Chapter One
Chicago
It’s been one month since I moved back to Chicago. I’m living with my best friend from high school, Liv. Luckily, Liv has a two-bedroom condo and was willing to rent me the extra room until I find my own place. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the neighborhood. Her condo is on the Gold Coast, and I used to live in Lincoln Park, which has much more of a neighborhood feel. Turns out, though, that I like being close to downtown, and hopefully when I get a job, I’ll be able to walk to work. I’ve interviewed with two agencies so far and have my third one today with Hartman & Taylor. From what I’ve read, it’s the hot agency right now, so I applied. I also like that it’s a family-run business. Two cousins, Bill Hartman and Stephen Taylor, started it. Bill is the president/CEO and Stephen is the CFO, though from what I understand, he’s semiretired and more of a figurehead. Bill really runs the show. The position is an account director for a prestige European beauty brand that’s looking to expand distribution into the States through department stores and specialty beauty outlets. I’ve worked on high-end cosmetics brands in the past, so this is right in line with my experience and interests. I considered applying to L&C, where I worked before I moved to New York, but I want to make a fresh start. And frankly people know I left to be with Ben, and I don’t want them asking details about why I’m back.
“Good luck,” Liv yells as I walk out the door. “You look great,” she adds.
I’m wearing a charcoal-gray shift dress with a skinny belt, black patterned tights, and ankle boots. I accessorized with a mixed-chain layered necklace, simple drop earrings, and my silver Tiffany heart bracelet. It’s kind of like my good luck charm. I bought it for myself when I got my first job and wear it to important occasions. I’ve styled my hair down, but I’ve loosely pinned back my bangs, which are growing out. I wanted to go for a sophisticated look with a slight edge, and I think I’ve pulled it off. That’s one thing I love about this industry: You can wear clothes that express who you are. At my last agency, the creatives came to work wearing ratty, old T-shirts and ripped jeans. Not me—I always like to look put together. It’s not a vanity thing. To be honest, I consider my looks average or maybe a bit above. You’ve got to work with what you’ve got, so I’ve perfected doing my hair and makeup, and I’ve acquired a great wardrobe. It’s how you pull the whole package together that creates appeal.
I’m a bit nervous for the interview but feel a little better because I’ve done my homework. I Googled each of the people I’m meeting and checked their LinkedIn profiles. I head out, and make the fifteen-minute commute to Hartman & Taylor. Liv couldn’t believe I was walking in heels. After living in New York, I’ve become accustomed to it. I practically live in heels. At five three, I’ll take any extra height I can get. I arrive ten minutes early and give the receptionist my name. She tells me to take a seat and offers me something to drink. I accept a bottle of water and study the reception area. It’s got a modern, Zen-like vibe. The floors are white, and the walls are made of rich wood paneling. The reception desk is white with frosted glass, and a lone purple orchid sits in the middle of it. The Hartman & Taylor logo is etched into a frosted glass half wall behind the desk with a water feature flowing behind it. Tall floor vases filled with bamboo flank each side of the desk. To the right of the desk is a large plasma screen showing a reel of work, and to the left is a gallery of print ads that are displayed in various-sized white frames.
A door opens, and a middle-aged woman walks over to greet me. She introduces herself as Judy Schaefer from HR. I remember my dad once telling me you can tell someone’s character by the quality of his or her handshake, so I shake her hand firmly and smile, hoping to exude confidence. I follow Judy to her office, where she provides an overview of the position, benefits, and salary. She asks me a number of standard questions then runs through my interview schedule. I’m meeting with Morgan Hayes, executive director of account management, at nine; Simon Turner, group creative director, at ten; Michelle Adams, account executive, at eleven; and Jake Hartman, VP of business development, at eleven thirty. All were on my interview list but Jake Hartman. Although I didn’t research him specifically, his name came up a bunch of times. I believe he’s the nephew of Bill Hartman.
Judy leads me to Morgan’s spacious corner office. Morgan stands to greet me and I immediately feel intimidated. She dresses impeccably, wears her dark hair in a sleek bob, and offers me a perfectly manicured hand. It makes me glad I thought to get my nails done yesterday. Her face softens as she offers me a warm smile, which puts me at ease. She explains that the agency was just awarded the Lumineux account. They’re relatively unknown in the States, but it’s our job to make that change. The first assignment is to create a new campaign for their anti-aging skin-care line. She goes on to say that because this is a new piece of business, Hartman & Taylor isn’t fully staffed yet on the account. They’ve pulled various talent from within the agency, but they need a dedicated account lead with prestige experience, preferably someone from the outside who can offer a new perspective. Then she fires questions at me. I can tell she’s fair but tough. She asks about my background, my client relationships—including which level of clients I worked with—and how many direct reports I had. Then she lays out various scenarios and asks me how I would handle each. I think I do a good job answering her questions. I’m well prepared, and I anticipated most of them, so I’m able to weave in the examples I’d thought of beforehand.
“Well, Lexi, it sounds like you have great experience. Just one last question: What brings you to Chicago?” she asks curiously.
