by JD Strand
For the second time since answering the phone, Elise got choked up. "I hope you mean that."
"I do," he answered. "Now get some sleep and don't worry about me struggling to calm a very excited 8-year-old."
"Goodnight, Cody," she said and pushed the disconnect button on the phone.
Chapter 11
Elise awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly energized. Whether the energy came from thoughts of Cody and Penny or from the confidence of having a plan on how to deal with Stewart did not matter. She dressed quickly and headed to the office.
Kristen was clearly surprised to see Elise coming through the door and quickly looked away to avoid eye contact with her.
"Good morning, Kristen," Elise said with slightly exaggerated cheerfulness.
"Oh, hello, Elise," the secretary replied with feigned cheerfulness. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm okay, but I'll be better after I talk to Stewart." Elise started walking toward his office.
Kristen jumped up and said, "Wait a second, Elise."
Surprised by the interruption, she stopped and turned back to the desk. "It's going to be okay, Kristen."
"But it's not," she whispered. "Stewart, told me you weren't working here anymore."
Elise smiled and the secretary was even more confused. "He may think that I don't work here anymore, but he's wrong."
As she headed to Stewart's office, Kristen shook her head slightly and thought to herself, "The shock of getting fired must have sent her into a state of denial."
Elise tapped on the door of Stewart's office and waited until she heard him say, "Come in." She entered slowly and quietly sat as she saw that he was talking on the phone.
"No, the opening will not be delayed," Stewart declared, turning the chair away from Elise. "Everything is on schedule, and I will handle it myself."
As Stewart ended his conversation and turned back toward Elise, her expression caught him by surprise. "I...uh...I know this is a difficult situation, but we both know this is really for the best." He watched her smile widen and completely lost his train of thought. "Uh… if...you should need a letter of reference, I can provide one for you."
The chuckle from Elise did not go unnoticed. "Thank you for that generous offer, Stewart." She shook her head as if having trouble keeping a straight face. "But I don't think that'll be necessary. What I'd like, though, is an explanation of precisely why I am being terminated."
Stewart felt back in control and answered, "Do we really need to get into this?" He did not wait for a response before continuing, "Fine. As I will be reporting to HR this afternoon, you're being terminated due to insubordination and a clear conflict of interest." Stewart looked directly at Elise, confident that he had said all that needed to be said.
Elise's cheerful response did not agree with this idea. "Stewart, you and I both know that's not true."
Olson sat back in his chair and smiled, thinking the young woman was under the naive impression that truth made a bit of difference in these matters. He started to say something to this effect when Elise spoke.
"Of course, I know full well that whether or not allegations are true plays very little role in these situations." She paused and enjoyed seeing Stewart's smug expression fade away. "I just wanted to hear the precise offenses you were accusing me of committing."
"And now that you've heard what you were hoping to hear, I am ready for your resignation," he announced with impatience.
Elise studied the man in front of her and wondered how she had ever thought of him as something of a role model.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of resigning." Her failure to obey his command caused him to lean forward in his chair as though he was prepared to attack. If Elise noticed this change in position, she gave no sign of it. Instead, she calmly continued. "In fact, I would like you to tender your resignation."
Stewart's face was now dark red and the veins in his temples appeared ready to pop out of his skin, "You have some nerve, I'll give you that. Whatever it is that you think you have--"
Elise could not resist putting her finger to her lips and shushing him. "Stewart, you really need to be quiet and listen for a minute." She pushed the play button on her phone.
Too stunned at that moment to find the words to respond, Stewart remained quiet as he waited to hear the sound coming from the phone. He leaned forward anxiously.
The first few seconds were too quiet for him to hear but then Elise adjusted the volume.
"Stew, when we made this arrangement I told you that we could help each other."
Stewart answered, "And I told you that we had a deal. I pay you thirty grand for each permit you approve for us. We never agreed to these other payments."
"If it makes it easier for you, think of it like insurance, Stew. You got your permits just like you wanted. I made sure of that, right?"
Elise pushed her phone to stop the playback. She shook her head and smiled, clearly enjoying her boss’s discomfort. “Do we need to hear anymore?”
Olson’s face was blank and a bit pale. After a moment, it returned to normal, and he actually smiled. "Well, Elise, I have to say I definitely underestimated you. It's really too bad this side of you didn't come out before. We could have been a great team."
