Redesigned

by Denise Grover Swank

  His shoulders relax.

  “Why don’t we all sit down and we can all go around and formally introduce ourselves. We can also state what skills we bring to the table to benefit the show.”

  As they move to their seats on the opposite side Renee places her arms on the table and leans forward. “Forgive me for stating the obvious.” Her eyes narrow. “But how can students who don’t know anything about fashion design help put on a fashion show?”

  Renewed tension fills the room, and I want to strangle Renee. She’s voiced her displeasure over the outside involvement multiple times before this meeting. Megan and I have tried to reason with her, insisting we have no say in their addition to the committee and we need to make the best of it. She obviously has her own agenda.

  Greg turns to the other girl standing quietly behind him. “See, Wendy? I told you this was pointless.” He heads for the door.

  I take a step forward and stop his path. Ms. Carter is counting on me, and I need her recommendation with her New York friend. “Wait. Please, don’t go. Renee doesn’t speak for Megan and me.”

  Reed’s girlfriend places a hand on Greg’s arm. “Come on, Greg. This is new for us too. I think we can make this work.”

  Greg scowls and slinks to his seat.

  Reed’s girlfriend flashes me a smile and it seems genuine, not a fake sorority girl smile.

  Looks like I have an ally on the enemy front.

  Everyone sits down, leaving the chair at the head of the table empty.

  Reed’s girlfriend begins the introductions and her face lights up with excitement. “I’m Lexi. I’m a sophomore and a business major, but I have a special interest in running nonprofit organizations. I’ve had experience organizing fundraisers and even though this is my first year at Southern University, I’m excited to be included on the committee.”

  Greg shoots her an annoyed look, then looks at me. “I’m Greg and I’m an accounting major. I’m in charge of the allocation of funds for the program.”

  Before Wendy even speaks, I realize what the foundation has done. It’s ingenious.

  Lexi flashes an encouraging smile at Wendy before she speaks. “I’m Wendy, and I’m a senior getting a marketing degree. Last summer I interned for a firm in Memphis that worked on a local nonprofit campaign. Our timing for this particular event is pretty tight, but I think we have time to throw something together before the show next month.”

  Renee is next, but her mouth gaps before she sits up, her attitude changed after hearing the other student’s potential. “I’m Renee, a senior in fashion design. I’ve modeled in the past and have connections to several girls in the school who have modeled and will probably volunteer their time.”

  Megan smiles, full of enthusiasm. “I’m Megan, also a senior design student. I’m great at time management and I know some photography students who are interested in shooting the show for their portfolios. I’m sure we can get them to take some preshow photos to use for publicity.”

  It’s now my turn and although I’m bursting with excitement, I’m now at a loss as to what to list for the attributes I bring to the table. I can’t tell them all that Ms. Carter suggested me because of my peacemaking abilities. “Uh … I’m Caroline and I’m a senior majoring in fashion design.”

  I was the one who suggested this exercise, but I hadn’t planned on everyone presenting such vital roles to organizing the show. Anything I say at this point will sound lame, but I have to say something. “I’m great at organizing and I work well in groups.” Really? That’s all I can come up with? “I’m looking forward to being part of combining the practicality of the business department with the creativity of the design department.” I look around the table. “Perhaps we should appoint someone to be in charge and keep us on task?”

  Greg’s upper lip curls into a sneer. “And I suppose that person should be you?”

  My shoulders stiffen. “Well, no … but we need….”

  “We already have a chairman.” Lexi looks up from the phone in her hand. “He was sent to the wrong location too, but he’s here now. In fact, he should walk in the door at any moment.”

  As if on cue, the door opens, and I hide my surprise at who walks in the door.

  Reed Pendergraft.

  Chapter Five

  Why is a mathematics grad student in charge of a committee consisting of business and fashion design majors?

