Who's the Boss Now?

by Susannah Erwin

  “Girl! You’re about to get married to the man of your dreams on the island of your dreams at the wedding of your dreams. I’m going to need you to sound a little happier.”

  Phoenix could hear Savannah sigh through the phone. She wanted her sister to feel better. Planning a wedding wasn’t easy. Even though Phoenix’s wedding never happened, she knew firsthand how stressful they were to plan.

  “You’re right. I’ll try to calm down. See you tonight?” Savannah asked.

  “What time do you want me there?”

  “Seven good?”

  “See you at seven, sis. And try not to drive your husband-to-be crazy before I get there.”

  “I can’t make any promises. Love ya!” Savannah let out a small laugh and Phoenix returned the sentiment. After ending the call, Phoenix sat back and smiled for the first time since she arrived at work that morning.

  Phoenix’s day started with tension. Actually, the tension began the evening before when Brent, the guy whom she’d been seeing, started questioning her about a conversation she’d had with her male coworker and friend. He wanted to know why her coworker had called her after business hours. That was normal for their team. They were close and often spoke outside work. If they got great ideas, they’d call to run them by each other. Brent’s jealous nature was coming to the surface along with a few other red flags, and Phoenix didn’t like what she’d been witnessing. She ended their dinner by telling him it was best for them to go their separate ways.

  Her cell phone rang and she picked it up. Phoenix’s boss, Indra Lee, asked her to come join the team members in the conference room. Phoenix could tell by her boss’s tone that she didn’t have good news to share. Needing a few minutes to brace herself for whatever was about to come, Phoenix swung her office chair around to face the windowed wall. She never tired of the view down Sixth Avenue. The rhythm of New York City pulsed. She took in the picturesque landscape with neat rows of traffic-filled streets framed by magnificent tall buildings. Usually, this view soothed her mind, but at the moment the pressures of life dulled the joy she got from gazing at the skyline.

  Grabbing her cell phone, pad and a pen, Phoenix headed to the conference room as instructed. The two women were the only females in Aida, a small, male-dominated technology firm that created technological platforms using AI—artificial intelligence—to help improve systems for small and midsize companies. As one of Aida’s founding partners, Indra recruited Phoenix and helped her develop into a leading tech professional. In the few years that Phoenix had been with the company, they’d grown exponentially and shared their good fortune with their staff. Phoenix loved what she did and got paid extremely well for the work she put in. What more could she ask for?

  As Phoenix made her way to the glass conference room in the center of their sleekly designed office, she hoped that whatever they had to meet about wouldn’t add extra work to her plate. She was leaving for vacation in two days and already had too much to close out before her departure. When she entered the conference room, the look on Indra’s face didn’t give Phoenix hope. Indra’s smile seemed forced, apologetic almost. Technology moved so fast that it made the industry volatile. Phoenix hoped she wasn’t losing her job.

  Phoenix sat and waited. Over the next several moments their team of twelve employees made their way into the conference room, engaging in small talk. It was obvious that the others weren’t sure why they were there, either. Indra sat at one end of the conference table and her partner, Dean Ochoa, sat at the other end. The two sighed simultaneously before Dean nodded. Indra took that as her cue to begin speaking. The simple sound of her voice called everything to order. The staff members who were standing took seats. The room settled into a quiet hush. Indra started by thanking everyone for coming. Phoenix found that odd. The next words that came from her mouth shocked everyone in the room, except Dean.

  “I know.” Indra looked around at the surprised expressions in the room. She pressed her lips together after dropping a verbal bomb. Some team members looked stunned, others sad and a few faces were completely blank. “This is big news, though bittersweet.”

  Bitter. Yes. For Phoenix, there was nothing sweet about what Indra had just said. She didn’t know how to feel. Had her boss just told them that their company had been sold and was moving clear across the country to Silicon Valley? What did that mean for Phoenix?

  Dean began to speak as if he’d heard the question in Phoenix’s mind. “This will be a big ask, but we want to offer all of you the opportunity to stay with the company.” Dean paused.

  Indra picked up where he’d left off. It was like a well-choreographed dance. “That would mean you’d have to agree to move to California with us. Unfortunately, they want all of our employees in California so there won’t be any opportunities to work remotely from here.”

  “Yes.” Dean jumped back in, shaking his head. “Much of this work is tech focused and can be done right from our computers, but our team has proven to work better and smarter when we’re physically together. That’s what makes us so strong.”

  “We’re prepared to offer generous relocation packages,” Indra added, taking back the verbal baton. She looked around and tilted her head sympathetically. “I know this is a bit of a shocker. But I promise you it’s really, really good news. Jabber has made us an offer we would be foolish to refuse. This is a huge opportunity. We do understand how you might feel, but we would be delighted to keep our entire team intact.”

  Phoenix’s head filled with questions but she found it difficult to speak. Jabber, a technology giant, had been gobbling up smaller tech firms for the past few years. However, they didn’t just buy any company—only companies they knew would earn them billions. The fact that they considered buying Aida was a testament to how successful they’d become. Their offers were often too generous to leave on the negotiation table.

  Phoenix didn’t want to leave New York. Her entire family was here. She’d visited the Bay Area, but never entertained the thought of living there. What if she did move? She’d miss her family terribly. Her dad was scheduled for hip surgery after the wedding. Phoenix was sure she’d have to pitch in and help her parents out while he healed. If she stayed? She’d have to find a new job. She raised her hand. Questions continued to fill her head.

