by Lauren Wood
I laughed and shook my head. “You know I’d never even consider this if it wasn’t you asking.”
“You can thank me later. After you’ve made your final decision, and you realize it was a good one.”
“I’ll be around for three months or so,” I told him. “I’ll be sure to get you an answer in that time.”
“Sooner rather than later, I hope. In the meantime, why don’t you go ahead and get a lay of the land? It's been a while since you’ve been caught up around here. And you’ve never stuck around for longer than a month.”
Two to three months working in the same building, same office, with the same people doing the same job every day? The thought made me want to run for it and never look back. But the therapist my ex-girlfriend dragged me to insisted that I deal with my commitment issues. Solving them remained to be seen, but dealing with them meant sitting for a moment and ruminating on the possibility of something other than booking the next flight out. I needed to at least give it fair consideration, for Lucas’s sake. He was so excited, after all.
“Give me the week to get caught up,” I decided. “I’ll kick next Monday off with an executive staff meeting and go from there.”
“Now we’re talking,” he beamed. “It’s kind of like the group projects we used to pair up for in highschool. Only the grade is based on how much we can increase our profits.”
“I do seem to recall us acing our economics and business class.”
“Not me,” he groaned. “Which is precisely why I need you around. Can’t let on to people that the CEO is completely clueless.”
“Not completely clueless,” I argued with a wink. “Just completely lost without his trusted advisor and sidekick.”
I stood and shook his hand again before turning to show myself out.
“Oh, hey, Jack,” he called out. “I know I said it at the funeral and about a hundred times since then…but I really am sorry about your mom. I know it’s not easy to lose a parent.”
I resisted saying that it was him I felt sorry for. At least our parents’ wealth remained intact enough to be passed down to us. Poor Lucas and his siblings and their mother were all left penniless after the debt-collecting vultures sweeped in. Not only did they have to deal with losing their dad, they lost the only kind of life they had ever known. That is, until they were able to rebuild it all from the ground up. Which must have been working better than I ever imagined, since Lucas was able to agree to my salary demands.
“Thanks. Really.” I smiled back at him.
“How’s your sister doing?”
“You’re married now, right?” I shot back. “So I don’t have to read into it every time you ask me that question?”
“You know damn well I only ever really had eyes for Victoria,” he replied.
“I know, I know. I was there for all your proms and both weddings.”
“There weren’t two weddings,” he laughed. “Just two proposals. And…two engagement parties. Say, maybe if you take me up on my offer I’ll be attending your wedding soon enough.”
It was hard not to choke out of panic as I laughed. “Don’t hold your breath.”
The job proposal was scary enough. If Lucas wanted me to really consider taking the job, he’d have to lay off the marriage talk. That was the surest and quickest way to send me bolting back to the airport.
Instead I pushed the thought from my brain and returned home to unpack. I wasn’t expecting to be signing up to have a job to report to the next day, but the feeling was kind of nice.
2
Jada
We gathered in the meeting room once again Monday morning, but this time for a bigger staff meeting. The rumor was that our old friend and advisor Jack Landson had returned to town and was the one leading the meeting that day. I tried to ignore the butterflies buzzing around in my stomach at the thought of seeing him again, and apparently I wasn’t the only one anticipating the perk of Jack’s good looks that morning. The other women were straightening their hair and makeup in their compact mirrors and fidgeting in their seats, whispering among themselves.
I laughed a little to myself, thinking it was like high school all over again. The affluent private school our parents sent us to had its fair share of good looking, powerful men in the making, my brothers being some of them. But even back then we could all see Jack was in a league of his own. With his perfectly styled dark hair and sparkling blue eyes, big kissable lips and million dollar smile with perfect teeth…He looked more like a Disney prince than an ordinary man who should be roaming the streets with the rest of us.
Every female in the room seemed to join in a collective sharp inhale when he walked into the room with Lucas trailing behind.
“Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming,” Lucas announced. “Many of you remember our friend, Jack Landson, who comes in from time to time to offer us his expertise. We’re lucky to have him back with us today and for the next couple of months. To avoid wasting any of our precious time with him, I hope you’ll join me in welcoming him, and I’ll just turn this right over to him. Jack?”
He took his place at the head of the table and smiled around the room. I could feel the silent swoons vibrating through us as his eyes scanned the attendees. Wasting no time, as Lucas had requested, he immediately threw out a few of his assessments and suggestions.
“With the company’s continued success, it’s important not to let things grow stagnant. Our job is to constantly search for ways to breathe new life into everything. We have to keep surprising customers and stay at the forefront of their minds. I wanted to open the floor up for any ideas you all might have for accomplishing just that.” He paused and waited. “Come on, now. Don’t be shy. I don’t bite. If your idea is not great, we won’t use it. But if it’s a good one, we’ll run with it and you’ll be rewarded for your contributions.”
