by Grace Warren
Finding Peace
Grace Warren
Moon and Stars Press is accepting unpublished manuscripts for consideration. Click here Http//bit.ly/bepublished4321 to learn more.
Books Also by Grace Warren:
The Gambler’s True Heart
An Unexpected Bride
Rescued Hearts
A Ranch To Call Home
Mail Order Bride of the Ages
Synopsis:
Julie has had a rough start in life. Her first love...well, it didn't end well for either of them. She was lost for a long time until she found peace in God and later she met a man who took a chance on her and offered her a job.
Hard work allows her to strive and grow with the company and she finally starts to feel good about herself. When offered partner, she jumps at the chance and doesn't realize that though she may be blind to love, Mr. Right may be just around the corner.
“Finding Peace”
© Grace Warren 2016
Moon and Stars Press
Second Edition
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
Julie sat in Mr. Ladbrook’s office, patiently waiting for him to call her in. She’d only ever been here once before when she was being interviewed for a position in the company. That was over two years ago.
“Miss. Grey?” said the secretary looking up at Julie. “Mr. Ladbrook will see you now.” She stood up, readjusted her dress and took a deep breath in. She went into his office and slowly walked up to his desk. John didn’t look up; he had his head buried in a mountain of files and papers.
“Just give me a sec Julie, I’ll be with you soon. Go ahead and take a seat.”
She did as he asked and sat down. She watched him closely. She remembered the first time she saw him, she felt a little intimidated. He was a stout man with one of those permanent expressions of anger or annoyance on his face at all times. He had a big, bushy, brown and grey moustache, like something from an old cowboy movie. But as she got to know him, she began to grow fond of him. He had helped her out in so many ways over the past two years. Whenever she panicked over a looming deadline he calmed her nerves and helped her get it done. He was like a father figure to her. Now when she looked at him all she saw was a big cuddly teddy bear. She liked the way he twiddled his moustache as he worked. It always made her chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, finally looking up and acknowledging her presence.
“Oh nothing.”
He got up and stretched his back.
“So Ms. Grey, as you know, it’s time for your review and this is a special one.”
He sat back down and put his feet on the desk.
“But first let me ask you, how do you think you are doing?”
“Yes, I think I’m doing very well. At first when I started it was a little shaky, but with your help, I was able to ride the wave and now I feel like…”
“Like what? Go ahead, you can tell me anything.”
“Now I feel like I’m flying,” she said with a big grin on her face.
“Hmm,” replied John looking down at the floor, deep in thought.
The grin slowly slipped away and was replaced with a feeling of anxiousness.
Have I said too much? She thought. I was too cocky, I knew it.
“What is it?” she asked, “what’s wrong?”
“You’re right, when you first came here you were so shy and timid, but since then I’ve seen you grow into a confident young woman. I’m so proud of the progress you’ve made Julie, I really am. Furthermore, I agree with you about you flying. Everybody can see it. You’re even picking up on mistakes made by some of our senior partners, which is unheard of. That’s why I’ve come to a decision.”
He got up and came around to the front of the desk.
“Julie, I’d like to offer you a position as a Junior Partner. If you maintain this level of commitment and determination, you should reach senior partner status in a few short years. I have no doubt you can do it. Your promotion is effective immediately, that is, if you’re interested. What do you think?”
“I…I…I’m completely speechless, John. I don’t know what to say.”
“Then just say yes.”
Her eyes began to well up with tears and she felt like hugging him.
“Yes.”
She got up and shook his hand. They both looked each other in the eye and John grabbed her shoulder.
“You made it Julie, you’ve finally escaped your past.”
“Because of you, John, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“It wasn’t me, it was Him.”
John pointed to the small cross hanging around his neck. They hugged and then she left, still drying her eyes as she walked through the secretary’s office. Once she got back to her cubicle, she received a text.
Take the rest of the day off. See Janine at 8:30 sharp. She’ll get you started.
Julie pumped her fist in the air, grabbed her stuff and left the office. Her life was turning around; she could feel it. No sooner had she got home and put her briefcase down that her phone started vibrating. She looked at the display. It was Melissa.
“Hi Mel, how are you?”
“I’m good, how about you?”
“I’ve got some good news…”
“You’ve found a man?” interrupted Melissa.
“No!”
“Okay, calm down, I was just guessing. Okay then what is it? I have no idea.”
“John offered me a promotion to Junior Partner!”
There was no reaction on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Yeah I heard you,” said Melissa. “Is that good? Is it better than your role now? I have no idea.”
Julie sighed.
“Yes Mel, it means I’m gonna be a fully-fledged accountant!”