Of course I’d expected this question. “It was a dream of mine to live in New York. I’m so fortunate I pursued it and was able to make that dream a reality. It’s truly an amazing city, and I enjoyed my experience there, but Chicago is home. And for personal reasons, it seemed like a good time to come back.”
Satisfied, she nods. “Now do you have any questions for me?”
I ask her about her management style and her role in the day-to-day work, their expectations regarding revenue for the account, and the size of the team I’d be leading. We talk for a few more minutes, and then Judy knocks on the door.
“Well, thank you for coming in, Lexi,” Morgan says. “We’ll be in touch soon.”
“It was a real pleasure,” I tell her.
Judy leads me to Simon’s office. He looks me up and down, and I feel self-conscious under his intense gaze. As soon as Judy walks away, he says, “Thank God, someone who actually looks the part.” I smile at him questioningly. “This is for a prestige beauty brand,” he says. “We need someone the clients can relate to, not all the Forever 21s I’ve seen so far. You actually have a sophisticated sense of style.” I like him already. He asks me a bunch of questions, namely about my relationship with the creative team. I tell him I view it as a partnership because it’s very difficult to sell something if both parties aren’t aligned. I also tell him I’m very supportive of a team pushing the envelope and going off brief as long as it delivers what the client has asked for.
“In my experience you can’t successfully sell if you don’t first give the client what they requested,” I say. “It’s important to deliver what they asked for then show them how it can be even better. This builds trust and makes them more open to the idea rather than being defensive, because we’re essentially telling them they’re wrong.”
Simon nods and says, “I couldn’t agree more.” He asks me what some of my favorite campaigns are that I’ve worked on and why. I answer then ask him the same. Before I know it, Judy is back. Simon kisses both of my cheeks and says to Judy, “She’s a keeper.” I smile at him and say good-bye.
“Things seem to be going well,” she says. She leads to me a conference room where Michelle is waiting. She introduces us and says she’ll be back within a half hour. In the first few minutes of our conversation, I can tell that Michelle is a bright girl. We talk about her experience in her current role and what she’ll be doing on the account. She asks me about my management style, which achievements I’m most proud of, and how I’d go about establishing relationships with a new group of clients. She’s sharp, and we establish a good rapport. Soon the half hour is up, and Judy returns to take me to my final interview. “Mr. Hartman is finishing up a call,” she says. “I’ll take you on a brief tour of the office, and then we’ll see if he’s ready.” I thank Michelle for her time and follow Judy out.
“I know you weren’t originally scheduled to meet with Mr. Hartman, so I appreciate your being flexible. He travels a lot and happened to be in the office today, so I thought it would be good for the two of you to meet,” Judy says as she leads me around.
I find it interesting that she’s referred to everyone else on a first-name basis—either Jake prefers to be addressed formally, or she’s fearful of him, neither of which I take to be a good sign. Judy informs me Hartman & Taylor occupies five floors of the building, which they’re already outgrowing. She shows me the office where I’d be sitting, along with the conference rooms, kitchen, and brainstorming area, which takes up half the floor. It’s meant to inspire creativity with a Ping-Pong table, pool table, meeting area with cozy couches and a TV, a library with magazines and books for inspiration, a huge bulletin board, a chalkboard wall, and a small kitchen. Pretty standard for an agency, though when I used to show my friends where I worked, they couldn’t believe it. “This is what you do at work?” they’d exclaim. I always sensed they were skeptical that I actually worked hard. But I do. My career is very important to me. As we walk, Judy tells me there’s a bar downstairs, Taylor Tavern, where people often gather, though it is not endorsed by the agency.
We head to Jake’s office on the twenty-first floor. Judy introduces me to Joann Silver, his secretary.
“Is he ready?” she asks.
“Yes, go on in,” says Joann.
I push aside my nerves and attempt to walk confidently into Jake’s office. He’s sitting behind his desk but stands to greet me. I offer him my hand and hope he doesn’t hear my sharp intake of breath. He is gorgeous. He’s tall, at least six feet, with a nice build and broad shoulders. I take in his icy-blue eyes, sun-kissed skin, and short golden-brown hair that’s a bit longer on top with that perfectly imperfect messy look. He smiles and reveals a pair of dimples, causing the butterflies I just tamed to take flight once more, flapping their tiny wings insistently. I’m momentarily paralyzed, entranced by his good looks. Jake regards me with an amused expression, and I decide he has a sense of boyish charm about him. Even though he’s very attractive, he seems approachable, and I bet that’s a big factor in his success. I was expecting him to be older, but he looks to be in his late twenties. As he towers over me, I realize I misread Judy’s reaction. She’s likely not fearful of him; it’s just that his looks are disarming. I sit down and take a deep, steadying breath.
“Nice to meet you, Alexandra,” he says. “Thanks for meeting with me so last minute.”
I manage to regain my composure. “Please call me Lexi.” I see my résumé on his desk and try to make out the notes he’s written beneath the “Alexandra Paige Winters” masthead.
“So, Lexi,” he says, “why do you want to work for Hartman and Taylor? You’re obviously very accomplished, having worked at top agencies in Chicago and New York. What makes you interested in us?”
