by Nancy Naigle
She laid down her pencil. “For everyone?” Her nostrils flared as she sucked in a slow breath and leaned back, a deep crease forming over her brow. “Is this from the call earlier today with corporate?”
“It is, but it’s not bad news. I just need to update everyone.”
She let out the breath. “I’ll call and schedule the elementary school. What time, six?”
“Let’s make it immediately following shift, so about five fifteen.” Vanessa started to walk off. “You know, let’s not do that. Instead, have everyone gather here at Porter’s.”
“Where will they sit?”
“They’ll stand. It won’t take long.”
“What about customers?”
“They’ll be mostly locals anyway. No secrets. Let’s keep it low-key. It’s winter. It’ll be a little cozy, but I think the holiday decorations will be nice, and if I speak from the third or fourth stairstep I’ll be able to see everyone just fine. Could you buy some of those cookies you had in the red tin in my basket?”
“The Retrops?”
“I don’t know. They were in ornament shapes and drizzled in chocolate.”
“I made those.”
“You did? Why do you call them Retrops?”
“‘Porter’ spelled backwards. I use the not-quite-right Porter’s cakes that they are going to throw away. Usually they are just a little too done on top. I add a few little things to it, roll them out, rebake them, and decorate them. I named them Retrops because I start backwards with a fresh finished product to make a new one.”
“I cannot believe those are made from fruitcake.”
“Not just any fruitcake. Our fruitcake. Yeah. Just for fun, ya know. Everybody loves them.”
“Including me. Okay, well I can’t ask you to make three hundred cookies for tomorrow night. How about—”
“No. I can do it. I’ve been baking all weekend anyway. I can just do more tonight.” She grinned wide, and clapped her hands together. “I’m so glad you liked them.”
“Well, great then.” Vanessa joined Misty at the front door and they drove over to the farm to check for the puppy, but there was still no sign of him. Zack hadn’t seen him since they loaded the trailer yesterday either. Misty pulled around the barn to the house driveway to leave, but as they passed the front of the house, she stomped her foot on the brake. The truck lurched to a stop.
“Oh my gosh. Look!” Misty pointed toward the front porch at something golden. She bailed out, running to the door calling for the puppy with the enthusiasm of a teenager.
Vanessa relaxed a little. Thank goodness.
But near the porch, Misty slowed to a stop and then walked the rest of the way.
Vanessa leaned forward in her seat trying to see what was going on, unsure whether to run and help or sit and wait. Then Misty stooped down and scooped something up, but it didn’t look like Scooter.
As Misty got closer, she could see it was simply a big yellow padded shipping envelope.
“I’m sorry,” Vanessa said as Misty climbed into the truck and laid the package on the console.
“It was just my dress for the dance,” Misty said.
“Well, that’s good news.” Vanessa picked up the package. “Let’s open it.”
“It can wait.” Misty shrugged, and Vanessa wasn’t sure whether the mood was from being worried about Scooter or being shy about the dress.
“I want to see it.”
“You do?” She’d pulled away from the house, heading to the warehouse to check for Scooter.
“Yes. I was Vanessa’s Fine Vintage Frills, remember. Of course I want to see it.”
“Okay. I guess. If you’re sure.” Misty turned at the end of the street.
“We can open it when we get to the carriage house. I know Anna would love to see your dress too. It’ll be fun. Just the girls.”
“Really?”
“Do you know how many years it’s been since I went to a dance?”
Misty giggled.
“Yeah. Don’t guess that. Let’s just say it was a long time, but, Misty, being all dressed up is like becoming a different person. I still remember my first dance. It was like I’d become beautiful all of a sudden, and brave; this is going to sound stupid, but it made me feel better about myself.”
“A dress?”
“It’s the dress. It’s the formality of it. The corsage. The decorations. The music.” A tickle at her nose made her take a breath. “It’s the most magical thing.”
“You make it sound wonderful.”
“It is. I’m so excited for you. Is he nice?”
“Who?”
“The boy you’re going with?”
“Luke? Super nice. He’s really active in school programs and all. He makes me laugh.”
“The best kind,” Vanessa said.
Misty’s phone rang. “Excuse me. If it’s Dad and I don’t answer he’ll get worried.” She pulled off the road and took her phone from her purse. “Hello?”
Vanessa sat quietly as Misty spoke until she realized the conversation was good news about Scooter. She clasped her hands. So glad to know he was okay.
“He’s fine.” Misty’s eyes sparkled as she put her phone down. “He’s all the way over in the next town. It’s like a thirty-minute drive.”
“How did he get that far?”
“The only thing I can figure is that he must’ve gotten on the trailer or in Dad’s truck when they were loading up, and then gotten left behind when they stopped at the feed store to stock up. Dad’s good friends with the guy who owns the place.”
“Let’s go get him.”
“They are going to keep him tonight since they live up the mountain. It’s already snowing up there and the roads get iffy quick.” She smiled wide, then put the truck in gear and pulled back onto the road. “They’ll take really good care of Scooter. They’re the ones who told me what to try to get him healthy. I trust them.”
