Kim didn't realize when the party stopped being an assignment and started feeling like her responsibility.
It happened somewhere between her third call to the caterer and the second spreadsheet she rebuilt from scratch because the first one suddenly felt wrong. Not like it was incorrect,Just wrong in that itchy way that made her chest tighten until she fixed it.
She had taken over the small conference room near reception, spreading her things across the table like she planned to camp there. Laptop open,notebook beside it, already filled with arrows and crossed-out notes. Her phone kept lighting up every few minutes.
"Hi, yes, this is Kim from Steele Enterprises."
Pause.
"No, Friday evening. The fifteenth."
Another pause, longer this time.
"Yes, I'll hold."
She muted the call and leaned back in her chair, eyes closed for three seconds. Not more than three seconds because if it was any longer , she knew she'd lose momentum.
