The Promotion
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Do You Write?
Story Verse
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Acknowledgments
Now that you’ve finished…
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Other Books by Laura Domino
An Excerpt from: The Iceberg
About Laura Domino
The Promotion
Laura Domino
The Promotion
Copyright © 2017 by Laura Domino. All rights reserved.
Formatting by Wild Words Formatting
Editing by Staci Troilo
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
The Promotion is a work of fiction. Where real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales appear, they are used fictitiously. The characters and all other elements of the novel are drawn from the author’s imagination and are fictional; any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Scripture quotations from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ are used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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Serve wholeheartedly,
as if you were serving the Lord, not people
Ephesians 6:7
Chapter 1
Opening his eyes to bright cracks of light coming in between panels of faded blue drapes in his bedroom, Adam stared across the room at the magazines on his time-stained desk. Fifty of the best car magazines he and his brother had collected over the last twenty-eight years. There they remained for months. He couldn’t touch them, or he might have hidden them by now.
With minimal movement, Adam reached across his double bed and hit the home button of his iPad and saw what day it was. Thursday. It was Wednesday just two minutes ago. How did time fly so quickly?
Adam inched onto his side, but his movements were met with a painful reminder of last night’s beer purchase. His head demanded a remedy. He was also hungry. Adam pushed the button again and saw the time. Almost five o’clock. Later than he thought. Another pop-up told him his battery was low. He could fix that.
The charger cord had to be nearby. He felt something with his right hand and turned to look. Ow. He winced, he but didn’t cuss. With just the simple act of turning, his head hurt worse than it already did. He rubbed his scruffy chin, then sat upright in his bed and placed his feet on the floor.
There it was—the pulsing, pounding pain. His body was used to it. Throbbing head, dry mouth. He lived in a state of dehydration. Life-threatening dehydration.
He needed something. What was it? A headache remedy. Yes, that, but something else.
Oh. The iPad charger. His right hand felt behind him and grabbed the cord coming from the wall, almost lost in the sheets. He plugged it in and set the iPad aside.
He ran his fingers through his hair to get the mess of curls off his forehead. Now that it was long enough to touch the top of his nose, he needed to finally get that haircut he’d been postponing.
In one slow movement, he rose and faced his closet. Just one foot at a time, he made it over to the doorway. If he could grab a fresh shirt and pants, get a shower, and head to the car, he could be in a Mexican restaurant in less than twenty minutes. Or thirty.
Adam looked in the bathroom for the pain reliever. The bottle was half-full, but there was enough in there to help him move a little more quickly. And three full paper cups of water wouldn’t hurt.
Moving at top speed for his condition, he completed his process and scooted his feet into flip-flops at the back of the hallway. He shuffled out to the car, ignored the humidity the best he could, and backed out of the driveway.
His intention was to drive straight to Juanita’s for a high-quality enchilada platter, but before he got to the second major intersection on his way, he saw a dark-haired woman walking into Cook’s Book Nook. Her clothes, a tan shirt and a conservative navy skirt, hinted that she had just left work and almost made him want to get a job in her company. He wouldn’t mind seeing her five days every week. She was well-stocked in the area of beauty.
Adam made a quick turn into the parking lot, parked, and entered the store.
The air cooled him quickly, easily making him forget the muggy outdoor heat. For just a second, he stood in front of the store, taking a quick once-over of the layout before heading down an aisle to look for the woman in that tan shirt.
Cook’s was a big store, big enough to get lost in. Adam searched in the romance section. He saw women, but the one he was trying to find wasn’t there. He went down the other fiction aisles and found the crafting book aisle, but no luck there, either. After a turn through the cookbook section, he saw the magazines.
Adam’s pulse quickened as he saw the car magazines. Unable to stop himself, he moved closer until he was holding one. It was the latest issue of the magazine his brother had been talking about the last time they were both in the apartment they shared.
He flipped a few pages, not really seeing the cars, but rather the look on his brother’s face as he laid out his plan to get the car of his dreams. The magazine in his hands gave him ideas he didn’t want. He couldn’t do anything to fix their broken relationship. Not now.
How could he honor his brother’s memory? By doing what he did? Completing his brother’s ministry trip?
Adam didn’t have his brother’s skills. He could think of absolutely nothing to do to honor him. He should put the magazine back and go eat.
“Excuse me, please.” The woman’s voice came from behind.