  Reed’s forehead burrows when he enters the room. He shuts the door behind him and places his hand on the back of the seat at the head of the table. With his white dress shirt, blue tie, gray dress pants, and loafers, he looks like a CEO of a company, not a mathematics grad student. His no-nonsense attitude clinches it.

  “Who was in charge of the room allocation?” His eyes scan the people sitting at the table then land on me. He hides his surprise well, one moment of hesitation before his attitude returns.

  I suppose he expects me to answer since he’s still looking at me, his eyebrows sinking even lower.

  “It was a simple misunderstanding, Reed,” Lexi murmurs. “Our advisor told us the wrong location and I told you. We’re all here now.”

  Reed and Lexi lock eyes and they appear to have a nonverbal conversation. Reed glowers at her, but Lexi smiles sweetly. After several seconds, Reed’s frown deepens, and he sits in the chair and folds his hands on the table in front of him. “Have you begun?”

  Everyone remains silent until Lexi, the only person not stunned into silence, speaks up. “We’ve all introduced ourselves and listed what we bring to the table.” She flashes me a smile, and it still seems genuine. “It was Caroline’s idea.”

  Reed’s sharp eyes pin me again. “And you didn’t think to wait for me?”

  Now he’s starting to piss me off. “I’m sorry. But until approximately a minute ago, I didn’t even know you were on the committee. We were only told to show up in this room at four. We didn’t know who or what to expect.” I’m surprised by my outburst. This is so unlike me, except, apparently, with Reed. Even Megan stirs next to me, probably caught off guard as well.

  Reed must accept my answer because he looks around the table again. “I’ll need everyone to write their name and contact numbers, schedules, and e-mail addresses so that I’ll be able to contact you regarding meeting locations and times if there’s a discrepancy in the future. We have a very short time to put this together, and we’ll have to put in some long hours to make it happen.”

  His scowl deepens, and I wonder how his face doesn’t pucker in on itself like a black hole. If only I could be lucky enough for Reed Pendergraft to disappear.

  Megan releases a tiny gasp.

  Reed tilts his head slightly, and his eyes harden even more, a feat I didn’t think possible. “I can assure you, Ms. Hunter. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Oh, dear God in heaven. I said that out loud.

  I’m about to die of embarrassment.

  “Now, Ms. Hunter, since you are indeed stuck with me until this show is complete, would you be so kind as to allow me to take a sheet from your legal pad and pass it around?” His voice is tightly controlled but the throbbing vein on his temple gives away how angry he really is.

  I nod my consent and slide a sheet of paper toward him after I rip it off with shaky hands, my face on fire. What in the world possessed me to say that out loud? I’m usually the epitome of a southern lady in situations like this, and that was not ladylike behavior.

  What happens over the next few minutes is a blur. I’m lost in my own mortification. I can’t believe I made such a mistake. I’m always in perfect control of my reactions. But Reed Pendergraft irritates the shit out of me.

  Reed is passing out stapled, multi-page handouts. “In the papers I’m giving you, I’ve listed the tasks that need to be done, the dates they need to be done by, and a blank spot so we can determine who will complete each task.”

  We flip through the sheets in silence. The only sound is the rustle of papers and the air conditioning kicking in. Reed
is amazingly thorough with every detail of putting together a fashion show, and I wonder where he acquired this kind of knowledge.

  After we read the sheets, Reed lists the duties, and we sign up for specific jobs. I might be impressed with Reed’s organizational skills if he weren’t so controlling.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Pendergraft.” I stress his last name, hoping that calling attention to it will show him the ridiculousness of his formality. “But I was under the impression that this was a committee, not a Marxist takeover.”

  Lexi’s shoulders shake and she finds her lap fascinating.

  Reed leans forward. “Ms. Hunter, when I am in charge, I am in charge. If you don’t like it, you may leave.”

  He’s issued a challenge, and I’ll be damned if I back down. “This isn’t one of your classes, where you can boss your students around to feed your monstrous ego. How many souls are sacrificed each day to appease your thirst for fear and cowering? You don’t scare me. In fact, I can assure you, Mr. Pendergraft. I’m not going anywhere.”