My throat started to clench up, and not just because Jack’s expectant stare was enough to take anyone’s breath away. I thought back on my personal revelation the week before, and knew this was precisely the kind of thing I had been waiting on, a chance to prove that I was doing things differently now. Of course I had ideas. But speaking up and sharing them with everyone? That was its own battle.
My lips parted as I tried to muster up the courage to start talking, but just as a slew of syllables were about to start spilling from my lips, someone else took their chance to speak. I let out a sigh of relief, but it only left me more nervous to speak when the room grew silent again. It was now or never.
“I have an idea,” I blurted, ripping it off fast like a band-aid. Everyone turned towards me, staring. I swallowed hard and tried again to remember how to speak. It was too late to go back now.
“Let’s hear it,” Jack nodded encouragingly.
“We’ve done features on couples before, but…we’ve never really gone in depth with couples successfully matched through our site. Or the eligible singles for that matter.” I sucked in a breath and tried to keep going, hoping the tremor in my voice wasn’t as obvious to everyone else as it was to me.
“I was thinking interviews. Questions that really dig deep into these people’s lives and give our audience more than just a pretty picture and a tagline. You know, to show that they are real people with real lives, just like the rest of our customers.”
“Interviews. For couples that met through our site as well as the current members who are still searching for someone?” he asked, considering it carefully.
“Yes, exactly. They could be featured on our website and newsletter, but we could even put out a special edition magazine or catalog of some kind. We’ve never branched out into print advertising like that before.”
“I like it,” he admitted, his eyes sparking with potential. “Who would be in charge of an operation like this?”
“Victoria handled it when we did something similar before,” Lucas replied. “But she’s swamped right now. I doubt I could convince her to take this on.”
The room grew bus
y with several people either throwing their hat in the ring or suggesting someone else. My heart was pounding. I knew I wanted to do it myself. But that was never going to happen if I didn’t just come out with it. Why did no one else suggest I lead the project?
“I’d like to…” I tried to announce, but my voice was lost under the chatter of the room.
“Jada. What was that?” Jack asked, trying to quiet everyone down.
Once again, I was on the spot. “I’d like to be in charge of this one,” I shot back again, trying to get it out before I could chicken out.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” H e grinned. “I have someone in mind for you to interview as well. I’ll send the contact info over to you.”
A huge smile spread across my lips. “That would be great. Thanks, Jack.”
What remained of the meeting was lost in my dreamy daze. I was mentally excited for this new role of mine, and physically excited by the pheromones that seemed to seep from Jack’s every word and movement, rendering me completely transfixed.
I barely noticed when things ended and everyone started gathering their things to leave. At least I knew I was getting closer to my opportunity to privately freak out. I had done it. I spoke up, and now I was in charge of a whole brand new project for the company. One that Jack seemed pretty impressed with. The pride swelled up inside of me, making it hard to hide my smile. Once everyone was gone, I could erupt into a shameless happy dance.
But my sister Camille seemed hell-bent on keeping that very thing from happening. I felt her eyes burn into me while everyone else filed out of the room, including Lucas and Jack. She paid close attention when Jack stopped on his way out, grazing my shoulder.
“Good work today, Jada. I look forward to seeing how it all comes out.”
I felt like I had been zapped with an electric current that ran straight from his fingertips through my entire body, but Camille’s scrutinizing gaze kept me from showing just how giddy it made me. I hoped she’d leave with the rest of them, but next thing I knew it was just the two of us hanging behind.
“You were in rare form today,” she commented, crossing her arms. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you coming out of your shell like that.”
“I’m trying to make some changes in my life.” I shrugged. “So you should get used to seeing that kind of thing from me.”
“And what brought all of this on?”
“I need a reason to work on myself and change some things around? I’ve just been growing stagnant, like Jack said about the company. I need some fresh air in my life.”
“Uh-huh.” She picked up her briefcase and headed for the door, stopping near me just like Jack had done. “I hope Jack isn’t what you have in mind for your dose of fresh air. Guys like that seem like they can do no wrong, until they screw you over.”
“Speaking from experience? I didn’t realize you and Jack had a thing.”
“We haven’t,” she defended. “But I know his type. And we both know how he is. We’ve seen him cycle through women since we were teens. They’re like accessories to him. He just picks whichever one best goes with the suit he’s wearing that day.”
“I’ve never paid much attention to Jack in that way,” I lied, knowing Camille could see straight through it.
“Good. Keep it that way,” she said firmly. “I heard he might be coming on here permanently. And if he does, you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by messing around with him. Not to mention, Lucas and Joshua would kill him. Aaaand of course you don’t want to worry that your first big project here only went off because you were…”
“Alright, alright. I get it,” I huffed, breaking into laughter. “Really, Camille. Don’t waste your breath. Men like that don’t look twice at women like me. Jack is way out of my league. I’m more concerned with getting more responsibility in the company. Can’t you just be happy for me and my new project?”
