The One of Many

by M. Jane Early

  My mouth hung open in shock.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing, I just have never known a man in charge to encourage someone to go to HR on them.” I was genuinely bewildered.

  “I’m not here to make anyone feel uncomfortable, Farren. I need this team to be cohesive and trusting if it’s going to work.” The sincerity in his voice was clear, but I still couldn’t believe it.

  I glanced at the open window towards the bullpen. Gwen lifted her chin, then put it back down when she saw me looking.

  “I’m not going to HR,” I replied.

  He nodded once. “I’ve also told Ms. Barnes that we should keep a respectful distance from each other, and we need to remain professional in the office from here on out.” He backed away from me.

  “I’m sure that thrilled her,” I mumbled.

  He stopped and tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

  “Nothing. I, um, accept your apology.”

  He rounded his desk and moved the mouse to wake up his computer. “Excellent. Now, there’s another matter we need to discuss.” He looked at me and held his hand out to the seat in front of the desk. “Please.”

  I took a long breath, and I walked over to him. We both sat.

  “How are the chairs?” he asked, pointing his pen at me.

  I looked down, noticing the difference from the ones in the tinier office. I wiggled my ass in it, making him laugh.

  “A lot more comfortable.” I smiled. “I hope you didn’t do that on my account.”

  “I’ll admit, you were the catalyst.” He paused, then a concerned look replaced his smile. He tapped his pen on the desk.

  “What?” I asked.

  He hesitated. “Is everything…alright?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He leaned back. “Your conversation on the phone…in the cafeteria. You looked…annoyed.”

  I took a breath to say something but stopped. Powers was the last person I wanted to talk about my problems with Crew to.

  “I’m sorry,” he blurted. “It’s none of my business.” He shook his head.

  He came forward in his chair again. “I’ve decided that we’re going to do a complete rebrand of Imperium. Your thoughts are exactly what I’ve been thinking we need to do too. It’s refreshing to hear you agree we need to be bolder and gear more towards the younger generation. Our generation is now in our thirties, or will be soon, and it won’t be long before we’re the main workforce driving this industry. I think it’s smart we move in that direction too.”

  I nodded. “I’m glad you liked my ideas.”

  “I did. So much so, I’m going to make you the new marketing manager of Imperium.” He smiled.

  My mouth fell open. “What?”

  “You’re more than qualified, Ms. Hallston. You have a master’s degree, they’ve accepted most of your ideas for the company’s print ads—”

  “That’s the team, not just me,” I interrupted.

  “That’s not what I’ve heard from them. They look up to you. You’ve been the reason most of them stay. That’s the leadership I need.”

  I exhaled and darted my eyes around the desk in front of me. “Mr. Powers—”

  “You’ve never even been late, let alone written up for anything. You’re a model employee, Farren, and you deserve to shine. There is absolutely no reason you should still be a graphic design artist, as incredible as you are at it.”

  The argument he was making for me was true, but I didn’t understand why I had the urge to fight him on it. It was the same argument I had in my head every day at Imperium. It must have been years of Nick pushing me to the back of the room, not letting me be seen.

  I glanced at him. “What about Nick? Mr. Dumb—Dumas.”

  He smiled again. “You’re going to work with him.”

  I straightened. “You made him director?”

  “I’m not sold on Dumas yet.” He glanced away. “But I’m willing to give anyone a chance to prove themselves. He knows what I’m looking for. If he can impress me, I’ll consider it.”

  I was overcome with gratitude someone finally figured out what we all knew about Nick Dumas—he was a kiss ass. It seemed that wasn’t what Powers was looking for. I twisted my mouth, trying not to smile.

  The CEO’s hazel-green eyes danced, and his immaculate smile gleamed as he waited for my response. “So, what do you think?” he said in a hushed tone.

  I wanted to tell him I was elated I was finally being recognized. That Nick Dumbass had stolen my ideas for years, and I was about at the end of my rope when David Powers showed up and decided I was worth more than Nick gave me credit for. I was ready to do cartwheels to know my thoughts concerning how this company ran and how to make it better actually mattered to someone.

  All of that bubbled under the surface when I shrugged one shoulder. “I think yes.”

  He smiled and nodded once. “Good. We have a lot of work to do.”

  I put my game face on. “I’m ready.”

  A few minutes later, I walked back to my desk in shock and texted Yvette.

  Farren: He promoted me.

  Yvette: What!?

  Farren: Marketing Manager

  Within thirty seconds, she was at my desk. “What happened?” She kneeled by my chair.

  “He said he wants me to help lead the rebrand of the company. He’s going to make the announcement on Friday.” I looked at her in horror.

  She put her hand on the armrest of my chair. “Finally.”

  I took a deep breath. “He wants me to present my ideas to the department heads.”

  “Oh shit,” she answered.

  “Yeah, and I have to work with Nick.” I made a face at the notion.

  She smiled. “So, you’re like a co-manager?”

  “Apparently. Powers doesn’t think Dumas is ready for director.”

  “He’s not.” She rolled her eyes, looking away, then snapped back to me. “Do you think he’s trying to see if you’d be the better pick?”

