Heather knocked on the open door to the security office. Tara Manning looked up and smiled warmly.
“Hello, to what do I owe this honour?” Tara gestured for Heather to come in and take a seat.
“I have a favour to ask,” Heather confessed as she sat down.
“You want me to take on the new girl that no one else wants?” Tara assumed.
Heather chuckled. She should have known that stories of Scarlett would have spread around the centre like wildfire. Everyone loved to gossip, and Scarlett provided them with a lot of it. Anyone with their ear to the ground, such as the security manager, would no doubt have heard all about Scarlett Flynn by now.
“I actually think she’d be a good fit,” Heather said, trying a different avenue of approach. “She’s ex-military, has a very keen eye for detail. She’s fit and healthy. No nonsense. Hard worker.”
Tara simply grinned at Heather.
“Is any of this working?” Heather asked good-humouredly.
“I don’t know, keep trying,” Tara joked.
Heather flopped back in the chair. “Don’t make me beg.”
Tara grinned some more. “Is she as bad as people say she is?”
Heather seriously considered the question for a moment. The truth was, she didn’t really know.
Scarlett wasn’t the easiest person to speak to, that was for sure. Why that was and what was behind it were a mystery to Heather.
Putting Scarlett in the basement with Richard had been a bad idea; the facilities team as a whole wasn’t well known for their ability to cope with changes in management or personnel.
It was entirely possible that the two things combined to create a bad start for Scarlett. Maybe things would have been better if she had been placed in the right department at the beginning.
“I don’t really know her,” Heather admitted. “I do know that she seems to be a hard worker and dedicated. But she’s not the most personable of people; she’s not easy to talk to. At all, from what I gather.”
“I can work with that,” Tara said, “but she won’t get any special treatment because she’s the boss’s daughter. So, if she thinks that, she’ll have to think again.”
Heather shook her head. “I don’t think she’s like that. She doesn’t seem close to her father.”
Tara frowned. “Then why is she here? Aren’t we handing her any job she wants on a platter just because of who her daddy is?”
“Technically. But there doesn’t seem to be much of a connection between the two of them from what I can make out,” Heather explained.
She couldn’t imagine not having a relationship with her own father. Mike Bailey was her hero; he’d always been there for her no matter what. They’d clashed a little when she was growing up and she had entered her awkward teenage rebellion stage, but it hadn’t lasted long. Before long she was back to being daddy’s little girl, or ‘Pumpkin’ as he fondly called her.
While she knew not everyone had the happy connection she had with her parents, Heather thought that it must have been a very lonely existence for Scarlett to not have a close relationship with her father, especially when they had the opportunity to work side by side if they chose.
“That’s a shame,” Tara said. “Well, I’m happy to take her on. I’m recruiting anyway, so it’s great timing as we’ll have a new intake soon. Training in batches is far more efficient.”
And Scarlett loves efficiency, Heather thought to herself.
“Keep me in the loop, and if there any problems please let me know directly. I don’t need to be blindsided by Leo Flynn if anything is up.”
“I’ll keep you updated,” Tara reassured her.
* * *
Heather took a sip of red wine, having just enjoyed a splendid meal for one in the comfort of her own home, at a reasonable time for a change.
Being in charge had its highs and lows. One of the lows was that she spent more time at work than she did at home, which was a shame, because she loved her small apartment.
In her off time, Heather was spoilt for choice of things to occupy her. Her list of television shows to watch had enough on it to entertain a person for fifty years; her music collection was full to bursting and yet hardly ever enjoyed. It was no secret that she enjoyed logic puzzle books and received them from loved ones on most birthdays and Christmases. They now filled in the gaps in an already overflowing bookshelf.
Yet most of the time she simply turned on the news and drank a glass of red wine. It was a pattern she’d gotten into long ago, and she longed for the day when she’d have more time to herself. However, she knew in her heart that time would only come if she made it a priority.
Living alone meant it simply wasn’t one.
It wasn’t that Heather didn’t want a relationship. She did, but the right person always seemed to elude her.
She’d dated, even been in what could be considered serious relationships, but she’d always known that the person she was with wasn’t ‘the one’.
She stuck with these relationships, assuming they were was as good as it was going to get. The idea of fitting perfectly with someone seemed like a fanciful movie plot, and so Heather assumed such things didn’t exist.
That didn’t stop her from longing for some companionship from time to time.
Her work phone rang, and she winced at Leo Flynn’s name on the screen. He didn’t seem to be a man who kept normal office hours, and he had recently decided to sidestep The Arches Group chain of command and directly work with Heather on all things related to Silver Arches.
She answered the call.
“I’m having a letter sent out to Marco’s and Zanzibar. Those two restaurants have the highest footfall and they haven’t had a rent rise in over two years,” Leo said, getting straight to the matter at hand.
“Okay. You’re upping their rent?” Heather guessed.
