by Cass Sellars
Chapter Two
Skylar Addison sat in her desk chair she’d pushed into the center hall area. Kyle fidgeted next to her.
“Are you nervous or something?” She smiled as he shifted his weight repeatedly from left to right. She thought his wiry stature coupled with the frenzied motion made him look remarkably like a pogo stick.
“No. Why?”
“Because you’re hopping around like you’ve had too much coffee.”
Kyle folded his arms and crossed his ankles, stanching the movement. “I just hate meetings. There are a hundred things I need to do and ten places I need to be.” He brushed a hand across his meticulously coiffed hair and checked his reflection in an office window.
Skylar watched him adjust a strand that wasn’t out of place.
“I heard Jess’s meetings are short and sweet. Since this will be my first, you need to not get me in trouble.” She jabbed him playfully. Kyle had quickly become her best work friend, and luckily, he was also an office star, so he made learning the business easy.
“Don’t fret, Worried Wanda. And her meetings are short. Only better if they were nonexistent and I was out being busy.”
Skylar had watched Kyle, as the lead project manager, take up to forty calls a day between coordinating vendors, contractors, and real estate regulators from various city departments. She could tell he was much happier doing that than standing around listening to someone talk, even if it was the boss everyone adored.
“Calm down. You’re going to die of a heart attack before lunch.” Skylar jerked at his sleeve as thirty-five other employees assembled around the cubicles and conference tables known as the bullpen.
Skylar watched Jess Ivan breeze down into the space and stand on the lowest step, as if to claim it as her makeshift pulpit. Skylar studied the way she moved and how she looked. The CEO of Ivan Associates was the kind of professional Skylar aspired to be one day. She was calm, self-assured, and successful. It didn’t hurt that she was very confident and uniquely attractive, but Skylar was laser focused on building a career at IA, not on developing some inappropriate crush. She might not have had her MBA like many of the others on staff, but she was smart, and she planned to prove it.
Skylar thought back to the hours she had spent studying Ivan Associates. The company had a durable reputation of taking hypercapitalist market assets, which more than sustained the bottom line of the company, and using them for the benefit of people who could use a break. Those people were plentiful in the Bay Area. Despite being the driver of all that success, Jess seemed as down-to-earth as anyone she had ever met. Brief conversations had left Skylar more than a little impressed with her mentor.
Skylar mentally reviewed her deliverables for her boss. She felt sufficiently prepared to take on the challenge of running the finance department. She had applied to IA three times, landing an interview twice. When she was finally offered the position just over a month ago, she was determined to become indispensable.
She continued to observe Jess, assessing how she moved even before she spoke. She wasn’t the least bit unnerved, nor was she at all formal, but she instantly commanded attention from the room. Skylar wanted that. She admired Jess’s ability to easily manage a crowd. Skylar hoped to accomplish that one day, without the challenge of her ever-present nerves coloring her every interaction.
Aside from Kyle, she had kept to herself since joining the company. She didn’t trust easily, and the world had repeatedly reminded her why staying out of others’ lives and out of relationships was a prudent life choice. Work was safe, but people were rarely so.
She shuffled her legal pad to her other leg and prepared to write quick notes on every topic her new boss covered in the meeting. She would know Jess’s job, and her colleagues’ jobs, just as well as her own one day. She traced over her inspiration words “relevant” and “essential” in the margin of the page and listened carefully. Ivan Associates was the company she intended to be with long term.
“Now,” Jess continued, “to the fun part—for most of you, that is. The Bay Housing Outreach 5k is in two weeks. We are a gold sponsor, and it is extremely important that we continue to forge strong alliances and help raise money for the people in our community who could use a hand. After all, they are part of our mission statement. We’ll be meeting bright and early for registration on Saturday morning, so please don’t be late.”
Skylar thought working for the corporation was more than a job and was sure it felt like a privilege to everyone who showed up every day. So far, Jess seemed to be a breeze to work for as long as you shared her passion. As far as Skylar could tell, everybody did, working diligently and often long hours. She had heard the term overachiever many times in her life, but to her, it was much better than the alternative.
“Feel free to bring anyone who would like to be part of our team. I would love to see an ocean of black IA T-shirts out there.”
Jess pushed the hem of her tailored gray jacket behind her hip and locked her fingers inside the slash pocket of her narrow slacks. She dropped off the step and began pacing slowly in front of the small crowd, most of whom watched her as she moved. Her gait was relaxed as she seemed to meet the eye of every employee she passed.
“I know today will be long for a lot of you, with department meetings and budget planning, but I count on you to get the next fiscal year started out right. If anyone ever needs to level set with me, just tell Yolanda, and we will make it happen. Let’s keep at the top of our game because, let’s face it, nobody does what we do.” She smiled proudly.