  I glanced at her and shrugged.

  “This is great, Farren.” She shook my arm. “Don’t worry about it. Use your team. We’ll all help. You’re gonna kill it and impress the hell out of management. It’s about time you’re being recognized.”

  I nodded. “Thank you. I’m going to need you a lot.”

  “Girl, I’m here. I’ll let Trevor know too. We got your back.” She gave me a hug and stood, then walked out of my cubicle.

  Five

  Friday morning, Powers had a meeting to introduce me as the co-manager of marketing. I stood at the front of the conference room with him, trying to keep a respectful distance. At one point, he placed his hand on my lower back to squeeze past me while I gave my small speech, and it made me lose focus. We glanced at each other, then turned away so no one noticed. I couldn’t help but feel like a high school girl with a crush. Ridiculous.

  After the meeting ended, most everyone congratulated me, then walked out of the room. Powers asked Nick and me to stay.

  The CEO took off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. “Nick, I want you and Farren to work on the presentation. She has the ideas I’m looking for to give the other suits the direction we’re heading. We need a strong move forward.”

  Nick tapped on the conference table with his fingers. He appeared annoyed. “Mr. Powers, I agree that Farren is an essential part of our team… How it is now.” I looked at him and furrowed my brow. “I’m just not sure she’s ready for this. Her ideas are a little more progressive than we’re used to. I’m not sure the other managers will appreciate it.”

  I slumped back in my chair and stared daggers at the patterns on the wooden table. Out of the corner of my eye, Powers walked around the conference table and sat on the edge by Nick. He rolled up his sleeves.

  “Let me ask you something, Nick. Farren’s been here for over six years, and from what I can tell from her self-assessments, she’s been the main one submitting ideas. Most of those ideas you’ve
used. Funny thing is,” he peered at me, “she hasn’t been given credit for any of them. They’re all under your name.” He turned back to Nick. “You signed off on her assessments, every single one, so she obviously wasn’t lying or misrepresenting herself, or I’m sure you would have corrected the record. Am I wrong?”

  I looked at Nick, who glanced at me, then I flickered to Powers. When Nick didn’t answer, Powers stood.

  “The way I see it, Nick, Farren deserved this bump a long time ago, but you ignored it.” He walked to the chair at the head of the table and leaned on the back, watching Nick, who didn’t make eye contact. “So, this is just giving her her due. Wouldn’t you agree?” Powers looked at me, and I met his eyes. We both looked at Nick. “I’m going to set up this meeting for two weeks from today. Farren, is that enough time for you?”

  “Yes,” I said and nodded.

  “Nick?”

  Nick hesitated and didn’t look at Powers. “Yes, sir.”

  “Great. I want this to be… What did you call it, Nick? A team effort?”

  I tried to stifle a laugh—Nick glared at me. I looked at my hands on the table.

  “Thanks, Nick,” Powers said in a dismissive tone. “Farren, stick around for a minute.”

  Nick backed out his chair and stood.

  “Close the door on your way out,” Powers called.

  Nick watched me as he shut the door behind him.

  I exhaled while Powers came and sat next to me. He angled the chair in the opposite direction so the top half of his body was close. That damn fragrance distracted me again.

  “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked. His tone was relaxed and less authoritative.

  I turned to him. “What was I supposed to say? My boss takes credit for all my ideas?”

  He met my eyes. “Yes.”

  “And when exactly should I have told you? Your first day? I’d look like the troublemaker right away.” I turned away from him and shook my head.

  He turned my chair to face him. “Listen, I realize making waves isn’t really applauded in a company—”

  “Especially by a woman,” I interjected.

  “Valid. But I thought I made it clear the first time we talked, I need you to be honest with me to make the changes we need to make. You’re an essential resource, and had I not done research, I would’ve never known.” He inched closer.

  I gave him a slight smile and nodded.

  “Hey.” He leaned his arm on my armrest, shortening our distance. “We need to communicate, Farren. That’s the only way this will work. Agreed?”

  His hazel eyes shined like the sun floating through the office windows.

  I glanced down. “Thank you,” I mumbled.

  “What was that?” He leaned closer, smiling.

  I laughed. “Thank you,” I said louder.

  “Better. You still have to up the volume if you want people to hear you from over there.” He pointed to the other side of the room. I continued to laugh. “And you’re very welcome.”

  The stare between us didn’t let go. I could feel myself move towards him without thinking about it. His eyes rested on my lips, and my breath increased until I snapped out of his trance. I shook my head and stood, then pushed in the chair.

  “I’d like to have a few check-ins next week to make sure you have everything you need. I’ll send invites to your calendar,” Powers said as he stood too.

  “Sounds good.” I took out my antique company phone.

  “What is that?” he asked from behind me.

  I turned and faced him. “What?”

  “That thing in your hand.” He chuckled, walking towards me. He took the device from me. “That looks like the very first iPhone.”

  “Company phone.” I moved closer to him.

  He studied it in his hand and glanced at me. “Does everyone have one?”

  “Only upper and middle management. I got one because sometimes Nick doesn’t answer his.”

  He shook his head and handed it back. “We’re going to have to resolve that. It looks like a cave dweller invented it.”

