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me around, Maddie, but I can handle it from here.”

      Despite her protests, he was determined to go it alone. Though deprived of a valid excuse to stick by his side, she was pleased he’d finally remembered her name.

      And though he was determined to stand on his own two feet, she was equally determined to stand by his side. And anyone who knew Maddie at all knew that what she lacked in self-confidence she more than made up for in sheer determination.

      So here she was, lurking in the doorway, eye pressed to the crack so he couldn’t slip by. Lucky for her his office was on the opposite side of the hall: if she stood at just the right angle to the opening she could see his office door.

      Moving shadows alerted her that he was finally coming out. When she saw his broad shoulders fill his doorway she counted three seconds before swinging open her door and stepping out into the hall. She knew immediately the delay had been a mistake. Even as she moved in on his retreating form, people were popping out of their offices like cuckoos from a clock just as Colton passed by.

      Coincidence? Maddie doubted it. She began to suspect hers had not been the only eye pressed to a door crack that morning.

      She hurried, trying to catch up with Colton’s long-legged stride, but it was no use. Her female colleagues had already closed in on him.

      She resisted the temptation to gnash her teeth. There would be other times.

      Maddie filed into the conference room with the others. The seats around the long mahogany table were already taken so she settled into one of the chairs set up in the back of the room.

      Less than five minutes later Jack Benson, owner of Cue Communications, called the meeting to order. Jack and Maddie’s late father had started Cue Communications thirty years ago. At the time, they’d had one client and no prospects. The only thing the two young men had had in abundance was ambition.

      Through grit and perseverance they’d built the advertising agency into a well-respected firm billing millions in revenue annually. The staff had grown to eighteen full-time employees and their client list read like a Who’s Who of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

      As a little girl, Maddie’s heart’s desire had been to work side by side with her father at Cue. When he’d died unexpectedly before she’d graduated from college, Jack had assured her she’d always have a place at the agency. A year after her dad had died, her mother sold Jack their half of the agency, preferring the lucrative cash settlement to the messy details of owning a business. Though Maddie no longer held physical ownership of the company, in her heart it would always be hers and her dad’s.

      She’d hired on a year ago, after earning her MBA, with the nebulous title of Jack’s assistant. She didn’t have the experience required of an account executive, nor the talent for art or copywriting, but she had drive. Jack had signed her on with a handsome salary and an office of her own.

      She’d never forget the day he’d first introduced her at the Monday morning meeting. She’d sat beside him at the head of the table, and, when it came time for introductions, they stood, his arm around her shoulders, and he had said to the assembled staff, “You are looking at the brightest star on the horizon of Cue Communications.”

      She wasn’t sure why, but he believed in her. Other than her father, Jack was the only one who thought she was bright, capable and creative.

      Jack had spent the past year training her. He’d taught her about the fine art of marketing and forecasting trends. He’d showed her the production side of the business, so she knew firsthand how a concept evolved into a story-board and finally into a finished campaign. More importantly, he’d modeled the integrity and ambition she’d admired in her father.

      Maddie desperately wanted to live up to the potential Jack saw in her. As his assistant she listened carefully, absorbing the information he’d given her. But after a year, she still kept to the background. When Jack questioned her as to why she didn’t share her ideas with the group, she told him honestly that she didn’t feel she’d earned the right to speak. What were her opinions compared to those with years of experience?

      The sound of laughter dragged her attention to the present. As always, Jack had opened the meeting with a joke. When the laughter died down, he officially introduced Colton to the group. Maddie didn’t miss the particularly warm reception the women gave him. Colton accepted it graciously, said a few words of greeting and sat down.

      “Now, on to the business at hand,” Jack said. “I received a call from Swanson Shoes last week. Old man Swanson is stepping down from leadership and his son Paul is taking his place. Swanson wanted me to know that Paul is considering dropping Cue and going with a new agency.”

      Jack paused while a worried buzz filled the room. “Paul thinks Swanson Shoes needs new blood to freshen up the company image. In deference to our long-standing friendship, Swanson has requested that Paul give us the opportunity to pitch a new campaign before he makes any changes. Paul agreed. I set a tentative meeting for Friday.”

      The buzz became a roar.

      Jack held up his hand for silence. “I know that doesn’t give us much time, but I believe the faster we get back to him, the more likely we are to retain the account. Once the news gets out that Swanson Shoes is up for grabs, agencies will swarm them. I don’t have to tell you that nobody wins in a frenzied bidding war.”

      Again he lifted his hands in a call to order. “I’m personally going to handle the new pitch and I’m going to ask Colton to work with me.”

      Colton smiled and nodded his acceptance to Jack, obviously pleased with the honor.

      “And Maddie, I’m looking for your input as well.”

      She’d known when Jack had given her the information last week that he wanted her opinion of the situation, but she’d never dreamed he wanted her on the account team. Though her stomach lurched with the weight of the responsibility, she, too, gave Jack a calm nod.

      The rest of the meeting passed in a blur. Maddie couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for the current cheap toy promotion their hamburger chain was offering. Her mind was locked on the idea that Swanson Shoes, one of their biggest, most lucrative accounts, was in jeopardy and she was on the team to save it. Even the honor of working side by side with Colton was of secondary importance.

      After Jack dismissed the meeting, he asked Colton and Maddie, along with the creative team, to stay. Maddie picked up her pad and pencil and relocated to the open chair at Jack’s left.

      When the room cleared, Jack said, “You both have had an opportunity to study the Swanson account. You’ve heard me say the new president, a thirty-two-year-old hotshot, is ready to replace us with new blood. What do you think we should do about it?”

      He turned to Maddie. “Ladies first.”

      She’d had plenty of time to prepare what she wanted to say, but when it came time to speak nerves blocked her throat. “I think—” Her voice was a croak. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. Twice.

      “I think it’s time to change the focus of the campaign. For the past twelve years we’ve sold Swanson Shoes as good value. We’ve concentrated almost exclusively on the price angle. Last week I researched the price of comparable children’s shoes in local stores and found that Swanson Shoes are expensive. I don’t have the exact numbers with me but Swanson Shoes are typically priced thirty percent higher than their competitors’ shoes.”

      Jack nodded and made a little humming sound of approval.

      Maddie continued with more confidence, careful to avoid looking at Colton so she wouldn’t get distracted. “I also noticed that while the prices were higher, so was the quality. Swanson Shoes were superior to every other shoe I compared them to. Through personal observation and questioning the sales people I found that the average Swanson Shoe customer is a double-income couple. I know money is important to everyone, but I think these customers would be motivated to buy a shoe for quality and construction. Even status.”

      Jack’s

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