by Nancy Naigle
“That’s good.” Vanessa jogged ahead and opened the door for Lilene, then raced up the stairs ahead of her. “Come on in. I’m going to grab a quick shower and get dressed.”
“Sure. You go ahead and I’ll get some fresh coffee going for you. We can eat and then head to the office together.”
When Vanessa came back out after her shower, Lilene had two places set at the tiny dining table.
“This is above and beyond,” she said to Lilene as she sat down across from her. As Vanessa picked up her fork, Lilene cleared her throat and bowed her head.
Vanessa followed suit.
Lilene said a quick prayer for the meal, and an extra one for their work together through the assessment of Porter’s.
Vanessa managed an “amen” as she swallowed hard. The knot in her throat made it almost impossible to swallow the forkful of the egg casserole she’d just put in her mouth. But she did and the flavor was rich, savory with the perfect amount of spice. “Mm. This is so good.”
“It’s a leaner version of the Southern breakfast casserole. When my Norman had his little cholesterol scare a couple of years ago, I started cutting him back. He never even knew. Well, he knows now because when he goes turkey hunting, I make him make the sausage for us. Nothing better than fresh turkey sausage.”
“This is turkey?”
“Sure is.”
It was delicious, but somehow the thought of a huge feathered turkey hanging by his feet over some big guy’s shoulder as he trekked through the woods was a little harder to swallow than that of pre-formed sausage patties in the grocery case.
Lilene’s face squinched. “Too much information for you?”
Vanessa swallowed. “Yeah. A little.” She slugged back some coffee, and tried to wash away that image so she could finish.
“Just rewind that. Pretend I never said anything. Oh goodness, I do sometimes ramble on.”
“Thank you for breakfast,” Vanessa said. “It was a nice surprise. And delicious.”
“Well, it was kind of two birds with one stone really. One, I wasn’t sure when you’d need a ride and wanted to show you that I’d be here for you. Two, I figured if I proved I was a good cook you’d come to Thanksgiving dinner.” She raised her hand. “I know. Norm said, ‘Lilene, don’t be pushy.’ But I have to tell you it just really bothers me to think of anyone not getting a dose of family on Thanksgiving.” She patted her chest. “I really hope you’ll come.”
“Don’t count on it. I have a lot to do, and who knows, I may even ride down to Georgia to visit my cousin for the holiday. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“The invitation stands.” Lilene’s shoulders drooped as she headed for the door. “I put the rest of the casserole in the refrigerator. It’ll be just as tasty when you heat it up later.”
Vanessa followed Lilene out to the car, reminding herself to not become emotionally invested in these people. She was here to do a job. There was no time for anything else.
It was a short drive to Main Street, and it was already buzzing with traffic and people opening their stores. Lilene turned onto Porter House Road and went around to park in the lot behind Porter’s.
“This is where all the employees park.” She took her key out of the ignition.
Vanessa followed her to the back entrance. The brick steps were steep; it was a wonder someone hadn’t complained. Vanessa grabbed the handrail, steadying herself as they went inside.
“This is where the factory team punches in and out every day. None of us are supposed to use the front door. It’s strictly enforced. I mean, you didn’t know, but from now on you probably should come through here. It keeps the store from getting unnecessary traffic.” Lilene blushed. “I’m sorry. You can, of course, do whatever you like.”
“So, the factory workers clock in over here and then go back across the street to the factory?”
“No. There’s nothing in that building.”
“The plans showed the factory across the street in the other building.”
“Not anymore. The factory is down that hall now.”
She’d have to check into that. “Never mind. Show me the way to my office.”
“From the back entrance we’re at the other end. Your office is right next to mine,” Lilene said, while Vanessa mouthed the words in her mind.
She followed Lilene upstairs and down a long corridor.
Just beyond the stairs, Lilene stopped. “Those stairs come up from the retail area. This is my office. You’re in the next one down. It overlooks Main Street.”
“Thank you.” Vanessa walked by Lilene, who was putting her coat on a rack next to her desk.
Vanessa was pleased with her office, even if it was temporary. Leather chairs were positioned across from a masculine desk of walnut or mahogany with a timeless look to it. The ornate carved legs and edge of the desktop looked hand-done. A matching credenza held a nice bronze of a horse and carriage, similar to the one on the logo. Floor-to-ceiling built-ins held rows of awards and certificates. In the far corner of the room, a Christmas tree held years and years of collectible annual Porter’s ornaments.
She swept her fingers over the dusty branches of the Christmas tree, then rubbed her hands together to get rid of the residue.
It only took a few minutes to set up her computer and sync her calendar with the latest meeting updates from Chicago. Edward had scheduled a meeting for the top of the hour. That was only five minutes away. She unpacked her things and then called him.
“Vanessa. Good morning. You’re all settled in by now I’m sure?” his voice boomed.
