A Family Reunited

by Dorie Graham

“My family?” she asked, again tamping down her impatience.

  The company’s current spending trends were slowly bleeding away any chance of stability. If they didn’t take quick action, even her plan wouldn’t be able to help them. They needed to act and they needed to act now.

  “Yes,” he said, his gray eyes intent on her. “I know you don’t have a husband or kids, but surely you have a significant other, or at least parents, siblings...”

  The mention of her family sent the familiar unease skittering through her. Her family was the epitome of dysfunctional, and as far as a significant other, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even missed having one.

  What did any of this matter?

  “I don’t... They’re fine,” she said. She hated to admit that beyond her younger brother and sister she had little idea how the rest of her family was doing.

  “Good.” He nodded. “Family is important, don’t you think?”

  She shifted in her seat. “I suppose, though...it really depends on the family.”

  His eyebrows arched. “I guess you’re right. For me, my family comes first.” He stopped, his gray gaze again piercing her.

  She nodded, saying, “That’s great.”

  “I think it’s important we’re all on the same page here, Alex.”

  “Sure,” she said, her discomfort intensifying. What was he talking about? Why weren’t they discussing her report? “It’s important we’re all team players.”

  “Yes, we should all want what’s best for the greater good of all,” he said.

  She exhaled. “Yes, and I think my findings support that. I know an across-the-board wage cut might not be met with the greatest enthusiasm, but when everyone understands it’s for the greater good, we shouldn’t have too much trouble implementing it. Surely it’s better than the massive layoffs we’d need instead.”

  He picked up her presentation, but rather than flip through the pages, he rolled it into a tight tube. “You did good work on that report. I want you to know I appreciate your efforts. We can rest assured we looked at all alternatives before moving forward with the new company initiative.”

  “Yes, I heard you mention something about that to Mark. Do you mean an initiative based on the cost-effective measures in my email and supported by my report?” She gestured toward the tube in his hand. “I’ve detailed an action plan—”

  “We’re going with the layoffs.”

  Surprise filled her. She blinked. “What?”

  “You did good work. Your report summarized in clear detail how far off our profitability mark we are. Unfortunately, your findings indicate we’re not in a position to play around with this.” He dropped the rolled presentation. “We need drastic action.”

  “No, wait. I think maybe you misinterpreted the data. The across-the-board cut would eliminate the need for layoffs.”

  He shook his head. “The board won’t go for it. They held an emergency conference call early this morning. They’re taking an aggressive stance. At this point it wouldn’t be enough. They’re banking on a profit this quarter. Break even isn’t going to do it.”

  Her stomach knotted. “But you’re talking about people’s livelihoods.”

  His lips tightened into a thin line. “We’re talking about the greater good of all, or of the majority in this instance. I was hoping we’d be in agreement on this.”

  Confusion filled her. “I don’t understand how the board can do this. It really isn’t necessary to lay people off.”

  “It’s done, Alex. I forwarded them your findings as soon as I reviewed them. They’re all appreciative of the work you’ve done. We’re all happy to give you glowing recommendations.”

  “What?”

  He nodded toward his closed door. “My assistant is already drafting my letter of reference.”

  “What?” she asked again. How could this be happening? “Are you saying I’m fired?”

  “It’s a layoff, Alex. These things happen. Don’t take it personally. It’s business. While the board appreciated your efforts, the members feel your position is extraneous.”

  Her mind whirled. She was being laid off? And because she’d killed herself to give them the report that had helped them decide this was their best move? She stared at him, speechless.

  Darren had the decency not to be able to make eye contact. “Again, you’ve done an impeccable job. HR will be contacting you this morning regarding your severance package. Actually, they were supposed to be in on this meeting with you, but they’re tied up with the rest of the layoffs. I assured them you’d be okay with a separate debrief. Pete really felt I should wait for him to discuss this with you, as well, but I also assured him you’d understand.”

  She slowly rose, leaving her copies of the presentation on his conference table. Her reflection stared back at her from the polished mahogany. A mixture of anger, disbelief and despair rose in her.

  Without another word, she turned toward the door.

  “Alex,” Darren said, “this isn’t easy for any of us. These are the times we all draw on the strength of our families.”

  She merely shook her head as she pushed through his door. There was no strength in her family. For as long as she could remember, her father had owned a hardware store. Duct tape was his magic fix for just about everything. One day her aunt had borrowed their vacuum cleaner, only to find it held together with the silvery tape. She’d jokingly dubbed them the Broken Family and the name had stuck.

  The knot in Alex’s stomach tightened. Her senior year in high school her mother had caught her father cheating on her. They’d gone through an embittered divorce that truly left their family broken in the worst way.

  No, Alex didn’t have family to support her through this, nor did she want one.

