Don't Let Go

by Sheryl Wright

  “There,” she answered, pointing out the window to Lake Erie. “Marnie…was angry. At Henry…too.” At that admission, Georgie appeared seriously bothered. “He is my friend,” she lamented. Without saying more, she turned and walked toward the overly large window facing the lake.

  Not sure what was happening, Tyler stood and watched as her perspective employer brooded by the window. Before she could apologize or even comprehend her own reaction to the video clip, she was startled by the clicking sounds from a dog’s paws pacing across the marble floor. From behind the glass partition wall that separated Georgie’s office space from the meeting area, a large chocolate Lab sauntered out, leash in mouth, heading straight to Georgie’s side. It nuzzled up to the suddenly pensive woman, pestering her until she finally wrapped her lower arm around the big brown dog’s head and held it comfortingly against her hip.

  Tyler was at a loss for words. Georgie DiNamico had withdrawn like a hurt child. A child who brought her dog to work? Before she could think of what to say, or even what to do, Zoe slipped into the office from an unseen entrance. “Georgie! Henry’s waiting downstairs for you and Maggie. Why don’t you head out while Tyler and I have a visit with Marnie?”

  Turning and accepting the leash from her dog, Georgie looked to Zoe and Tyler as if almost surprised by their presence. “Good to go?”

  “Good to go! Now off with you. Henry’s waiting. No worries. Tyler and I have everything under control.”

  Nodding her acceptance, she turned and addressed the dog with less hesitation than Tyler had experienced in the entire meeting. “Come Maggie. Let’s see…Uncle Henry found bone,” she offered with childish enthusiasm, and without a second glance she and the dog were gone.

  With a heartfelt apology, Zoe said, “Sorry about that. I would’ve given you a bit more warning that she’s having a bad day but Marnie really wanted you to see what you’re getting into.”

  “And what am I getting into? I have no idea what just happened!”

  “Come on. Let’s head next door and let my aunt do the explaining.”

  Tyler followed her through Georgie’s office and into a corridor that connected the other executive suites. “Marnie’s in the corner office. Just close enough to keep an eye on our girl without cramping her too much.”

  “What’s wrong with her? I mean, she’s obviously very smart…”

  “Get in here and sit down. Both of you!” a strong female voice ordered. They had just reached the threshold of another large office suite. The door signage read, Marina Pulaski, Chief Operating Officer. “Is there a problem?”

  “Marnie! Take a chill pill,” Zoe offered with a cheeky smile.

  Marina Pulaski stood up from behind her desk and walked across the office, extending a hand. There was no denying the family resemblance. She was the spitting image of her sister with only slight variations. She wore her dark hair long in kinky flowing waves that contrasted with her macho bossiness. She carried a few more pounds than Georgie, adding a feminine air to her executive demeanor. Like her sister, she was dressed impeccably but her suit was far more stylish. Tyler would characterize her appearance as lady boss chic with designer heels, expensive jewelry and what could only be a real Italian silk blouse. “I’ve heard very good things about you Ms. Marsh, or should I call you Dr Marsh?”

  Tyler colored at the comment, more than aware that everyone knew she had omitted her academic achievements from her résumé. “I hope you’re not offended. I just found it not…helpful.”

  “Relax,” Marnie ordered. “I don’t really care, but you will have to give me an updated CV for our records. That is, if you’re still interested in the job?”

  “That’s my cue to leave,” Zoe said. “Anyone for a real cup?”

  “Coffee,” Marnie explained. “Yeah, I guess I can handle another one. How about you, Tyler?”

  “Thanks.”

  “Good. Okay, let’s have a sit-down. I’m sure you have several questions at this point, but before I answer anything, I need to remind you that you signed a nondisclosure agreement. Anything discussed here today, including personal information involving my sister, is covered under that agreement. Is that understood?”

  “It was when I signed it, although I’m curious now why it’s so important that I understand that Ms. DiNamico is included in your gag order.”

