Angela bit down nervously on her bottom lip. This was the one part that she dreaded the most. She enjoyed coming up with ideas for her clients concerning their products and collaborating with her staff and hearing their own ideas and input. But, this part could make or break the whole process. If the people in the next room gave negative reviews on any part of the commercial they would have to start over from square one. She truly disliked focus groups but also accepted the fact that they were a necessary part of the business.

She, Jack, and Mr Webster's secretary Nancy were all getting ready to find out what the group thought of the commercial. Mr Webster had planned on being there but had had a last minute business meeting that he couldn't get out of so he sent Nancy in his place. The three of them observed the group as they viewed the commercial. Angela watched them all especially close. She could almost always tell from their facial expressions whether or not they had enjoyed the commercial. This one left her anxious however. While no one looked bored they didn't look entertained either. Did they like it or didn't they? Well they were about to find out. Leading the group were two people that she had worked with numerous times in the past regarding focus groups. She was glad to see them both here today because she needed all the moral support she could get.

This current commercial was one of the easiest and yet hardest she had ever been involved in. The campaign was one of her most favorites she had ever had the pleasure of working on. She and her staff had brainstormed for days to come up with just the right feel and ambiance for the commercial. The only part that they hadn't had any influence or input on was the "Perfect Couple" since Mr Webster wanted to take care of that himself. Oh sure they had their own opinions on the matter. The Agency had been bombarded with 8x10 headshots and acting resumes from all sorts of aspiring models and actors and almost all of her staff wanted this one or this one or that one….. It nearly became a bet to see which couple Mr Webster would finally choose. To say they were dumbfounded when he chose Tony and Kathleen would be an understatement. After all they weren't actors and didn't have any acting experience-that they knew of at least. Of course there were some of them that had worked with Angela when she had been the President of Wallace and McQuade and remembered when Tony had been the Machismo Man. That had been a disaster especially when Tony had gotten a rash and the client revealed that he had known that a small percentage of the public could develop an allergic reaction to his product. To make matters worse he had tried to bribe Tony and Angela into not saying anything. At first they were tempted to keep quiet but eventually their good sense prevailed.

"Here we go Angela." Jack said. "Nervous?"

"Yes, these things always have me on edge. I mean what if they hate it? We've worked so hard."

"If they do we'll get through it. Come on Angela you're the best in the business, you have a terrific staff, and your creative director is; if I may say so top notch." Angela chuckled and shook her head.

That he is. I was so smart to hire him."

"And he was smart to take the job."

"Okay okay so you were both smart." Nancy rolled her eyes. She was a no nonsense woman who didn't go for joking around on the job. Angela and Jack just smiled at each other and redirected their focus on the task at hand.

"So what did you all think?" asked Larry one of the leaders.

"It sounds like a good product. My wife would love it." replied James who had been married for over thirty years.

"I liked the setting. It was really romantic." sighed Elizabeth one of the youngest members of the group.

"What about the rest of you? Did you enjoy the product and setting?" asked Cindy the other leader.

"Yeah, I did." answered another member named Bill.

"Me too." Olivia, another member chimed in.

"What about the couple themselves?"

Angela held her breath. While business Angela obviously hoped they liked Tony and Kathleen private/personal Angela hoped that they didn't. It wasn't something she was proud of but she couldn't help the way she felt about the situation. It had been torture watching them be all lovey-dovey in front of her and truth be told she really wasn't looking forward to more. However, if it came to that she would have to deal with it. This was her career after all and if they starred in more commercials then so be it. They were already rehearsing the second commercial but there were still some fine tuning to be done. So it was decided to have this focus group so they could have some idea/s on how to proceed.

"Well they're both good looking people but…." James trailed off.

"But what?" Larry asked.

"I just don't buy them as a couple." James shrugged.

"How do you mean?" Cindy asked jotting a note down on a pad of paper.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't see them as a romantic couple. I mean this is a commercial about a romantic three course meal and they just don't fit the bill."

"I agree." Elizabeth nodded.

"Yeah, there seems to be some awkwardness." Olivia put her two cents in.

"What if we told you they're not professional actors? Would that change your opinion?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. It just feels like their chemistry is off." Elizabeth stated.

"Yeah and the woman, I don't know if it was just me but it seemed like she was smirking a little?" Bill asked looking around the room. "I mean I'm no expert but I don't think she was supposed to be."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." James replied.

"Yeah, I mean if you are having a romantic meal with your significant other why would you be smirking?" Olivia wondered.

"And he seemed uncomfortable around her." Bill observed.

"I noticed that too!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Okay so what you all are saying is that you like the product and the commercial itself but not the actors?" Larry asked jotting down his own notes.

"Not together." Elizabeth replied.

"Would you still buy this product regardless of the actors?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, I would. It does seem like a good idea. I just need someone to share it with." Bill laughed softly.

"And as I said before my wife would love it so yeah I would probably buy it." James said.

"I would too." Olivia replied.

"Me too." Elizabeth said.

"Anything else? Any other comments or questions before we go?" Larry asked.

"Yeah, maybe get some other actors? I mean if you're planning on doing any more commercials the actors need to have that special chemistry." Olivia said.

"And these two certainly don't." Bill said.

"Otherwise it just defeats the purpose of the whole romantic meal thing." James replied.

"I agree. I mean I need to be convinced that this couple is truly in love. I know that they are just actors and not really in love but even in T.V. shows and movies actors make you feel like they are." Elizabeth stated.

"Good point." Olivia nodded.

Okay, anything else?" Cindy asked. Everyone shook their head.

"Well then thank you all for your input." Larry smiled.

"You're welcome." James replied.

'Happy to do it." Olivia said.

"Yeah, it was fun." Elizabeth smiled.

"I agree." Bill said as he put on his coat.

The four of them said their goodbyes and proceeded out the door. Angela, Jack, and Nancy watched them leave from their room.

"So they liked the product and the commercial itself but not the actors." Angela drew in a deep breath. She had no idea how to react. On the one hand she was pleased that they did like the product but had mixed feelings about their comments on Tony and Kathleen. Business Angela hated it but private/personal Angela couldn't help feeling a little giddy.

"Mr Webster will not be pleased with that. He was so happy that he had found his "perfect couple." Nancy said crisply. She sighed and continued. "And I get to be the one who tells him. Lucky me" She gathered up her belongings and left the room.

"So what are you going to say to Tony?" Jack asked curiously. He had spent enough time with them to figure out that they had a unique and complex relationship. In a way it felt like they could be a couple themselves. They had that couple vibe even though he was dating Kathleen.

Angela sighed. What was she going to say to Tony?! She looked over at Jack and said the only thing she could.

"I don't know. I just don't know."