by Nicki Night
Nixon was grateful that the facilitator suggested the introductions start from the opposite side of the room. That would give him time to figure out the one thing he wanted to get from the program. He was so caught up in his thoughts he only half listened to what the others had to say. His turn came around faster than he’d expected.
He stood. Nodded. “Nixon Gaines.” He delivered the rest of the information he’d been asked for, tugged on his suit jacket and sat. “I’m looking forward to growing professionally, building relationships and expanding my network.”
“Thank you, Nixon,” the facilitator said.
Jade rose to her feet beside him. He took in every inch of her as she stretched to her full height. His eyes swept up, down and back up her side until they landed on her smooth cheek. Jade addressed the room. Nixon wasn’t sure why the name of her foundation sounded so familiar.
Nixon watched her as she returned to her seat, and turned away right before he could be accused of staring too long. What was it about her?
Next, the group dived into a leadership activity that continued for the next few hours, nonstop, until lunch. Nixon was thankful because he knew that at any moment, his stomach would voice its discontentment for having to wait so long to eat. The last thing he needed was for Jade to be subjected to that angry rumbling.
Lunch was served in the adjacent room. He still hadn’t said anything more to Jade, but kept her in his view. Most of the participants moved about in a more familiar manner now that the first half of the day had passed. They mixed and mingled, getting to know a little more about one another, yet he and Jade operated like opposite ends of a magnet. Wherever he was in the room, Jade was sure to be on the other side.
“Nixon? Right?”
He turned to find a voluptuous woman with a head full of honey-colored curls. She held her hand out. They shook and she held his hand a moment longer than what could be considered professional.
“Yes. And you are?” he asked.
“Julia. Julia Riggs.”
“Yes!” Nixon only half remembered. Jade had hijacked his attention and he wasn’t sure he liked that. Normally, he would have taken notice of a woman like Julia. He laid a heap of mixed green salad on his plate.
“So you’re in business development, right?” Julia asked.
“Yes. You remembered.” He applauded her with his tone.
“Remembering is one of the many things I’m really good at.”
Nixon wondered if it was his imagination or if Julia had just lifted her ample bust slightly higher. He knew when a woman was flirting with him. Usually he’d indulge, if only just for the fun of it. He loved a woman who wasn’t afraid to go after something she wanted. But today, he was being cautious. He wouldn’t jump on what she was dangling. He looked around to see where Jade was.
Nixon chuckled. “That’s great. Nice meeting you.” He flashed his most charming smile, finished adding items to his lunch plate and headed to a table on the opposite side of the room. Natural light poured through the windows by his table. From his vantage point, he could see the entire space. Nixon liked it there. He could glance at Jade and keep abreast of anything else going on around him.
“Can I join you?” A coy smile was fixed on Julia’s face.
Nixon held his hand out, gesturing for her to sit. “Sure.” He looked for Jade again. She looked right back at him. For a second, their gazes locked. She looked away first. Julia had missed it. And he missed whatever she was saying.
“Daydreaming or just have a lot on your mind?” Julia asked.
“Huh? Oh. A lot on my mind, I guess.”
She snickered. “So tell me more about you, Mr. Gaines.”
Nixon tried to keep the conversation light. His responses were basic and cordial. They discussed former jobs, outside affiliations and the schools they’d most recently graduated from. She leaned closer over the tabletop as if she wanted to prevent missing any of his words. But her intentions were palpable. Nixon sat back, adding a little distance between them. When it was Julia’s turn to share, she purred as she spoke. Her mannerisms were flirty and fluid, as if she had liquid in her bones, and she spoke in innuendos. Several statements held double meanings. She was opening the door. All Nixon had to do was step in. But he held back, surprised at his own response. When he finished eating, he politely excused himself.
The facilitators called everyone back into the main room for the second half of the day, which started with a team-building exercise. They were separated into two groups. He, Jade and Julia ended up in the same one. One of the facilitators gave them a square tarp. Each team had to figure out how to stand on the tarp and turn it over without stepping off it. The first team to figure it out would get a prize. It was a brainteaser that forced the six people on each team to put their heads together and their bodies even closer.
As they maneuvered the tarp under their feet, they had less to stand on. Their grouping tightened until they stood shoulder to shoulder. Julia shimmied against his arm. Something similar to an electric current shivered down his other arm. Without looking to that side, he knew that Jade’s body had connected with his. Even through their clothes, she managed to generate currents. It wasn’t his imagination. What was it with this woman?
Their team successfully completed the task first. Everyone cheered. Nixon held his palms high, slapping hands, waiting for Jade’s to connect with his. Julia was the first to give him a high five. When Jade finally did, she avoided his eyes and quickly returned to her seat. He knew that energy. He understood all at once. All day Jade had evaded him in the same fashion that he’d attempted to avoid her. Like opponents, they held to opposite sides of the room, spoke cordially to everyone around but each other and failed miserably at avoiding eye contact. Nixon could count how many times he’d glanced at her and found her already discreetly looking his way, or vice versa. Like him, she was trying not to get sucked in by the mysterious magnetism that threatened to collapse their resolve if they got too close. Nixon couldn’t help but smile at the realization. He already knew that a connection with this woman would be inevitable.