He turned to look. It was the dark-haired woman in the tan shirt.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to pull out that magazine. I’ll be quick.”
“Allow me.” He grabbed the magazine she pointed to and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” Her friendly smile brightened her whole face. Then she turned down an aisle and left.
A technology magazine. He never would have guessed.
Chapter 2
The room, though charged with the tension that came with Frid
ay meetings, held the coolness of hope and the energy of wonder as Benita Finn walked in for the unplanned meeting in her boss’s office. The big gold and white clock on the wall, showing 4:40 p.m., matched the color and theme of the sign hanging under it, on which were the embossed words, “Time is Money.” She expected the meeting to be brief, but important.
“Today has been great,” said Mr. Casey, Benita’s stern-eyed boss, with a voice that made him appear even more unhappy than he usually was. “And I have great news. You’re going to love this. I know I love it.” He towered over them, held up by his fists, leaning over his desk.
Benita remained stoic, listening, sitting beside her coworker, Robert. She stayed positive, refusing to roll her eyes. Whatever the boss man had to say must be important if he was struggling so hard to get through it.
“The higher-ups have decided…” He stood intimidatingly straight and backed a step away from his desk with arms crossed over his chest. He presented a fake smile. But not feeling it, he dropped the smile and scratched at his receding hairline.
Curious. Why was this speech so hard for him? Her muscles tightened as she and Robert waited for the boss man to get to the point.
Mr. Casey shook his head like he didn’t know what to say, which was a foreign expression on his face. He released a slow breath through pursed lips. “They decided…that I should pick two candidates to compete for the new office in Spain.”
She wanted to cheer or whistle or dance or something, but she latched onto her self-control. Everyone knew someone would be moving to Spain to lead the new office, but no one, least of all Benita, expected to be considered for the job while Mr. Casey had his eye on the position.
“You two kids are my star athletes.”
She looked at the guy sitting next to her in her boss’s office. Robert had no self-control. He, like her, was young and smart, but he didn’t use much creativity, whereas she was known for thinking outside the box. Eyes beaming and smile wide-open, he looked like he’d just won the lottery.
“You two are going to make me so proud. You’re going to make me look good. Aren’t you?”
She and Robert agreed simultaneously. Steady and focused on her boss, she crossed her feet at the ankles, trying to appear confident and ready for the challenge.
“Soon, the higher-ups will choose one of you. Earn it. Work for it. Do not let me down.”
This job was her dream. She’d lived in the Houston area for the last three years and, although it was a great place with friendly people, she hated the heat and humidity. It couldn’t possibly be as bad in Spain. The move would be a win—on all fronts.
“I’ll let you know when I get more details.” He shook his head. “Go. Get out of here.”
Robert stood. “Thank y—”
“Get out of here.” Casey’s interruption resembled a growl.
She rose without a word and headed out the door behind Robert.
Her office was on the other side of the building, so the walk back would give her time to think. This promotion could be her diving board into the career she’d been looking forward to. It would take all of her attention. She hadn’t dated anyone in months, so no changes would be necessary in her social life.
Benita already worked harder than anyone else at her level. She was full of good ideas and didn’t even have to write them down. If she forgot one, a fresh idea would replace it in a snap. With help from Gail, her intern, and Dee, her assistant, she could earn this promotion. Then, on to Spain!
As she walked through the hallways, she observed her coworkers. Many had bored stares as they talked on the phone or typed. Guys clustered in groups, dispassionately discussing sports. They recited trivia about the Rockets or the Texans or repeated something they’d heard on the local news and sports radio stations. From what she’d gathered in the office breakroom, the Astros were doing a great job this year. A few men bemoaned their own pitiful golf games. Some of the women gathered and shared their shopping or party-planning goals. At some point, someone inevitably mentioned a significant other or child. Many of her coworkers had families to go home to.
Benita was the one who didn’t really have a life outside of work. But that was okay because she was going to move up in the company.
She wasn’t the one people came to for jokes or gossip or even a friendly chat. But she was the one people went to for help. So what if they thought she was as lifeless as the droning of empty office chitchat and the constant buzz of machines? She was talented.
Why did people ask her to be in their meetings? Because she was the powerful, creative woman who got things done.
The hopeless look in the eyes of some of her coworkers made her sad. It inspired her to inject them with a dose of her enthusiasm and drive and to set an example of energy and creativity in the workplace. She frowned. Some of her coworkers wouldn’t catch the creativity bug even if it stung them.
