Chance accepted the good-luck wishes from his assistant Aurora with a slight frown, wondering if her uncharacteristic encouragement meant she perceived just how screwed he felt. He was about to make a marketing pitch to the top physician group in the Bay Area, and he wasn’t as prepared as he would have liked to have been. Having recently won prestigious industry awards and even being dubbed the ‘Marketing Boy Wonder’ by the San Francisco Business Monthly magazine, he had lofty expectations to meet. Chance knew that today, however, it wasn’t whether he’d fall short—it was a question of the degree to which he’d disappoint.

The head of Marketing, Maria, had given him three potential clients in as many weeks, and all had anticipated proposals within unreasonable time frames. He had landed the first two accounts, but he had felt confident about those. Chance had been able to give them decent attention, but that had been at the expense of focus on the physicians’ group campaign. Exacerbating the problem, he had just moved into a new house, and the little bit of oversight he’d provided the moving company had sucked up valuable time from his work.

Now as he walked to the boardroom, he felt like a man stumbling to a lethal injection. Maria had reminded him of the importance of this potential client when he had arrived to work. Knowing she would be furious if he failed to seal the deal with the prospect wasn’t bolstering his confidence any.

When he entered the meeting room, the only individual behaving like they were excited was Maria. She affected the charm and suck-up demeanor that she always had when potential clients were present. His boss shot him a proud smile, and Chance knew it was for the benefit of the physicians’ group members—not him.

“Gentlemen, this is our finest Marketing Campaign Manager, Chance Findley.” She beamed, pointing to Chance as if he would be invisible otherwise. “Or, as the San Francisco Business Monthly refers to him, the ‘Marketing Boy Wonder.’”

Chance grimaced. He had hoped the clients were unaware as it was not the time to set expectations even higher.

Chance employed a Maria tactic, attempting to turn on the charm to distract them from anything meaningful. He rushed to the two men who rose to shake hands, offering them his megawatt smile and effusive compliments about the work they did on the board.

Even before the introductions were made, Chance figured out which of the two men was the decision-maker—the doctor who towered at a few inches over six feet and was built like a linebacker. The man had neatly groomed jet-black hair, a head that was more squared than most and a suit that screamed custom-made. Maria introduced him as Dr. Kendall. Kendall squeezed Chance’s hand firmly enough that Chance knew it was more a gesture of dominance than cordiality. Dr. Kendall didn’t offer a smile, and his piercing gray-blue eyes added to his intimidating presence.

Chance was happy to turn his attention to the second man who also remained straight-faced, but at least appeared as nervous as Chance. He was introduced as Dr. Yeon.

Maria jumped into the conversation to babble more about the Marketing firm’s accomplishments and awards, but she began to falter when her boasting was met with Dr. Kendall’s disinterest and finger-tapping against the conference room table. She pivoted to a briefer, less demonstrative overview of Chance’s resume before handing the meeting to him.

Chance had been hoping the doctors would be professionals who knew little about the creative aspects of attracting donors, employees and patients. Maybe then, his less-than-stellar campaign would appeal to them enough that, given a little more time, he could enhance it to delight them with a final proposal. Instead, Kendall was eyeing Chance like he was the guy who’d walked into a formal gala wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. Yeon sat like a child at a dining table full of adult strangers, which Chance took as a sign that the doctor sensed his partner’s impatience.

Chance turned to his marketing display board, inhaling a deep breath when his back was turned to the group. He unveiled the unimpressive contents of his work, trying to add vibrance with his tone and on-the-fly commentary. As he continued speaking, flat-sides were becoming more apparent to him than when he had last reviewed the pitch in his overly tired state. He presented alternatives as he proceeded, as if that had been his intent all along—to give a base campaign and customize it as the doctors saw fit. Each time Chance looked back to the physicians, they had the same expressions and movements. Kendall appeared to be annoyed and Yeon fidgeted. Maria’s gaze signaled that Chance needed to right the ship, but he knew that was impossible since the campaign hadn’t been seaworthy to start.

When Chance finished, even he couldn’t pretend the presentation was satisfactory. He closed with a comment that it was customary for him to show a prospective client the bare bones of what was possible and that with a little more time, he would spin his magic to make the physician practice stand out in the marketplace.

Maria glared at him, messaging that she didn’t appreciate Chance’s lie about how they did business, but she played along. Donning a smile, she turned to the doctors and emphasized that Chance had wanted to get reactions to better understand what would meet their needs.

Dr. Kendall looked to his watch with irritation, then locked eyes with Maria. “My reaction is that I’ve wasted my morning, not to mention the money we put forward for this…presentation. I’m sure I was clear that I wanted to review a final proposal today.” He turned an icy stare to Chance. “If I wanted something bare bones, I would have said so. Unlike this firm, I mean what I say and I deliver accordingly.”

He rose from the table and Dr. Yeon stood, as well, casting apologetic glances to Maria and Chance.

