by Ber Carroll
‘Sorry about this,’ she mumbled to the officer and tipped the entire contents out. The wallet landed on top.
The officer was taking down her licence details when Katie became aware that a car had pulled in further ahead. A man got out. Tall, broad, there was something about his physique that was familiar.
Jim Donnelly. How embarrassing!
He approached, his expression concerned. ‘Everything okay, Katie?’
No, Jim. Everything is not okay. I’m standing on the roadside with my skirt up around me and a cigarette hanging out of my mouth – more like a chain-smoking hooker than a lawyer. And the fine I’ll have to pay would buy more than one portable DVD player for Ethan Myers – who, in my utter selfishness, I had forgotten about until this very moment.
‘Yes,’ she answered as calmly as she could, ‘all under control.’
It seemed that Jim didn’t think so because he turned to speak to the officer. ‘Can I have a private word, please?’
‘What –’ Katie started to protest but the two men had already moved away.
Katie agitatedly puffed on her cigarette while she watched them talk.
Who does Jim Donnelly think he is? I can handle this on my own.
Jim was speaking intently, his gesturing hands adding emphasis to his words. The officer cupped his chin and listened. Katie felt totally superfluous to the proceedings. The officer seemed to have a question when Jim was finished and looked happy with the answer he got. They walked back to her.
The officer addressed her. ‘I’m letting you off with a warning, Miss Horgan. I’m confident that this offence was a one-off and you’ll observe the legal speed limit in the future.’
‘Thanks,’ said Katie, somewhere between happy and annoyed. ‘I appreciate the lenience you’ve shown.’
‘G’day to you both.’ The officer nodded and returned to his post further down the road.
Katie pointedly didn’t proffer any thanks to Jim. She brazenly smoked the rest of the cigarette, keeping one hand flat against her skirt. Jim didn’t seem at all phased by her very obvious annoyance.
‘What did you say to him?’ she asked eventually, curiosity getting the better of her.
‘Sure now, that’s for me to know and you to wonder,’ he replied, clearly enjoying having one over her.
‘I can fight my own battles,’ she said tartly.
He smiled lazily, not even faintly rattled by the sharpness of her voice.
‘See you at the hotel, Katie Horgan. And for God’s sake, take it easy for the rest of the journey.’
She glared daggers at his back. He had the cheek to turn around and wave. Stamping out her cigarette, she shoved the contents of her handbag back in place and slammed the boot shut.
‘I’ve worked in corporate education for fifteen years,’ said the facilitator of the course, a plumpish woman by the name of Angela Bardman. ‘I’ve met all sorts of people in varying stages of their careers – but I must admit that you are my first group of would-be partners.’ She smiled at them with lips that were the same red as her jacket. ‘First, let’s do something fun. I want you to tell us three things about yourself – two truths and one lie. The group must guess which one is the lie. You have two minutes to think – starting now.’
Angela sat on the edge of one of the free tables as she waited the allotted time.
Katie thought for a quick moment, and then jotted down some notes in her writing pad. It would be an interesting exercise, she thought, an opportunity to see the group dynamic as well as the individual personalities at play.
‘Isabelle, would you like to go first?’ Angela asked when the time was up.
‘Three things.’ Isabelle’s dark eyes had a playful glint. ‘I’m one of six children. I graduated top of my school. I run twenty kilometres a week.’
The rest of the group immediately broke into debate.
‘Don’t think she was dux of her school,’ declared David.
‘Why, David? Do you think I’m not clever enough?’
He bristled. ‘You know that’s not what I mean.’
‘I think she’s lazy and it’s the running,’ joked Oliver.
Isabelle did her best hangdog expression. ‘So nice to know that everybody thinks so highly of me,’ she remarked.
‘It’s the family of six,’ Katie stated, having given it careful thought. ‘Most educated Colombian women have careers, so smaller families would be more common.’
Angela prompted the other two participants for their opinions.
‘Carole? Jim? What do you think?’
Jim gestured to Carole to go first.
Carole was to the point. ‘Running.’
She flicked her blonde hair, making it evident to all that she found this game rather juvenile.
Jim went next. ‘Katie is always right so I’m going with her.’
He shot a mischievous look in Katie’s direction. She pretended not to see.
In the meantime, Isabelle was shrugging. ‘Well, as it happens, Katie is right! There are only two children in my family.’
Angela moved on, choosing David next. Katie found David easy to read and guessed the lie straightaway.
‘Your turn next, Katie,’ said Angela. ‘Time for the others to catch you out!’
‘They can only try.’ Katie grinned engagingly. ‘Okay – pick the lie. I was born in Ireland. I love walking. I read an average of three novels a week.’
‘You walk to work, don’t you?’ asked Isabelle.
‘No comment.’
‘Geoff used to complain about you always having your head stuck in a book,’ said Oliver.
Carole stopped examining her nails. ‘Who’s Geoff?’
‘No comment.’ Katie’s grin turned to a grimace.
Oliver gave her a sheepish smile. ‘Sorry. That was insensitive of me.’
There was an uncomfortable silence.