“I’m so glad he’s in good hands.”
“Me too. I have to admit, I really thought he was gone for good.”
“He’s not. You can breathe easier now.” It was hard to believe the young lady sitting next to her was only sixteen. I suppose losing your mother at a young age forces a certain amount of quick growing up. “Better to trust things will be okay than worry about the worst-case scenario. Worrying will give you gray hair.” She pointed to hers.
Misty laughed. “You must never worry, then. You don’t have any gray hair.”
“I have the secret weapon.”
“Not worrying?”
“No. A magnificent hairdresser.”
“We don’t have a fancy shop like that around here.”
“Here’s a piece of advice one of my managers told me early on. It’s what I always go back to. Not just in work, but anytime I get worried. He said, ‘Decide what’s more important to you: the dream that’s your desired outcome, or your fear.’”
“The dream,” Misty said. “Always.”
“Right, and as long as you stay focused on the dream, you’ll see opportunities. But if you let the fear take over, all you’ll ever see is obstacles.”
“Like we did with making the posters for Scooter. We saw an opportunity to get the word out.”
“Exactly.”
“Thanks for sharing that. Dad texted earlier. They’ll probably roll in around eleven tonight. I’m going to go home and get some rest. It’ll be busy at the farm getting the horses and gear unpacked.”
“I guess you can’t leave the horses on the trailer all night, can you.”
“Travel is tough on them, we’ll want to get them unloaded immediately and give them some time to move around, stretch and rehydrate. They can lose like five percent of their weight on a ride that long.” She snapped her fingers in the air. “Just like that.”
“They always look so relaxed when you see them on the trailers.”
“Think about standing in the back of my truck for the ride home. You’d be shifting your weight to s
tay upright with every turn and repositioning at every bounce. It’s a workout.”
“I’m glad this is my stop,” Vanessa said with a laugh. “Go home. Good luck unloading tonight. I’ll be in slumberland by the time you get started.” Vanessa grabbed the door handle and got out of the truck. “Good night.”
* * *
The next afternoon, Vanessa sat at her desk munching on one of Lilene’s Retrops as she went through her notes for the meeting tonight. Lilene had gone down to the retail store to manage getting set up for the meeting. Cookies were layered on raised cake plates on the display tables, and small plates and napkins were put out too.
The shift ended and the noise level rose as more and more of the factory workers made their way into the store.
She walked downstairs to check on things. People were talking among themselves and enjoying Lilene’s cookies. It was apparent Lilene had included an “it’s not bad news” whisper along with the meeting invite, because the vibe tonight was completely different than in the elementary school cafeteria that first night, which was what she’d hoped for.
She spotted Buck and Anna standing at the counter talking to Misty. She waved in their direction and worked her way over toward them. Anna waved and Buck gave her an encouraging smile.
It took Vanessa a few minutes to get across the store, stopping to say hello to the guys who had helped Bill get the warehouse in shape. “Thanks for your help.” She shook hands. “Good to see you.” She was being met with smiles rather than fear and speculation this time.
Bill grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake. “You should stick around and run this shop. I’d consult for you any day of the week.”
The compliment meant a lot to her. Bill had gotten his start at this company. She teased, “Unless it’s a hunting day, and there’s a big buck on the loose, right?”
“I might even sacrifice one of those days for you, Vanessa. I respect your style.”
“Thank you, Bill. You’re a huge part of this success.”
Moving closer to Anna, she thought, This is definitely a different room to talk with tonight.
She paused as she stepped away.
Talk with?
A tiny shock of realization sizzled inside her.
Talk with rather than to the people. It sounded like a subtle change, but was it? She swiveled, taking in the faces around her. The room seemed to silence, although she could still see the people talking. She could name one, two, three … more than twenty-five of the people standing nearby. It’d be easier to count who she didn’t recognize.
Hardworking people who genuinely cared about one another and this town.
As she turned, Buck caught her arm.
“Are you okay?” He put his other arm on the top of her shoulder. “You look unsteady.”
“No. I’m not. I was just…” She patted his hand. “I’m fine. Really. I was coming over to say hello and got sidetracked along the way. Let me make this announcement. I’ll be right back.”
She walked over to the stairs and climbed to the fourth step and looked around. The crowd seemed like a hive of energetic bees below. She clapped her hands in an attempt to regain control. One second later there was that loud whistle of Lilene’s and the room quieted to a hush.
“I’m going to have to learn that whistle.” Nervous laughter broke the tension as Vanessa regained control.
“Merry Christmas. I hope you’re all feeling the holiday spirit after the great parade this weekend.” She started clapping and folks joined in.
“Thank you for gathering again on short notice. I promised to bring you updates as soon as I had them, so that’s what we’re doing here tonight. Before I go through the changes, I want to share a couple of personal observations.”
“Here comes the bad-news sandwich,” someone groaned from somewhere among the display cases.
Buck’s unmistakable voice boomed. “Hush up, Tinker. Let the lady speak. You’re always stirring up stuff that doesn’t need stirring.”
