That’s a thing?

“You want me to explain my whole reporting strategy to them? They aren’t going to understand if I get that granular,” I say, trying to pass the buck.

She steamrolls on: “So show them; don’t tell them. This isn’t about explaining the nuts and bolts, Charlotte. I just want them to see firsthand what the woman behind the data looks like. I want them to know we don’t just use a third-party software, we don’t just outsource it to a foreign country. No, we have our very own Bethenny Frankel of the influencer space sitting right here in our office!” She taps the top of her custom-built desk twice with her pointer finger and her dangly jewelry clanks together like percussion.

The Bethenny Frankel of the influencer space? I’m not so sure that’s the best way to describe what I do, but I’m happy to take it as the compliment I think she means it to be.

Zareen resumes circling around me like a shark. Following her with my eyes as she moves side to side makes my vertigo flare up.

“I have no doubt that you’re going to help us bring home this business,” she says, giving my shoulders another squeeze to drive home the point. “And when they sign, you know what that means.”

She’s hinting at opening a New York City office, a second headquarters located near Voyager’s offices so we can slowly but surely take over the East Coast influencer world. She probably thinks I’m open to relocating since that’s where I’m from; I could be closer to my family. But being closer to my family means I couldn’t hack it in LA after all. It means that room they’ve been preserving might actually be needed. Besides, is there a professional way to tell your boss that if you didn’t choose to go home after your husband she never knew existed died, then what other motivating factor—personal, professional, or otherwise—could there be for a cross-country move at this point?

“Or I guess I could also have our Marigold come to the dinner in your place if you can’t make it. This may be a good opportunity for her to show me exactly what she has in mind come the fall when I’m ready to staff up.”

“Marigold is interested in account management,” I announce as if I’ve ever talked to the girl longer than thirty seconds.

“Is she? Because I heard she’s taken a liking to analyzing your reports in her spare time. Even tried her hand at making an influencer list for a small event last week. Wasn’t half-bad, actually.”

This is news to me. And whether there’s any truth to this or Zareen is just trying to ruffle my feathers, the thought of someone else encroaching on my safe place is enough to make me concede. Knowing how much our office resembles a Real World house right now (“seven interns, picked to work in an office for the summer”), I can’t risk Zareen thinking I’m not a team player. If something goes wrong at the dinner tomorrow, Zareen will need me to step in and save it.