly impulsive decision. Too much was at stake to leave anything about this meeting with Jason Halloran to chance. Drawing in a deep breath of icy air, she straightened her shoulders, walked halfway down the block and caught the next bus to the Halloran Industries building on the outskirts of town.
Inside the lobby she consulted the directory, located the administrative offices and took the elevator to the top floor. She was halfway down the hall when Brandon Halloran stepped into the corridor. Dana’s breath caught in her throat as a look of recognition spread across the older man’s face.
“Hello, there,” he said, a surprising twinkle in his eyes.
Dana regarded him warily. Why wasn’t he throwing her out? Hadn’t he heard about what had happened on Saturday between her and his grandson?
“Are you here to see Jason?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
He nodded in satisfaction. “Splendid. Before you do that, though, why don’t you and I have a little talk?”
Before she could blink, he’d tucked her arm through his and steered her into a