  “Why it’s so important?” Marnie asked. Her hands fisted. Her right hand was strangling a ballpoint pen, which she clicked several times before finally putting it down and laying her hands flat on the desk. “Dr Marsh, you’re obviously a well-educated woman. I don’t know why my sister’s interested in an academic with graduate degrees in ethics and economics, but she says it works with her future plans. And if that works for her it works for me. I understand she told you a little bit about one of the new products she’s developed?”

  Tyler nodded, uncomfortable challenging this woman in the way she had the sister.

  Marnie picked up her ballpoint pen and began clicking it again before slapping it back down, and forcing her hands to rest. “I’m going to give you the quick version. If, when I’m done, you’re still interested in the job, I’ll be more than happy to provide additional details.

  “To begin with, my sister has an IQ of 164. I assume you know what that means. What she doesn’t have is any real EQ, you know, Emotional Intelligence. Which I understand is par for the average genius. What isn’t par…” she began, picking up the pen and clicking it several more times before placing it down and asking, “Do you know anything about head injuries?”

  Tyler thought she was prepared for anything, but this wasn’t what she had been expecting. “Just the basics. What happened to her?”

  “Did you see that stripe of white hair? Where do I start?” she asked rhetorically as Zoe sailed in with three cups of coffee in hand.

  “Start with Danny and Henry,” Zoe suggested.

  Marnie groaned at her niece, who planted herself in a chair beside Tyler. “Let’s wait until Tyler says she wants the job before giving her the whole family sob story.”

  “It’s not a sob story. We’re very successful, Marnie. Why are you always such a drip?”

  Marnie groaned again, this time more for effect than anything else and began sipping her coffee. Finally setting her cup down and retrieving her pen, she turned her attention back to the subject at hand. “Five years ago my sister was in Afghanistan, flying a search and rescue helicopter. They were shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Georgie was the only one to survive. Evidently the missile struck somewhere near the tail, causing the whole thing to cartwheel into the ground. The main propeller thingy came flying off the top and ripped through the cockpit. It’s lucky Georgie’s such a short ass! The blade glanced off her helmet, then proceeded to take the copilot’s head right off. Georgie says she has no memory from the moment of impact. But the soldiers who found her said she’d managed to crawl out of the wreck and to a hiding spot several hundred yards away. Her first memory after the crash was waking up in the hospital in Germany. No one really understands how she survived after breaking just about every bone in her body. But it wasn’t until we got her home and she was on the mend physically when we realized that mentally and emotionally something was very wrong.”

  Marnie clicked her pen several more times before forcing herself to put it down. OCD, Tyler decided.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Georgie was always brilliant, but in the last five years she’s generated more patents than the entire company did in the last five decades. From a work perspective, she’s unstoppable. It’s just that outside of work, outside of her relentless need to take our engineering expertise to the edge, she’s lost. My sister can barely care for herself anymore, nor can she handle herself in social situations. Plus she can’t stand crowds of any type.” Marnie picked up her pen, clicking out her frustration, before turning her attention to her niece. “Zoe?”

  “It’s as if she’s a child in some regard and an adult in others. Can I get into
personal matters?” she asked. At Marnie’s nod, she pushed forward. “Before Afghanistan, she just did her monthly bit with her Guard unit. Don’t get me wrong, she loved serving with the Air National Guard and her mates respected her but she wanted to be out. Of course, she couldn’t.”

  “I thought serving with the National Guard was voluntary. How come she couldn’t get out?” Tyler asked, wanting to understand what had happened.

  Zoe smiled at her assumption. “Sorry, I meant out as in lesbian. Before her last deployment, she had finally met someone. She had never considered leaving the Guard until she met Margaret. That’s how we knew it was serious. I think she meant to marry old Mags once she was home from Afghanistan, but…”

  “Anyway,” Marnie pushed her back on topic.

