Finding Sky

by Cass Sellars

  Skylar whipped out a chart and handed Jess a color copy, pointing at the first column with her pencil.

  “To begin with, you were ridiculously heavy on operations staff and irresponsibly understaffed in Human Resources. From what I understand,” she pointed the lead at another wedge on the chart, “HR was using two or three temps a week, just to meet the demands here, let alone the operations elsewhere, like the print shop and in the field.”

  “Okay.” Jess listened carefully as Skylar rapidly fired off issues and subsequent solutions, twisting her thick blond waves into fat columns as she spoke.

  “Any accounting professional worth her salt should have seen that before I came here and reallocated those resources.”

  “I agree.” Jess laid the papers she had been handed back on her desk. “We had some difficulty filling this position before you came.” Her intent was to be vague. The whole situation had tilted the balance Ivan Associates had enjoyed for years. People left the company because they were ready for retirement or they passed on, never because they were fired for subversive behavior or dishonesty.

  “Yes. The last placement beat me out for this job, as I understand.” Skylar looked up and met Jess’s eyes. “If that sounded like sour grapes, it wasn’t meant to.”

  “Clearly, we made a mistake. And by the way, I’m blaming Brett for that one. He made the final call.” Jess winced internally at pushing the blame onto someone else. Brett was a loyal employee and had been her father’s right hand for years. She was ultimately responsible for the employees she let in on her watch. Besides, she knew that Brett could have left long ago to start his own firm, and she was more than grateful for his loyalty.

  Skylar seemed to relax, an amused grin playing on her lips. “It’s okay. You won’t regret this choice. I’m glad to be here.”

  The declaration made Jess smile. “And we are happy to have you.” Jess leaned back against the chair. “So, what’s your plan?”

  “Well, it’s more than a plan. I’m confident in my decisions, but I probably should have waited for permission to do what I’ve already done. I mean, I made some minor operational changes.” She bit at her bottom lip once again.

  Jess studied the dark ring circling her watery green irises. She wondered if Sky’s mother had green eyes like that. Maybe her dad? Did she have equally attractive siblings? Why was she thinking about it? Why did she care, even remotely? Maybe she was tired. Really tired. She straightened and shook her head as if the action might clear it.

  “Good. I like initiative. I love initiative that saves me money.” She pushed against the back of her chair again, and it reclined very slightly. Skylar looked somehow grateful for the increased distance and seemed to relax, if only slightly. Jess made a mental note to manage away the fear in Skylar’s demeanor until it was nonexistent.

  Skylar took a deep breath and launched again. “So, I relocated some of the operations staff and I’m adding duties for Toni Starr because, quite frankly, project data entry may not be her forte. I also want to start entering some invoices myself for a few cycles just to see how long it takes. Then we can decide if we actually need to dedicate someone solely to that position again. We ended the contract term with the temp agency, so we can see where we actually need resources.

  “This way, I, um, estimate savings over the next month or so at $25,000.” She began to rattle off other changes and tied each to a dollar savings at the end.

  “Wow, I’m impressed.” Jess straightened and locked her fingers across her knee.

  “Don’t be. It’s my job.” Skylar’s reply sounded curt and she rushed to soften it. “I mean, I think we can do more, and I’m glad that I get the opportunity. I’m just happy Pam Landry wasn’t here long enough to do too much damage.”

  “Me too, frankly.” Jess continued, “You don’t have any reason to be nervous about making changes without permission. And if it makes you feel any better, they look like decisions I would have made in your shoes.” Jess pushed back from her desk again, acutely aware of the intense energy still spilling off Skylar. “So, tell me why you wanted to work here. You applied twice, right?”

  “Three times, actually. Then I read about Navigation House and I knew even more that I wanted to be part of a company that would be part of that. That’s all.” She pointed at a project Gantt chart, obviously trying to steer Jess’s attention back to her facts and figures.

  “I’m glad you’re here. From what I hear, everyone else is, too.” Jess pulled the page toward her and began to scan it.