As she sat looking at Stewart Olson, disgust was the only feeling that came to Elise. The idea of partnEliseg with him on any project made her nauseous.
She shook her head and observed, "Stewart, I really doubt that you've ever been part of any team. You'd have to care about other people for that."
Although Elise had intended her comment to be an insult, it obviously amused the businessman. "Oh, just when I was becoming more impressed by your focus and commitment to doing whatever had to be done, you have to go and ruin it by turning soft on me."
It was now Elise's turn to smile. "Sorry, Stewart, but caring about how you affect the lives of others isn't turning soft. It's called being human. You ought to try it sometime." She watched for any reaction from him but saw none. "I should have known that you wouldn't give away any sign of how you were feeling."
"None of that matters anymore. What I want to hear is that you're going to resign and give me full responsibility for the western region including the Haight-Ashbury project." If Elise has learned anything from Stewart Olson, it was that after you have stated what you want stop talking. She leaned back in her chair and waited for him to reply.
The strategy was not missed by the businessman, and he took his time in responding, curious as to whether Elise would get impatient and speak first.
The two of them sat there staring at each other as if unaware of the time passing. Finally, Stewart said, "Well, I see that I have trained you well." He smiled without pleasure. "I have been considering setting off on my own for some time, and it sounds like this may be just the nudge I need to do that. So my resignation will be submitted this afternoon, and I am sure you will be put in charge of the region immediately thereafter."
Despite knowing that she had done the right thing, Elise could not help but feel a little guilty about how she was forcing Stewart out of the way. "I'm sorry that it had to go like this," she said quietly.
"Oh, please don't do that," he responded. "I was just starting to enjoy who you've become. And now you want to ruin it all by apologizing to me." He chuckled and said, "Who knows once I get my new venture up and running, you may well regret forcing me to become your competition."
Stewart's relatively calm response to being forced to leave the company pleased Elise. The last thing she wanted was an ugly fight. She shook his hand as she left him in his office ready to get started on his letter of resignation.
On her way out, Elise stopped at Kristen's desk, "See I told you everything would be okay," she said to the anxious-looking secretary.
Before Kristen could say anything, the intercom buzzed and Stewart's voice could be heard saying, "Kristen, I am drafting my letter of resignation. I need you to finalize it for me to sign and the
n fax to corporate this afternoon."
"Looks like things are changing around here," Kristen laughed.
"You got that right! So I'm off to check on the Haight-Ashbury site," Elise announced, heading for the door.
"And maybe stop for a cup of coffee?" The secretary asked.
"That's a definite possibility," Elise joked.
Chapter 12
The smile did not leave her face during the entire drive to the Haight. There was no one with whom she wanted to share the news more than Cody. She imagined his happy face, as well as another incredible kiss.
By the time she parked near the Cup of Love,
Elise was feeling certain that they had nothing but happiness ahead of them. Being the head of a division of a major corporation she had always been something of a dream, and now it had come true.
The coffee shop was pretty busy with its typical mid-morning crowd, and Elise took her place in a line of about four others. When she got to the counter, Cody was clearly happy and shocked to see her.
"Hey, lady. What are you doing here?" His grin sent electricity through Elise's body.
"Well, I've got some news I wanted to talk to you about," she said. "But I can see you're pretty busy at the moment."
"Things should slow down in about fifteen minutes," he told her. "I can get you something, or you can wait in the office with Penny."
In the office where she found Penny deeply engrossed in coloring all fifty states on the map.
"Very nice," Elise said, startling the little girl.
"Elise!" She exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you!" Her little arms were around Elise in an instant.
"I told you I'd see you today," Elise said quietly as she stroked her hair.
Penny looked up at the woman to say, "Yes, but words don't always become real."
"Yes, but this time they did!" Elise exclaimed, trying to brighten the mood. "So what do you want to do today?"
The little girl looked up at Elise and asked, "What do you mean?"
Elise could not help but smile at the little girl's serious expression. "I mean we can do whatever you want to do."
Penny put her finger to her temple to signal that she was thinking. "Hmmm, what do I want to do today?" After a moment, a smile spread across her face, and she hesitantly asked, "Can we go to a movie?"
"Sure, we can," Elise answered. "So what kind of movies do you like? Funny ones? Scary ones?"
The girl appeared confused and a little sad. "I… uh... I 'm not sure. I've never really been there before."
