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“I don’t know, Grandmother, I’m pretty busy what with my new promotion and everything…perhaps it would be better to ask Megan?” My sister Megan is a foodnetworkaholic. She could probably win the competition blindfolded.
“Darling, if I had wanted to ask Megan, then I would be speaking with her right now, wouldn’t I?”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Now listen, darling, I’m going to mail you my special apple pie recipe. I’ve made notes about which ingredients you can alter to make it your own. It would be a good idea to start practicing right away.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“The Fourth of July is only six months away, dear!”
“Yes, Grandmother, I’ll start practicing ASAP, but right now I’ve got to get back to work.”
“Sure, darling, talk to you later.” I hang up the phone.
Knock. Knock. Someone is at my office door. Part of the promotion includes an office. A real office. Not a cubicle, like the one I had pre-promotion. I have four actual walls—well one of the walls is made of glass, but it has blinds. Of course the rule is the blinds must remain open at all times, unless you are a nursing mother, then your blinds can be closed temporarily.
I scoot out my leather chair and tap the cherrywood desk with my nails. I bite my lip as I make my way to the door. I pull open the door to see Javier, my boss, standing outside it. He is wearing his dress-for-success grey suit accompanied by a navy pinstriped tie. I bet he is happy to be back in his conservative ties. He won’t have to wear one of his holiday ties from his kids until Valentine’s Day.
“How’s it going, Lauren? Do you have everything all set up?” Javier’s smile is grandiose. He is obviously happy to see me in my new office. The gossip was that he had to pull quite a few strings to get me an office next to his. There were some not nice things said apparently, but one of my co-workers, Leena, told me she quelled the rumors—whether or not this is true, is still up for debate.
“It’s going great… This office is perfect.” I open the laminate door wider so he can come in and check it out. On my desk is my flat-screen monitor and company-issued laptop, which I am allowed to take home. The idea of being able to take my computer home with me is cool, except it also means I am required to work from home occasionally. Which I’m not as excited about.
Next to my monitor is my New Year’s Resolutions coffee cup. It came with a dry-erase marker and every year my mom asks me to tell her what I’ve written on the cup. As if I would actually write my resolutions on a coffee cup for all of my office to see! Next to the cup is a photo of Jack. I snagged it from his house. It’s one of him on a mountain he hiked. I know it’s an important photo and not nice to steal, but I don’t really see this as true thievery because I intend on giving it back to him or sharing it with him at some point. I assume we will be living together soon or at least I hope we will. Maybe I will even have a copy of it made. What if I have to have a copy made because we never end up together? that annoying voice inside my head whispers. Argh! My shoulders slump.
I wanted to have a picture of him to take back with me, but he wouldn’t stand still long enough for me to snap one with my phone. I have the slowest phone on the planet. I do not want to get the upgrade because I do not see why my phone of less than three years needs to be upgraded. I know plenty of other people who have never upgraded their iPhones and yet my newer one is living in a prehistoric era. It’s almost as if I can hear the krrrrr beep of a modem dialing up to the internet every single time I use it.
“Lauren?” Javier is staring at me. Shiat. Here I have been out in Lauren-land and my boss is talking to me. This is not the type of impression I want to make on my first day of being a mid-level consultant manager. Though, I don’t have anyone to manage, yet.
I raise my eyebrows at him. I hope he will take this cue and just repeat what he has said or asked instead of me having to ask for him to do so.
“Have you picked out your team?” Javier raises his eyebrows in return at me.
I smile. “I was just going over the candidate list…so many great people to choose from.” I nod.
Javier nods in agreement with me. “Exactly, but you’ve got to choose five and get started. We expect to see high-resolution numbers and sales rankings before the end of Q1 from you and your team. Time is money.” Javier pulls out his phone from his pocket and taps on the screen. “It’s ten after ten. I’ll give you until noon to have your five.” Javier slides his phone back in his pocket and taps his knuckles on my desk. I blink twice and focus on what he has just said.
“Thank you, Javier, I’ll see you at noon then.” I smile my most professional grin. Which is covering my fear of not being able to decide on the best candidates from this pile of at least thirty people. Being decisive is not one of my strong points—at least not when it comes to choosing people. Choosing stocks, bonds, any types of investments, that on the other hand is my thing. I gulp.
