Emily hurried down the damp sidewalk, squinting against the beams of sun that pierced through the branches of the trees in brilliant, gold-green shards. She’d been positive she’d given herself more than enough time to get to her meeting, but hadn’t thought to figure in finding a parking spot. As such, she was already almost ten minutes late and fighting valiantly against outright panic. The last thing she wanted to do was send herself face-first into the pavement by tripping over her own feet, so she forced herself to limit her speed to a fast walk rather than an open run.

Finally, she made it to the inviting shade of the awning over the restaurant’s entryway. She took a deep and calming breath, quickly checking her reflection in the windows. When she was satisfied she didn’t look too much like a crazed banshee, she went in.

Jane: “How many today?”
Emily: “I’m supposed to be meeting someone; the reservation is under Andy Stone.”
Jane: “Yes, of course. Follow me, please.”

The hostess turned sharply and began walking through the main dining room. Emily followed, beginning to feel both extremely poor and very underdressed, despite having spent over an hour agonizing over which of her few ‘nice’ outfits she would wear. By the time she’d been led to a very secluded table in what had to have been the most isolated part of the restaurant, she felt completely out of her league.

When she saw Andy Stone stand up as the hostess turned to leave, her panic came out in full force.

Andy: “Emily… do you mind if I call you that?”
Emily: “I’m so sorry I’m late, Mr. Stone! I thought I’d given myself enough time, but I managed to make a wrong turn at one point, which would have been fine, but there was nowhere to park, so I ended up-"
Andy: “Emily, it’s perfectly OK! I was just worried something had happened to you. Please, have a seat and relax. I took the liberty of ordering us an appetizer, which should be out at any moment.”

Emily sat down, hoping Andy wouldn’t notice how badly her hands were shaking.

Andy: “I hope you like bruschetta; it’s nothing fancy, but it’s good for starters.”
Emily: “I do, actually. Mr. Stone—"
Andy: “Please, call me Andy.”
Emily: “Andy, I’m really very sorry for being so late. I hate to make such a horrible first impression.”
Andy: “I’d hardly say you made a horrible first impression; quite the opposite, in fact. Now, take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and we’ll start fresh.”

She felt herself first start to smile, and then laugh as she began to regain control.

Emily: “I swear I’m not always such a spaz, I’ve just had such an overwhelming couple of days so I’m feeling a bit disoriented. Plus, you’re offering me a tremendous opportunity, and I don’t want to jinx that.”
Andy: "Emily, I sincerely doubt there’s anything you could do to jinx this. You're amazing at what you do. You have a unique talent unlike anything I’ve ever seen before; believe me when I say that I can help you make your dreams come true if you’ll let me."
Emily: “I have no idea what to say. It’s all so unreal.”
Andy: “No, it’s real; I’ve got the paperwork to prove it. We can talk about the details over lunch, then spend time afterwards getting everything fine tuned. For right now, we should probably pick out something to eat.”

Emily’s smile, which had been settling in nicely, was once again scared off as her eyes drifted over the menu. At first she thought she’d been given a dinner menu by mistake, but the word ‘Lunch,’ written in a large and rustic font across the black leather cover, said otherwise. The steaming plate of bruschetta which had just been placed on the table cost nearly half as much as money as she’d been able to bring with her, instantly putting everything else on the menu even further out of her price range.

Andy: “Is something wrong?”
Emily: “I, um… it’s that overwhelmed thing again.”
Andy: “Everything looks good, doesn’t it? I’m partial to the Cozze Affumicati, but the Mezzaluna di Zucca is a close second.”

Emily bit her lower lip mindlessly, going over the menu again and trying to keep up an outward appearance of calm.

Andy: “I did make it clear that lunch is on me today, right?”
Emily: “You really don’t have to do that!”
Andy: “Who said anything about have to? I want to. And I want you to order whatever you’d like, not just the most inexpensive thing on the menu.”
Emily: “What if what I want to order just happens to be the least expensive thing?”

Andy’s smile widened, and Emily felt herself truly beginning to settle down.

Andy: “You can get whatever you want.”
Emily: “The Plin looks good, and more filling than the house salad.”

A waiter seemed to appear out of thin air, summoned by some invisible gesture from Andy. After their orders were placed, the waiter vanished back into the ether he’d been summoned from.

Emily: “So how is this whole thing going to work with the studio?”
Andy: “I’ve worked out a similar arrangement for you that I gave to Mary. You’ll be leasing the space from me, and the creative part of it is all yours. I’ll take care of the business end of things, like advertising and financing. Occasionally I’ll have projects I’ll want you for, but you’ll never have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Basically, I'm giving you free run of the photo studio; if you need anything, regardless of cost, just ask for it and it’s yours. In return, you’ll be paying me a monthly lease on the space as well as a small percentage of your profits.”
Emily: “It sounds almost too good to be true.”
Andy: “I could always demand your immortal soul if it would make you feel more comfortable, but I have a pretty big collection of them already. Plus, yours suits you very well I think.”

Emily stared in shocked disbelief for a second before she began to laugh. Until that point, she’d been unable to see Andy as anything other than a typical, overachieving businessman, a two-dimensional caricature. At that moment, she was beginning to see him as a human being, a unique individual.

The rest of the meal was spent going over the details of the contracts, as well as occasional derailments to discuss art, music, and where to get the best pizza in Deception Pass. Slowly, minute by minute, Emily felt her guard coming down. Andy seemed so sincere, like he was really interested in what she had to say even if the topics at hand meant almost nothing at all. Before she knew it, lunch had been eaten, paperwork had been signed, and the meeting was coming to a close.

Emily: “Thank you again so much, for everything.”
Andy: “You’re very welcome. There’s one more bit of business I wanted to mention before you go. I’ve already got a potential job lined up for you in the next week or so, a little something to get you up and running. I have to finalize a few more details, but I’ll be in touch with you in the next few days with all the information you’ll need. I think you’ll be very excited about the project.”
Emily: “That sounds great; I’m looking forward to it.”
Andy: “Finally, the very last thing before this meeting is officially over…”

Emily leaned slightly forward, curious, as Andy reached into a briefcase on the seat beside him. After a few seconds, he’d placed something on the table and pushed it across to her.

Andy: “The keys to your new studio. You’re welcome to check it out whenever you’d like.”
Emily: “I think I’m going to cry. This is so amazing, seriously.”
Andy: “I want you to let me know right away if there’s anything you need. Unfortunately, I’ve got to get going to another, far less pleasant meeting. Can I walk you to your car?”
Emily: “I’d be delighted.”