  She straightened. She was a strong, independent woman. She’d find a way through this mess and she’d do it on her own. If Darren thought believing in family meant they were on the same page, it was just as well she was leaving. That was one page she didn’t care to decipher.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE REST OF THE MORNING passed in a surreal haze. Alex tied up the few projects she felt compelled to hand off to one or two of the remaining financial analysts. She couldn’t bring herself to give anything to Mark Stevens, though. Darren’s pronouncement that the board felt her position was extraneous was a bending of the truth. Mark was evidently taking over her job and one of his managers was taking over his role as vice president of procurement. That manager’s position was being eliminated.

  So, what Darren had actually meant was that Alex, herself, was extraneous.

  George, the older analyst from the break room that morning, leaned against her desk as she handed him the manila folder of data she’d put together on the company’s purchase card usage.

  “Darren had this on a back burner, but we...you can realize at least a twenty percent savings by following up on noncompliant usage and instituting blocks on key accounts.” She wiggled her fingers over the file. “It’s all in the email I sent you with the electronic copies.”

  George shrugged and said, “I’ll see what I can do to get someone excited about it. If I can get Mark to buy into it, he’ll get Darren on board.”

  She nodded and dumped another file in her to-be-shredded pile. “Thanks, that’s probably a good strategy.”

  “It isn’t your fault, you know.”

  She glanced at him, her eyebrows raised.

  “You know,” he said. “This morning in the break room and all the talk flying around today. You were just doing your job with your efficiencies report.”

  She sank into her chair. “I gave them all the ammunition they needed, didn’t I?”

  “If it makes you feel any better, most people think your layoff isn’t justified. Kind of cold of them, actually,” he said as he flipped through the contents of the file. He looked up and held her gaze. “You do good work.”

  “Thanks,” she said, though her confidence had bottomed out. How was she
supposed to find a new job in this economy? Why had she been so diligent in pulling together that report?

  George straightened. “I should get back to work. Well...thanks and good luck.”

  She merely nodded as he left. HR had given her the option of leaving right away and cashing in vacation time or staying to finish the week. She couldn’t imagine sticking around where she wasn’t wanted.

  Her cell phone vibrated as she packed up the last of her personal belongings. She shook her head as her boss’s name scrolled across the screen. How could Pete have abandoned her this morning? Surely, he’d been informed of the board’s decision.

  She pressed Accept, but before she could utter a word, Pete said, “Alex, I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m stunned. I never saw this coming.”

  “I don’t know what to say. I was very upset when Darren called me.”

  “Well, you’re safe, aren’t you?” she asked.

  A short silence hummed across the connection. “I opted for an early retirement. I thought it might spare you, but it didn’t make a difference in the end.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I couldn’t stay with a company that doesn’t value its employees more than that. How are you?”

  “I’ll survive.”

  “I’ll put out some feelers for you. We’ll get you another position. Darren’s a fool to let you slip away.”

  “Thanks, Pete, I appreciate that.”

  “I’m just so sorry things turned out this way, Alex. Keep in touch.”

  “I will,” she said before disconnecting.

  An hour later she walked into the quiet of her apartment. She clicked on her music to dispel the stillness. Adele’s smoky tones filled the air. Alex set down her box of personal items and closed her eyes, fighting back the panic threatening to consume her.

  What if she couldn’t find another financial position? How could Darren have let the board vote against her? How could they have gone with tampering with people’s livelihoods when a wage cut had been a perfectly viable solution? There was right and wrong and these layoffs were wrong.

  A sick feeling swirled in her stomach. It was just as well she’d gotten the boot. She was responsible for all those other people losing their jobs. At least the guilt was somehow more tolerable knowing she was in the same boat.

  She should have never let herself feel secure in that job. She’d been ignorantly blissful since her promotion. How foolish of her. All good things came to an end. It was inevitable.

  With a shake of her head, she moved into her kitchen. Maybe a beer would dull the sting of her layoff. She paused with her hand on her refrigerator. The light on her answering machine blinked from the desk tucked into the nook by the laundry room door.

  She had no idea why she kept the old relic. She’d been meaning to cancel her house landline. Everyone who mattered called her on her cell. The calls on her landline were mostly solicitors, except for her younger sister, Becky, who sometimes called on that number.

  Though Becky, always a daddy’s girl, had remained sympathetic to their father postdivorce, she tried in vain to bring peace to their family. Year after year, she’d attempted to get everyone together for the holidays. The only time Alex paid her calls any attention, though, was when her sister called with updates on their mother.

  She pressed the message button and headed back to the refrigerator. She’d just located a lone bottle of dark ale tucked away at the back behind an old container of rice from Chinese takeout when a familiar voice played from the old machine.

  “Um, hello, Alexandra, this is your father. I know we haven’t talked in a long time and I know you’ve never forgiven me for what happened, but I really need you to call me. Please. It’s important.”

  He left his number. The machine cut off the recording to auto-rewind. She opened the ale and took a long swallow as the tape whirred to a stop. Shaking her head she sat at her desk and turned on her computer.

  She stared at the answering machine. No way was she calling her father. Nothing he had to say would change the fact he’d destroyed his marriage and their family with his selfishness. She had better things to do with her time, like find a new job. As her desktop booted up, she pressed the delete button on her answering machine and took another long swallow as a beep announced the successful deletion of the message.

