Page 6 of The Comeback Summer

“I sure hope so,” the woman says, a slight Southern drawl in her high-pitched voice. “My name is Lou—”

“Short for Louise, not Loser,” Hannah says.

Our visitor laughs and gives Hannah a megawatt smile. “So, you’ve heard my podcast?”

“And your TED talk,” Hannah says, blushing. I look between the two of them, confused. My sister doesn’t blush.

“That’s actually why I’m here,” Lou says, her voice dropping an octave. She places her hand on the back of a chair and looks at me. “May I?”

I nod, still trying to wrap my head around what is happening. And where the hell Scott is.

As if on cue, he walks down the hallway holding two Starbucks cups. He does a double take, his eyes going wide as he watches Lou sit down. Then he slips into the room, heading straight for her, a guilty grin on his face.

“What are you doing in here?” he asks Lou under his breath, his smile never fading.

“You two know each other?” I ask.

“Who doesn’t know Lou?” Scott says. “Short for Louise, not Loser.”

The three of them laugh like they’re on the inside of a joke I’m clearly on the outside of.

“She was supposed to be waiting in the lobby while I grabbed the two of us Blonde Americanos,” Scott says, then turns to Lou. “I told you the sisters were in a very important meeting.”

“They are now,” Lou says. She folds her hands in front of her and looks at Hannah and me, ready for business. “My TED talk, ‘Crushing Your Comfort Zone,’ is about to reach ten million views.”

“Lou’s work has revolutionized the self-help industry,” Hannah says to me, jumping in. “Her first book was on theNew York Timesbestseller list for, like, a year—”

“Sixty-two weeks, actually,” Lou says.

“And her podcast has a massive following!” Hannah looks more excited than I’ve seen her since she got her double-walled vacuum-sealed water bottle.

“My podcast is just a launchpad for the real work I want to do,” Lou says. “I have an entire product line coming out next summer: a new book, a guided journal, exclusive webinars, and a shit ton of merchandise. It has the potential to be big—but only if it’s done right. Right?”

“Right,” I say uncertainly. Lou’s smile confirms that this is the correct answer. “But... what exactly is your program?”

“Glad you asked.” Lou stands and moves to the head of our table. “Did you know less than two percent of people ever reach their full potential? The vast majority of human beings on this planet are living a sub-potential life. And do you know why?”

I’m about to throw out some ideas (poverty, repressive government regimes, lack of affordable housing) but Lou keeps going.

“Fear,” she says, letting the word hang in the air. “We’re afraid to grow, because growing requires us to leave behind our small, comfortable lives and step into the unknown.”

She continues, describing what she calls a “comfort zone,” a metaphorical safe space that stems from early life experiences.

“Everyone talks about stepping outside their comfort zone,” Lou says, “and they might do it for a while—dillydally like a tourist seeing the sights—but as soon as something scary happens, they step right back in.” She shakes her head sadly before fixing her sparkling brown eyes on me, then Hannah. “That’s why it’s not enough to simply leave our comfort zones. We have tocrushthem!”

Lou slams her hand on the table, making the rest of us jump. I’m officially under her spell, listening as she describes her proprietary questionnaire that determines exactly what type of comfort zone her client is stuck in. The data is analyzed by a team of experts who develop a personalized twelve-week challenge to crush the client’s comfort zone and help them achieve their true potential.

“This could be even bigger than my last book,” Lou says,“which is why I’m looking for a PR firm to help manage everything from the reveal to the rollout. I’d prefer something woman-owned—”

“We’re women,” I say, hoping this comes across as charming and not desperate. I don’t have to understand math to know that this woman’s business could be the answer we’re looking for.

Lou’s smile grows, and for one shining moment, I feel like we have a fighting chance to save the Freedman Group.

“You should be aware that I’m talking to a few other firms,” Lou says, and I deflate the tiniest bit. “But I like you ladies. You’ve got chutzpah. And I’m looking for a team that isn’t afraid to bust their asses.”

“We’re not afraid,” I say, even though I am a teeny bit afraid.

“Good, because in addition to the standard proposal materials—my public relations partners must agree to one crucial thing.”

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