  “Phoenix.” Indra called her gently, like a teacher giving her young student the floor to speak.

  Despite the softness, Phoenix felt somewhat betrayed. How could Indra have kept something this huge from her? “How much time do we have to make our decision?” Phoenix heard herself ask. It was like an out-of-body experience. She felt blindsided and hadn’t shaken the feeling yet.

  Indra seemed to have squirmed a bit. She possibly knew how Phoenix felt.

  “Six weeks.” Dean interjected.

  A collective gasp blew through the room. Murmurs ensued.

  Dean held a hand up, quieting the room. “In six weeks these offices will shut down and we will officially move into our new offices just outside the Bay Area. We’d greatly appreciate your decision within the next two weeks so that we will know what our hiring needs are. We’d also like for all of you to stay on for the full six weeks and will compensate your dedication.”

  The room went silent again as everyone digested what Dean had said. After a few moments Indra broke the silence. “For those of you who decide not to join us, we hate to see you go. You are family.” She paused and inhaled slowly. Indra blinked rapidly as if she was fighting back tears. “We’re prepared to give you a generous severance package. Our hope is that it will fill any salary gaps while you seek out other employment opportunities.”

  “Well, that’s very nice of you, Indra and Dean,” De­lano, one of the software engineers, said. “I don’t need six weeks. I can tell you right now that I will not be able to relocate. Our daughter is just a few months old and my in-laws are caring for her while my wife and I work. In fact, my wife j
ust started a new job. My siblings and I take turns caring for our aging parents. I hate to pass this up but the timing is just not right for me.”

  Indra pressed her lips together and tilted her head. Delano was sitting next to her. She placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. “We understand.”

  “We’d love for you to stay on for the full six weeks. It’s okay if you need time here and there for interviews. Are you willing to do that?”

  Delano shrugged. “I’m happy to.”

  “Thank you,” Dean said.

  A few others explained why they would or wouldn’t be able to make the move. Some were excited and started side chats about apartment shopping and Bay Area hot spots. Phoenix remained quiet, taking it all in. There was too much to consider to make a decision like this so quickly. She didn’t have children but she did have a pretty robust life and a close-knit family. Recently, her father started having a few health issues. Phoenix and her sister had been helping their mother with their dad’s doctors’ appointments. Perhaps with fewer family issues and more time to prepare, she could have been more excited about moving across the country. She hadn’t thought about leaving New York and wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  After a few more questions from the staff, the meeting was called to a close. Phoenix went to her office, shut the door and quietly sat facing Sixth Avenue. Then she lifted her head and stared at the ceiling. She got lost in thoughts around the offer that Indra and Dean had made. A light tap at her door caught her attention. Indra pushed the door open slightly and stuck her head through the small opening.

  “Can I come in?” Indra asked.

  Phoenix looked at her with a sideways glance and twisted lips. After a sharp exhale she said, “Come on in.”

  Normally, she wouldn’t speak to her boss that way, but Indra had become her friend. She flashed Phoenix an apologetic look.

  “How come you didn’t tell me?” Phoenix chided.

  “I’m sorry, Phoenix,” Indra said. “Legally, I couldn’t utter a word to anyone. I didn’t even tell Rich,” she said, referring to her husband. “He found out when the ink dried on the deal the other day.”

  “You know you can trust me.” Phoenix was hurt.

  “Of course, but any missteps could have blown the entire deal,” Indra said. “I hated to drop this bomb on you just before your vacation but we wanted to make the announcement when everyone was in the office, and today was our first chance to do it. Besides, they didn’t give us much time to make the transition. They want us in their headquarters ASAP. I had to push to get the six weeks.”

  “Silicon Valley?” Phoenix rolled her eyes. “That place is overrun by twelve-year-old gamer geeks.”

  Indra laughed. “You’re so silly.” She sat on the corner of Phoenix’s desk. Her smile faded and her face turned serious. “You coming?”

  Phoenix grunted and let her head roll back. “That’s a big decision.”

  “I know. But what’s holding you here? Try it and if you don’t like it, come back home.”

  “It’s not that easy,” Phoenix said.

  “I don’t want to lose you. To be honest, moving is the only part of the deal I tried to fight. Rich won’t be joining me until the end of the school year. I’m going ahead to get things settled. He and Cody will come in a few months. We didn’t want to disrupt Cody’s school year. I guess I’ll fly back and forth as much as possible until my family gets there.”

  “Are you excited, Indra?” Her question came across more solemn than she intended.

  Indra put her hand on her heart. “Extremely. This is the deal of a lifetime.”

  Phoenix held her hands in the air. “That’s what matters most. Congratulations.”

  Indra slid off the desk, walked around to Phoenix and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you take tomorrow off? Start your vacation early and give yourself time to absorb all of this. Think about joining us in California and let me know what you decide.”

  “Thanks, but I have too much work to do before my vacation. I promise I’ll give this serious consideration.”

  “That’s all I ask,” Indra said.

  Phoenix watched Indra leave her office. She knew that whether she went or stayed behind that she and Indra would likely stay in touch, yet she couldn’t help but feel like she just lost one of her closest friends.

  “What else could happen?” Phoenix asked aloud and regretted the moment the words left her lips.

  Copyright © 2021 by Renee Daniel Flagler

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  ISBN-13: 9780369708045

  Who’s the Boss Now?

  Copyright © 2021 by Susannah Erwin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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