“I am happy for you,” she smiled tightly, wrapping her hand around my arm. “Just be careful is all I’m saying. Don’t let anyone ruin it for you.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I groaned, rolling my eyes.
Camille, and all of my siblings for that matter, were always too protective of me. But nothing could ruin the elation I felt from how the meeting went. And I was convinced most of it had nothing to do with seeing Jack again.
Sure, I had a crush on him since high school. But who didn’t? He was tall, handsome, charming, smart, clever…but also completely unobtainable. Especially to someone like me. He went for women who were more his equals…impossibly good looking and respected and admired in whatever their field was, even if their career consisted of silly modeling gigs. Whoever made him look even better—that was who you’d see him with on a Friday night.
At least I knew that equaled out to my idea being chosen for nothing more than its merits, and I was the right woman to see it through. There was no reason to worry Jack might have other motives with me, because we existed in two completely different realms. Two different dating pools entirely.
My mind was already racing with ideas as I returned to my office. I was ready to dive straight into the project and prove to everyone that I could handle things like this. I wanted to accomplish something big for our company…and something big for me. I was determined to make this new venture the catalyst I needed so badly.
3
Jack
“You were great in there,” Lucas gushed. “It’s almost like you’re where you’re meant to be.”
“Hey man, don’t mistake my greatness to mean I’m destined for Heartstring. I know I’m good at what I do, and I can do it at any company.”
“I appreciate your modesty,” he quipped. “I’m just saying…it was nice having you around today and seeing you in action. I didn’t know if maybe it persuaded you on your decision.”
“There’s plenty of time for that,” I assured him, desperate to avoid feeling cornered into deciding anything right away. Thankfully, my phone rang, giving me an out.
“I’ve got to take this. I’ll touch base with you this afternoon, man.”
He nodded and excused himself from my office, leaving me to take the call in privacy. And it was a good thing he did. A start-up in Tokyo was requesting my services for a quick consult the following week. It had been a year or two since I last had a chance to visit Tokyo, and I was dying to go back. The food and culture were just a few of the many perks that went along with the free trip and generous pay.
“I can spare a few days,” I responded, scribbling some notes down in front of me. I had promised Lucas to throw myself into Heartstring full force while I made up my mind. Getting away for an international trip would be tricky, but I couldn’t turn it down.
I was feeling uneasy in my deliberations over Lucas’s offer. There would be more traveling opportunities coming my way in the next few months. And with Lucas being one of my oldest, dearest friends, I didn’t want to seem ungrateful to him. But I also couldn’t make up my mind without fully considering the best of both worlds and which one I might want. Surely I could manage to get by doing some traveling and quick consulting jobs without anyone knowing.
I checked my calendar and worked the revised plan in with code words to avoid my temporary secretary letting anything slip to Lucas. Then it was back to work. In addition to breathing some fresh life back into the company, I had to catch up on all the numbers and offer any suggestions for improvement I came across. I was good at what I did, and I really could do it anywhere.
In the midst of my workflow, my phone rang again. I wished I could say the next caller was less stressful than the last, but hearing from my sister was every bit as complicated as conflicting job offers.
“Izzy!” I answered, trying to mask the tension between us. “How’s my favorite little sister?”
“I’m your only little sister,” she sighed. “And even that isn’t enough to persuade you into catching up with me while you’re back in town.”
“I was going to call you.
Later tonight.”
“Mmm-hmm. How convenient. I heard you’ve made time to start poking around in Heartstring’s affairs though.”
“Jealous?” I teased. “What are you doing right now? We can grab lunch.”
“I’m poolside at the Portico Country Club. I’ll put in an order for us and reserve a spot on the veranda.”
“Ugh, not that stuffy old snob fest. Why don’t you meet me out in the real world? Surely you know of some trendy brunch spot that opened up while I was gone. Isn’t that kind of thing one of your cornerstones of existence?”
“Of course I know of places,” she sighed. “But I’m sunning and I’m tired. I can’t possibly get dressed and get in a car across town right now.”
“Of course. How silly of me,” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be there within the hour.”
I found her on the veranda in her silk bathing-suit cover, big hat, and sunglasses shielding most of her face. Her red lips sipped from a cocktail straw tucked in next to a little umbrella speared through the alcohol-soaked fruit in her glass.
Izzy looked just like I remembered her—the rich, graceful sort of look she inherited from my mother that she had been embodying flawlessly since she was twelve. Izzy could be very stoic and reserved, which intimidated people. Especially in combination with her good looks and expensive tastes.
“How wonderful to see you again, big brother,” she announced, not bothering to get up.
“Good to see you too.”
“I’ve missed you.”
“You know I always miss you,” I assured her before putting in my drink order with the waitress.
I took a moment to study Izzy there in her natural habitat of the country club. I worried about her, especially ever since our mother passed away. At least with our mom around, she had someone to guide her through her exploits with the rich and famous. Now she was all alone, floating through life as if she could never be expected to do anything more.