CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Turn off the lights!" Susan shouted, but no one did.
"Hurry, we've got to catch them!" Fern ordered.
The door burst open as Hannah and Jean from the office staff and Toby and Lee from the warehouse came running to help.
"Close the door! Close the door!" several people called at once.
"Don't let them out in the hall," a female voice shouted.
"What are we going to do?" The question came from another employee.
Fern stood on a chair and shouted. "Listen to me." Slowly the din quieted. "The instructions told us to release them at dusk because they fly toward the light. See, they're congregated on the light fixtures."
The employees looked upward. The fluorescent light fixtures were crawling with hundreds of bugs.
"How many of those things are there anyway?" someone asked.
"I have no idea how many escaped-I only opened a corner of the lid a fraction of an inch." A collective groan greeted her next statement. "There were supposed to be three thousand in the box."
Fern raised her hands for silence as the noisy conversations began again. "Lee, bring me some Spanish moss in plastic zipper bags. Toby, bring me the biggest flashlight we have. Be careful- "
The two men opened the door a crack and slipped through before Fern had finished her sentence.
When they returned, Fern explained her plan. Following her instructions, Maria turned out the overhead lights. Hannah pointed the strong beam of the flashlight into a corner of the room to attract the cryptolaemus. Susan held moss-filled plastic bags open. Toby, Lee, and Jean grabbed the insects with their bare hands and dropped them into the plastic bags.
"These critters can move!"
"Here, try this," Lee suggested and demonstrated catching a bug directly in the plastic bag.
"We'll never get them all," Jean complained.
"We have to," Hannah said. "I wrote a check for several hundred dollars for these little critters. They were close to fifty cents each."
Omigosh. Fern had forgotten how expensive biological insect controls were. How could she admit to Pen that her curiosity cost the company a significant amount of money?
"We're going to catch every one of them, even if it takes all night," she announced in a determined voice.
"It might take all year," Lee grumbled.
"How will we ever know if we've got them all?" asked Susan. "We can't open the lid again to see if all three thousand are there."
"Just keep catching. We're still a long way from finishing. I can still see lots of them. We'll get them all." Fern hoped she sounded more confident than she was.
Although it felt like the year Lee suggested it would take, it actually took only a few hours to gather the insects into a series of plastic zipper bags. The flashlight worked fine for many of the bugs, but the ones that had discovered the window were more difficult to catch. They weren't attracted to the flashlight because the window was brighter. They were almost impossible to pick up from the corners. Finally, however, there were only a few insects still loose.
"That has to be all of them," Hannah said. "I've shined the light all over the office, and I don't see a single bug."
Fern held her breath until they turned on the office lights and checked closely. "Okay, gang, that's it. Thanks. I'm sorry I caused such a fiasco."
"It wasn't your fault," Susan said. "I talked you into opening the box."
"Thanks, Susan, but it's my responsibility. After all, I'm supposed to the branch manager. I was as curious as you were. Well, our curiosity has certainly been satisfied now." She smiled at her employees. "None of us will ever again wonder what a cryptolaemus looks like."
Even during all the chaos, Fern's mind had continued to be filled with thoughts of Pen. He would see the humor in the situation, and she couldn't wait to tell him about it. Tell Pen? She couldn't do that. He was her boss. She couldn't admit to him what a stupid mistake she'd made.
Pen called her at home again that evening. She debated whether or not to tell him about the insects' great escape. Although she didn't want to admit how thoughtless she had been, she decided it would be better if he heard the story from her now rather than from someone else when he returned. Her staff had talked about the incident for the rest of the day, and they'd probably continue to talk about it for weeks. Nothing else so exciting had happened in a long time.
After Pen told her all about his day, even asking her advice on several decisions he had to make, he said, "So, tell me about your excitement today."
Had someone already reported to him? Surely her employees were too loyal to go behind her back. "What makes you think there's any excitement?"
She felt his husky laugh over the phone line from her head to her toes. "Fern, there's always excitement around you. I didn't have a dull minute when I was in San Antonio. It's a lot more fun to be around you than to be here in the corporate office."
Could he be saying what she so desperately wanted to hear? Did he mean he missed her as much as she missed him? Had he really enjoyed all those crazy stunts she'd pulled?