Melissa started screaming at the top of her lungs and Julie quickly moved the phone away from her ear and held it at arm’s length for a few moments.
“I can’t believe it, you? An accountant?”
“Jee, thanks for the vote of confidence Mel, appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I mean, I’m really proud of you, sis.”
“Thanks Mel.”
“You know what it means right?”
“Erm, yeah I get paid a lot more.”
“Yeah but more important than that, it’s party time! I’m coming over!”
“Now? But I just literally got home two minutes ago. Can’t we party on the weekend?”
“Trust you to schedule your fun time. Sometimes I don’t know how we became friends J, I really don’t.”
“Okay, okay, give me twenty minutes.”
Melissa’s tone suddenly changed.
“Woohoo, okay, see you then!”
A little later, they both arrived at a local bar and Melissa ordered two martinis as soon as they sat down.
“So an accountant huh? You’re one step away from the ball and chain, J.”
“What do you mean?” Asked Julie.
“You don’t remember? We used to tell each other that we’d never get stuck in an office job, that we’d follow our dreams and never compromise.”
“I am following my dream.”
“Being an accountant is your dream, is it? Whatever happened to becoming a writer? What was it you used to say? ‘Give me a pen and paper and a tree to lean on, that’s all I need
in life’.”
“I was young then. I’ve grown up. Anyway, I don’t know why you’re acting all high and mighty, you said you would be a world famous dancer and travel the globe! What happened to that, huh?”
“Hey, I admit I’m not living the dream. Being a secretary is torture. But I get what you mean, things change.”
They both sat there in silence thinking back to when they were kids without a care in the world, until finally Melissa decided to change the subject.
“So tomorrow is going to be your first day as an accountant huh?”
“Yup.”
“What exactly are you going to do though? I mean, what’s gonna be so different from your normal everyday job?”
Julie thought for a moment.
“To be honest? I have no idea. I mean, practically everything I’m doing now are the things I would do if I were an accountant. I have to see a lady who’ll train me, so I guess I’ll know soon enough.”
“I see,” said Melissa. “Well whoever she is, I hope she’s nice.”
Chapter Two
“Julie! You’re early!”
A woman sitting in a large office, almost as big as Mr. Ladbrook’s, was feverishly scribbling something down on a piece of paper.
“Please, please, come in. Don’t be shy,’ she said as she looked up for a moment with a smile.
“Thank you Janine,” said Julie as she walked in the room and sat down on the green leather armchair in the corner of the room.
Janine stood, walked over to her and held out her hand. Julie stood up and shook it.
“Julie, I’ve had my eye on you for quite some time.”
“You have?” Asked Julie, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
“Yes, you’ve been performing well ever since you got here. The number of clients and tasks you’ve taken on, and the speed with which you’ve done so is extremely impressive. It shows me that you’re a very driven and capable woman.”
“Oh, thank you Janine. You’re too kind.”
“Not at all, what are you doing for the next three days?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The next three days, what’s your schedule?”
“I…I don’t have one. I mean I’m in your hands, whatever you need.”
“Excellent,” replied Janine with a huge grin. “Then here’s what I want you to do, go home, pack a small suitcase, bring your passport and meet me back here in three hours.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You have to learn to stop saying that if you want to stick with me, Julie.”
“What I mean is I don’t understand. Why do I need my passport? Where am I going?”
“We are going to Hawaii.”
“Hawaii?! What for?”
“I’ll explain on the way,” replied Janine as she got up and left. “Remember, three hours. Don’t be late.”
Three hours later, they were both sitting in a private company car, being driven to the airport.
“Could you tell me why we’re going to Hawaii, please?”
“You’ve been overseeing the numbers for most of the accounts in the east coast, right?”
“Yes.” Replied Julie.
“Well you must have noticed that for more than half of them, a company name kept showing up, can you recall what it was?”
Julie looked down at the floor and immediately started searching her mind. Janine watched her closely.
“Hugo Brown?”
“Yes! Hugo Brown is an investment company and one of our biggest clients. Every now and then, we need to meet up with the chairman and sweet talk him to stay with us. It will be an important experience for you, especially if you want to become a Senior Partner.’
“I see. I got it now.” She smiled, part nervous and part hysterically happy to be flying to Hawaii. She couldn’t believe it. Mel was going to flip.
First class was as elegant as she could’ve imagined. Hot towels, a nice filet mignon with braised carrots and a white wine. Julie hardly cared if they were to ever land. When they plane had landed, Julie immediately felt the humidity and the heat. It felt good.
Another company car was waiting for them after they had visited baggage claim and they were whisked off to a ridiculous hotel that looked like it was made for a Kardashian. Julie felt a bit out of her element, overwhelmed by the luxury.
