Sweet Surrender Page 9

  “Laura, glad I caught you before you left for work. Have you seen Beth? Her school called because she didn’t show up today.”

  “No, the last time I saw her was the day we went to West Virginia.”

  “Did she say anything, you know, about any issues going on here? I’m not much of a confidante these days.”

  “She didn’t say too much. Do you need me to come over? I don’t have a meeting until eleven.”

  “No, I’ll handle this. But I may be calling you later.” She hung up the phone at a loss as to where to begin her search.

  She wondered if Beth was trying to make her way back to Vernon. Her stomach pitched at the thought of Beth standing on the side of a highway thumbing a ride.

  She dialed her ex-husband. The phone rang until it went to voice mail. “Vernon, it’s about Beth. I need you to call me. It’s important.” As much as it pained her to let him know that Beth was missing, she needed his help.

  She looked down at the phone wishing that she could call Pierce. He could provide her with the strength and support she needed. But this was a family matter. Although he had come through for her, she didn’t want to impose on him.

  Beth walked through the back door. Her eyes were red and puffy. She dropped her backpack, but Haley stopped her with a hand on Beth’s arm as the girl tried to hurry past her. Her heart sank as Beth wormed her arm away from her hand.

  “I’m glad that you’re safe. But what’s going on with you? I can’t believe that you’re acting so irresponsibly.”

  “I wasn’t feeling well so I came home.”

  “School started over an hour ago. Where were you?”

  “I walked around. Look, I’m not feeling well.”

  “Don’t you walk away from me.” Haley used an icy tone to deliver the command. “You talk to me before I make you talk.”

  Beth looked up at her and sniffed loudly. “It happened.”

  “I’m supposed to know what it means?” Haley frowned. What the heck was it? Did they talk about it? She’d need some help to figure out what it was.

  “My first time, Mom.”

  Haley’s eyes opened wide. She could actually feel them ready to pop out of her head. She placed her hand tentatively on Beth’s shoulders and guided her up the stairs. Puberty’s debut had its own schedule. She’d be lucky if she made it into work before noon. Life sure didn’t let up. Dealing with the situation meant more than showing Beth what to do.

  At one o’clock, Haley pushed opened the glass door to her job. She’d walked past most of her peers on the way to lunch. People were huddled in their lunch groups fully immersed in their conversations. No one paid her any attention. She took the elevator up to her floor. First she’d check in with Strayer to make sure that he didn’t have a problem with her calling in.

  She went to his office and peeked in. His chair was pushed in, computer screen dark. Maybe he hadn’t come in today. But Vera had said that she would give him her message. Thank heavens, she’d have a few more minutes to settle in before he summoned her to his office.

  There was no one in sight to give her a forewarning about Strayer’s mood. His assistant was apparently taking advantage of his absence to extend her lunch hour. Her desk looked cleaned with chair pushed in. Her crocheted wrap was gone. She’d probably headed out for lunch with the gang.

  If Strayer was in a good mood, he’d laugh and joke with her. Maybe he’d even tell her that she was a valued employee. If she was unlucky, he would be in a bad mood. Then he’d not only lecture her, but dump the next few lousy assignments on her desk. She’d seen this mood-swing dynamic play out between her boss and other coworkers in the past.

  Haley headed back to her office. She checked her messages. She had several e-mails. She scrolled through the highlighted list looking for any messages from her boss. Seeing none, she clicked on the message about an all-staff meeting. She’d missed it. Where was Vera when she needed information? Her assistant kept her in the loop for the office gossip and politics.

  Maybe she should look at the other e-mails to get a clue of the morning’s event.

  “Glad to see that you could make it to work, Haley.”

  “Mr. Jackson, you startled me. Yes, I got here as soon as I could.” This could not be a good sign that her boss’s boss stood in her doorway. He didn’t look as if he was about to move on after throwing a casual greeting her way.

  “Let me close the door. I want to discuss some serious matters with you.”

  The fact that he hadn’t said this with a smile put her on full alert. Her body broke out into an instant sweat. She watched him take a seat opposite hers.

  “Mr. Strayer is no longer with the company.” He pinned her with a stare.

  She didn’t know how to react. Was he delivering the news to see where her loyalties lay? For the time being, she would keep silent.

  “Several members of the staff were let go this morning. The company is undergoing a reorganization to increase efficiencies. This department had the greatest restructuring to be done.”

  Haley couldn’t speak even if she wanted to. Her body now shook as if an air-conditioning unit were on full blast. All she could do was stare at Jackson’s mouth and hope that her hearing still worked to recognize her name when he said that she no longer worked there.

  “I know that you’ve only been with us a short while, but the reports that Strayer provided of your performance impressed the senior staff. As a result we are giving you Strayer’s job. I know that you will need additional training. Not to worry, you’ll get whatever you need. I’m going to take you under my wing and show you the ropes. Congratulations. Let me know when you’ll have your first meeting with your staff.” Jackson stood and adjusted his jacket before thrusting his hand out to her. Haley accepted the power handshake. She smiled, but wasn’t sure if she only bared her teeth or actually smiled.

