Love is in the Cards

by K. L. Brady

  "Thanks for everything," Cody said.

  "Enjoy!" Kyle said to Jackson as he disappeared.

  "I'll call you next week...in case you need a spare kidney," Jackson shot back at Cody.

  Cody chuckled loudly and sat up straight at his desk; then, he returned his attention to his semi-panicked COO.

  "What's this about a kidney? You all right?"

  "I'm fine for now. Listen, I called you because I need you to run point for me—on an integration issue."

  "Okay. Which acquisition?"

  Cody hesitated and bit his lip before saying, "Keep It Real Cards."

  Kyle leaned forward. "What? Wait, Tessa Sweet owns that company, doesn't she?"

  Cody nodded. He stood, walked to his picturesque window, and peered across the DC skyline. "You've met her?"

  "I don't know her, per se. I've seen her at a few industry events, and she attended the charity gala a couple of weeks back, right?"

  "Yes, I think I remember seeing her there," he lied. In fact, he'd never forget seeing her anywhere. She stood across the room, a vision in royal blue turned memory searing on his brain.

  "I'm curious. Why'd you make a play for that company? I mean, it's solid and all, but her messaging doesn't exactly fit the Always and Forever. Our Hart to Yours image."

  "The details are confidential, and the deal is done, so the debate is over. Now, we need to make the integration as painless as possible and the acquisition successful."

  "Right. Well, you know, my managers usually handle integration. You only ask me to step in when there's a problem. So, what's up?"

  "Tessa Sweet. She's a little less than thrilled about the move. I caught her off guard. She's now threatened to quit, which would render my investment useless. Help me keep an eye on her operations while I devise a strategy to get her buy-in on the new vision."

  "Keep an eye on her? So, you're asking me to do what, exactly?"

  Cody steepled his fingers together. "Officially, you'll lead integration efforts, customize an office space for the creative studio. Make sure they have network access, hardware, software, etc."

  "And unofficially?"

  "Keep an eye on Tessa."

  "You mean spy on her?" Kyle’s eyes widened; his expression fell somewhere between shock and disbelief.

  "It's beneath me to ask you. Yet, I must. I've always been able to trust her in the past, but she's angry and desperate right now. Until she calms down and grows to understand the wisdom of this deal, we've got to protect Hart's interest."

  "Well, she's Hart now, correct?"

  "Yes. She's Hart. One-hundred percent. Whether she likes it or not. Unfortunately, she hates it.”

  Cody expected to face some opposition...a tense discussion perhaps. But Tessa, with her tight lips, narrowed eyes, and neck crank all but declared a full-on war against Cody. He understood the reason she'd drawn such a hard line better than anyone else because he’d heard the plot come from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

  As the Sweets had guessed, and Cody knew without question, Pops had planned to run Sweet Media and everything that'd spawned from it out of business. He was still angry with Uncle Brian. The audacity of him to leave after working side-by-side with Pops for decades, after helping make Hart an international success. The nerve of him to have ambition, to want a legacy of his own, something bearing the Sweet name.

  “He's got a small, boutique publishing company that doesn't compete with us in any market. Why do you hate him when he did as much as you to help you start Hart?" Cody had said.

  "Brian may not be in direct competition with us now," his father began, "but that doesn't mean we're not going head-to-head with him."

  Cody's brow had scrunched, and his mouth turned down. He could no longer control his expression. "Uncle Brian wouldn’t do anything to—”

  "You're absolutely correct. Brian wouldn't. And stop calling him uncle. Brian Sweet isn't your blood; he’s not related to you," Pops had huffed.

  His words left Cody numb. As evidenced by a treasure of pictures, Uncle Brian standing next to Pop at Cody’s Christening, at baseball games, at graduations, proms, and every other significant or even insignificant event in his life, who was more family than Uncle Brian?

  “In five years, Brian's thing will cease to exist. We will acquire Sweet Media. We'll break it into unrecognizable pieces and sell it off. We will destroy it."

  His father ‘s ambitions had passed on with his body, heaven rest his soul; but, now, Tessa was clinging to ancient history and now bound and determined to make a difficult situation much more challenging than necessary.