A pang of guilt shot through her about breakfast with Lilene. Normally she kept her distance from the workers and got right down to work. She’d have already been knee deep into the project plan by now. “Yes, sir. I’ve got a meeting with the employees tonight.” She jotted a note on the pad next to her to ask Lilene about the time discrepancy. “I need to check with Micky. I don’t have the latest plans and inventory. Where we have the factory located on our plat is now a vacant building. I’m not sure exactly what we’re looking at here. I’m going to need a few days to get the inspections we need to ensure it can be updated in time.”
“Make it happen, Vanessa. That’s why I sent you. Budget doesn’t matter at this point. We’ve got the right footprint there. The location was approved this morning. Get it done. No matter what it takes.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get workers reassigned immediately.”
“And shut down Porter’s. No sense in having to deal with all of that as we renovate and reposition for January first.”
“That may not be necessary,” she said. “I’ll le—”
“Don’t make it more complicated than it has to be. We can take the loss with the increased revenue from this project. Gotta run. I’ll look for an update by the beginning of next week.”
She hung up the phone and pulled up the reassignment plan she’d put together over the weekend. She pressed the button labeled LILENE on the old phone system. “Lilene, can you come in here, please?”
“Yes, ma’am. On my way.”
A moment later Lilene was perched in the chair in front of Vanessa’s desk with a steno pad and pen in hand like a scene out of an old black-and-white film. “You know you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am.’ ‘Vanessa’ is fine.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. Sorry. I’m just being polite.”
“Right. I need to go over the details for the meeting this evening. The time was wrong.”
“Yes, m— Well, I had to change a couple of teensy details. I didn’t realize it was pep rally night when you sent the information over.” She shrugged. “But I’ve got that all squared away.”
“Pep rally?”
“The rally is being held this afternoon right after the kids get out of classes. The Falcons are scrimmaging the Colts. Since Thanksgiving is this Thursday, they’re playing the game tonight at six. I had to move your meeting to after the game?”
“Seriously?”
<
br /> “Yes. If you’d tried to meet with everyone at five thirty you would’ve been in an empty room.” Her eyes went wide. “Well, I’d have been there, of course, but you know what I mean. But don’t worry. I handled it all.” Lilene was clearly proud of herself. Had it not occurred to her that the employees of Porter’s should be accommodating her … not the other way around?
“So, that wasn’t a typo in the report you gave me?”
“No. I set the meeting for eight thirty, but it’ll depend on the game. They’re archrivals. Sometimes they go into overtime. If it does, it’ll be right after that.”
Her jaw tightened. Where were these people’s priorities? “Fine,” she managed politely. She should’ve handled this herself. She walked over to the printer and pulled off a list of employees. “I’ll need to meet with all of these people tomorrow morning at seven o’clock. We’re going to walk to the building across the street.”
“The one we aren’t using that you asked about this morning?”
“Yes. Where the factory used to be.”
“Oo-kay.” Lilene jotted it on her pad with a bewildered look.
“And take all of those employees off the work schedule for the rest of the week. I’ll be assigning them special projects.”
Lilene flipped the piece of paper in her hand, and propped a hand on her hip. “What kind of projects?”
“I’ll discuss that with them. What I need from you today is to contact each of these people and let them know about the reassignment.”
“Is it temporary?”
All of this is temporary. “Is there a problem with you being able to complete this task?”
“No,” she said quietly. “But John here on the list, he takes his daughter to school every morning. She fell off the bus last year. Bless her heart, she won’t ride that thing anymore. She’s terrified. He won’t be able to make it at seven. And there’s Lewis. I don’t know what you need him to do, but he doesn’t much like change. He can be a little hard to talk to. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an excellent worker. He can fix anything, but he—”
“That’s precisely why I need him on this project.”
“Oo-ka-ay.”
Thankfully, Vanessa’s phone interrupted the conversation. She took the call and Lilene left the room.
Since her big meeting was now on-the-fly because of the local football game, she had plenty of time to get a few things done before she met with the employees tonight.
Lilene had left for lunch, thankfully, when Vanessa picked up the huge wad of keys they’d given her to go do a quick inspection of the factory floor.
She walked to the end of the hall, then followed the yellow line to where each worker swiped their badge to clock in and out. They’d implemented several mistake-proofing processes. Impressive. Blue arrows led her to a catwalk above the kitchen area. Everyone wore white, and there wasn’t one person out of compliance from what she could see. Things seemed to be moving like a well-oiled machine. Too bad this would all be gone in a few weeks.
She did a quick count from up here of all the equipment on the floor. She typed notes in her phone and took a few pictures to reference back later.
She took the stairs back down to the main level, grabbed her coat from her office, and then walked back out to the parking lot. A large truck rumbled down the road.
She crossed the street to the former factory. It took up practically the whole next block of Porter House Road. There was more than enough space for the warehouse project to not disrupt Porter’s. She noted the wooden doors would need to be updated to metal and glass. Dry leaves had piled in one corner of the stoop.
Not a single key on the huge ring she’d been given fit the door. She walked around to the back. The doors at the docks were in pretty shabby shape. She pulled a tape on them, noting the measurements. Easy enough to put in some good commercial metal rolling doors. The same contractor could probably handle all of that work. She’d just have to wait until the maintenance manager could help her get inside tomorrow morning when they all met at seven.