“There are plenty of real estate acquisition companies in the Bay Area and more than our share of housing developers. On the other side, there are plenty of organizations doing social assistance work, too, but none of them do it like IA, and I am really proud of what we’ve built. The most important part is taking our resources and making them work to support the community. We couldn’t have done this without you. Anyone who lives in this area knows how hard it is to make ends meet, and it’s all of our jobs to make sure that we can make a difference.”
Skylar shifted in her chair. The impact of what the company stood for made her once again thoroughly impressed by her dynamic boss.
“Lastly, I want to talk about our newest project. Kyle Poston will be heading this one up.” She gestured at Kyle, who nodded and smiled as she continued.
“As most of you know, we were able to acquire a one hundred percent interest in a twelve-unit building in the Mission. Darren Sanders was a longtime friend of Billy’s.”
Skylar had heard Jess regularly refer to her father and the founder of the company by his first name.
“Sadly, Darren passed away in December. His foundation endowed Ivan Associates with the clear title to this building on Mission Street, which will become what we’re calling Navigation House.”
Skylar watched Jess’s intense eyes flash as she spoke and absently tucked an escaped wave of hair behind her ear.
“The goal of Navigation House is to help young victims of the system. These are older teens or young adults who may have come from abuse situations, were abandoned by a parent, or maybe just aged out of state custody. Darren adopted two children out of foster care and learned a great deal about how that system could have done better. These kids lack resources once they leave or age out, as they call it. Darren wanted to make sure that young adults had a place to go before they faced life ill-equipped.
“We hope, when we are successful, that we can replicate the concept across the state and, with the right partners, even the country. The street-level offices will continue to be rented by a law firm, helping subsidize what we do with Navigation House when the renovation is complete. I feel like this could be one of the best projects we have ever done. Explain to anyone who will listen that our community needs to pay attention to people who are being underserved in our community, especially our youth who are being asked to raise themselves without adequate resources.
“If any of you have any idea
s or would like to be part of the steering committee as we go forward with the structure and planning, please see Yolanda so that she can include you on the committee emails. Does anyone have any questions?”
Skylar raised her hand before she had thought it all the way through and instantly wished she could fade into the background.
“Yes, Skylar?” Jess’s eyes fell on her and Skylar struggled to look determined instead of ridiculously uncomfortable, which was the only way to describe it.
“Um, Yes, ma’am.” Skylar managed the few syllables that she was sure sounded squeaky and terrified.
“Jess, please. And by the way, awesome job so far, everyone says great things about you. I know we haven’t done a formal welcome, so please consider this as one now.”
When the room joined in applause, Skylar felt heat and no doubt a deepening crimson color rising in her face.
“Thank you.” The words rushed out and she prayed the spotlight would move away from her quickly. “I just wondered if I could talk to you about the committee.” She knew pink splotches were now covering her neck, as they always did when she was nervous.
“Sure, right after? Anyone else?” Jess scanned the room and checked her watch.
The thirty-minute meeting had been just long enough for the masses to begin multitasking in order to keep up with their busy schedules. Skylar wondered if that was intuition or acumen.
“Okay then. If anyone else is interested in being part of this project, just see Yolanda. Kyle, thank you for a great start.”
Kyle bowed as if it was his turn to conduct the orchestra. He scanned the room and turned to bow behind him, grinning at his coworkers. Most of them looked amused by his theatrics. Skylar appreciated that he seemed to have the same level of enthusiasm for everything. She thought that was likely what made him so good at his job. He had a reputation for bringing home projects on a tight deadline and even tighter budget.
“Let’s go make it happen, everyone. Have a great day.”
Skylar watched Jess drop a few personalized good mornings as employees washed by her. She motioned for Skylar to lead the way, and Skylar heard her follow into the small office she had yet to personalize.
She took a deep breath before facing Jess, who was now standing very close to her, owing to the cramped quarters hosting a too-large L-shaped desk covered in file folders and accounting reports. She was only slightly shorter than her boss, but she thought Jess Ivan might tower over any space.
“I just wondered,” Skylar dove in to the conversation, her hands trembling a bit, “if I needed any special skills to be part of that committee, or if I could act in sort of an advisory capacity.”
“Absolutely, we would be happy to have you, but we’re all advisory, so to speak. I’ll be chairing the committee and I would love to hear some of your ideas. What has piqued your interest about Navigation House?”
“I just knew some people in the system, and I thought that perspective might be useful.” She shifted nervously and stared at the carpet before willing her eyes to focus back on Jess, who smelled like expensive cologne and eucalyptus shampoo.
“Absolutely. I’m interested in talking about that more in depth.”
Jess was staring at her. Why was she staring at her? Okay, not staring. Perhaps she just had this intense way about her. Skylar decided she was absolutely going to have to get ahold of her nerves if she was going to present as a competent business person and not some twitchy preteen.
Skylar fiddled with the haphazard ponytail resting on her shoulder and tried to stop fidgeting. “Thank you,” she finally managed to say, wishing she could fade into the wall. She felt the prickles of the red heat again rise along her neck. Jess was still smiling in her direction when she looked back to her notebook.