“Okay,” said Janine, full of energy. “Unpack your stuff, get settled in, and then we’re off to dinner!”
“Dinner? I’m sorry Janine, I’m so tired from the flight, is it all right if I take a power nap? I’m pretty beat.”
“That’s not the attitude that wins clients, Julie. If you want to be successful in this game, you’re going to have to play hard. Making the people you connect with happy is the first and most important step and that includes your associates. Guess what Julie? I’m not happy. You’ve got fifteen minutes.” With that, she walked off.
Fourteen and a half minutes later, Julie met up with her outside of the hotel.
“Well I’m glad you changed your mind. Come on.” Janine winked.
They walked along the cobbled pavement until they reached a vibrant and bustling street. There was local music blaring from every other house and the whole place was lined with bars and restaurants. Julie was soaking in the atmosphere. Even though she was there to work and learn from Janine, it felt like she was on an all-expenses paid holiday.
I could so get used to this, she thought.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The smell from all the different foods and flavors made her salivate.
“Hungry?” asked Janine.
“Starving.”
“There’s a great little place just down the street from here. They do a mean tapas. You like tapas?”
“I’ve never tried it, actually, to be honest with you. I have no idea what it is.”
“Oh Julie, you’re going to experience a lot of things in the next couple of years. You remind me a lot of myself.”
They sat in the restaurant and looked out onto the street as they ate.
“I could get used to this,” said Julie.
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet.”
“So how did you get into this business?” asked Julie.
“Oh, I don’t really have a particularly riveting story for you. I just really enjoyed working with numbers, ever since I was a child. Accounting seemed like the natural thing to do.”
“I admire you a lot.”
“Why?” asked Janine.
“You’re everything I want to be.”
Janine smiled.
“You almost had me going for a minute there. If you keep kissing butt like that, you’re going to be getting clients left, right, and center. You’ll have so many you won’t know what to do with them.”
Julie thought, I was being sincere, Janine.
They sat there for a few moments in silence, then Janine handed her a USB stick.
“Here.”
“What is it?”
“It’s everything we’ve got on Hugo.”
“Oh you mean the numbers on file? You could have just emailed them to me.”
“No I don’t just mean the numbers. I mean everything. You need to understand that when we’re after big fish like Hugo here, we need to know everything about them. Where he grew up, what happened to his parents, heck, even what kind of toothpaste he uses. Information is power and you’d be surprised at how even the most trivial piece, when used skillfully, can make or break a multi-million-dollar deal.”
Julie didn’t say anything and humbly looked at the stick in her hands.
“I want you to go back to your room and study everything in there. By morning, you should know Hugo better than his own mother.”
“Okay, I got it.”
That night Julie did just that. There were over fifty files, photos or other pieces of information, all catalogued and arranged in alphabetical order. Some were just simply a long log of his flight history, times, dates, destinations, that kind of thing.
But others were far more in depth. There was even an evaluation of his psychological health, which made Julie chuckle a little. Her interest was peaked and she read it as she sipped on black coffee.
‘Hugo shows tendencies of romantic perfectionism, not only towards himself but towards his choice of partner…’
She read it cover to cover, totally enthralled at the depth a person like Hugo could have. By morning she had learned that he was on the brink of becoming a billionaire, that he had learned to pilot a helicopter at the age of twenty-five, and that he could speak Spanish and French, fluently. She knew every asset he owned and every meeting with every client that he saw potential in collaborating with.
Okay I’ve got him, she thought.
She closed the file and went to bed, happy in the knowledge that she’d prepared thoroughly for the meeting with Hugo the next day. In the morning, she decided to go for a jog. She ran along the beach, which was a stone’s throw away from her hotel. The cool sea air flew through her hair as she ran, it was refreshing. After thirty minutes, she stopped and started doing some cool down exercises.
“You’re up early.”
She took out her earphones and looked around. There was a man standing a few feet behind her doing pushups. He was shirtless and Julie couldn’t help but stare at his physique. He was well built with big hazel eyes and a small goatee. She suddenly felt tongue-tied.
“I…erm…yes, I am, how about you?”
How about you? She thought. That’s all you could come up with? Come on Julie, you can do a lot better than that.
“Yeah, I’m up at this time every day,” he replied. “It’s just rare to see someone else up this early exercising, especially someone who isn’t a local.”
“Well, I like to keep in shape,” she replied.
“Even when you’re on holiday?”
“It’s not really a holiday. I’m here on business.”
“Oh I see,” replied the man as he got up.
“I’m Jason by the way,” he said as he extended his hand.
Julie’s heart was pounding. As silly as it sounded, she’d never shook a topless man’s hand before. He sensed her nervousness and smiled.