The facilitators congratulated the winning group and asked everyone to return to their seats. They announced how the groups would work together on a major project. Of course, Jade ended up on his team. Nixon was going to see more of Jade than he’d expected.
Chapter 7
Once their day session ended, Jade offered quick salutations and made a swift exit. She started the car and pulled out before anyone else from her cohort could make it outside.
Nixon Gaines. He was watching her all day, just like he’d watched her the night before. Jade chuckled. She wouldn’t have known that he was watching her if she wasn’t watching him, too. Her chuckle blossomed into a full laugh. Who was she fooling? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep herself from looking at his handsome face, tall taut frame and suave mannerisms. Surely he was a sculptured work of art under his well-made suit. He’d caught her watching a few times.
A horn blew behind her, breaking into her thoughts of Nixon. She carefully pressed the gas, drove on autopilot and pictured Nixon from the night before. Jade had seen him the moment she entered the room, his erect posture commanding the space around him as if he were its ruler. Even from the back she could tell he was gorgeous. His broad shoulders and slim waist had carried his stylish ensemble like a model.
Jade had also noticed how all eyes were on Nixon. Even today, several women, including the female facilitators, couldn’t seem to resist looking at him every chance they got. But the woman with the headful of curls made her intentions perfectly clear. Jade figured she was making her move before anyone else could lay claim to Nixon.
Despite Nixon being an indulgent distraction, Jade had come for business. Carving her own professional legacy was her priority. She’d seen good-looking men before. Let the other women in the program have at him. Just like
today, she’d continue to avoid him.
Jade turned onto the Northern State Parkway, determined to rid herself of thoughts about Nixon. Even though it was close to the end of the workday, she headed toward the office to get a few things done before going home. She was sure that a few folks from her staff would still be around.
Jade hit the home button on her cell and instructed the phone to call her cousin Kendall. Their conversation would keep her company during her ride.
“Hey.” Kendall’s greeting seemed dry.
“What’s wrong?”
Kendall’s breathy huff came across the line. “This has not been the best of days.”
“Feel like talking?” Jade hated to hear Kendall sound so down.
“Got a few hours?” Kendall said, using their quip for big issues.
“Always for you.”
Kendall shared the drama she was experiencing in her relationship. Jade listened intently, waiting patiently for her cue on how to respond. If Kendall sounded as if she were near tears, Jade would keep her opinions to herself and let her vent. Then Jade thought about the bad decisions she’d made with Mitch and decided she wasn’t in a place to deliver sound relationship advice anyway.
“How do you feel now?” Jade asked, after Kendall went silent.
“It’s hard to say. In this industry, anything we do can be misinterpreted. If I go to lunch with a producer to talk about a potential project, someone is likely to take a picture on their cell phone and post to social media. The next thing you know, rumors start and bloggers are posting ‘exclusives’ about ‘who’s dating who.’ It’s crazy. So if there’s really something going on with him and another woman, I need to approach it the right way.”
“Wow. That sucks!”
“I know, but that’s entertainment. Let’s talk about something more exciting. How’s your life?”
“Exciting? Ha! You’re the big-time pop artist living in Los Angeles, California.” Jade announced the city as if she were about to start a performance and wanted to wrangle the crowd. “There’s no way my life can be more exciting than yours. I did have my first class today.”
“Yeah? How did it go?”
“Great!”
“Any cuties in the program?”
Nixon’s face popped into her mind. Kendall had to ask. “Well, since you asked...” Jade chuckled and told her about Nixon.
“Mmm. He sounds yummy.”
“Oh, he’s very yummy, but this girl’s hunger is for much more than a gorgeous guy. I’ve got my eye on the prize—making a name for myself professionally. Besides, the competition is thick. Every woman in the program, facilitators included, couldn’t seem to keep their eyes off him. It’s almost embarrassing. One girl was all over him when we broke for lunch today. Trust that I will keep my distance.”
“Oh. He’s one of those.”
“Yeah. Big-time playboy, it seems.”
“Steer clear!” Kendall warned. “You see what I’m dealing with.”
“Yeah. Oh.” Another thought came. Jade paused a moment. “I saw Mitch again.” When she finally spoke again, her voice was lower.
After several moments, Kendall asked, “And?”
“It was okay. We spoke. He hugged me. I wanted to ask about his fiancée but didn’t.”
“That’s probably best.” They sighed at the same time and then laughed at how in sync they were. “It doesn’t look like we have much luck with men.”
“I know. Do you think we’ll ever have what our parents have?”
“I really don’t know. You probably have a better chance than me. Tinseltown is rough on love lives.”
Jade’s call to her cousin was supposed to distract her in a good way, not make her mood more somber. She ended her call with Kendall at the same time that she pulled into the parking lot. At the foundation, which was housed in a different part of the Chandler Foods campus from her family, Jade ran a staff of less than ten. The corporate side employed several hundred people. Even though her father, sister and brother worked on the same campus, she hardly ever saw them.