She took so long to answer Pen spoke again. "Fern, are you still there?"
"I'm here. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell you about the great escape of the good guys."
"What great escape? What good guys?" She could almost hear the confusion mixed with laughter in his voice.
"We got the cryptolaemus today. Remember, you called them "the good guys" when you were explaining how beneficial insects work." She had been sitting on the sofa, but she started walking around the room as she described the employees' frantic attempts to capture the elusive bugs. She laughed as she told him about digging the insects out of the window ledges.
Pen's deep laughter sounded through the phone line. In no time, their conversation consisted of laughter and giggles. "I can just imagine you standing on a chair and leading the charge. Those bugs didn't know what hit them."
Pen's laughter stopped as he realized he didn't know what hit him either. Fern had become entirely too important to him. He should be devoting all his energy and concentration to his corporate responsibilities. This temporary assignment was his big chance-his career was at a critical stage.
Yet all he could think about was a feisty, curvy, raven-haired bundle of energy. Their phone conversations had been the high points of the last two days. Fortunately, no one else seemed aware of his distraction. He was obviously still in favor with the corporate power structure. Somehow that didn't seem as important anymore.
He realized Fern was still talking. "Toby and Lee went to release the insects this evening. They called me a while ago to tell me everything went fine. The cryptolaemus went directly into the trees, so I guess their escape attempt didn't do any harm."
Pen assured her the bugs would be fine, then he ended the conversation. He had to figure out what was happening to him and, more importantly, what he was going to do about it.
He couldn't pursue any kind of relationship with Fern as long as they both worked for Ultimate. Corporate policy was strict about that-not even casual dating was allowed between managers and their subordinates. What he felt for Fern was far beyond casual, but he didn't know what her feelings were. He couldn't even explore her feelings now. He'd never force his attentions on her, but the company's sexual harassment policy wouldn't allow them to have a relationship even if they both wanted one.
Darn corporate bureaucracy and regulations anyway. He recognized employees needed to be protected from sexual harassment, but why did the policy assume any relationship between Fern and him would be harassment? Why couldn't they have a chance to explore their feelings for each other?
Surely Fern felt something for him. He'd felt her eyes on him often enough, and she'd insisted on helping him move. She'd seemed jealous when other women had given him signals they were available. That must mean she was interested in him, but how deep were her feelings?
One of them would have to leave the company for them to become r
omantically involved. He'd been working his way up the corporate ladder for ten years. Changing jobs would mean starting all over again at the bottom as well as learning new skills. Fern also had ten years invested in her business, and she obviously had a deep attachment to it. Was her attachment to the business stronger than her attachment to him?
He lay awake in the bedroom of his Chicago apartment for hours before he finally drifted into a restless sleep, only to be haunted by dreams of Fern-always enticing him and always just out of reach.
With no Pen and no escaping bugs, Wednesday seemed to last forever. Fern waited all day for a phone call from Pen. She tried to hide her disappointment, but she almost burst into tears when Maria expressed her puzzlement that Pen hadn't called. She stayed late at the office polishing her speech for the Chamber of Commerce workshop the next morning.
The phone rang about seven o'clock that night. Fern thought about ignoring it and letting the call go to the voice mail. After several rings, she shrugged and picked up the phone. It was probably her mother, and she'd keep calling if Fern didn't answer.
"When I couldn't get you at home, I figured you might still be at the office." At the sound of Pen's voice, a smile appeared on Fern's face, and she sat straighter in the chair.
"I'm working on my speech for tomorrow."
"That's what I figured. Have you had dinner?"
"Not yet. I'll probably pick up a burger on the way home."
"Hey, you're picking up my bad eating habits, but you've been a good influence on me. You'll be glad to know I ate healthy tonight. We went to a buffet, and I thought about your nagging when I piled the veggies on my plate."
She could tell from his voice that he was smiling, but she felt such a pang of jealousy at hearing we that she almost missed his comment about thinking of her.
"My nagging? I never nag. I just suggested you include something green along with all the processed foods." She grimaced as she thought about the salad and fruit he had bought. "Of course, I didn't know you were going to Chicago. I guess you'll have some spoiled food in your refrigerator when you get back, and it'll be all my fault."