“Dr. Kendall, you’re right,” Chance interjected. “I promise you that I can do better. In fact, just as I was speaking, I was formulating new ideas that I think would resonate very well in the marketplace. If you could give me a couple of additional days…”

Dr. Kendall shook his head. “There’s a conference I’ll be leaving the state for this afternoon. I won’t have time to give you a second chance.” He turned to Maria. “Your firm, and Mr. Findley in particular, came highly recommended. I will be honest with you. I cannot fathom why. To say that I’m unimpressed would be an understatement. Dr. Yeon and I met with one of your competitors yesterday to review their proposal. It wasn’t wonderful, but it was far better than this. It appears we’ll have to settle for it. You should know that I will suggest to others on the commerce board that they do business elsewhere.”

The doctors began to walk around the conference table, ignoring Chance and making their way to the door.

Maria scurried to their sides before they could exit. “I understand your disappointment. We have a strong reputation for a reason. This was unacceptable, and you have my deepest apologies. Of course, we’ll refund the money.”

Dr. Kendall looked down on her like she was an irritating dog that had just lifted its leg in the doctor’s direction. “That is the least you can do. I appreciate the apology, but it doesn’t change the fact that you wasted my valuable time.” He shot a disapproving look back at Chance, then returned his gaze to Maria. “Perhaps you shouldn’t rely on a ‘boy wonder’ to do an adult’s job. Thank you for informing me of the magazine’s misplaced accolades. I’ll make it a point to write a rebuttal opinion detailing my experience. I’m quite sure, with my prominence in the community, the Business Monthly will provide space for it on their comments-to-the-editor page. We’ll see ourselves out.”

Maria turned to stare down Chance once the doctors filed out.

“Maria, I’m so sorry,” Chance mumbled. “I know this account was important to you…”

“It was important to the firm, Chance,” she snapped. “Dr. Kendall was not overstating his importance. We would have been better off never making a pitch to him than the garbage you slung this morning. Now he’ll tear us apart with the community. What were you thinking? This wasn’t anywhere near ready to present.”

Chance sighed, scratching his neck with nervous energy. “I know it wasn’t my usual quality. Maria, you gave me too much to do in a short period of time.”

“Great accountability,” Maria barked back. “When it comes to annual compensation, you point out that you’re my top producer. If you want the money, then don’t complain when you have tight deadlines and blame me for your failure. When I was in your shoes, I had time pressures far more aggressive than this. And you know what, Chance? I delivered.”

Chance refrained from rolling his eyes. He had heard from several colleagues that had worked with Maria through the years that she was far less accomplished than she bragged. She had risen to her level because what she lacked in talent she made up for with hard work, tenacity and an abundance of ass-kissing.

“I won us the other two accounts,” Chance reminded her sheepishly.

Instead of pacifying Maria, Chance’s comment inflamed her. “So what? You think that means you can just blow off the third one? I don’t pay you to work two-thirds of a week, Chance.”

Chance started to anger. “Maria, I’ve always put in far more hours than a standard work week. You know that. I’ve been busting my butt for this firm for the last two years. You knew I was moving this past week, too. I told you in advance that I would need some time and you still saddled me with three prospects.”

Maria was unmoved. “So, what you’re confessing is that your personal life interfered with your obligations to the firm. Noted, Chance.”

Chance wiped a hand over his face, beginning to sweat. He wished his boss didn’t see that. “Maria, with all due respect, I think you’re being unfair. Despite the move, I still put in well over seventy hours this past week. I do have matters that need attention, too. I’m human. And unlike my peers, I don’t have a partner at home to help me with those personal needs.”

“That’s not my problem,” Maria snipped. “Did you think the job came with a mail-order bride? It’s up to you to find a way. I always did and I’ve never married.” Chance wondered if that had been her choice. It was hard to imagine anyone dealing with her. Maria took a deep breath, then wiped her hands down her hips. “But since you’re complaining that you feel burned out, perhaps you should take the next two or three weeks off. You’ve banked enough vacation time. It will give me a chance to better assess some of the talent on our team that you’ve overshadowed.”

Chance swallowed, blinking. “Are you suggesting you’re seeing if they could take my place?”

Maria’s face softened only a fraction. “I didn’t say that. I said, take some time off. You’re accusing me of overworking you. So I’m telling you to recuperate. When you come back, I’ll expect better from you.”

“Maria, I don’t need two or three weeks,” Chance protested, still worried that Maria was planning to test others to see if they could take on more of the opportunities that came to the firm, which would impede his bonus-earnings. He had just dropped down more than two million dollars on his new house, and it wasn’t the time to see a reduction in his salary.

Maria crossed her arms in anger. “First you say I’m driving you too hard. Then you bitch about me giving you time off. Chance, do not come to work for the next three weeks. You always lose vacation at the end of the year. Use some of it instead to get your house in order, or whatever it is you need to do. We’ll manage without you.”

Maria stormed from the board room, leaving Chance wondering if her last words applied only to the time he’d be away.