“Sorry.”
Vanessa never had seen who had made the comment. “Thank you, Buck. I admit I was in line for an assignment in Paris this holiday and I was not happy about being sent to Fraser Hills, North Carolina, but I’ve had the great pleasure to get to know many of you in the past couple of weeks as we’ve evaluated the footprint and business activities. Thank you for being such a good team.”
Nods and a few whispers spread across the floor.
“Initial plans included confirmation of warehouse space. As you know, we’ve had a team heads-down on clearing out the facility on the next block in preparation for that. The team has made quick work of it and we’ve been able to recoup some of the money for repairs by scrapping old equipment, or in some cases donating it to be repurposed for other things in the county. I want to thank Bill Campbell for his leadership on this effort.”
People cheered. No one seemed to even remember how mad they’d been with her for giving him that package not that long ago.
“Great job. Really it was a team effort. We have a few more requirements that have come through and my goal is to have that warehouse up and running, ready to begin receiving inventory by the first of the year.” She raised her hand as people grumbled. “I know. It’s super fast. Racks and equipment will be coming soon. I have a detailed plan to get us done by December eighteenth. It’s aggressive, but I want you all to have the time you deserve with your families over the holiday. It’ll mean all hands on deck, but it also includes some changes to Porter’s. Before you jump to conclusions, these are positive changes, many of them proposed by one of your own.” She waved to Misty. “Misty, join me up here.”
Buck’s mouth fell open.
Misty looked as if she’d frozen to her spot.
“Come on, Misty.”
She ran toward the stairs and stood next to Vanessa with her cheeks a bright red.
“Misty brought me several ideas to help move the needle on Porter’s. We’ll be doing some really great things, including a new online store and ramping up production goals for 2020.”
For the next twenty minutes she fielded every question about the upcoming changes, and let Misty respond to some of the Porter’s-specific ones, which she handled with ease and confidence.
“Thank you, everyone, for your support and dedication to our future here in your beautiful town, and thank you for making me feel such a welcome part of it. Our task is to have everything done prior to my meeting back in Chicago on December eighteenth. Everyone who works the entire time will get paid days off through the holiday for the extra time and dedication. And I’ll be back in town taking some time off too, with my cousin here for our first Fraser Hills Christmas.” She scanned the room for any remaining raised hands or uncertain expressions. “If there are no more questions, that’s it for tonight. I’ll bring us together when we have more news. Thank you.”
Everyone filed out of the store. Surprisingly, even with the crowd the store wasn’t disheveled, but the store employees did a quick walk-through to straighten up before they closed for the night.
Vanessa was the last one out. Buck and Anna sat in his truck in front of the store waiting on her.
She stopped at the double front doors. As she slipped the old key into the shiny brass lock, through the watery glass it looked like a dream. And to all a good night.
She dropped the key into her coat pocket and got into the back of Buck’s car.
“That’s good what you did in there.” Buck’s eyes met hers in the rearview mirror.
“Thank you. This old guy gave me some good advice. Not that I’d asked for any.” She laughed. “But I’ve been trying to put it to good use.”
“I’d hoped you would.”
He grinned, nodding as he pulled away from the curb.
“Can I tell her?” Anna looked about ready to explode. Had she been a hiding a secret?
Vanessa leaned forward in the seat. “Tell me what?”
“Misty is my great-granddaughter.” Bu
ck lifted his gaze from the road to the rearview mirror again. “Did you have any idea?”
“None.” Misty had never mentioned it, and there’d been a clear chance when Vanessa had talked about Buck and the carriage house.
“Nope. She’s a smart kid. Came out of the womb that way. Confident. Determined. Strong. I’m very proud of her. I’d do anything to be sure that child has all the opportunities she deserves. Thank you for recognizing that in her.”
“Don’t thank me. It was certainly not done as any kind of favor to you, though you’ve been terrific. I liked what she’d planned. It was a good solid plan, and she had the data to back it.”
“I think it’s going to be a pretty good year around here next year.” Buck lifted his hand from the wheel and dropped it to Anna’s leg. “I’m gonna see more of you next year too, won’t I?”
“If I have anything to say about it.”
Vanessa probably should have put her hand over her mouth to hide her cheesy grin. How sweet is that?
There was no way she was going to break that little cloud of happiness by asking Buck whether he was Mike’s grandfather or Misty’s great-grandfather on her mother’s side. In a town of people who knew everything about everyone, she was clearly the outsider, because she was always at least one detail behind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
From the morning after the meeting, everyone who worked at Porter’s and several who offered to pitch in during their personal off-season worked hard to make everything on that project plan happen.
Morning red-yellow-green meetings were held with task owners to make sure everyone was on schedule, and a SWAT team was put together to take on any roadblocks or obstacles they bumped into, which ended up being few.
Vanessa attributed it not to her experience, but to the full-disclosure approach. The plan was posted so that every single employee, no matter their level, could see it. In some cases, people stepped up to help on things they hadn’t been tapped for, and that had ended up being an unexpected boost, cutting several hours from the bottom line.