She hated being in a holding pattern, but she could at least get some bids working on the doors today.
A few hours later she’d garnered a list of reputable companies who could do the work, and called with the requirements for bids. It was always faster to pick up the phone, rather than wait for a response on an emailed RFP.
By the end of the day, she was weary of having to hang around town until after the football game. If she went to the apartment, she’d have to arrange a ride back. She gathered her things to explore the restaurant choices while she had some time on her hands.
As she stepped outside, her phone rang. Seeing Anna’s name on the display pushed her frustration down a notch. “Hi, Anna.”
“How’s it going?”
“All settled in. Although folks around here don’t seem to have much sense of urgency.” She walked across Porter House Road on Main.
Anna’s giggle came across the line. “Perhaps, Vanessa, that’s a sign you should reduce yours a little. It is practically Thanksgiving, after all.”
“Yes, but you’ll never believe this. They rescheduled my meeting with all the workers to introduce myself and let them know what I’m here to do to accommodate their local football game.”
“That sounds okay. What’s so bad about taking an evening to have a nice dinner and join in the festivities around the football game? Relive those cheerleader days. You were pretty good as I remember.”
“Oh my gosh. Don’t remind me.”
“I won’t keep you. I know you’re busy. I just wanted to know you got settled in and were doing okay. Call me at the end of the week when you get the chance. Have some fun.”
Why not? Vanessa disconnected the call. Standing on the sidewalk in front of the butcher shop on Main Street, she raised a fist in the air, pretending it was a pom-pom. “Go!” She kicked one heel up behind her then headed to find out the details about tonight’s big game. “This one’s for you, Anna.”
CHAPTER TEN
Vanessa pulled her coat tighter across her body to guard against the cold. It probably wouldn’t be considered fun in Anna’s book, but Vanessa did need to check out the local restaurants. She wasn’t much of a cook, so finding somewhere with a decent menu near the office was necessary if she didn’t want to live on frozen dinners the whole time she was here. It was on the company dime anyway.
“Hello,” a smiling woman said, grasping the gloved hand of a toddler as she swung a brightly colored shopping bag from her other hand.
Before Vanessa could respond, the woman had already passed her by.
A man tacked a flyer to the power pole on the corner. “Good afternoon. Don’t miss out on the sale down at the boutique.” He gave her a little half salute and jogged back to his truck.
“Thank you.” She stopped and read the advertisement, then moved along. The mail carrier walked out of the insurance office. With his satchel over his shoulder, he carried a handful of letters in his hand. “Good afternoon,” he said.
“Thanks.” It wasn’t long before she found herself offering a smile and head nod to the next people walking by. She felt like someone new. Laughing, she purposefully slowed down.
Why am I in such a hurry to nowhere right now?
In front of her, a blackboard balanced on a windowsill flaunted the daily specials in brightly colored chalk. Double-dipped fried chicken, crispy catfish, and fried chicken livers, taters, and homemade gravy. Under desserts: homemade banana pudding and chocolate skillet cake.
My pants feel tighter just reading the menu.
She sucked in her gut.
That banana pudding sounds good, though.
She forced herself to move along in search of something a little less fried, but if that restaurant was open on the walk back, banana pudding to go was definitely going to happen.
A woman with two sniffly red-nosed children tumbled out of the door of the Fraser Hills Family Medical Practice. An attorney’s office to
ok up the next few spaces. She tried to picture Robert practicing law in a town this size.
Suddenly, knowing there was no one back at home waiting for her, she felt a little lost. A little alone. She and Robert had been introduced at the AGC Christmas party three years ago. Had she wanted from the beginning for things with him to work out so badly that she’d overlooked the most important part? The part where her heart was supposed to be involved? Or had things changed along the way?
She stopped in front of the window display at a flower shop called The Stalk Market. Twinkle lights sparkled among the petals of bright red poinsettias, and a snowman made of flowers almost reached the top of the space. She hadn’t seen anything this elaborate since she went to Pasadena for the Rose Parade. Of course, those floats were twenty times the size, but this definitely showed an artistic eye, and clever use of natural goods. Is that pipe made out of lavender seeds? Ingenious.
Vanessa admired the techniques.
“Hi. How are you?”
She swung around. A woman about her age, wearing a brightly colored floral apron over her black outfit and a wreath of baby’s breath balanced atop her short black pixieish haircut, stood there smiling. “I’m Diane.”
Somehow the woman made each word carry on for about three syllables.
“Hello,” Vanessa responded. “I was admiring your lovely window decoration.”
“You must be the lady from Chicago.” Diane stuck out her right hand. “Welcome.”
“Word travels fast around here,” she said as they shook hands.
Diane patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. People really do mean it in a nice way.”
“I’ll try to remember that. Nice to meet you, Diane. I’m Vanessa Larkin.” She pointed to the window display. “This really is absolutely eye-catching. I love the detail.”