‘I don’t think that Katie Horgan was born in the Emerald Isle,’ said Jim after a few awkward moments. ‘She’s got the black hair and pale skin and blue eyes, but she doesn’t have the accent.’
This time Katie acknowledged his look. ‘Yes, you’re right. My parents are Irish but I was born here, in Sydney.’
After morning tea, Angela became more serious.
‘Have no doubt, this will be a gruelling week,’ she told them, her bright red lipstick freshly reapplied. ‘The rest of today will be spent discussing different leadership roles. Tomorrow we’ll do some personality tests and look at our own individual styles.’
Katie listened as Angela gave a rundown of the week ahead. She had regained her composure during the tea break. Oliver’s unexpected reference to Geoff had caught her off guard. Just the mention of his name was enough to start off the old spin of sadness, guilt and anger in her head. It was still a raw hurt, even though six months had passed since the final showdown.
‘On Wednesday and Thursday you will have the opportunity to apply the leadership roles in a complex simulated business environment . . .’
‘What does that mean in plain English?’ asked Carole, a critical look on her face.
Angela levelled a steady gaze in her direction. ‘You will be a senior leader in a fictitious organisation. You will have to develop strategies, organise people and resources, and work through a maze of complex business issues. Every decision you make will have an impact on the financial results and share price.’
‘So all our decisions go into a computer program and it works out how well we’ve done?’ asked Katie, her interest sparked.
‘Yes,’ answered Angela. ‘You’ll perform the simulation in teams of two.’
‘What does the winner get?’
‘Just the glory of beating the others,’ Angela smiled.
‘Nothing like some healthy competition to make things interesting,’ said Jim.
Katie realised that Jim was every bit as competitive as she was. With his white shirt sleeves rolled up, he looked fighting fit for the contest. But she didn’t think th
at he was the type to win at all costs. Beneath the confident go-getter exterior, she’d seen glimpses of a gentleman.
Katie turned her attention back to what Angela was saying.
‘The week will culminate in a series of PowerPoint presentations to the partners, who will travel here on Friday to hear what you have to say. You will choose the subject of your presentation – the only criterion is that it should be something that will bring long-term benefit to MFJ. You’ll work on your presentation after-hours, there won’t be enough time during the day. Now, any questions?’
David raised his hand. ‘Have the partners given you any clue about what they’d like to see on Friday?’
‘No – the subject is totally open, within the overriding guideline of long-term benefit to the firm.’
David looked uneasy with her response. ‘Maybe the group should spend some time deciding a common approach.’
Angela shook her head. ‘Your presentation is individual to you – not a group exercise. It is an opportunity for you to show the partners how innovative and persuasive you can be. I suggest you keep the content to yourselves until Friday.’
That afternoon Katie learnt that an effective leader has a number of different roles to play: strategist, entrepreneur, change-driver, captivator and talent advocate. She knew that she would make a good leader, a good partner. Her practice would be a role model for others: it would be outstandingly excellent, unflinchingly brave, and a contagiously exciting place to work.
Well, she thought with a wry grin, you have to aim high!
‘That’s it for me today,’ said Angela at 5 pm sharp. ‘You have a free hour before dinner. Considering our location here amidst some of the best wineries in the world, I perfectly understand the temptation to sample their produce, but do try to set some time aside for your presentations. The partners will expect a high standard on Friday.’
Katie had checked in at lunchtime but done nothing more than drop her bags in the room. Now, as she opened the door, she took time to appreciate its old-style decor. The hotel staff had turned down the bed for the night and drawn the heavy curtains across the French doors. Katie sat on the four-poster bed and ran her hand over its rich brocade cover. She was sorely tempted to lie back into the plush pillows, but her mobile started to vibrate, intercepting her bad intentions.
‘I need to talk to you about SDS.’ It was Neil.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, frowning. She had managed to navigate her way through the last set of changes and had sent out another draft of the agreement over the weekend. A new draft usually brought at least a few days’ respite.
‘Both parties are ready to sign,’ he replied.
‘Great,’ she sighed with relief. ‘So why are you calling?’
‘They want to make a fuss of the exchange – have some drinks, invite the press. They’ve expressly asked for you to be present.’
‘That’s impossible – I’m here for the week.’
‘You can pop down to show your face.’
She could hardly believe what he was suggesting. ‘It’s a two-hour drive each way, Neil!’
‘You won’t need to cut into your classes – the exchange is tomorrow evening at 7 pm.’
‘I’m meant to do assignments in the evening,’ she told him, even though he was already well aware of the schedule.
There was a brief silence. When his voice came back down the line, its tone allowed no room for negotiation. ‘SDS have paid close to a million dollars in all for your expert advice – they’re entitled to have you there. I’m sure you’ll work something out with your assignments.’
Typical, she thought as she put the phone down. Neil’s not behind this programme – he couldn’t care less what I learn here this week. All he cares about is getting a big fat cheque from SDS.
