Where was Sam?

A room full of shareholders regarded her, all full of expectation, all waiting for Ali to speak.

High on coffee because she'd stayed up until the wee hours of the morning practicing her pitch, Ali forced her hand to stop shaking as she loaded up her presentation. Last night her mother was her audience as she obsessed over each point, paced the strategy for maximum effect. By the time she crawled into bed, she didn't need to reference her notes anymore–she knew it all by heart. Ready to take back her family's company.

Her eyes drifted to the door, willing it to open. Sam was late. He'd texted from the limo, a backlog at the airport kept his plane stuck in the crush of those trying to land. On his way now, his car sped towards her. She hoped he would be here, see her present to the board, watch her win this final battle against Jack. But she couldn't delay any longer.

With a steadying breath, she surveyed the Stinson Studios boardroom. Every seat around the giant mahogany table occupied, the spare ones along two long walls as well, each shareholder of the company assessing her. At the head of the table sat Spencer in his position of chairman of the meeting. Her mother on his right, both giving her looks of encouragement. Jack, who had just finished presenting his pitch to the group, sat on Spencer's other side, the power position.

Spencer cleared his throat. "Next up, Ms. Stinson will present her vision of the future of Stinson Studios."

Ali had to admit Jack would be a hard act to follow, his strategy impressive. Her ex-husband took nothing for granted today, bringing his a-game and a sleek plan for increasing the profits of the people in this room. And Ali wasn't fool enough to be believe profits weren't the number one concern of this group. Sure, everyone raved about the long-standing tradition of Stinson Studios, the fine craftmanship, the weight the blue-blooded name brought to the marketplace. But make no mistake, if it hurt their bottom line, these people would cut the company down without a second thought.

"Is there a deck for this one too?" squawked the metal grey speaker in the middle of the desk.

Jack took control, jumping in. "Yes. It's the other attachment in the email Spencer sent. Do you see it?"

Jack's vision for her family's company focused on cutting costs at the expense of the product. By swapping expensive materials, including the very wood Stinson Studios prided itself on using, for cheaper options like plastic, they could eventually turn the furniture out in a quicker assembly-line approach. Eventually staff would be reduced as the individuals with the largest salaries, the artists, were no longer required, their skill of no use. Profits would rise with fewer people and a reduced cost of doing business.

Ali watched the shareholders eat up his presentation, practically salivate at the projected profits Jack flashed in big, bold numbers on the wide-screen TV behind him. For a moment butterflies swirled in her stomach, doubting her plan had enough to offer these money-obsessed people. At that moment, she would have liked Sam's hand to hold, to feel the surety of his presence. Then Jack broke the one hitch in his plan. All this change wouldn't happen overnight. Profits would take a while to be realized. Even worse, the strategy required an initial influx of cash to buy and set up machinery to replace the hand-tooled process currently in place.

This caused a rumble to roll through the room of stakeholders. They didn't like having to pony up money, preferring to rake it in.

The speaker on the phone piped up again, "Oh, I see it. Thanks."

Time for her to shine. To prove an alternative existed to Jack's bold modernization, offer a way forward for the company, which included fresh ideas but retain the ideals the company had upheld for a century.

"Great. If everyone is ready, let me show you how I plan to start a new chapter for Stinson Studios that builds upon it's past, maintains the superior standards we are known for and will make our company a household name, all with no disruptions to your dividends." The butterflies settled as the eyes in the room widened at her opening volley. She had their attention.

"Our temporary CEO Mr. Blackhorne has a vision based on undercutting the core values of Stinson Studio–handcrafted, unique items that stand the test of time and coveted by premium consumers. This is one way to go. I've done my research as well, and I can't deny his strategy may lead to gains." Ali watched Jack lean forward at her words, not expecting the compliment.

"I propose the opposite."

With a press of the button on the clicker in her hand, the screen behind Ali came to life. Sure to make eye contact with each person in the group before her, Ali launched into her sales pitch. "I've negotiated limited contacts with The Marino Group, proprietors of over 150 five-star resorts worldwide to showcase our furniture in their luxury suites." Behind her, the screen flipped through picture after picture of the properties Brenda and her husband owned. "Each location will transform at least one Stinson Studio furnished room into a prestigious experience featuring our hand-crafted designs. In addition, other common areas such as the bar and premium restaurant will house items, all with the goal of bringing Stinson Studio's out of the limited California market into the unlimited global stage. Imagine our tables gracing the entryways of luxury locations in Milan, Paris, Tokyo and Dubai."

A few nods in the room caused Ali's heart rate to increase. This might work.

"However, we won't stop there. Using my extensive network, I've entered into an agreement with the hottest new fashion designer Jonathon Sparks." The name drop of her friend did not have the desired affect. Blank stares regarded her. Ali had to pivot. "He's very popular with the Hollywood crowd. Perhaps you remember the striking red dress Leyla wore to the Oscar's this year?" That got smiles and head nods in the room and an "Oh yeah," from the phone. Leyla and her husband Asher Menken were the it couple of the year at the awards and the a-symmetrical gown Jonathan created for her was the talk of the evening. "All Jonathon's doing. He is in great demand, both on and off the red carpet."

Another click of the button and a slide full of potential furniture designs filled the screen. "He recently spent an afternoon with our head designer, Lester, and as you can see, they've come up with some exciting options to breathe new life into our traditional lines. And the relationship with Mr. Sparks goes beyond a design collaboration. Photo shoots with his clothing will feature our furniture and with his connections we can find roads to include our items on movie and tv sets. When the Mini Cooper was featured in 'The Italian Job', the cars saw a 22% increase in sales that year alone. Think Dr. Dre Beats headphones. Anyone buy a pair for their kids?" More nods. "Product placement and celebrity endorsements can be a sizeable area for our company. Let's dive deeper into my projected profits."

The hard part was over. Now it was down to letting the numbers do the talking. Ali walked the group through her projects, demonstrating the little monetary spend needed to implement her changes and the immediate financial rewards. She had just opened the floor to questions when there was a knock at the door.

Sam was here at last.

Jack jumped up and opened the boardroom door a crack. But there wasn't a blond hunk with green eyes on the other side. Instead, it was Nora, the receptionist.

"How long for the renovations on the Marino properties?"

Ali tried to concentrate on the question, but she couldn't quite take her eyes off Nora and Jack, a chill running up her spine. The receptionist leaned in whispered something in Jack's ear. With a nod, Jack tried to close the door again.

"Within the next six- "

"No!" Nora barked, pushing against the door. "Ali, you need to take this call. It's Sam's mother."

The air suddenly seemed thin. Ali placed a hand on the table to steady herself, searching the room for someone to explain. Nora called Ali's name again before delivering the sentence that pierced her heart. "There's been an accident."

The world around Ali seemed to melt away until it was only a dot down a very long tunnel. The dot disappeared and everything went black.

Hi Everyone. DL Croisette here. So... what do you think of Ali's proposal?

Are you surprised she asked for help from her friends?

Remember back in book one when  Ali had trouble asking Brenda for a ride to the resort. Our girl certainly has come a long way.

And what's going on with Sam???