  Cody, in fact, had envisioned a different future for the company. She may not like the concept, but she'd have to respect it.

  By his calculation, Tessa remained the girl in Chuck Taylors, but she had changed, too. The girl he remembered placed business above emotions. Now, she focused so hard on the minutiae of the details; she missed the big picture. Yes, the optics were poor, at best; but she made no attempt even to try to understand his motives, his reasons. She dismissed him without even engaging in a calm, honest conversation. If she'd only get past her stubborn pride and listen.

  Chapter Six

  Tessa

  * * *

  Back at Keep It Real Cards, following the tête-à-tête with her father and Cody, Tessa surveyed her kingdom through the frosted glass of her office window-walls—and prepared to do the unthinkable. She contemplated her clashes—with both of them. They'd left her mind and body heavy; she must now cope with multiple unsettling truths.

  The life she'd built had become much like her Spanx—seamlessly smooth on the outside and all cellulite and blubber on the inside. Her life’s “Lycra,” her fancy Georgetown headquarters and business awards, concealed her profit struggles, all of which paled in comparison to her latest challenge.

  She'd awakened as the owner of Keep It Real, which she safely operated under her father's stewardship in Sweet Media. The sun had barely reached its afternoon high before her life's purpose had been sold to the highest bidder, not to just anybody, but her ex-boyfriend and near-fiancé, no less. He appeared poised to take the svelte illusion that was Keep It Real, cut the seams, release the blubber, and leave her with elastic waistbands and ugly ruffles to camouflage the blob that remained.

  She plopped in her leather executive chair, leaned forward until her head banged on the desk.

  Mabel and Mia blew in like a picnic storm and dashed the iota of hope she had left.

  "Um, you do know that your walls are glass, right?” Mia said. “If you want to knock yourself silly, you may want to try the ladies’ room.”

  She and Mabel filled the guest seats in front of Tessa’s desk.

  They met her feigned optimism with expressions of concern and pity.

  "Cody bought"—she clenched her eyes shut—“He bought...he bought Keep It Real." No need to mince words. She slapped them with the news.

  For the second time, Cody had used the power of his pen to change the entire trajectory of her life. Swish! Another ambushing. The round hole and square peg all over again. Except now, Cody’s cowardliness would cost Tessa her company, her staff, her vision, her mission....her heart.

  He lacked the backbone to 'Keep It Real,' to tell it like it is with his products and in his life. No, his brand peddled shmoop and idealism.

  "I said it three times, and I'm still here," Tessa said in disbelief. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."

  She shifted her gaze to Mia, who seemed to have a black-market supply of unnatural calm.

  "Why aren't you surprised?” she asked Mia. “I'm floored. He made his point abundantly clear five years ago—he didn't want to build Sweet-Hart with me. Now, he’s bought my blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears—at a premium? Doesn't compute. Why?"

  Mia shrugged. "I've been around long enough to remember a time when a dream of Sweet-Hart once belonged to both of you. Maybe he never let go?"

  "He's getting married, for goo
dness sakes. Of course he let go," she replied. "Part of me wants to resign...I’ve got to quit. I mean, I can't allow him to be the boss of me. He can't really expect me to stay, can he?"

  Mia and Mabel nodded. Of course they would say yes. They expected her to be an adult, take this jab on the chin. Perhaps they needed to attend more industry functions and listen to the chatter occurring behind her back.

  Bitter Witch Greetings.

  "He plans to change my vision to some cotton candy, diabetes-inducing festival of sentiment? That's not what we're about."

  "Come on, Tessa. Yes, Cody's move is the definition of shady, at best. But Keep It Real is bigger than cards," Mabel interjected.

  Tessa had plucked Mabel from Hart partly due to her sage wisdom. She reluctantly listened to it.

  "I left Hart Enterprises to work with you," Mabel continued. "You’ve got vision and passion. Let’s not even get started on your work ethic—insane! And you started this company broker than broke — that is a formula for inevitable success. It's the one your father and Mr. Hart followed. Cody never developed that hunger, not until you two fell in love. This dream you built is alive, evolving. It's going to grow and transform. That's just—life."