Annoyed, Katie rose from the bed and took her laptop from its case. She connected the modem to the portal on the wall and dialled into MFJ’s network. Her inbox was brimming, many of the messages from Neil. As far as he was concerned, she wasn’t out of the office at all.
She took her frustration out on the keyboard as she typed responses, her fingers as angry as her thoughts.
Neil, Brent, the whole lot of them are so insular. All they think about is money. They’re blinkered from real life . . .
It was from this train of thought that Katie got the idea for Friday’s presentation.
Chapter 7
Katie woke to an unfamiliar beeping. She soon identified her mobile phone as the source of the alarm. Last night she had placed it on the antique desk and now the only way to shut it off was to get out of bed.
Yawning deeply, she padded across the dark room and stopped the head-splitting noise. It was 6 am. If she mobilised now, she would be able to get two hours of work done before the start of the course.
Ten minutes later she was sitting in front of her laptop in her pyjamas. She raced through her emails, responding, forwarding and deleting as needed. Despite the fact she had worked on her inbox the previous night, it took a further hour before it was clear. She was about to start on her presentation when a new message flashed up on her screen. It was from Neil.
The venue for tonight is the Four Seasons. Don’t be late.
The message immediately reignited last night’s anger. Her full participation in the leadership course was clearly not a priority for him. The most frustrating thing was that she had no doubt SDS would understand if the situation was explained. Katie pushed her chair back and did something she could never do in the office: she walked away from Neil’s bullying.
She put on her dressing-gown, grabbed her box of cigarettes and opened the French doors to a frosty morning. Winter was a lot chillier in the countryside than it was in the city. The cold quickly cleared the anger from her head, and soon she was able to fully appreciate her spectacular surroundings. Vines came right up to the veranda, bare and stumped in beautifully perfect rows. Overhead a pale blue was emerging from the grey dawn. Katie smoked her cigarette slowly and refused to think of Neil or the SDS event that she was compelled to attend that night.
She went back inside only when she heard the distinctive ring tone of her mobile. She checked the number on the screen before answering.
‘Hi, Claudine,’ she said.
‘I got your voice message last night,’ the secretary said in reply.
‘Can you do it for me?’
‘Yes. Can I ask why?’
‘No – you’ll only be disappointed if I don’t succeed.’
‘Okay. I’ll be popping home around lunchtime – I’ll get my camera then.’
‘Great. Tell Ethan I said hi.’
Katie resumed work and didn’t stop until after eight. By the time she had showered and dressed, there was no time for breakfast. She was the last to arrive at the conference room and had barely sat down when Angela started to speak.
‘Good morning, all. I hope you’re settled into the resort by now and that you enjoyed last night’s dinner.’
They all responded in the positive because the resort and the food were excellent. However, the conversation around the dinner table had been decidedly flat. It transpired that everybody had used the free hour beforehand to log into their email and had inevitably become entangled in myriad issues back at the office. After a starter, main course and quick coffee, they had returned to their rooms to resolve what issues they could.
‘Today we’re going to look at our personality preferences. We’ll start with some basic questions.’ As Angela spoke, she moved amongst the tables, distributing booklets. ‘There are no right or wrong answers to the questions so don’t spend too much time thinking – just answer as best you can. When you finish the test, you can go outside and have a coffee.’
Katie opened the booklet.
Which do you value more, sentiment or logic?
Katie immediately marked ‘X’ next to logic. She continued on, answering instinctively, not needing to deliberate much at all. Out of the corner of her eye s
he saw David chew on the top of his pen. Even Oliver looked as if he was thinking very hard before selecting his answers.
Forty minutes later Katie handed her completed booklet to Angela.
Morning tea was set up outside the room. Ravenously hungry, Katie helped herself to a decadent chocolate muffin. She sank into one of the lounge chairs and had just taken an enormous bite when Jim came out.
‘You missed breakfast,’ he commented as he sat down across from her.
Her mouth full, she could only nod.
‘Were you the kid at school who always finished their test first?’
She nodded again. Speedy Horganez had been her nickname but she wasn’t about to share that particular piece of trivia with him.
‘So was I.’ He gave a nostalgic smile. ‘I was a competitive little bastard. Had to be the fastest, and the best – sure God knows how I had any school friends at all. Those were innocent days, though.’
It was hard to imagine the tall, muscular man sitting across from her as a schoolboy. His eyes seemed darker this morning. In fact, he looked tired. She guessed that he, like her, had worked into the early hours of the morning.
It was their first time alone since the incident on the freeway. Katie had been stand-offish around him for most of yesterday, still piqued, though not entirely sure why. Now she realised that she had been rather childish.
She looked at him deadpan. ‘I think we should bring some of the school ethic into MFJ – our work day could finish at four, we’d have two months’ summer holiday, we’d get to play in the yard at lunchtime . . .’
He threw his head back and laughed with the same lack of restraint as the night of the launch. Then he suddenly reached out and she felt his fingers brush the side of her mouth. She met his eyes, suddenly uncertain of herself, of him.
‘You had some crumbs . . .’ he said quietly.
They both heard the door open and looked up to see Carole, the third-fastest kid in the class, come out.