“Yes, in six months’ time. Just to put them in line with the other restaurants’ square-meterage costs,” he continued.
Heather could understand why, but she did wonder about the logic of potentially upsetting two very large chain restaurants.
“If they come whining to you,” Leo continued, “let me know.”
“I will most certainly do that,” Heather promised. She had no intention of taking on that particular battle and would happily pass on any complaints to the man who had made the decision to rock the boat.
“Great, the letter will be with them in the morning.”
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” Heather said. “By the way, Scarlett is being moved to security. I think that’s going to be a better fit for her expertise.”
“Yes, whatever. I do need to grab ten minutes with you to talk about the old management offices on the third floor at the south end. That is dead space, and we need to come up with some ideas for that.”
Heather bit her lip. She wanted to push on the Scarlett matter, but it was very clear that Leo had no interest in the topic.
“Okay, I’ll check my diary—”
“I’ll swing by,” Leo said with finality before hanging up the call.
Heather lowered the phone and stared at her home-screen photo of herself and her parents. “And I’ll let you know when I have some time to discuss that, Mr Flynn,” she finished to herself.
The photo of her parents made her smile. Without a second thought, she pressed some buttons and called her father.
It only took a couple of rings before he answered, “Hey, Pumpkin.”
“Hey, Dad,” she replied, feeling a smile taking over her face. It felt good to talk to him, even if it had only been a couple of days since they last spoke.
“How are you, honey?”
“I’m good,” Heather said.
“Is that new boss of yours treating you well?” Mike Bailey always had a way of knowing exactly what was going on in Heather’s life without her having to say a word.
“He’s… okay,” Heather admitted. “I’ve had to deal with way worse.”
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“Don’t let him get you down,” Mike instructed.
“I won’t, Dad,” Heather promised. “But I didn’t call to talk about work. How are you? How’s Mum?”
“We’re good. I got that quote for the work up on the second barn.”
Heather could tell from his tone that it wasn’t a good quote.
“Expensive?” she asked.
“Just need to sell your mother’s kidneys,” he joked. “Maybe a leg.”
“Are you sure we can’t do it ourselves?” Heather asked.
It had been a while since she’d had a project to work on with her father. Between them, their DIY skills were pretty impressive. She’d spent most of her childhood eagerly helping her father with any home maintenance project he’d taken on.
As a young girl, she’d watch him eagerly and handed him whatever tools he called for. As she got older, she was entrusted with some basic tasks. By the time she was eleven, she knew how to put up shelves and fix floorboards. It was a skill set that had come in handy throughout her life.
“Maybe,” Mike said. “I know you’re busy, honey.”
“Not too busy to come and help you,” she reassured. “Maybe get the professionals in for some of it and we can take on the rest?”
He sucked in a thoughtful breath, weighing the options.
“I mean, we can put together some plywood easy enough, can’t we?” she added, hoping to convince him.
A project away from work was just what she needed, something she could really get her teeth into; a good reason, other than seeing her folks, for spending some time back on the farm.
It would be good to be shoulder to shoulder with her dad again, before he got too old to take on such tasks.
“Why don’t you come down and take a look?” Mike suggested. “So you know what you’re agreeing to take on. It could be quite a few weekends of work.”
“I’m up for it,” Heather reassured him. “I’ll see when I have a weekend free to come down.”
“It will be great to see you, honey. Oh, did I tell you about Ralph Long and that old tractor of his?”
Heather reached for her glass of wine and leaned back into the comfort of the sofa. She closed her eyes and listened to her father’s voice wash over her.
10
Inefficiencies
Ravi entered the facilities office and paused in the doorway. Scarlett was standing in front of the pinboard used for monitoring reporting issues and applying pins to each of the corners of the coloured square notes.
Each note was pinned exactly straight and with an equal amount of space surrounding it. Some would consider it artistic.
Ravi took a step into the room and applied his biggest smile to his face.
“Hey, Scarlett,” he greeted her.
Scarlett looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a single nod. She then turned her attention back to the pinboard and adjusted the remaining notes.
Silence stretched on for a few seconds, and Ravi realised that Scarlett wasn’t about to stop what she was doing or even glance at him again.
“Um. Can we have a little chat?” he tried again.
“About what?” Scarlett asked, still focused on her task.
Ravi chuckled to himself. As a member of senior management, he was used to people giving him their full attention and not questioning him when he wanted to talk. It seemed that Scarlett wasn’t interested in him or what he had to stay, certainly not if it interrupted her project at hand.
“Maybe we could take a seat?” Ravi suggested.
That seemed to work. Scarlett paused, a pin in her hand just about to land in the exact corner of a pink piece of paper. She took a step back and dropped the pin into a pot, still looking at the board. Finally, she pulled her gaze away from it and looked at Ravi expectantly.
He gestured to Scarlett’s desk and pulled up a chair of his own, placing it by Scarlett’s. She sat down and looked at him with a passive expression.