  “Oh right. Well, other than serving with the National Guard, she was a competitive sailor with the local club. She had a scandalous social life before Margaret, but more than anything, Georgie was smart and fearless and fun. She’s still those things, but not in the same way. She can be fearless, but not in a smart way. As for having fun and enjoying people and family, there are only three people in the world she will let close to her. My Aunt Lori, Marnie here, and my granddad, Henry.”

  Marnie translated this last part. “Henry Phipps was my father’s business partner and his best friend. Zoe is his granddaughter. I hope Susan warned you during your last interview that working here means dealing with our family?”

  “She did, and she mentioned that Georgina would need to be handled, but I assumed it was more of a public affairs issue.”

  “Right. Not an idiotic genius who can address a crowded auditorium full of engineers without batting an eye, but can’t make it through a dinner party without having a full-blown anxiety attack.”

  “Okay…” Tyler conceded. “Not exactly how I would describe the situation, but I get your point. Georgie told me she thinks you’re trying to hire a babysitter. Are you telling me she actually chose me from the candidates that Susan Chan selected? I’m assuming she screened and interviewed other candidates?”

  “She did, and to be honest you weren’t Susan’s first pick. We still keep Georgie involved in all the decision-making around here. We just aren’t always prepared for how she will react to a given situation.”

  “That’s what Maggie’s for,” Zoe added, as explanation. “The dog! Maggie is a service dog. She senses, before the rest of us, that something’s amiss. Usually all it takes is a quick walk with Maggie and Georgie immediately settles down. She’s made a big difference in her sleep too. Since we got the dog, she sleeps most nights and when the nightmares come, Maggie wakes her up and gets her moving.”

  Tyler considered the expectant looks from both women. What the hell was she getting herself into? “Please excuse me if I’m out of line here, but it sounds like what she needs is full-time medical care.”

  “We have a nurse who comes in, a nutritionist, and a speech therapist. And once a week, either Zoe or I take her to group counseling at the Veterans Center. She doesn’t like that one as much, but she goes,” Marnie explained. “What we need is someone to be her assistant, but more than that, to be her friend. She needs to learn to trust someone else besides us. And, she needs someone to translate the world for her, to help her see things the way she used to see things.”

  “If I wasn’t your first pick, why am I here?”

  “You’re Georgie’s first pick.”

  “And you’re trusting her on this?”

  Fisting her pen like a warrior’s mace and tapping the heel of her hand as if she were setting the pace for a parade, she promised, “There are many things I don’t trust my sister to do. I don’t trust that she won’t throw herself overboard in the middle of Lake Erie during a raging snowstorm! I don’t trust that she will remember her coat when she takes that mangy doormat of a dog for a walk, or that she’ll remember to come back! I don’t trust that she won’t try to drive her car, or sail her boat! I don’t trust her to remember board meetings, or meals, or meds, or sleep, without help. Good God, there are a million things I don’t trust Georgie with but business decision-making is not one of them.” She leaned forward to say in a more relaxed tone, “I don’t know why she wants you on her personal staff, which currently consists of Henry, Skip, and that dog, but she does and that’s all I need to know. Now, if you’re not too scared, please read this. It’s the complete job description.” Before Marnie handed the sheet over, she clicked her pen, and wrote something on the bottom of the page. “That’s my offer. I know Susan gave you a range but this number makes more sense, considering the extent of your responsibilities.”

  Tyler accepted the single page, quickly reading through the expectations from her perspective employer. When she reached the bottom, the number scratched there was significantly larger than she had been expecting. “I don’t want to imply I’m complaining, but that seems quite generous for this job?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” Marnie offered cryptically. “My sister intends to put your advanced degrees to work. I don’t know what an engineer needs with an economic ethicist, but she says she does or will, and from my perspective that means you’ll be doing work at a management level. If your job description didn’t include the more basic duties involved in managing Georgie, I would be making you an even higher offer. We may be a family company and small, but we are a world leader in marine technology and we reward our employees, not just for hard work, but for their education and their community involvement. Any more questions?”