She couldn’t help everyone, but she could help some of them. Definitely her intern and her assistant.
Benita walked past them. Gail and Dee always looked busy every time she went into or out of her office. There they were, as impressive as usual. But were they motivated on their own, or did they need her pushing them to do their best? As they worked together toward the promotion in Spain, she’d make sure to mentor them.
After she’d had time to get settled at her desk and pull up the calendar on her computer, her team stepped into her office. The older of the two, Gail, came all the way in and slumped into the chair closest to the desk. She gazed at the wall just beyond Dee with such a relaxed expression that someone would think she was on a lounge chair at the beach, not an office chair in Houston. A big red round sucker produced a bulge in her cheek—a signal that she was through for the day.
Dee stayed at the doorway and waited for Benita’s eye contact before she spoke. “It’s almost five. I’m happy to report that I finished adding the details to the chart. And the slides are done.”
Gail turned her gaze from Dee to Benita and pulled the sucker out. “And I helped.”
Dee gave a half-hearted nod. “Sort of.”
“So?” Gail raised her eyebrows at Benita. “How did it go?” After an impatient hand gesture, she popped her sucker back into her mouth.
“Really difficult for him.”
“Poor guy.” Dee turned to Gail and cleared her throat.
Pulling the sucker out again, Gail adjusted her slump and pulled her posture up tall enough to look professional. “What my associate is trying not to say is…” She gave a sideways glance at Dee briefly before continuing. “We heard.”
“Not we. Gail heard. And why did Gail hear?” Dee looked out the window, past Benita, past the truth she apparently wanted Gail to share.
“What have you been up to?” Benita waited for Gail’s gaze to connect with hers before she gave an encouraging smile. Sometimes she felt like using a cattle prod instead of patience.
“Okay.” Gail took a breath. “While Dee did some of our work here, I tiptoed down the hall and made inquiries.”
“Inquiries?” The truth would come out if Benita offered the proper prompts.
“Casey was on the phone for two solid hours before he called you and Robert in. I think his girl’s exact words were ‘two excruciating hours.’ She said she heard him raise his voice. At least once.”
“His girl?” Benita raised her voice. “She has a name.”
“When she’s been here a month, I’ll learn her name.”
“So the big announcement is…” Benita waited on eye contact from both girls. “And the reason Casey is in such pain today is… He’s not going to Spain after all. I am. Or maybe Robert. It’s a competition now. They’re looking for someone to rise above the noise and show some leadership. We’re going to work together to make me look really good. If I get the promotion, I will have a little more pull to make your lives better. I can help you both. But I need you to be your best. My work is not excellent enough to win the promotion on my own. That’s w
hy I have a team.”
Gail smiled. “And now I’m happy to report that the weekend has begun. Cheerio.” She stood and started to the doorway.
“Wait.” Benita knew their work would be good enough, but she still needed to sign off on it. “Where is it?”
Gail turned. Unable to speak clearly with a sucker blocking her words, she stayed in the doorway and pointed to Dee with small Derringer-like hands.
“I’ll get it.” Dee turned to leave with a subtle eye-roll.
Benita’s voice strengthened. “Gail?” The girls usually had everything in good order, so she seldom had to give them lectures or reminders. “Gail, don’t make her pick up after you. That makes me look bad. You can do better.”
Gail pulled out her sucker to speak. “Sorry. I just left it at the corner of my desk. I must’ve set it down to pick out…” She pointed to the sticky red sucker.
Thoroughly polite, but increasingly annoyed with Gail, Dee swept through the office and handed over the flash drive. “Benita, I made sure our desks are ready for Monday. We will be the strongest team in every way. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks. We are the strongest team in every way. Good night.” Benita waved them out the door.
Gail stepped back inside. “Are you finished with that tech magazine?” She pointed to the corner of the desk.
“Yes. You can have it. Enjoy your weekend.”
“Thanks. I will.” Gail grabbed the magazine and hurried out the door.
The office phone on her desk rang. With a quick glance, she saw the time display in the corner of her computer screen showed exactly 5:03 p.m. That meant nothing to her boss. Mr. Casey, with his habit of calling a meeting before the weekend had started, was right on time.
“This is Benita. Happy weekend to you.” A reminder, just in case he had lost track of time, as unexpected as that was.
“Your girls have already left?” She could feel him looking over her shoulder, directing her. He always seemed to know what was happening without seeing it from the other side of the building.