  Skylar took a second and seemed to try to suppress a laugh. “Well, except for Toni Starr. Toni is very definitely not happy. She told me you would be hearing from her personally.”

  “Something to look forward to.” Jess smirked and raised an eyebrow casually at Skylar. “I don’t second-guess. If this is the right move, so be it.”

  “Thanks for the backup. She’s one of our weakest players. To be honest, I’m not sure she’ll make it here much longer anyway. Regardless, I thought we should give her one last shot.”

  “Your predecessor was responsible for that hire. Let’s hope she got one right.”

  Skylar nodded and began collecting her things. She stacked files onto her notepad and dropped it all inside the worn lid of a copy paper box.

  “We can get you a file bag or a cart if you want.” Jess nodded at the improvised file transportation device that was now wedged against Skylar’s hip.

  Skylar shifted the box top and peered around the edges as if assessing the job it was doing.

  “As you can imagine, I’m particularly careful about spending money unnecessarily. And this works just fine, thank you.”

  Jess wondered if Skylar might have borrowed her dull brown suit from her older, heavier sister. Despite its unflattering fit, Jess could see a trim figure under the extra fabric and silently scolded herself for noticing.

  As she pulled the door open to leave, Skylar turned and looked behind her. “Thanks for the opportunity. Truly.”

  The door closed before she could respond, and she saw Skylar stride quickly across the bullpen to her office. She drained a few remaining sips from her mug and headed for the coffee machine in the hall. As she walked back to her desk, Toni Starr marched quickly into her office behind her, not waiting for an invitation.

  “Hi, Toni,” Jess said, watching her warily.

  Toni planted her hands firmly on her hips. Since Jess had been forewarned the encounter was coming, her demeanor wasn’t unexpected.

  “What can I do for you, Toni?” Jess spoke with a brisk tone she hoped would encourage a succinct conversation.

  “Actually, I think I may be able to do something for you.” She swung her long auburn hair in a way that was meant to look natural, but instead looked rehearsed.

  “Yeah? And what would that be?” Jess moved casually to stand near the open door and a more comfortable distance from the twenty-two-year-old in painted-on black pants and a hot pink knit top that clashed gaudily with her hair.

  “You know how much I love it here, right?”

  Jess studied her. She had probably had no more than two conversations of any length with her in the six months she’d been there, yet she was talking like they had intimate knowledge of one another.

  “Glad you do. We’re happy to have you.” Jess fibbed just a bit.

  “So, I think there might be someone here now who is changing too much of, well…who we are.” She clearly expected Jess to inquire about the identity of such a person.

  “Can you be more specific?” She didn’t really need her to, but Jess was mildly entertained. She endeavored to straighten the cuffs of her shirt beneath her jacket sleeves instead of watching the woman formulate her story. She relied heavily on her intuition and she didn’t trust her.

  Toni pushed her chest out and smoothed the low-cut shirt slightly lower as she walked toward her. Jess took a step back.

  “Well, I’ve been doing the data entry for the projects since I got here, a
nd I really know what I’m doing, y’know? Pam trained me how to make sure that all the expenses and invoicing get put in correctly.” Toni placed her hand on Jess’s arm briefly for emphasis. “I know that everything needs a project code or the totals for the job won’t be right. But now that new woman is changing everything, and everyone’s a little pissed. We were finally getting back to normal from Pam leaving, and now this. I’m afraid there might be a mutiny coming.”

  Jess moved out of touching range and stepped back toward the door when she heard Yolanda tapping up the steps. Jess was growing slightly uncomfortable and briefly considered needing a witness.

  She sent a silent message to Yolanda, who glanced in as she was about to pass, and she simply nodded knowingly and busied herself at the coffee station. Jess turned back to Toni.

  “Hmm. I have to say that this is the first negative word I’ve heard about Skylar. Are you sure everyone is as upset as you are?”