Pen grinned to himself. There she went, overreacting again. "It wouldn't be your fault if it happened. You didn't force me to buy anything. But there's nothing to spoil. We ate the salad for dinner Saturday, and I finished off the bananas Sunday." He paused briefly. "Don't you want to hear about my dinner tonight?"
No, she didn't want to hear about dinner. She didn't want to know who was with him. He probably had a little black book filled with women's names. He'd have no problem getting a date even after being back in town only a couple of days.
"Hey, you're making me hungry. I haven't eaten yet, remember. I don't want to talk about food."
"I wasn't going to tell you about the food. I was going to tell you about the occasion."
"Oh. Sure, I want to hear about it." She forced interest into her voice. She'd never admit she was jealous. He could take out every woman in Chicago if he wanted to-he just didn't have to tell her about it.
"The CEO of Ultimate Corporation and two members of the board of directors took me to dinner." There was a dramatic pause before he said, "Mr. Walker is going to retire for health reasons. They offered me the job as President of Ultimate Plant Service."
Omigosh. She'd never imagined he would have such a powerful position. She should be glad-she'd be free of him. Instead of making her happy, though, the thought depressed her. Of course, that was because she'd still have a regional manager, and the next one might be worse. Pen really wasn't so bad. In fact, if she were honest, she'd have to admit he did an excellent job. He-
"Fern, Fern, Fern. Where are you? Don't you have any reaction?"
"I'm just flabbergasted. Congratulations, Pen. That's wonderful. I'm happy for you. I know you'll do a great job."
"Fern, I didn't accept the position." His voice was quiet and deliberate.
"What do you mean? Isn't this your dream?" She didn't even attempt to hide her shock.
"I used to think so. Ever since I joined the company, I've been working my way up the ladder. I spent the entire day with the management and board of directors of Ultimate Corporation. They showed me the entire operation of all the divisions. It was awe-inspiring. Then they explained the position and interviewed me. I told them 'no' then, but they didn't take my refusal seriously."
She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "I can see why. I don't understand myself."
"Fern, my entire adult life has revolved around my career. I've never even had a real home." His voice softened. "San Antonio feels like home to me. I'm happy as a regional manager. The powers-that-be finally accepted the fact that I want to remain the regional manager of the Southwest Region. That's where I belong."
"I-I don't know what to say."
Pen's laughter rang out. "That's a first. You always have something to say."
"If that's what you want, I'm happy for you." She was happy that he was staying in San Antonio. Maybe they'd have a chance to explore their feelings for each other. If Pen had any feelings for her-she certainly had feelings for him.
His voice became brisker, more authoritative. "Okay, now, it's time for you to get back to work. I want to hear your speech. Are you ready?"
"I've got the speech written, but I'm ready to go home. I'm starved, and I'm dying to get out of these clothes." She gasped when she realized what she'd said. "I mean, change out of my dress into something more comfortable."
"Okay, you go home, get something to eat, and," his voice deepened, "slip into something more comfortable. I'll call you in an hour, and you can practice your speech on me."
"You don't have to listen to the whole thing."
Pen interrupted. "I don't have to listen to anything, but I want to hear the whole thing. Okay? It's almost seven-thirty now. I'll call you at home at eight-thirty."
Fern mumbled "goodbye" and gathered her notes together. She went through the motions of turning off lights and setting the alarm, but she thought about Pen's incredible announcement. She continued to wonder about it as she drove home and ate dinner. Imagine him turning down the presidency of the plant service division. He'd said he felt at home in San Antonio. Could she possibly have anything to do with his decision?
Even if he was interested in her, the sexual harassment policy still prevented any kind of relationship between them. As long as she worked for Ultimate, as long as she continued to watch her baby be absorbed into the giant corporate blob-
What if she no longer worked for Ultimate? There would be no company policy keeping them apart if she wasn't an employee of Ultimate. But what choice did she have? She'd never had another job. She'd started her business in college. What else could she do?
The phone rang at exactly eight-thirty. When she answered, Pen said, "I hope you slipped into something more comfortable."
Fern's Fancies Page 14