“I’ve been speaking with Heather,” Ravi said, “and we think you’d be a better fit with the security team. What do you think about that?”
She nodded and pointed to her desk. “Should I pack my things?”
Ravi looked at the notepad, pen, mug, and coaster which lay on the desktop, arranged perfectly. He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m interested to hear if you think that security might be a better fit for you.”
“I’ve never worked there,” Scarlett replied. “I have no thoughts on whether or not it might be a better fit.”
Ravi had to admit she had him there.
“Okay, well, yes, that’s true,” he agreed. “But do you think that it might be a better fit?”
“If I’m to be moved anyway, is it relevant what I think?” Scarlett asked.
Ravi flinched slightly. The cold, harsh tone was not one he expected from an employee, but he had quickly learnt that Scarlett wasn’t the average employee.
“It’s always relevant what you think,” Ravi stated.
“I disagree.” Scarlett gestured to the pinboard. “I have explained to several people why the pinboard system is inefficient and no one is interested.”
“People don’t like change,” Ravi explained. “Or being told they are inefficient.”
“They are not inefficient; the system is,” Scarlett explained. She tilted her head to one side as she considered her words. “Except Tom. He is inefficient.”
Ravi had to agree. Tom, affectionately called Old Tom, was completely useless and only allowed to stay out of kindness, as his retirement date was just a few months away.
Ravi wasn’t about to get into that discussion with Scarlett. While he was now quite sure that Scarlett wasn’t a spy planted by Leo, he didn’t know with absolute certainty. He also somehow suspected that Scarlett wouldn’t fully understand the decision that had been taken regarding Tom.
“People don’t like being told their systems are inefficient either,” Ravi said. “Maybe you should try another approach? Maybe instead of pointing something out as inefficient, you should say you have a way that might work better?”
Scarlett seemed to consider this before nodding her agreement.
“Should I pack my things now?” she asked.
Ravi realised that attempting to connect with Scarlett was going to be a lot harder than he thought. His apparently charming smile was doing nothing to dent the wall Scarlett had around her.
“If you like,” he agreed. “Report to the security office tomorrow morning at nine; they’ll be expecting you. It’s on the upper floor with the management suite. You need to go through the main doors, and then tur—”
“I know where it is.”
“Oh, you’ve been already?”
“No. I just know where it is.” Scarlett picked up her pen and clipped it to her notebook.
“Have you had a chance to make any friends since you started here?” Ravi asked, even though he was already sure he knew the answer.
“No.”
“There’s a few social clubs; you should check out the intranet. People often meet in the local pub after work. And there’s a movie club who go to the cinema every Wednesday. You know we get discounts from the cinema onsite, right?”
Scarlett put her notebook in her bag. “Thank you, I will look into it.”
Ravi got the distinct impression that she wasn’t going to look into it at all. He wondered if he should invite her directly to the next pub meet-up, try to force her out of her isolation and get her to mingle with the more sociable employees in the centre.
He decided to allow her some time to do so herself before he became involved. It wasn’t up to him to force people to socialise if they didn’t want to, even if he did think it would help them.
“Okay, well, if you need anything, you know where I am.” He stood up.
“Level two, management suite, room fourteen,” Scarlett replied.
“Er… yeah. That’s where I am,” Ravi said.
Scarlett gestured towards the board behind
Ravi. “Are we finished? Can I complete my work?”
“Sure.” Ravi stood up and wheeled the spare chair back to where he had found it. Scarlett returned to the pinboard, picking up a handful of pins, and continued moving the notices around and affixing each of them securely with four pins.
He watched for a couple of moments, trying to figure out what Scarlett Flynn was about. He’d worked with all kinds of people over the years and prided himself on an ability to be able to work with anyone. He’d often had to work with people who were difficult or shy or different from the norm in some way, but Scarlett was a whole new puzzle for him.
It was a puzzle he knew he’d have to unravel if her time at Silver Arches was going to be at all successful.
11
Security and Discipline
Scarlett entered the Silver Arches staff entrance and took the stairwell up to the top floor. She was quite used to being reassigned. When she was in school, she was often taken out of one class and put into another. In the army she was frequently moved from one task to another. Intrex had been no different, and now, it appeared, Silver Arches would be the same.
It wasn’t lost on her that she was the only person being moved from pillar to post, but she’d long ago discovered it wasn’t worth arguing the point.
Before she entered the security office, she paused. She sucked in a quick breath and adjusted her glasses before she walked into the room.
Inside the security office were several banks of occupied desks, and a handful of people looked up at her when she entered the room. She became aware of a strange atmosphere in the room that she couldn’t quite put her finger on; however, she thought it centred on her for some reason.
“You must be Scarlett.”
She turned to see a short woman walking towards her with her hand outstretched.
“Yes.”
“I’m Tara Manning.”
Scarlett shook her hand and waited quietly for further orders.
“Come through to my office,” Tara instructed.
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