  After Jackson left her office, Haley looked back at the list of emails. She clicked on them to see how many of them were offers of congratulation. She couldn’t help the cowardly thought that at least she hadn’t seen the humiliating departure of her boss. She wouldn’t have survived here without him. Her promotion had come at too high of a cost. She didn’t feel victorious at the moment.

  Chapter 7

  “Haley, Mr. Jackson wants to see you immediately.”

  “Thanks, Vera.” Haley stared at the framed print on her wall as her assistant’s voice relayed the message over the speakerphone. When didn’t Jackson need to see her immediately, urgently, right now, as soon as possible? His office, located at the other end of the floor, had the prime view of the local city park and man-made lake.

  With the constant walking between Jackson’s office and her current office for quick meetings, she figured that she’d discovered her latest weight-loss plan. No one had mentioned that she move into Strayer’s office. As she adjusted to the nuances that came with the promotion, she tried not to appear as if she didn’t want this responsibility.

  By Wednesday, her body continued its acclimation to the long hours and added responsibility. Only the rare lunch hour out of the building afforded her the sun’s warmth on her skin. She left home a half hour earlier and was not home before dark. Her eating had turned erratic with only two main meals and lots of diet cola. She rarely got to sleep before midnight. Her availability for Friday’s date night with Pierce looked bleak.

  “Mr. Jackson, you called.” Haley used her perky tone and bit back using the term summoned.

  “Good, I’m glad I caught you before you got down to work. Last night you left early.”

  “Eight o’clock.”

  “Yes, well many of the senior staff put in the long hours to deal with clients. Last night I had a very important client that I wanted you to meet. Mr. Yashida readjusted his schedule to have a meeting with me because he wants to have a technology conference here at the end of the year. Actually his company will be working with the local city government on a project to show how cities from around the world
can be partners. It would’ve been a coup if you were able to answer his specific questions.”

  “I didn’t know about this meeting, Mr. Jackson. I would have made arrangements, otherwise.”

  “I called your house. Since you live in the area, you could’ve met us at the restaurant. The phone rang out to voice mail.”

  Haley didn’t answer. Her mind raced through the previous evening. Beth had been on the phone in one of her marathon sessions. Her new boss’s expression was stern behind his wire-framed glasses.

  His receding hairline hardened his features into a gruff exterior that was rarely softened by lightheartedness. The gray in his hair resembled motorcycle handlebars that began from his forehead and swept along the sides over his ears. The hard-nosed salesman seemed to be the only role he knew how to play or embraced with aggression.

  “Ms. Sanders, I can’t have important meetings like this without you, my conference manager. Otherwise, it’s not a meeting, but a social outing. Our expense budget doesn’t have the luxury for entertaining potential clients unless a deal is close at hand.”

  “You said that the city is working with him. I think that means he’ll need our expertise to have a successful convention.”

  “That’s not the point, I expect—”

  “I’ve attended all the meetings that you have scheduled late in the evenings and on weekends. I went home past business hours so that I could see my daughter before she went to bed. When I took this job, I made it clear to Mr. Strayer where my priorities stood. I’d be happy to follow up with Mr. Yashida and do whatever needs to be done.” Haley hadn’t planned to make a speech. She didn’t relish a confrontation with her new boss, but she had to set boundaries.

  Jackson leaned forward and his chair protested the shift. He planted his elbows on the desk and clasped his hands under his bearded chin. His eyes turned hard and cold. “Mr. Yashida is back in Tokyo.” He stood. Haley sensed that Jackson wasn’t the type who felt comfortable behind a desk. She raised her chin to meet his intense stare. Although he didn’t have the height, he possessed the ability to make his words drip down her spine leaving icicles in their wake. “I spoke up on your behalf when decisions had to be made about your promotion, Ms. Sanders. Remember that.”

  “Your support is appreciated,” she conceded. Maybe she’d defended her position too vigorously. Still, she hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.

  “Let’s move on. What’s the status of Bedford’s project?”

  “Actually I’m meeting with his appointed contact at lunch today. We’re all set on our end. Some matters will have to be coordinated between our two offices. One of the major items on our list to discuss is the time line. I’d heard that Bedford may have changes that could affect the logistics.”

  “Are you sure that you can handle it? This is a big opportunity for us to showcase what this city can do.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” Haley didn’t take kindly to any inferences that she couldn’t do her job, especially when the job involved tasks that she’d completed as a mere coordinator.

  “Maybe I should come with you.”

  Please don’t! She wished that she had the courage to stand up to Jackson. But she’d already gotten on his bad side with her earlier speech. A repeat performance of her work-life balance sentiments might push his patience to the limit.

  “Never mind,” he said. “Your expression speaks volumes on what you think of my idea. Okay, go do your thing. But when you come back, make sure that you update me.” He laughed, his entire girth shaking.

  Haley nodded. She definitely counted that as a victory. The first item on her list would be for her to work on hiding her feelings better when dealing with the temperamental Mr. Jackson.

  The walk back to her office felt like an ordeal. She badly wanted to get to her small office and close her door. In her new role as manager, however, her attention was in hot demand. Her colleagues stopped her several times in the hallway to get her opinion, respond to her requests or to make a bid for her participation in one of their pet projects.