  We have a momentary stare-off, and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. I’m not Scarlett, and I’m used to attention, although it’s usually positive. Not because I’m in the middle of some asshole’s pissing contest. So I hold my gaze and ignore the unwavering contempt plastered on his face.

  Finally, his back stiffens, and he turns his irritation to the rest of the group. “Does anyone else have an issue with the way I’m running the committee?”

  I wait for Greg to speak up since he had no problem standing up to me, but the asshole remains silent. I wonder if I’m being unfair. Reed has an intimidating presence, and Greg strikes me as a non-discriminating bully. Bullies back down when threatened by bigger bullies.

  The next thirty minutes pass quickly, and my list of grievances against Reed Pendergraft continues to grow. He’s a stuck-up Northern snob who looks down on all things Southern, both the region and the university. What the hell is he doing in Tennessee? From what little I know about the math department from Scarlett, Southern University doesn’t even rank in the top twenty universities.

  So what’s Reed Pendergraft doing here?

  Reed announces that we’ll have another committee meeting on Wednesday at four, and if we can’t make it due to other commitments, we can quit right now. When everyone remains silent, he reminds us that our assignments are due then. “That’s it for today, everyone may go. Ms. Hunter, I need you to stay.”

  Lexi remains in her chair as everyone gets up to leave. I’m tempted to go with them, but I’m curious why Reed has asked me to stay. If it’s to chastise me again, let him have his fun. I stood up to bigger, meaner bullies than him in high school, and I had much more to lose then. The last members leave the room, and Lexi’s gaze shifts from Reed to me and then back again.

  Reed taps the end of his remaining papers on the table. “Lexi, you may go.”

  “No way.” She remains in her seat, and Reed sighs. She must have him wrapped around her little finger. It’s nice to know that bossy Reed is controlled by someone, but their relationship confuses me.

  “Whatever you have to say, I have a right to hear,” she says.

  Interesting change in dynamics. Maybe Lexi is suddenly the jealous type, and she wants to make sure nothing inappropriate happens behind the closed door.

  Reed shoots her a scowl, then turns, his cold brown eyes staring at me. “Ms. Hunter.”

  I return his stiff tone. “Mr. Pendergraft.”

  Irritation flickers in his eyes.

  I’ve gotten a reaction from him, and a thrill races down my spine. I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying this exchange.

  “Ms. Hunter, I can’t have you disrupting the meeting with your fascist comments.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. “Fascist? Which part of me objecting to your hostile takeover is fascist? Do you understand that you have invaded our program? For years the show has been run by the design department, and this year we’ve had the business department thrown at us. We’re expected to give them equal say. I had my doubts this would work until we all introduced ourselves, and I decided this plan was actually brilliant.”

  I point my finger at him. “But then you show up and act like you’re a dictator. I’m willing to work with the other members as a committee—and excuse me if I’m wrong, because I’ve been led to believe that a committee is a democracy—but you came in and bullied the members into silence. Everyone in this room is scared to death to contradict you.”

  I stand, picking up my notepad and purse. “So if that’s your management style, Mr. Pendergraft, no thank you. Good luck with that.”

  His eyes widen, but he doesn’t say anything when I stomp to the door and leave the conference room. Raw anger courses through my blood, warming my chest and my face. But pride fills me too. I haven’t stood up to anyone like this in years. When I was a kid, I never backed down to bullies. Never let them see my fear and humiliation, even if it was boiling behind a hard expression.

  The people who know me now wouldn’t recognize Carol Ann Hunter from Shelbyville. When I packed up my life and came to college, my parents never expected me to make it. My mother thought I was uppity since I didn’t think their life was good enough for me. I was scared enough to move to Southern. I didn’t need their negativity and expectations of failure to remind me of what I risked. So I never went back. Her choice, not mine.

