June’s face crumpled, pale and sallow under the harsh hospital lights. There were red half-moons under her eyes, as if she’d rubbed the skin there raw. Annika wondered what she looked like. She hadn’t even looked in a mirror when she’d used the bathroom, she’d been so desperate to be with her father every minute she could. Even sitting here drinking a coffee for ten minutes felt wrong. “Sweetie, no one expects you to do it. Not now. Not with your Daddy … the way he is.”

“June.” She looked at her best friend for a long moment, her brain addled. “June … he’s half the reason I created Make Up. Him and my mom.” Her voice wobbled on the word “mom,” but she kept going, refusing to think that she might potentially lose both her parents. “If I don’t do this pitch, I’ll lose it. I can’t lose so much all at the same time. I just can’t.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. She hadn’t realized she was crying. When had she started? Had she ever stopped?

June’s eyes filled with tears in response, her nose getting red. “Okay. Okay, babe. Then I’ll do the pitch. Okay? Let me do it. I’ve heard you practice it; I can probably pull it off.”

Annika shook her head. “No. That won’t work. I’m the one who knows it best. You haven’t practiced it once, and I’m the CEO. I’m the one who’s practiced it until I could recite it in my sleep, who has the passion for the business. That’s what they’re going to look for. They want to see that deep, personal connection. I have that, not you.” She took a sip of her coffee, exhausted by all the words she’d just spoken. Taking a deep breath, she added, “I’ll do it. I can do it. You can help me by staying here and looking after my dad.”

There was a long pause, during which June came around the table and pressed Annika to her. “Okay,” she whispered, kissing the side of Annika’s head. “You can do it. And I’ll support the hell out of you, however you want.”

Annika nodded and they sat there, hugging, crying, and holding vigil, through the night.

Dressed in a crisp black pantsuit and pearls back in her hotel room, Annika put everything out of her mind. She’d reluctantly left the hospital two hours ago, once her dad had been transferred to the ICU. June, the doctors, and nurses repeatedly reassured her that they would let her know the instant her father’s condition changed. Still, she’d placed a tender kiss on his broken cheek, promised him she’d be back as soon as possible, and made June vow not to leave his side except for biologically necessary functions.