  Playing this political game wore her down. These days she talked so much and met with so many people that she craved quiet and solitude when she got home. To get a bit of downtime, she’d enrolled Beth in an after-school program called the Artists Dream that catered to teens who liked to draw, paint and sketch. Beth had class twice a week to nurture her talent and to give her a positive outlet for her energy.

  Giving Beth this chance seemed to help with her mood swings. The atmosphere in the house was calmer, less tense. Haley would settle for their uneasy truce, especially after a long day at work.

  The thing she missed the most was Pierce’s calls. Since the promotion, she’d come home and fall into bed, only waking up the next day to start her grinding day all over again. She missed hearing his voice at the end of her day. Some romance this was turning out to be.

  After the long walk, she was determined to keep her Friday date. Her stress level made it mandatory. Truthfully she needed some good, physical lovemaking to de-stress. She’d read that sex not only helped ease stress, it also burned calories. Her hips could do with a few sexually firming sessions.

  Before she could enter her office, Vera hopped up and blocked her entry. Haley looked beyond her assistant’s shoulder, wondering if she shielded a visitor.

  “Ta da.” Vera stepped aside, revealing a vase filled with red, white, yellow and pink roses.

  Haley walked over to the flowers and picked up the business-size white card attached to the slender white ribbon around the vase. Even without the flowers, the vase had to be expensive with its exquisite cut and intricate design.

  The note read: Friday!

  “So who’s it from?” Vera strained her neck to see the card. Her big hair partially blocked Haley’s view.

  Haley pushed the card back in the envelope and stuck it in her pocket. Vera did her job like a high-performance employee, a wonderful asset to her team. But her assistant had to be kept within a defined area that couldn’t breach her personal life. Unless she wanted the entire office and a few unrelated residents of the office complex to know her business, her love life had to be kept deep in the closet.

  Pierce’s thoughtfulness pleased her. How had he accurately read her mind? Perhaps because he’d had trouble getting in touch with her, he’d guessed that she was backing out. Writing the one key word on the card and sending it hand delivered, with flowers in tow, made it difficult for her to change her mind. If he only knew she wanted him too much to back out of their date.

  “I’ll take them and put the little packet of flower preserve in the water.” Vera took the flowers, ready to bury her face in the bunch. Haley wasn’t in the mood to share. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.” She ushered Vera out of her office. She closed the door and set down the heavy vase. In the privacy of her office, she touched each rose, running her cheek over the soft petals, before bending close to inhale their sweet, heady scent.

  Pierce had not only surprised her, but lifted her spirits after that energy-sucking, exhaustion-induced meeting with Jackson. She wished that she could see him at this very minute. She was liable to jump into his arms and kiss him until his legs gave out from her weight.

  An hour later, she and Mr. Hopkins had coordinated their lunch meeting at the Caribbean hangout located on Restaurant Row. The road was aptly named for the ten restaurants that lined either side. It wasn’t her first choice for a meeting, since she would have to yell to be heard over the din of the lunchtime crowd. But she’d yield to the client’s wishes. It was a small price to pay.

  The restaurant had a policy not to seat anyone until everyone in the party was present. Arriving early earned Haley a spot in the outer waiting area of the busy restaurant. Thankfully her client arrived within a minute of their meeting time. His timing was perfect.

  Pierce always had lunch once or twice a month with his mentor, Morton Bell. Dr. Bell was renowned in his field of ophthalmology, but had earned higher r
espect for his philanthropic endeavors. The older man had taught Pierce for several of his university courses. After failing his first test in anatomy, Pierce had visited him in the crammed university office to plead his case for a better grade. The professor had been deaf to his pleas for mercy. After a stern lecture, Pierce had buckled down, learning not to overestimate his grasp of the curriculum.

  From that point, Pierce had become a frequent visitor to the professor’s office. He’d liked to think that his intriguing questions and dedication to the class had placed him in good stead with Morton. Knowing Morton, Pierce suspected that his professor might have thought that Pierce idolized Morton more as a father figure than as a mentor.

  This month they met in a local Caribbean restaurant. The lunch crowd was young and noisy. At least with the universities back in session, the place wasn’t as crowded with college students.

  Pierce didn’t mind the lively discussions or the young people. He could picture his brother seated at one of the tables trying to sound mature and knowledgeable without any money in his pocket. Their carefree attitudes amused Pierce. Besides, Morton had chosen the place because of the younger generation. He claimed that he liked to observe the future.

  “What’s been going on? You’ve cancelled on me twice. Thought you’d finally met someone,” Morton said and stroked his beard, chuckling at his remark. Pierce always thought the professor looked like the actor Samuel Jackson.

  “Keep dreaming. I’m born to be the bachelor and I’ve never wanted to take the dive to despair of marriage.”

  Morton waved his words away. “You’re pretty melancholy. Take a minute to soak up the sunshine. Maybe it’ll bring you a better disposition. Perhaps you’re down on marriage because you still can’t find someone who wants to be with you?”

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I do have a wonderful friend. As a matter of fact, we’re going out tomorrow.”