“My pleasure.” She turned toward the door abruptly. “I’ll see you this afternoon, right?”
Skylar hoped Jess’s quick departure was because she was busy and not just uncomfortable because of her awkwardness.
“Yes, ma’—um, Jess. One o’clock.”
“Okay.” Jess held out her hand and Skylar returned the handshake.
“Really glad you’re with us, Skylar.” She seemed to subtly inventory Skylar before turning to leave. She noted that the appraisal didn’t seem creepy, just as if she must be creating a mental file.
“Me too.” Skylar sat heavily in her chair, relieved by the distance. She watched Jess sail across the floor and up the stairs, greeting everyone again as she went.
“You look like you’re going to pass out.” Kyle appeared at her door seconds after Jess had created the vacancy.
“It’s hot in here.” She wiped at her forehead with the palms of both her hands and then skidded them along her thighs.
“No, it’s not.” Kyle sang the words and grinned. “I’d say you’ve got the Ivan Flush.”
“The what?” She looked at him skeptically.
“It’s the thing that all the girls get when Jess does her thing.” He crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.
“What thing?” She knew she sounded impatient, but she was breathing heavily for some reason.
“The ‘I couldn’t find anyone more fascinating than you at this moment’ thing.” He leaned farther into her office as he spoke just above a whisper, and Skylar fanned her face with a red folder. “She even makes me a little warm sometimes, and I’ve been gay since the womb.”
“I can tell you that I would have no such reaction with someone who is my boss. Definitely not my style. Didn’t you say you had a hundred places to be?” She was anxious for his attention, and the subject, to be somewhere else entirely.
“And I am on my way. Go stand by the window and cool off before you have a stroke, honey.” He winked and hustled over to collect his things from his own office, waving behind him as he took long strides toward the front doors.
Skylar shook off both encounters and tapped into her computer. She was happy for the distance from the woman who supposedly gave people some sort of flush. What a ridiculous term. She forced herself to concentrate on her work. Nothing was going to keep her from her goals. Certainly not some crazy physical reaction to one of the most attractive women she’d ever seen. Definitely not.
Chapter Three
Jess jumped when her office door swung open suddenly. She had managed to wade through four meetings and a lengthy budget review with Yolanda, so it was no wonder she’d lost track of the time. Skylar carried an armload of papers balanced precariously on her laptop. Jess stood and watched in amusement as she looked expectantly and then nervously at Jess.
“Is it not okay to come in?” Skylar froze and then took a step back toward the entryway, clearly anticipating some direction.
“It’s absolutely okay. Pick a spot.” She gestured to the conference table and waited for her to take one of the seats. Before Jess could make space for her, Skylar had already chosen one of the guest chairs in front of her desk and was arranging her files on the opposite side of Jess’s meticulously organized desktop. This was a very different woman from the Skylar she’d spoken to downstairs. Focused, confident, and not the least bit nervous.
“We could use the conference table, you know.” Jess watched her deliberate movements, mildly entertained.
“No, I’m fine here. I read that people are supposed to absorb information better across a desk; less casual but more productive.”
Jess fought the tug of a smile pulling against the corners of her mouth. She again took her seat and studied the woman in front of her. She idly considered that she seemed remarkably efficient and ragingly haphazard simultaneously.
Suddenly Skylar launched into what sounded like a prepared address without preamble. Her delivery was slightly nervous, but she was decidedly prepared.
“I have found a lot of areas that need improvement.” Her words were rushed and clipped. “Anyway, I thought it best to bring them to your attention as soon as possible so you can make the necessary adjustments.”
“I’
m never going to have to wonder what you’re thinking, am I?” Jess smiled at her, trying to compel her to relax. Skylar offered a thin smile but immediately returned her eyes to the documents she was pushing in front of her.
“Sorry, one of my flaws, I guess.” Skylar didn’t look at her.
“Not a flaw. Refreshing, actually.” Jess took in the way Skylar scraped her teeth over her thin lips between sentences, an apparent nervous habit.
“Okay. Then let’s get right to it. I assume you’ve reviewed my analysis and projections for next year?” Skylar didn’t bother to wait for a response. “If so, I’m sure you saw the savings we could expect in just the first quarter with my proposed plan.” Skylar plucked at her shirt collar as she spoke.
When Jess didn’t respond right away, Skylar looked up and stared at her as if she had said too much or done something wrong. “I just assumed you would want an explanation of how I arrived at that conclusion.”
“I did. And I do. I know I’m bleeding operational costs and I need to bring my bottom line into the realm of normalcy. I’m hoping your fresh eyes might do that.” Jess watched Skylar rush to rearrange her reports and perhaps her thoughts. She saw a mottled color assault the pale skin at her throat. She looked like she was at ease when she consulted documents, but her constitution changed when Jess made any eye contact. Why did mountains of complicated figures she’d only worked with for weeks seem to come so easily to her and their simple personal exchange seem to unnerve her? It was intriguing, to say the least.