  "Et tu, Mabel?" Her calm struck Tessa as familiar, like her dad—half of the duo that heaved her into this mess. "How ever, it evolves, I'll work for Hart over my stiff, bedraggled, worm-ridden body.”

  Mabel offered Tessa an additional two cents. "Judge Judy would say, even in death, there's resurrection."

  Tessa sliced Mabel with a jagged glare and changed the subject quick, fast, and in a hurry. She refused to listen, didn't want to hear it. Mable could hang up her take-it-on-the-chin nonsense. "I can't stall any longer. I need to break the news to the team. Where's everyone?"

  "Can we clarify which announcement you're going to make?" Mabel asked.

  Mia glanced at Mabel and replied, "Last I saw, the writers were still working on the new line.”

  "I'll round them up and herd them into the auditorium," Tessa said. "You guys grab the rest, and we'll get this party started."

  "Just so we're all on the same page, we're not talking about a going-away affair, right? You're not quitting, are you?" Mia asked.

  Still conflicted, Tessa replied with a shrug. She'd languished between the proverbial rock and hard place—pride and heartbreak. She'd trusted that when she stood on the Sweet Media stage and faced her team, she'd find the right words to say.

  "Cody's media visibility is off the charts." Mia's shoulders slumped. "The nasty litigation between him and his sisters put them under a microscope. Better the staff hear the news from you than from the wire." She stood to her feet and headed out the door. "I'll go turn on the lights—and crank up the heat."

  Once Mia disappeared, Mabel turned to Tessa to leave her with a final thought.

  "If I may offer one last piece of advice?" she began.

  "We both know there'll never be a last..just ‘final’ for now." Tessa nodded and continued. "Besides, that's why I pay you the one massive buck."

  "I realize that, for you, this acquisition means emotional Armageddon. But for them, it's merely change. They'll only perceive this situation in a poor light if you put a negative spin on it," Mabel implored.

  Tessa exhaled a long breath as if she'd held it for days.

  "Right now, I can barely hear myself over the sound of the rumor mill," Mabel continued. "It's churning like butter at the Country Crock factory. This team, your team, needs you to step up and guide them through this incredible turmoil."

  "I'm not certain I can lead myself, let alone them," Tessa said.

  "Sounds as if you've already resolved to give up on your entire dream. My best advice to you is one word: Stay."

  "And do what, Mabel? Become Cody's minion? Watch him destroy everything I've built?"

  "Plot your next right move. Equip your team to deal with this change by instilling hope. They're here because they trust in Tessa Sweet, in your vision, in Keep It Real. And, frankly, I'm here because I believe in you, too."

  Tessa exposed a slight smile and appeared unsure, despite Mabel's call to action. On the one hand, Mabel had pumped her up to march in and motivate her troops. Another part of her was swiftly becoming at one with the idea of deserting and moving to Canada.

  "Now." Mabel stood to her feet and patted her bad knee. "Can I offer you a cup of coffee....maybe with a shot of Jack inside? I keep my stash in the bottom desk drawer for emergencies. Your dad gifted me with the bottle last Christmas."

  "If this isn't an emergency, I don't know what is." Tessa hesitated for a moment. "How about we save it for after? Stumbling and slurring might diminish the legitimacy of my message. I'll see you guys in the auditorium."

  Tessa heard writers in the staff room whispering, so she hovered outside. She wouldn't call it snooping so much as secretly listening to them commiserate over their fate.

  "The situation is more urgent than you guys realize." Destiny cleared her throat. The senior editor, she only wore two kinds of clothes—tight and red. After her second marriage, the unwed single mother ascribed to the mantra better not bitter. "Everybody grab your cups. I've got the tea, and it's steaming and ready to pour."

  With her back against the wall in more ways than one, Tessa leaned in closer, hoping to zero in on the faint whispers.

  "You didn't hear this from me," Destiny began, "but my sources tell me Hart Enterprises acquired Keep It Real. Mr. Sweet inked the deal without so much as a warning. The news hit Tessa like fresh bird crap on a clean windshield."

