“I agree,” I said, though I’m sure I sounded wary. If I was hearing her right, she was asking me to work for the foundation. And that, frankly, would be my dream job.
And then reality hit me. So hard, in fact, that I actually stumbled a bit, and was grateful that I was leaning up against the counter. “Esther,” I said dully. “I’m sure whatever you have in mind would be wonderful. But I’m moving. I’m going to Washington,” I explained, even as she gaped at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. “I’m going to work on the Hill.”
“Oh.” For a moment, she looked blank. Then her face bloomed. “But, sweetie, that’s wonderful! Your uncle would be so proud of you.”
“Would he?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound as desperate as I felt.
If she noticed anything odd in my tone, she didn’t call me out on it. “My goodness, yes. He adored his brother as much as he admired him. To know that you’re following your dad into politics would have thrilled him.”
“I’m glad of that,” I said sincerely.
“Of course, I’d hoped—but never mind. I’m just chattering on. And this isn’t about me. I’m very proud of you, Angelina.”
“Thanks.”
“Well, this changes things.” She flipped open her folio on my workspace and started sorting through papers. “We’ll just plan to keep you in PR for the rest of your tenure. So why don’t we head into the conference room and we can brainstorm a bit about consumer confidence.”
I followed her, and we spent the next two hours talking about ways to keep HJH&A at the forefront of shareholders’ minds, without freaking anyone out with the unavoidable fact that Howard Jahn would not be returning to the helm. Honestly, I’m not sure of the details we discussed; I was too busy thinking about lost opportunities.
I only fully tuned in, for that matter, when Esther sighed, closed her folio, and said, “I think that’s enough for today. Though there is one more thing I’d like to ask you to do. It involves the foundation, though, so if you want to decline, I understand. But since you’ve had social contact with so many of Mr. Jahn’s friends …”
“What is it?”
She explained that the one official act of the foundation since Jahn’s death was to announce an upcoming fund-raiser and kick-off party. “We want to start this new phase in the life of the foundation with a bang. Tie it in a tasteful way to Jahn’s passing. It is, after all, his legacy.”
“How can I help?”
“We need to find a venue in which to host the function. To be honest, we’ve already been contacted by several local businesses and philanthropists interested in participating. It’s going to be tricky. As soon as we pick one to host, we risk insulting the ones we decline—”
“—and losing their future charitable contributions,” I said. “I get it.”
“It’s a job that requires diplomacy,” Esther said, with a barely suppressed grin. “It seems to me a young woman with a burgeoning political career would be able to negotiate those land mines brilliantly.”
“Or fail miserably and then escape to Washington?”
She laughed. “That, too.”
I had to laugh as well. At least she was honest. And, frankly, the politics of society notwithstanding, it sounded like more fun than writing upbeat press releases for investors.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m in.”
“Excellent.” She gathered her papers as my cell phone began to ring. “I’m going to get out of here so you can get that. And,” she added, pointing a red lacquered nail at me, “so that I’m long gone by the time you change your mind.”
I rolled my eyes and snatched up my phone, my heart doing a little butterfly flutter when I saw that it was from the number that Evan had given me over the weekend. “Hey,” I said. “You called at the perfect time.”
“I planned it that way, of course.”
“Would I sound too desperate if I told you that anytime would be the perfect time?”
“If it’s me that you’re desperate for, I have no objections.”
I giggled—god help me, I actually giggled. “Well, then. You’ve found me out. What’s up?”