Javier nods and closes the door to my office. I slink into my leather bulleted chair and let out a huge sigh, eyeing the papers full of promising candidates across my desk. A vibrating noise comes from within my desk drawer. I’m confused and then realize it’s a phone call. I pull out the bottom drawer and dig through my purse in search of my phone. It’s got to be the biggest item in my purse, yet is always so hard to find.
I slide the green button across the front of the screen.
“Hello.”
“Hi, this is KPRC Local News calling. Am I speaking with the new badass client consulting manager at Calstone Corp?”
“Hey Bri! I can’t really talk; I have to make a big decision by noon.”
“Dafuq, tell me you are not still thinking about moving back to Texas?”
My tongue touches the bottom of one of my upper canines. I press my lips together.
I sigh. “I don’t know, but—”
“Lauren, be smart. You just got a HUGE promotion.”
I pull the phone away from my ear. “I know, which is why I have to go. I have work to do.”
“Hmph, somebody gets a promotion and suddenly they have no time for fun phone calls anymore. Lamesville.”
I laugh. “I am in Lamesville, right—great word choice by the way. Maybe you can use it for one of your next house selling slogans.” I laugh; the idea of Brianna writing something like that for a sales campaign would be hilarious.
“Fine, cocktails at six. Ravens, be there or be square and next time I call, I’m going to block my number so you have to play along!” The dial tone sounds in my ear.
I roll my eyes and sigh. Time to get to work. I glance at the time on my laptop. I have less than ninety minutes to find the best candidates out of this pile. My phone begins moving across my desk. Is Brianna seriously calling me again? I snatch my phone off the desk. The caller ID alerts me of the contact. It’s a number already logged in my phone that reads “Jack-my-fiancé”. My heart drops into my lower stomach. I pucker my lips together and shake my head. I hover my finger over the rectangle. One slide and I can hear his warm voice. I imagine whatever he will say to me will send my body into further withdrawal. I’m like a junkie…out of rehab on the first day. But I have to be strong. I need to focus. I can’t talk to him right now.
I press the thin button on the top of my phone to silence the vibrations and toss it into my purse. I roll the drawer shut and focus on the task at hand. Even if I were to move back to Texas, I would still treat each moment here as if I’m not going anywhere.
The first paper is for a “Trent Riznor”. I laugh, wondering if his parents chose this name on purpose. I mean, I know or I would assume every parent names their child for a specific reason, but this name is so close… I smile. Ha! Closer, yes. I can imagine this song playing in my head and being underneath Jack in his room. Mmm…I shake my head. Focus, Lauren, focus.
Hmm, let’s see—what qualifications does Trent have, other than perhaps very cool parents? I read over his résumé. It’s fairly impressive. The space of employment in between his last two jobs is concerning, but I put his résumé into my maybe pile. I definitely want to chat with him. I pick up the next candidate, Courtney Gable. Nope, I wouldn’t want Courtney on my team. She is historically known for long bouts of crying at her desk. I do not need a drama queen. I don’t know why she cries, but we are here to work.
I rummage through all thirty résumés in under forty minutes. I give myself a Tina Fey high five for timing and then send out instant messages to the few on my list, giving each of them a five-minute slot to meet with me before my meeting with Javier. I’m interrupted by a knock on my door.
Could Trent already be standing on the other side? Only a couple of minutes have passed since I sent the IM. Very prompt, a good sign.
I pull the door open and am greeted by a tall, dark, slick-back-haired guy with Superman specs. Er…I mean Clark Kent.
I cock my head to the right. “Trent?” I raise an eyebrow in question.
“Yes, ma—” Trent offers his hand.
I hold my hand up to stop him. “Please call me Lauren…always.” I shake his hand. It’s rough and firm. I’m glad he doesn’t do the “squeeze your hand until it hurts grip”. I seriously do not understand the point of that type of handshake!
“Yes…I’m sorry…nice to meet you, Lauren.” Trent nods. I open the door wider and motion with my hand for him to come in. I shut the door and sashay to my desk. My navy pinstriped pencil skirt with my crisp white blouse screams I’m professional. Or at least it did to me this morning when I put it on.
“So, Trent, I’ve got to make a quick decision as I stated in my IM. Tell me why you should be on my team.” I nod to give him a cue to speak.