Wow, he doesn’t waste time for small talk. “You’re right,” I say. “I have worked at some of the top agencies. And it was an exhilarating experience to be a part of that success. But I’ve found that companies rely on the same formula to stay on top. They want to go with what’s tried and true, which makes them averse to risk. I want to be part of a culture that’s willing to try new things and learn from failure, push new and innovative ideas, and most of all, continually strive to be the best. I’m ready to take on a new challenge.”
He regards me intently with his blue eyes, beautiful and vast like the ocean, but what lies beneath is a mystery. I ponder how he can find a shirt in the exact same hue when he interrupts my thoughts. “So tell me about yourself.” Surprised by his change of tack, I pause. “I’ve read your résumé,” he says. “I have a good feel for your professional experience. Now I want to know more about you.”
“Well, I grew up in the northern suburbs and come from a close-knit family of five. I have two sisters, and even though I’m the middle child, somehow I’m the responsible one. I recently moved back here from New York, and I’m living with a close friend until I can find my own apartment. I love working with creative people, which is why I pursued a career in advertising. I thought I’d be a copywriter, but after a summer internship I decided I was a better fit on the account side. Plus I love trying to find a solution when one doesn’t seem possible. I get energized when the client delivers a challenging brief that allows us to work through new solutions to solve their business problems. That’s why I ultimately went into account management. It’s the best of both worlds: I get to manage the work and relationships but still take part in the creative process.” I hope I didn’t share too much, but he seems satisfied with my response.
“Where in New York did you live?”
“Murray Hill.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Yes, but this is home.”
“What do you miss the most?”
“You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but there was this great deli near my office that had the best soups. I went there practically every day.”
Jake looks amused, and I wish I’d thought of something wittier. Then he smirks and says, “You know, we have great delis here too.”
“None that I’ve found—not in the city at least.”
“What about Cahan’s?”
“I’ve heard it’s good, but I never went because it wasn’t near my office or apartment.”
“There’s this thing called delivery. You should try it sometime.” I laugh, and he does too. Then he tells me he also lived in New York for about six months, right after he graduated from college.
“Why did you live there for such a short time?”
“I moved there to be close to a girl I was dating, but things didn’t work out.” I’m pleased about this revelation, although I have no intention of telling him about our shared history. “Anyway,” he continues, “I always knew I’d come work here with my uncle, but she wanted to stay in New York, so we parted ways.”
“How did you know you wanted to work for your uncle?”
“I practically grew up here. My dad traveled frequently, so I think my uncle tried to make up for his shortcomings. He attended my sporting events and helped me with homework, advice, that sort of thing. I’d often come to the agency after school and watch him work. I picked up a lot, and as I got older, he started formally training me.”
“It must have been hard to go through high school without your dad around. What does he do?”
“He’s a business consultant. He often traveled abroad and was gone for long stretches.”
“Did it bother him that you wanted to work for your uncle?” I hope I’m not getting too personal, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“No, I think he was glad,” Jake says. “We never discussed it much, but he once told me he regretted not being around enough for the family. He encouraged me to do something I love but advised me to think about the long-term implications. When you’re in your late teens, you really don’t think about how your career might impact your family life.”
“That’s good advice,” I say. It makes me wonder whether he has a family, and I find myself hoping the answer is no. I look at his left hand and notice he isn’t wearing a ring. “It must be nice working for a family business. My parents actually work together,” I tell him.
“What do they do?”
“My dad is an architect, and my mom is an interior designer. His clients aren’t required to use her services, but many of them opt to. She has a great eye.”
“Why didn’t you go into the family business?”
“Believe me, I thought about it. My younger sister Tara probably will follow in my mom’s footsteps. But I wanted to do something I’m passionate about. If I had the skill, I’d have been a fashion designer. This is the next best thing.”
Just then Joann pokes her head into his office. “Mr. Hartman, your one o’clock is here.” Wow, it’s already one? It doesn’t seem like we’ve been talking for over an hour. Disappointment washes over me, and in that moment I resent Joann for the interruption.
Jake turns to me. “Do you have any further questions?”
“Just one. Would you still want to work here if it wasn’t your uncle’s company?”
He thinks for a minute. “This probably wouldn’t have been my first choice right out of college,” he says honestly. “But, if for some reason I did end up working here, I definitely would stay. It’s a great group of people. We have some solid blue-chip clients, and we’re growing. When I started here, the company had around a hundred and twenty-five employees. Now we employ more than five hundred and recently opened an office in San Francisco. I think there’s still plenty of room to grow. In fact we’re on a bit of a winning streak, and that brings momentum. It’s an exciting time to be at Hartman and Taylor.”
“Thank you so much for your time,” I tell him.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lexi,” he says, as he shakes my hand, letting his fingers linger a bit longer than necessary. Or perhaps it’s just my imagination. Then he offers me another heart-stopping smile before he turns his attention to the man waiting outside his door.
As I walk out of Jake’s office, I can’t help think that our conversation felt more like a first date than an interview. And for the first time since I walked out on Ben, I’m actually open to the possibility.