Page 23 of Catalyst
“These are amazing. All I can think about is teaching little Nolan how to score a goal, and it’s making me want to go play,” Matthew finishes for me.
“I was thinking the exact same thing,” I add.
“Really? I love this campaign. It’s my favorite; although the next one is pretty great, as well,” Ellie says, flipping through the many drawings she’s done. When she lands on the next option for a campaign, I grin.
On the screen is a mom raccoon holding her baby raccoon as they watch the siblings play basketball. The next drawing shows the mom watching the baby imitate the older sibling as they attempt to dribble the basketball themselves. Their little tongue is even sticking out in adorable concentration.
“I have a few where the parents are teaching their only child how to play sports and even a few where a coach is teaching the team. I wanted to be as inclusive of all family types as I could get so that when we’re putting these on our website or running ads, they can be targeting all demographics.”
“It’s perfect. This is what I want our company to be focused on. We’re a family-run business. Even though our siblings and parents aren’t actively involved, we wouldn’t be here without their constant support. I want the world to see us the same way.”
Matthew nods his head in agreement. “Absolutely. We want to be viewed as an approachable company. As if our customers are just as much a part of our family as our siblings are, and vice versa. We want to be a part of your family, too. Especially as we move into professional sports. This will be the perfect thing to remind our base customers where our focus lies.”
“Let’s get these put together into a storyboard and send them to Linda. I want her to put together some ad copy for each graphic.”
“Already done. I can email them over to her today,” Ellie says.
“Thanks, Ellie. You did a great job with these.”
“Happy to help.” She gets her tablet cleaned up and heads back to her office, closing the door behind her. I don’t miss that she knew Matthew and I would need a couple of minutes alone to speak privately. It’s those little things that solidify my resolve to resist turning our relationship personal. I can’t risk losing her professionally.
“You’re going to test Linda’s reaction to these drawings, aren’t you?” Matthew asks.
“Yes. I need to know if she has the company’s best interests at heart or if she’s ready to move on from us. Repeating campaigns from years ago means she’s either lost touch with the market or what our company represents.”
“Neither of those options is great.”
“No, they aren’t. If she can still put together ad copy for these drawings, I’m happy to keep her around. If it falls flat, we might need to have a longer conversation.”
“I hate this part of our job.” Matthew sighs.
“So do I.”
After a heavy silence, Matthew finally speaks. “You know, I’ve always admired you, Adam. You’re the best big brother I could’ve asked for, and what you’ve done with this company is no less than astounding. But I have to say, if you don’t get out of your own damn way and make Ellie yours, you’re going to regret it. She understands you on a level I’ve never seen before. Not even Tessa gets you like Ellie does.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I contemplate Matthew’s words. “I don’t know how to be anything other than who I am, Matthew. I can’t just let go of the rules I’ve held on to since I started this company. I mean, she’s almost ten years younger than I am. She has her whole life ahead of her, and we both know she’ll get tired of the rigid way I live my life. Then what will happen?”
“You’re acting like you’re a teenager distracted by your hormones. You’re both plenty old enough to know what you want out of life. I can’t imagine that living the way you do is what you had in mind when you pictured your future. If something goes wrong between the two of you, you’ll deal with it like the adults you are and move forward. It’s that simple.”
“It’s not that simple, Matthew, and you know it.”
“Maybe not, but are you going to be okay living with the constant what if? What if it works out, and Ellie’s the one you were always meant to be with? What if you lose out on an epic opportunity because you’re too scared to take the leap? I don’t think I’d be able to live with those questions for the rest of my life.” Matthew stands and strides out of my office, leaving me with the silent echo of his words hanging in the air.
Is that really what’s happening to me? Am I holding back solely because I’m afraid of what will happen?
Yes. The answer is yes. I’m scared out of my mind that the perfectly crafted life I’ve made for myself will go up in smoke.
But what if that’s exactly what’s supposed to happen?
CHAPTER11
Ellie
No matterhow many times I walk into the gym, I will never get used to the smell. The pungent aroma of rubber mats and sweat is almost overwhelming. Eventually, my sense of smell goes numb, but those first ten minutes are rough.
“I’m still a little miffed that Chris stopped teaching his class,” Katie says as we find lockers to store our stuff.
“His wife just had a baby. I think it’s cool he’s taking paternity leave.”