  “Absolutely. They might not be as frank about it as I am, but I thought you needed to know.” Her wide-eyed attempt to appear the innocent messenger was almost comical.

  Jess thought “frank” and “mutiny” seemed unlikely to be part of her daily vocabulary and wondered briefly if she’d planned the conversation ahead of time or had some coaching.

  “Yes, of course I do. And I’ll look into it.” Jess leaned against the doorframe, hands firmly in both pockets.

  “Do you think you could tell her to leave my responsibilities as they are? Please?” She dragged out the “please” to dramatic lengths and walked again toward Jess. “You won’t regret it.”

  Jess wasn’t good at detecting flirting, but she was fairly sure that this wasn’t anything to do with her and everything to do with Toni getting what she wanted.

  Jess adeptly walked backward and into the hallway, compelling the young woman to follow. “I’ll look into it, as I said. Who do you think I should I talk to first?”

  “I don’t know, any of the people she’s been jerking around, I guess.” Her voice turned dramatically cooler. Jess assumed it was because she hadn’t reacted to her earlier ploys, but Toni seemed to catch herself, possibly since Yolanda had turned from the coffeepot and was looking directly at her, eyebrows raised. “I mean, I’m sure everyone is pissed off. I really am good with my job as it is.”

  “Duly noted, Toni. Thanks for stopping by.” Jess soundly disengaged while she walked away and directly toward Yolanda’s guest chair. She could hear the click of Toni’s boots on the cement stairs as she retreated.

  Yolanda, now seated behind her desk, held up a finger indicating that Jess shouldn’t break her current train of thought as she made a note on a pile of invoices. After a few final scribbles on the bright yellow squares, she sat heavily and spun her chair to face Jess.

  “Yes, dear?” She batted her dark eyes at her boss with comic emphasis.

  Jess laughed.

  “So, what do you think about how Skylar is doing?” Jess started to place her cup on the desk just as Yolanda managed to whip a coaster between the cup and the wood. She shot her a scolding glance that Jess pretended to ignore.

  “The whole office loves her. Kyle wants her nominated for some sort of medal, and even I’ve wanted to buy her lunch a few times.”

  Jess smiled. “She seems to be making some pretty sound decisions from a numbers perspective.”

  “Please tell me you aren’t entertaining one word No Talent Nancy has to say.” Yolanda tapped a pen against her cheek while she spoke.

  “Let’s just say it was a not-so-complimentary visit.”

  Yolanda rolled her eyes. “I heard.” She scowled as she spoke. “She’s just pissed she can’t make a pass at Skylar to get her way.”

  “She makes passes at people?” Jess caught her voice rising in surprise.

  “Well, she certainly tries to flirt. Brett’s always easy and must not know how dumb he looks. Pam even fell for it a couple of times, and I’m pretty sure she was straight.”

  “As a representative from the non-straight side of things, we certainly hope she’s one of yours.” Jess hated the culture that gave women any sort of leg up for, well, putting a leg up. The world of business was seedy enough.

  Yolanda chuckled. “Just so you know, we aren’t so happy having her over on our side either. Regardless, I think Skylar is the shot in the arm we all needed around here. Toni has no idea what she’s talking about.” She waved her hand dismissively.

  “Give it to me straight next time, ’Landa. You’re so indirect.” Jess laughed, and Yolanda flashed her trademark grin, which made her dimples even deeper in her smooth ebony skin. She held out a stack of manila folders with instructional tape flags attached to each one indicating where Jess should put her signature or just her initials.

  “Funny. Now go sign those papers so I can get out of here on time tonight. Frank is making homemade pasta, and he even promised to do the dishes afterward.”

  “Nice.” Jess took the stack from her hands. “I know you could probably run this place without me, but I’d rather think you need me just a little.”

  “Of course I do. Billy Ivan built this company, but his daughter makes it sing. Remember that, Jess.” She glowed when she offered a genuine smile. Her dimples showed themselves once again.

  “I love you for that, Yo.” She looked affectionately at her longtime employee she now considered a close friend as well.