"You mean you've never been to a movie before?" Elise asked without thinking.
Penny immediately looked downward and mumbled something.
"Well, Penny, it's definitely time that we change that!" Elise exclaimed, and the little girl immediately looked up. "I'm taking you today."
"Do you mean it?"
"Of course," she answered. "I can't have a friend who's never been to a movie."
Penny pushed her bottom lip out as she pouted. Suddenly, her face exploded with a smile. "Am I really your friend?"
"Of course, you are, silly!" Elise leaned over to meet the little girl's embrace.
Once they had broken apart, they set about looking at Elise's smartphone to find a suitable movie.
Cody had to meet with a new vendor and could not get away from the coffee shop that afternoon, which meant Elise and Penny were on their own. The awkwardness Elise felt at being left in charge of a child vanished as soon as Penny took her hand and smiled at her.
Once in her car, she watched as the little girl moved around in the seat, trying to get a better look outside and petting the leather on the door. Elise smiled, wondering about how long it had been since Penny had been in a car if ever. Seeing excitement with which she experienced even the smallest things brought a flood of emotion to Elise. The strongest feeling to grip her was the need to protect Penny. At that moment, she knew she would do everything in her power to make sure the little girl was safe and had everything she needed. The memory of that dark and dirty place where Penny had sat by her mother flashed into her mind.
"She is not going back there again," a voice inside Elise's head announced.
She looked over to see that Penny's gaze was now fixed on the lights of the car's various buttons. Elise pushed the button with a seat icon. The little girl soon began squirming around and giggling.
"It's toasty!" Penny squealed.
Elise could not help but join in the laugher.
The rest of their time together was filled with laughter as well. The pair had lunch in a little Italian restaurant near the movie theater before going to see some animated movie about talking zoo animals. Elise noticed that the smile never left the little girl's face. She also had to admit that the smile was nearly permanent on her face as well.
By the time the movie ended, Penny's head was resting on Elise's shoulder as she snored softly. Obviously, the excitement of the day had left the little girl exhausted. She led the half-awake Penny to the car who immediately fell back to sleep in the passenger seat. Elise wondered how long it had been since she had gotten a good night's sleep. She was still sleeping as Elise parked the car near the Cup of Love.
Something about the rhythm of the little girl's breathing drew Elise's attention, and she sat in the car for a while just watching and wondering about what Penny was dreaming. She thought of some of the ugly things in the little girl's life and hoped that they did not find their way into her dreams. Listening to the deep, easy breaths coming from Penny's mouth, Elise did not believe that anything was troubling the girl. Finally, she eased herself slowly and quietly out of the car and walked around to the other side.
Elise scooped up the still-sleeping girl and carried her into the coffee shop. The place was not crowded, but the noise of the normal noise of the coffee shop got quieter as people saw the sleeping girl in Elise's arms.
She smiled at Cody who was behind the counter checking inventory as she headed past on the way to the office. Elise had just tucked Penny into bed when she felt Cody come in behind her. Without thinking for an instant about what she was doing, Elise turned and launched herself into his arms and kissed him with all her strength.
One night about a month later, Elise was sitting with Penny and Cody at a new dining table in his office.
Elise had left work early to fix pasta and a big Caesar salad. Making her own schedule was one of the many perks of her new position as the director of Smart-Shop Corporation’s western division.
The last month had been an incredible time as the three of them got accustomed to having each other around. The truth was Elise could not think of a better month in her life. Not surprisingly, Cody and Penny felt the same way.
Just after they had started eating, there was the unmistakable chime of Elise’s phone. Thinking it was a call from her office, Cody rolled his eyes. Penny sighed loudly and asked, “Don’t they know you have a life?”
“It’ll get better, I promise,” Elise apologized, getting up to take her phone from her purse. “Oh, it’s my sister.”
She put the phone to ear and started laughing. “Wait, slow down!” She listened to whoever was on the line for a moment. “That’s great! You sound so happy! Okay, call Mom. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Elise set the phone on the table and said, “My sister is getting married.”
Cody looked at her for a long moment, before grinning and moving his eyes to Elise’s hand. He thought how nice a ring would look on her hand.
Look for the rest of The Warren Sisters series and all the books by JD Strand at
https://www.amazon.com/Jeffrey-Littorno/e/B004UMNNVW
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