  The stone silence told Tessa everything she needed to know. They couldn't believe what happened any more than she.

  That's when Destiny added, "I heard the scoop from a friend...with benefits. He works at Hart. After he sent me the W-Y-D text, he broke down the details. Hot mess-dot-com."

  With the identity of her source, she converted the disbelievers; gasps replaced their unspoken doubts.

  "If we get fired, do we collect unemployment?" Bethany asked in the confusion.

  "We're not getting fired," Destiny said. "I'm 89.5 percent certain no one's getting pink-slipped."

  A choir of groans filled the room.

  "What are y'all moaning about?" said Bethany with her rainbow hair. The resident millennial served as a writer, illustrator, and Jill-of-all-trades. “I’m the one making minimum wage.”

  “I choose to view this as an opportunity,” Judy the judgy church-lady said while sneering at Destiny. She was a senior writer. ”Just like a I choose to see your dress as appropriate for the workplace.”

  Judy was an often foul-mouthed, buttoned-up Christian who specialized in inspirational cards. Destiny’s status (divorced and mother) accounted for both of the reasons she and Destiny butted heads all the time.

  “I know we’re not getting pink slips…so when are we getting our pink slips?” said Dion, a physical specimen, always a workout freak, was mid-transformation. He had arms cut like an Adonis. He reserved his sense of humor and sentimentality for his oddly poignant cards. But he loved animals and cats, he loved baking, and he loved baking with cats…which sometimes curled up in the bowls. “I’d like to receive mine via courier before I get in the rush-hour traffic. No need in me leaving home if I’ve got biscuits in the oven.”

  Serving as the resident comic, Zeke was shaped like a Lindor truffle, round in the middle; his civil rights glasses were perfectly suited for his oval face. "I say we stage a revolt…I’m not sure against what. It just feels appropriate.”

  "Humph," Dion said. "I dare them to fire me. And I'm not writing any of those cavity cards, either."

  "C'mon. Who's really surprised? Our sales have been riding on the struggle bus for a minute now. Keep It Real might be revolutionary, but in the greeting card market, we're un-Hart, niche, the independent artists."

  "Like Ed Sheeran," Dion said. "I'm a fan, by the way."

  "We're the group that rejects Madison Square Garden and instead chooses to appear i
n the auditorium because we like the intimacy, and art is more important than money," Zeke continued.

  “Good point. We need to figure out how to level up without becoming...Hart," Judy said before adding, "but if anyone can do it, Tessa can. As long as she sticks around, she'll protect us and keep us authentic. We'll recover."

  Tessa didn't know how, but she understood that the optimal solution to this acquisition problem lies in answering Zeke's question. Could she join her vision with Cody's? Could they remain faithful to the Keep It Real vision under Hart?

  She lifted her wrist to check the time, faked heavy footsteps to the door, and poked her head inside.

  "Hey, guys!" She'd caught them off guard. The deer in the headlights expressions almost choked her with laughter. Not a single poker face in the room...except perhaps Bethany, who concealed herself behind a Michael B. Jordon magazine cover.

  "I need you all to meet me in the auditorium in five minutes. I've got an important announcement to make."

  Tessa gulped, sucked in a deep breath, and marched in determined strides through the halls toward the auditorium stage's rear exit. With the curtains closed, she took her place front and center. She bowed her head and said a little prayer for guidance, then reminded herself to force the corners of her mouth upward. When the drapes opened, the brushed-brass Sweet Media logo on the back wall served as a harsh reminder of what had happened...and the trials that lie in the days ahead.

  "Good afternoon, everyone. You're all wondering about the reason for this meeting, right? I'm sure the rumors are flying, so let me put them to rest. I have an important message to convey."

  Employees bubbled with a chorus of whispers, and a wave of head nods gave way to an awkward silence. She trudged through her hesitation and doubts to continue.

  "So, I'll go ahead and rip the Band-Aid—Hart Enterprises has acquired Keep It Real Cards. My father completed the transaction as of this morning, so it's official. We will now operate as part of the Hart Enterprises Greeting Card Division."