“This one’s big. It’s a full-scale renovation of a luxury hotel chain—with properties across the globe.”
My heart stutters in my chest. Okay, I’ll admit it—that sounds incredible. Like an actual dream come true. I can already envision the designs, tailoring each hotel to fit its unique location. International work has always been on my bucket list.
“Wait, seriously?”
“Oh, now you’re interested,” he teases.
I grunt. “Okay, fine. Yes! I’m more than interested. That’s amazing! How on earth did you land me an interview?”
“It’s one of my old college buddies, Roman. He owns the hotels and is overseeing a full rebrand of the entire chain.”
Roman. The name’s familiar—I’ve heard Walker mention him plenty of times. I was always too young to tag along on his trips into the city, but Walker used to come home from college, full of stories.
We grew up just outside of the city, but my parents never brought me with them when they visited my brother in the city. I’ve barely spent any time in New York City. I’ve been there during some rare visits with Walker after I moved to Chicago.
“When is the interview?” I ask as excitement starts bubbling up and my thoughts race.
I need to pull my portfolio together—fast. This is earlier than I planned for an interview. I have to design mock-ups for the hotel rebrand and dive into research. There’s so much to do.
“Next week,” Walker says.
“Next week?” I scream into my phone. “Walker! That’s no time at all. How am I supposed to be ready by then?”
“I know it’s short notice,” he says gently, “but he wants to move quickly.”
I take a deep breath. I know I need to jump on this chance. I just have no clue how I’m going to make it happen in time.
“Come on,” he says. “You’re amazing at what you do. You’ll put something amazing together.”
“I don’t know,” I murmur. “That’s really soon. Can you send me his full name and hotel info so I can start researching?”
“Sure. I’ll text it to you as soon as we hang up. Not to freak you out, but he’s serious about his business. You being my sister means nothing to him. He’ll hire whoever he thinks is best for the job.”
“No pressure or anything,” I mutter. Not that I was expecting any special treatment, but the way he is describing Roman is a little intimidating.
He laughs. “I just wanted to be honest with you. You’ve got this. And even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll still walk away with a solid interview under your belt.”
“You’re right. It’s just … sooner than I thought. But I’ll make it work.” I pause. “Thanks for thinking of me. It means a lot that you put my name out there.”
“I did it because you’re talented, not because you’re my sister.”
I laugh under my breath.
“Okay, fine. Maybe a little bit of both,” he concedes.
“Either way, I’m grateful. I’ll get started on everything today.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will,” I promise. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
His text comes through just after we hang up.
Bertini Hotels
I forget how to breathe for a second. Bertini Hotels—one of the biggest luxury hotel chains in the world. This is more than just a job; it’s a career-defining opportunity. If I land this, there’s no doubt it could fund my business for years.
It would launch my name into the spotlight as a serious designer.