  Once I made that decision, I realized I could become whoever I wanted to be. This was my chance at a fresh start. No one here knows I grew up in a trailer park at the edge of town. No one judges me because I ate subsidized lunches. I left that girl and my past with her. I became Caroline, a sweet, soft-spoken girl who Southern boys want to take home to their mommas. Only Scarlett knows my secret here. I never even told Justin, even after two years of dating. I dodged most questions about my past and made up the rest.

  For three years I’ve buried Carol Ann deep inside and for the first time since I drove out of Shelbyville in my beat-up, rusted Ford Focus, she’s resurfaced. All because of Reed Pendergraft.

  And I don’t like it one bit.

  Megan is waiting for me in the hall, worry lines crinkling her eyes. “Well…?”

  I lift my chin. “I quit.”

  Her eyes fly open. “No!”

  The realization of what I’ve done hits me full force. This was my shot at boosting my flimsy resume, and I’ve thrown it away all because of my temper. My future employer won’t care that conceited egomaniac Reed Pendergraft ran the whole damn thing. They only want to know I was part of it and what role I played. Reed gave me roles. I just tossed them away. All because of my pride.

  I shake my head and grip the strap of my messenger bag to hide my now trembling fingers. “What’s done is done. I suppose I should go tell Ms. Carter.”

  “Maybe you can go back and—”

  “No.” My answer is firm, hiding my temptation to do the very thing Megan is trying to suggest. Go back and grovel to get my spot back. And as much as I know I should, I can’t bring myself to do it.

  “Caroline. Wait!” Lexi’s voice calls behind me.

  I take a deep breath before turning around to face her.

  She stops in front of me, her eyes pleading with mine. “You can’t quit.”

  “I think I just did.”

  “No, I know.” She shakes her head and her blonde curls bounce around her face like a shampoo commercial. I want to hate her but she’s so damned sweet. “But I’m asking you to reconsider.”

  I try to contain my shock. Reed’s girlfriend is asking me to stay on the committee.

  “Why?”

  Conspiratorial glee washes over her face. “Because no one talks to Reed that way, and you have no idea how much I loved watching you make him squirm.”

  Now I’m really confused. Why would Lexi want her boyfriend to squirm? And why would she want me to do it? “Look, I’m not sure what—”

  “Please.” She clasps her hands and brings them to her chest. “Reed reall
y is nice, once you get to know him.”

  I clench my jaw. “I guess I’ll never know since I have no intention of getting to know him.”

  “You don’t have to, just hang in there for a month and continue to stand up to him. I’ll stand with you next time and between the two of us, we’ll bring him down a peg or two.”

  I squeeze my eyes closed then open them. “Forgive me for asking—because this is really none of my business—but why would you want me to help you bring your boyfriend down a peg or two?”

  Shock covers her face, and for a moment, I wonder if I’ve crossed a line, although I’m not quite sure how. Then she breaks into giggles.

  Irritation prickles the hair on the back of my neck. “I’m not sure what’s so funny.”

  “Reed … my boyfriend….” She shakes her head and takes a breath.

  “Are you saying he’s not your boyfriend?”

  She gets her laughter under control. “No. He’s my brother.”

  “Your brother?” But it all makes sense now. At Scarlett’s party, Reed touched her in a protective way, but there hadn’t been anything that suggested they were a couple. Just me jumping to conclusions. And at the club, Lexi was annoyed that Reed was there. Of course, she would be. Who wants their brother cramping their dating life?

  She leans closer and lowers her voice. “Reed is used to getting his way, and he’s used to bossing people around to get it. It will be fun to watch you work him over.”

  I’m not sure how Reed became part of the committee that includes his sister, but nothing surprises me when it comes to the chancellor. “Lexi, you seem like a sweet girl.” I take a deep breath. “But I’m not on the committee to settle some score for you with your brother. I’m there to build my already pathetic resume.”

  “Then come back to the committee and do that! And give my brother the opposition he needs.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know.”