“Right, well as you can see from my résumé I have several years of work experience with top consulting firms and I have been ranking right underneath you in sales, though I’ve only been here for a couple of months.” He grins with a bit of arrogance. I do appreciate his sales numbers, but I am concerned with his resolution tactics. Does he display this type of arrogance to our clients? Some might appreciate it, but others would surely be turned off. I tap on my keyboard to pull up his resolution percentage. Sixty-five percent.
“Hmm…” I shake my head. “Trent, you do have great sales numbers; this is one of the main reasons you are sitting at my desk, but your resolution percentage is not so hot.” I pause.
“Yes, I’m at sixty-five percent, but I’m making strides upward. When I began I was at thirty-three percent.”
I hold up my hand. “Thirty-three percent is horrible.” I pull back my head. I can’t believe this guy is still employed by Calstone Corp. I shake my head and bite my lip.
Trent nods and links his fingers together. “Correction, it was horrible. I have doubled my resolution percentage in the brief time I’ve been here. I’ve made adjustments and gotten better at reading customers to get them what they want while still achieving my high sales numbers.” Trent lifts one eyebrow up.
“Trent, that’s great, but I can’t hide my surprise that you’re still employed with those numbers. However, let’s move on.” I glance down at his résumé. “Can you explain the time gap between Zurwaski and Shullman, until now?” I press my lips into two lines.
“Yes, my mother passed away and I had to take some time off to deal with her estate.” Trent casts his eyes to the floor.
“I’m sorry to hear that—my deepest condolences.” I readjust his résumé on my desk.
“Thank you.” Trent stares at me with his dark brown eyes. They are tugging on my heartstrings, but I am a professional.
“I’ll be in contact. Thanks for coming by so promptly.” I roll my chair back and stand up. Trent towers over me even with the large desk in between us. I offer my hand.
“Thank you, Lauren.” Trent shakes my hand and leaves my office.
As I’m closing the door there is a “knock, knock, hello” on the other side. I swing it back open to greet…Hallie Brooks.
I jerk my head back for a second. “Hello, Hallie.” I wait for her to respond. Next up on my list was Ann Figueroa.
“Hi Lauren, I hope you don’t mind but I switched times with Ann, because I have a doctor’s appointment during the spot you scheduled me for.”
“Oh, okay, have a seat.” I motion for her to take a seat and close the door. A doctor’s appointment? I hope she’s alright. I glance down at her résumé. I delete any reservations and take in Hallie’s accomplishments.
“Wow, you graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown—very impressive. Tell me about one of your most difficult moments during college.” I lace my hands together and tap my lips with my forefingers.
“A difficult time in college? Each day was a struggle. I came from a small town. A family with no money. Georgetown and the area around it was a culture shock. But I didn’t let it filter into my grades. It only fueled me to try harder.” Hallie juts out her jaw.
“That’s good to hear, Hallie, and what has been the best part about working here?” I raise an eyebrow at her.
“The Keurig coffee machine is pretty awesome.” Hallie laughs. “I mean, I like the work ethic of the CEO and the trickledown effect to the managers. I can see that even though we have individual stats we do work together as a team, and I really value that.”
“I totally agree…the Keurig coffee is pretty awesome.” We both laugh. “Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be in touch.” I roll back my chair and stand up. We shake hands and she exits my office.
The rest of the meetings go about the same. My heart is beating overtime. The adrenaline rush of being able to pick the right candidates from the stack is racing around in my mind. Perhaps if I chose any of the other candidates from the stack I might like them also, but of the five I’ve interviewed, I like them. I’m surprised I’ve decided on them before the clock ran out. I can see their future with our company and them being great employees for my team.
But what if I’m wrong?
I swallow and glance at the clock. Only ten minutes until I meet with Javier. There isn’t enough time to interview anyone else. I’ve got to go with these and not let my internal doubt stand in the way. I grab my cell phone from my purse and press Jack-my-fiancé’s number. It rings twice.
“Lauren…how are things going?” Jack lets out a deep breath.
The sound of his voice drizzles like melting chocolate beyond my ear and slides down to my toes. My cheeks are warm. I take in a deep breath and pucker my lips together. Focus. “Good…actually great. I’ve narrowed down my five candidates for my team and I’m about to meet with my boss to go over them.” I move the mouse on my desk and glance at my email. All five candidates have sent follow-up emails. My stomach clenches. This is even better.