Jade mustered up a cheerful greeting for the receptionist and made her way down the corridor to the Chandler Foundation’s office. The moment she stepped in, she noticed something was different. The closer she got to her own office, the more she could feel it. Jade worked hard to create a culture where her team seemed more like a family. And just like with family, she could sense when something wasn’t quite right.
The quiet was intense, replacing the usual hum of busy bodies hard at work and the rumble of employee banter. Even the background music system played into the solemn atmosphere, releasing a sad-sounding tune throughout the space. She found most of her staff hovered inside the office of her program director.
“What’s going on?” Several pairs of eyes stared back at her and then landed on the program director.
“Hey, boss lady,” another employee said, her tone confirming that things were off.
Other employees had similar greetings. Their faces matched their tones.
“We will get out of here so you two can talk,” said the staff member who had taken a liking to calling her “boss lady,” and she shuffled the others out the door. They closed it behind them.
Jade looked back at her program director, Sandy, seated behind her desk. Sandy’s face was drawn. Sadness filled the worried lines around her mouth. Red squiggly lines crossed in the whites of her eyes.
Jade sat, bracing herself for the bad news that was obviously coming. Her heart swelled for whatever it was that was causing Sandy distress.
Sandy looked at Jade, took a breath and opened her mouth. Instead of words coming out, her mouth trembled and tears began to flow. Jade rounded the desk and took her into her arms. Together they rocked until the quaking caused by Sandy’s crying subsided. Jade took Sandy’s hands in hers.
“Talk to me, Sandy.”
“It’s my mother. She...” Sandy sniffed back another sob. “She’s ill and I have to go.”
“Oh no!” Jade moaned, squeezing her hands tighter. “I’m so sorry. Go. Do whatever you have to do. We’ll cover everything while you’re gone. Take as much time as you need.”
Sandy’s shoulders drooped. She shook her head. “No. I mean I have to leave.”
“Yes.” Confused, Jade frowned. “Your mother lives in Virginia, right? You need to go to her. I understand that. It’s no problem.”
“Jade.” Sandy swallowed. Jade saw the muscles in her neck shift. “I’m not coming back.”
“Wh-what? Sandy!”
“I’m so sorry, Jade.” Tears began to flow again.
Sandy’s words didn’t compute. She didn’t know what to say. Sandy had been with her since she became executive director. They were as close as friends could be when one was the boss.
Jade sat slowly. “What happened?”
“My mother’s illness is terminal and there’s nothing more the doctors can do. They discovered it too late. She only has a few months and I need to be with her. I’m an only child, so everything is on me.” Sandy cried into her hands.
Jade nodded. Her own tears began to flow. She could only imagine what Sandy was going through and couldn’t imagine having to stomach that same fate alone. At least she had her siblings.
“I’m so sorry, Sandy.” The two of them stood, hugged and cried for some time together.
“Tell me what you need. How can I help? What can I do?”
Sandy chuckled through the tears. “Right now, I don’t even know.”
Jade laughed with her for a short moment. “When you figure it out, I’ll be right here.”
They embraced again and then heard a knock at the door. Another employee stuck her head in.
“Come on in here.” Jade waved to her. The rest of their team poured in right behind her, gathering around them in one large group hu
g, with Jade and Sandy in the center.
It broke Jade’s heart to see Sandy so sad. She hated the fact that her program director, colleague—friend—had to go. She wondered what part of her executive leadership training would help with situations like this. Jade didn’t want to think about how losing Sandy would impact work, but couldn’t help wondering how things would get done without her—especially their big fund-raiser coming up for the holidays. Every single staff member played a role in coordinating the event. She could find a new program director, but she’d never find another Sandy.
Chapter 8
Nixon looked up just as Alex stepped into his office.
“Morning, Mr. Brentworth.”
He dismissed Nixon’s formal greeting with a wave. “Alex,” he said, taking a seat across from his desk.
“Morning, Alex.” Nixon adjusted with a nod. “How are you?”
“Well. Very well, and yourself?”
“Well.”
Alex sat back in his usual authoritative way. The confidence he exuded commanded respect. Nixon cleared his throat and sat straighter.
“How’s the program going?”
Now Nixon relaxed. There was a lot that he liked about this program. It was intense. No amount of coaching had offered Nixon so much insight on being an effective leader. They covered material that even his MBA program hadn’t touched upon. The connections he’d begun to make were priceless. And then he thought of Jade. “Absolutely great!”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Alex leaned forward. “Listen. Do you have a woman in your program named Jade Chandler?”
Nixon hid his surprise. How did they know about Jade? “Actually, yes. Why do you ask?”
“Do you know her well?”
“I know that she’s very much invested in the program. She doesn’t speak much.” Nixon thought about whether or not he should mention that he’d see her later that day. Their group was getting together to work on their team project. “What makes you ask?”