  “Millions, but none that I’m comfortable asking at the moment. When do you require a decision?”

  “I’d like one now,” Marnie said plainly, “but if you need time, take the day.”

  “Can I keep this?” Tyler asked, holding up the job description.

  “Of course. I’ll let Zoe walk you out. And just so you know, she is the family gossip. So, go ahead and get the inside scoop on anything you might not feel comfortable asking me or can’t find on the Internet.”

  Tyler nodded, standing and offering her hand. “I do want you to know I’m very interested. I just need a little time to consider the range of responsibilities involved.”

  “Good.” Marnie shook her hand before turning her attention back to her ballpoint pen and her computer monitor.

  Zoe directed her out of the office and toward the elevators. “Just let me grab my jacket, and I’ll head down to the lot with you.”

  Embarrassed to have someone see her beat-up old car, Tyler waved her off. “That’s okay. I can see myself out.”

  “You could, but then we wouldn’t get to chat.”

  “Love your accent. I know you say you grew up here, but it sounds like you’ve spent time in Britain?”

  Zoe smiled at the compliment. “It’s my half-Newfee accent. If you ever go to Newfoundland, you’ll hear it. It’s a wee bit Scottish and Irish, with a bit of mangled good old Yankee slang thrown in for fun.”

  “I thought it was pronounced New-found-land, not whatever it is you just said.”

  Chuckling, she pronounced it as her great-grandmother had taught her, “We say Newf-in-land. Don’t know why, but that’s just how it’s always said.”

  As they stepped on the elevator, Tyler took in Zoe’s cheeky grin. “You look like you’re ready to bust. What’s that smile for?”

  “Nothing, I just think you’ll be great for Georgie. I love her dearly, but that girl is a pain in my backside.”

  “How so?”

  Leading them through the lobby and directly to the visitor parking area, Zoe explained as she walked, “I’ve adored Georgie since I was a tot. She taught me how to tie my shoes and my skates. She taught me how to swim and sail. But more than that, she taught me the importance of having fun. I miss that,” she said, stopping in front of what she obviously had decided was Tyler’s car. “I miss Georgie having fun. Since the accident, since Margaret, it’s as if she doesn’t understand the concept. Don’t get me wrong, she’s good, or at least better, bu
t…”

  “You do understand she may never be the same. Sorry, I’m not an expert on head injuries, but I do know she may not get any better.”

  “Of course. It’s a concern for me and Marnie too. Still, we need to give her every chance we can. God knows she did it for us while we were growing up. Georgie is the oldest of all of us—second and third generation that is.”

  Tyler stood by the trunk of her Chevy, holding her briefcase in both hands and desperately trying not to shiver. “I’m a little confused about the family part. Sorry, was that rude of me to ask?”

  “Not at all, and not around here. If you ever need to know anything, you come ask me. See, my granddad Henry Phipps, and Danny DiNamico, Marnie and Georgie’s dad, married sisters. Two lovely ladies they met while serving in Newfoundland. So we’re related maternally and we were all raised up like one big happy jumbled up family.”

  “So you work as Marnie’s assistant and sometimes receptionist?”

  “I see your look. You’re indeed a clever one but don’t read too much into it. We might all be family, but we still have to earn our place. My dad’s the CFO. His background is accounting and investment. He’s a CPA, with a master’s. When he started with the company, he was a junior accountant. He had to work his way up and so will I but unlike my dad, I haven’t finished my undergraduate degree and I haven’t a clue what I want to do with my life. So, for now I’m Marnie’s PA and that suits me fine.” Zoe gave her a quick wink. “Besides, if it weren’t for Marnie taking me on, I wouldn’t even qualify for a job at DME. Except maybe out at the boatyard, but not here. Could you see that,” she teased, “me, without my makeup and heels?”