Kasie's flight back to Denmark felt like a blur. Tired out by a hectic pace and sleepless nights in Paris, she was looking forward to returning to her daily life. As much as she had tried to avoid it, Paris had gotten under her skin—both the city and her complicated, frustrating, yet somehow fascinating colleague.
Jake had been quieter during the return journey, likely drained by the constant meetings and discussions they'd had. For the first time in days, Kasie didn't feel the urge to argue with him. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe it was the lingering question of whether he had been right about their pitch all along.
Whatever, the flight was a grateful respite from the mayhem. Kasie didn't say much during the ride, zoning out in her seat and focusing on the tasks that awaited her back at the office.
But even though the city lights of Paris had faded behind them, the thoughts of Jake—his insights, his carefree demeanor—stayed with her. However, she could not help but sense that something had changed between them. It was only slightly so, but it was more than enough to put her on the spot.
The plane descended relatively quietly and the touch of Kasie's feet and the sound of her own breathing eased her to breathe normally again when they stepped off the plane. They were back in familiar territory now.
However, there was a perpetually felt aspect of transformation between them.
Kasie experienced both similarity and difference in the office the following morning. Same white walls, same fluorescent lights, same hurried conversations happening around her. The constant drone of the office was a soothing sound.
But something had shifted. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it was Jake, who was now a fixture in her daily routine. Perhaps it was her own developing viewpoint that had expanded over the previous seven days. Either way, the energy was different.
It wasn't that she liked Jake any more than she had before. However, she had to confess, rather grudgingly, that his way of thinking had led her to think about things in a different way. He wasn't just some carefree guy who got by on charm. He had depth. And that realization—despite how hard it was to admit—was enough to make her take a second look at him.
As soon as Kasie found a place to sit back in her desk, Jake pulled her chair to sit beside hers and, as always, seemingly effortlessly so.
Welcome back," he said in the same, easygoing, confident manner. "You survive the flight?"
Kasie quickly noted him, while trying to keep his effortless demeanor from swirling around her raw edges. "I survived. Not sure about you, though. You've been unusually quiet."
Jake shrugged, tapping a pen against his fingers. "Just had a lot on my mind, that's all. But hey, we're back in Denmark now, right? Time to get back to business."
She nodded and looked down at a pile of papers on her desk. "Right. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."
Jake stopped for a second as if checking something and then began to talk again. Just a quick walk-through of the presentation prior to the main pitch, I think we should do this," etc. Just to be sure we're both working with the same data set.
Kasie stared at him, surprised. Normally, Jake was all about last-minute winging it. This... this was different. Was he actually suggesting they prepare more thoroughly?
Of course," she replied, her voice betraying nothing of her shock. "I think that's a good idea."
They spent the next hour in her office, going over their presentation, tweaking a few slides, adjusting the wording of their pitch, and reworking some of the data they'd gathered. Jake, for all his laid-back attitude, had a knack for picking out the details that Kasie had missed. He was not lost in the details, but he grasped the big picture, moving beyond it in a surprisingly powerful way.
"See, it's not just about what you present, Jake said as they worked through a tricky section. "It's about how you make them feel. People don't remember the numbers. They remember the story."
Kasie couldn't argue with that. He had a point. Her mind had always been focused on the data, the facts, the precise wording of every slide. She'd never really given much thought to the emotional impact of a presentation.
But Jake had a way of bringing that out in the most unexpected moments. He wasn't just feeding the suggestions; he was demanding thinking that went beyond the obvious. Kasie found herself paying more attention, absorbing his descriptions while she prepared the slides.
It felt... new. And oddly refreshing.
By the end of the day, they had a presentation that felt more polished, more cohesive. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. Kasie had no choice but to admit she felt much more [sic] certain about it than she would have half an hour earlier.
"Not bad for a couple of workaholics, huh? Jake said, giving her a playful nudge as they both sat back in their chairs.
Kasie rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You may actually be onto something. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... thanks."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You're thanking me?"
Don't get used to it," she blurted, her grin vanished just as it had come. Still I'm the one taking the brunt of the work going on here.
Jake grinned, unbothered. "Sure, sure. But you did let me help. I'm counting that as a win."
Kasie couldn't suppress a laugh at his audacity. He was impossible.
However, when they went their separate ways at the end of the day, Kasie felt something change about her perception of Jake. He wasn't just the charming, laid-back guy who irritated her to no end. He was clever, capable and, as painful as it was to confess, a useful colleague in the task they were trying to accomplish.
She might not have liked him, but she had to give him credit where it was due.