  “Back at you, Ivan.”

  The genuine fondness between them was grounding and had been obvious since the day they met. Ever since her father died, Jess had gratefully journeyed down the rocky road of California commercial real estate with Yolanda at her side. Brett was a business guru who made decisions with his brain. Yolanda allowed Jess to think with her heart.

  Jess saluted and tucked the files under her arm on the way back to her office. She glanced down at the bullpen and saw Skylar arranging her own files into tidy piles on her desk. She stared at Skylar for a moment and thought she might just be the one to get Ivan Associates firmly back on a profitable track.

  * * *

  At five p.m. Jess began to assemble her agenda for the morning when Yolanda slipped inside her office.

  “Hey, boss? I think I’m going to take off a tiny bit early. It looks like dinner is off. Macy hasn’t healed from her surgery as well as she should have, so we’re going to take her back to the vet.”

  “Just so you know, five p.m. isn’t early, Yolanda. How old is that cat, anyway?”

  “Twenty-two and a half.”

  “That is really old for a cat, ’Landa.” Jess knew the family worshipped the ancient gray feline.

  “Don’t talk about Mace that way. She doesn’t believe that she has left kittenhood, and I’m not about to be the one to tell her.”

  Jess laughed and considered the family they had built there, mostly together. She thought her father would be proud of where his company was now.

  “Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, Whitney called and said she had tried you on your cell three or four times this afternoon, but you weren’t answering.”

  “Damn it.” Jess opened her top drawer and palmed her phone. “I left it on vibrate from the meeting this morning. Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate it. Sorry about the interruption.”

  “No worries. She’s always nice.” The door shut again.

  Jess hit Return Call and started talking from the moment Whitney picked up. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. The day got away from me.” Jess pushed work into her laptop case. “Can I take a rain check? I really need to finish up here, and I’m honestly exhausted from today. I don’t think I would be very good dinner company.”

  “I think you’re always good company, babe.” Whitney sighed into Jess’s ear.

  “Thanks, but I’ll make it up to you. Let’s do it tomorrow?” Jess had no intention of going out to dinner this late.

  “Sure, no problem.” Whitney sounded disappointed, but Jess would never apologize for doing her job to the best of her a
bility, even if it meant someone else had to take a back seat occasionally. She owed it to her father and the forty people who counted on IA paychecks to survive.

  She dragged herself out of her chair an hour later and glanced down at the bullpen where a solo light was shining from the finance manager’s office. She locked her door and was two steps from the parking lot when she turned around and found herself moving toward Skylar’s office.

  * * *

  Skylar rubbed her eyes and saw Jess jogging down the steps across the bullpen. Skylar thought she still looked pressed and polished considering the late hour, a stark contrast to what she was sure was her own wilted and weary presentation.

  Everyone talked about the CEO’s penchant for fast living and beautiful women, but she had seen Jess here at all hours and decided it was all misguided conjecture and perhaps a little envy. Although, given the way Jess looked even after a brutally long day, Skylar wouldn’t be surprised to know that women were attracted to her. She forced herself to stop staring and at least pretend to concentrate on her spreadsheets.

  “Don’t burn out before your probation is up, Skylar.”

  Jess’s smile was a welcome interruption, but Skylar could finally see a little crack in her normally polished persona. She could tell her boss was also trying to fight the exhaustion of a long day.

  Skylar smiled and stifled a yawn. “I think I’m about at capacity, truth be told. I’m headed out myself.”

  “I’ll wait, and we can walk out together.”

  Skylar nodded and powered off her monitors, searching in vain for business-relevant topics she could manage in the two-minute walk to the car. She grabbed her satchel from the floor and followed Jess.

  Skylar was grateful that Jess didn’t speak or seem to expect her to, as they walked to the only two remaining cars in the dark parking lot.

  “See you in the morning?” Skylar asked.

  “Actually, I have a meeting in the city, but after that, I’ll be in. Let’s get together in a couple of days and check in?”