  My fingers gently caressed his in the exchange. I swallowed. “At least they’re not BlackBerrys,” I said, then chuckled.

  Still in my space, he said, “Good point.” His smirk appeared again.

  Ignoring his gaze, I put the phone back in my bag, then grabbed my computer and placed it in the main pocket. I smiled at him, then walked away, trying to create as much distance as possible. He made me uncomfortable. Not in a way where I thought him dangerous—the opposite. I was uncomfortable because of how he looked at me and how much I liked it.

  I stopped when I reached the door and looked back at Powers. “Thank you for today. For everything.” I smiled.

  He simply nodded.

  I turned away, and he cleared his throat. “Farren?”

  I stopped and met his eyes again.

  He placed his hands in his pockets and exhaled. “Have a good evening.”

  Those damn butterflies fluttered inside my stomach. I nodded and left.

  YVETTE LEFT ME TO meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend for lunch. With no transportation and no desire to go through the motions of ordering a ride to go off campus, I decided to eat in the cafeteria. It was just after one, the crowd would have dispersed, and I would have the area to myself for the hour.

  I walked in and went straight to the clear, double door refrigerator with the salads and sandwiches. The choices were limited, but one lonely chicken Caesar salad towards the back caught my attention. I took it and inspected the contents while walking towards the cashier. Someone stood in front of me as I turned the container upside down in my hands.

  “Are you making sure there’s an adequate number of croutons, or…?”

  I lowered the plastic box and chuckled. I knew it was him before I even met his eyes. “Mr. Powers.”

  “Ms. Hallston.” He smiled and turned away from me.

  I leaned to my left and grabbed a bottle of water. He handed a twenty to the cashier and walked away, not waiting for his change. I set my lunch down and took my card out of my wallet, watching him saunter towards a booth by the window.

  “Mr. Powers took care of yours. You’re good,” the attendant said. She moved around the counter, disappearing to the back.

  I looked at Powers, who was now sitting and watching me with his elbows resting on the table, his hands overlapping each other near his chin. His cocky smirk on full display. I collected my food and walked over to him.

  I stopped at his table. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He unsnapped the lid to his container open.

  I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t want to assume he had invited me to sit with him either. “I’ll…leave you to eat in peace.” I turned away.

  “Nonsense,” he said behind me, and I angled towards him. “I hate eating alone.” He motioned with his head to the seat across from him.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Farren, there’s no one else in here. Unless you have another phone call to make.” His tone was playful.

  I scoffed. “Definitely not.” I sat, if for no other reason than to prove him wrong.

  I opened my salad and distributed the dressing over the lettuce. “Why are you here so late?” I asked.

  He swallowed the first bite of his sandwich. “A meeting with the board ran over.”

  “How’d it go?” I opened my water and took a sip.

  “It went well. It was about you.”

  I stopped moving. “Me? What about me?” I asked, panicked.

  He smiled but didn’t look at me. “They wanted to know about the new marketing manager.”

  I furrowed my brow. “What did you say?”

  “Same thing I said to you.” He looked at me. “Don’t worry, Ms. Hallston, I was complimentary in my description.”

  “Why not just bring me into the meeting with you?”

 
“They wanted my impression of you first. You’ll get your chance to prove me right when you do the presentation.” His cocky attitude was endearing. It probably should have been a turnoff, but it intrigued me more.

  We watched each other for a moment. I softly laughed once. “Your confidence in me is appreciated but terrifying at the same time.” I mixed the dressing around with my fork.

  He grabbed a napkin and wiped his hands. “Why is that?”

  “You’re giving an awful lot of responsibility to someone who hasn’t proven anything to you yet. But you’re going out on a limb for me.” I paused. “I just wonder why that is.”

  He sat back and watched me. “Am I wrong about you? Are you incapable of doing this job?”

  I met his eyes and took a breath. “No, you’re not wrong.”

  He flinched his shoulders and leaned forward again. “Okay, then.”

  The nerves in my stomach caused me to lean my fork against the edge of the container. I had been asking to become more in this company, given more responsibility, but now that I had it, it was a little scary. I placed my hands in my lap and looked down.

  “Why are you so confident in me?” I whispered.

  I wasn’t looking at him, but I felt his stare. “Because I see something that you don’t.”

  I met his eyes.

  He leaned forward. “I see someone who wants to do something more. Not only in your career but also in your purpose. You have drive. You’re exceptionally empathic and observant. That’s why everyone on the floor looks to you.” He looked down at his food. “You’re special, Farren.”

  I knew he was just being nice, being a boss, and building me up. His ass was just as much on the line as mine was if I screwed up. He was taking a chance on a graphic design artist who catapulted to manager. But his sincerity made me smile.

  “This sandwich is terrible,” he said while taking another bite.

  I chuckled. “Then why’d you get it?”

  “Not much to choose from. I probably should have gone to a restaurant.” He looked at his watch. “I may need to look at a new company for the cafeteria,” he said to himself.

  I picked up my fork again, feeling a little better. “Yeah, this salad isn’t great either, but my lunch date bailed on me today—I didn’t have a choice.”