“Great, Lauren, that’s…great.”
The following silence is dark. Like a deep hole, there is no sound. No understanding. We are so far apart. I know physically there are thousands of miles, but emotionally it seems further than that. Is this distance going to break us? Do we even have a foundation built to handle this issue?
“Jack…is everything all right?” A lump forms in the back of my throat.
“Yes…no…Lauren, I don’t want to be without you… Seriously, why don’t we meet in Vegas this weekend and make it official? I bet we can even have Elvis marry us.” Jack laughs.
I laugh for a second. But I can’t joke about this. “Jack, I don’t want to be married by Elvis or in Vegas… I want…I want a real wedding… It doesn’t have—”
“I know, Lauren, I want to give you a real wedding but it’s only been hours since I last saw you and the distance is too much.”
I sigh. “I agree…it’s too much.”
Chapter Two (#ulink_b336ffe7-8cfc-5a1f-aa09-6d48ce74448e)
Bing. My email system alerts me that I have another email. It’s almost as if it’s taunting me. Like it knows that it’s yet another email from my mother. A wedding theme possibility, no doubt. I swear the moment Jack and I became engaged my mom went into full-on planning mode. I think she has even put off her annual Valentine’s Day cupids and hearts ceremony. It’s still January, but usually by this time she’s sent me several pins for her Valentine’s Day Extravaganza board so I too can appreciate all the possibilities of her decorating themes and parties, costumes and cards. When it comes to holiday planning my mom goes all in. All in. As in dressed from head to toe in…interesting décor.
I click on the message.
“Dearest Lauren,
I’ve created a Pinterest board for you and Jack. No need to thank me—it was a lot of fun to do. Well, actually I’ve created several Pinterest boards for you. Currently, there are ten different boards with various themes. I’ve pinned over a thousand pins in only a few hours! Anyways, I know you’re at work but when you get a chance, I think it would be a good idea to narrow down the theme so we can focus on building the best wedding for you and Jack.
All my love,
Mom”
I roll my eyes. I cannot believe…well I can believe it’s just ten Pinterest boards of wedding themes, but over a thousand pins? It’s just too much. We don’t even have a date yet. I would think picking a date and maybe even a location would be the starting place for planning a wedding, not the theme. But my mother, my dear sweet mother…she is a theme enthusiast.
I type back.
“Wow, Mom, that’s really impressive. I’ll have to check these out at home. Busy day here at the office.
Love,
Lauren”
I slide my chair back and lift the stack of chosen résumés off my desk. My fingers are tingling with excitement. I hope Javier will be pleased with my choices. I turn the knob of my office door and step out onto the grey carpet.
“Oh hey, Lauren, are you done interviewing for your team?” Leena, standing outside my office, raises her eyebrows at me.
“Leena, hi. Yes, I think so. How was your holiday?” I close the door to my office to cut our eye contact. My chest tightens. I hope Leena doesn’t ask why she wasn’t offered an interview. I don’t want to lie to her, but her sales and resolution time are not great. They don’t even compare to the stack of candidates in my hand.
“Uugh, it was horrible. I didn’t get any of the gifts I wanted and my boyfriend forgot to pay the gas bill so our heat was off until the twenty-sixth.” She rolls her eyes.
“Wow, I’m sorry. That must have been very cold.”
“Yeah…but we had each other to keep us warm.” Leena flips her shiny auburn hair over her face. “It must be tough for you to be alone over the holidays.” Leena’s eyebrows furrow together.
I’m not going to tell her about Jack. For one it’s none of her business and two, she will then know that we are engaged and will ask questions about where he lives and works. These answers will only fuel more questions from her, which again I have no interest in answering, and a lot of them I don’t have the answers to. My chest tightens further.
“I was with my family. Excuse me.” I force a smile and push past her. I don’t want to be late for my meeting with Javier. As I make it to his door it opens before I knock.
“Perfect timing, we are going to meet with Elaine for lunch. Do you have everything you need?” Javier cocks his head to the right.
“Oh…uh, let me go and grab my purse—just a minute.”
“Good idea, since you’re paying.” Javier lets out a loud barrel of a laugh.
