Chapter 15 - The Pitch
Claire's big pitch was the Friday after the deposition. She was in Atlanta, pitching a fifty-million-dollar mixed-use development to a group of investors. I watched from Charlotte — she'd promised to call as soon as it was over.
At four o'clock, my phone rang.
"We got it," she said. Her voice was shaking. "Dan, we got it. They loved it. They said it was the best pitch they'd seen in ten years. I'm — I'm going to be running the whole project. VP of Marketing, and now I'm leading the biggest deal in the firm's history."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Claire, that's incredible. I'm so proud of you."
"Dan — I used my own name. On the pitch deck. On the credits. Every slide. I didn't let anyone else take credit. Not this time."
I closed my eyes. "Good. That's good."
"I'm flying home tonight. Let's celebrate. Just the two of us. The kids can stay with your mom."
"I'd like that," I said.
That night, we went to the restaurant where we'd had our first date — a little Italian place in Dilworth. We ordered too much food. We drank a bottle of wine. We talked about the kids, about the deal, about the future.
"Dan," Claire said, halfway through dessert, "I've been thinking. About the commute. About Atlanta. I don't want to do this forever. I want to be home. With you. With the kids."
I took her hand. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying — I want to start something. My own firm. A marketing agency for real estate developers. I've got the contacts. I've got the reputation. I've got the biggest deal in Atlanta as a calling card. Dan, I want to come home. And I want you to be my partner."
I stared at her. "You want to start a company. With me."
"With you. You know the business. You know the people. And Dan — we work well together. When we're actually working together. Not hiding things from each other. Not keeping secrets."
I thought about it. Cole & Associates was doing fine. Marcus could run it. I could step back — not to hide, but to build something new. Something with Claire.
"I'm in," I said. "But we're doing it differently. No secrets. No hiding. No assuming the other person can handle it. We talk. We decide together. Deal?"
"Deal," she said. She raised her glass. "To Bennett & Cole. Marketing and development strategy. Coming soon to a city near you."
I clinked my glass against hers. And for the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe.
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