  * * *

  A THICK COAT of green pollen coated the worn wooden steps of Chase Carrolton’s front porch as he hefted his suitcase across the old planks. Telltale footprints marked the passage of an earlier visitor. He sighed, weariness filling him as he jiggled his key into the front lock. The door opened without him having to turn the key, though.

  He shook his head, glancing again at the footprints. His young stepsister, Kara, had evidently crashed here while he’d been out of town and once again she’d neglected to lock the door.

  The scent of roasted chicken filled the air as he rolled his bag into the front room. He fought the smile tugging at his lips. Whatever trouble the girl had gotten herself into this time, it was nice to enter his house and for it to have the semblance of home. He’d grown weary of returning from these exhibition setup trips to the emptiness.

  “Chase?” Kara Anders headed toward him from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. Her long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail and pink tinged her cheeks. “I was guessing you’d be back tonight. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “Kara, does Pansy know you’re here?” he asked. Pansy was his stepsister’s third foster mother this year.

  Kara did an about-face and headed back toward the kitchen. “I’m sautéing Brussels sprouts, just the way you like. I even found some of the sun-dried tomatoes from last time in your pantry.”

  With a shake of his head he discarded his bag at the foot of the staircase and followed her into the kitchen. “So, let me guess, she doesn’t get you, wants to control you and won’t see reason. And where did you get the Brussels sprouts and chicken, by the way? Please tell me you didn’t pilfer them from your foster parents.”

  She cast him a scathing glance as she pulled the chicken from the oven. “I have a job, remember? I work at the ice cream shop.” Stirring the Brussels sprouts with a wooden spoon, she said, “These would come out so much better if you’d get an iron skillet.”

  “Of course, an iron skillet. It’s on my list. What’s going on? Did you get into another fight? I can’t take the cops showing up here accusing me of harboring a runaway again.”

  “Fine.” She threw the wooden spoon into the sink. “If you want me to go back to that hellhole, I will.”

  He steeled himself against the hurt in her dark eyes. He always let himself get taken in by that look and he always lived to regret it. It wasn’t his fault she’d ended up in foster care.

  He’d been only twenty and still in school when his father had gotten arrested for driving under the influence. Since Kara’s mother had long since fled and no other relative stepped forward, the girl had been declared abandoned. It had broken Chase’s heart, and he’d kept in close touch. It was the best he could do, but Kara had a tendency toward trouble. She’d already had one stint in juvie court because of her temper.

  “When are you going to start making the best of your situation?” he asked. “You can’t rock the boat.”

  “I don’t. I try to get along.”

  “I’ve lived with you. I know how you are. This is your third foster home in, what, five months? And it’s never your fault? You’re such a peach to get along with?”

  Kara grabbed her book bag from one of the kitchen chairs and hoisted it over her shoulder. “Okay, I’m out of here. But you have no idea what it’s like.”

  Regret filled him. “Wait.” He gestured toward the food. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner. Please stay and share it with me.”

  She glared at him for a moment before easing her book bag back onto the chair. “I know your mom ran off first and then mine left us, so it’s been kind of crappy fo
r you, but at least you’ve always had your dad.”

  He opened his mouth, but she stayed him with her hand. “I know he has his issues, but at least he’s your dad and he’s not bad when he’s sober. Look, you’ve never been in foster care, shuffled from house to house, living with people who just see you as a meal ticket. It’s not like they really want kids. It sucks, Chase. I hate it there.”

  He pulled out a carving knife and busied himself with the chicken while she spoke. It was always like this with Kara. She’d come to blow off steam. Like it or not, besides his father, she was the only family he had. And she was right. He’d never been in her shoes, so how could he judge her?

  After serving up the food, he settled across from her at the table. “I know it’s no picnic, Kara, but you have to admit trouble seems to follow you. I can’t handle any more run-ins with the cops. You’ve got to straighten up.”

  She stabbed at the chicken on her plate. “I don’t look for trouble. I’ve been trying, honestly. It just isn’t easy.”

  “How’s school?” he asked.

  Again, she scowled at him, then just shook her head.

  “Trig?”

  “It’s Greek to me. I try, but I’m so lost I don’t know what questions to ask to try to figure it out. I wanted to go in early to see my teacher before school, but the freaking bus takes forever to get there from the boons where we live.” She brightened and turned to him. “I’ll bet if I could catch the bus from here I’d get there in plenty of time to get help before school.”

  “You mean like a one-time spend the night, just so you can make it in early?” he asked. “I could just drop you off on my way to the museum.”

  “You would do that?”

  “Of course. Why not? I’d have to clear your spending the night with Pansy, of course.”

  Kara’s smile faded. “She’ll say no.”

  “Why would she say no?”

  “You don’t get it. She hates me. If she thinks I’ll benefit in any way, she’ll be totally against it.”

  “Come on,” he said. “She has no reason to be disagreeable. I’ll talk to her.”