It Must Be Love. Nicki Night

      Together the two walked the corridors, ascended to the second floor and entered the executive boardroom. Midlevel and executive managers from all departments spilled into the room, taking seats around the large cherrywood table in the center of the room. Scattered small talk ensued by groups creating a low rumble until Bobby Dale’s burly frame glided into the room. A hush rolled across the space, honoring his presence. His perfect posture held a well-fitting tailored suit causing him to resemble a mature model. Salt-and-pepper hair framed a strong chin as his confident stride carried him to the head of the table.

      Staff made their way to the burgundy tufted leather chairs positioned against the walls and awaited Bobby Dale’s announcements.

      “Good morning, everyone.” Bobby Dale took the seat at the head of the massive table. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

      “As if we had a choice,” Jewel whispered to Chris and chuckled.

      Chris snickered and cleared his throat.

      “In recent months we’ve survived a flurry of changes in our industry, yet managed to get through them without much fallout. In light of all these disruptions, we’ve had to put a few things on hold, such as the revamp of our technology infrastructure and the expansion of our kitchen. Now the market seems to have stabilized and we’ve secured new business.” Bobby Dale looked over at Chris and nodded with an approving grin. “I’m happy to report that we will be able to get back to our growth plans. But before we do that, I have a few other changes to announce.”

      The hush over the room deepened. Each staff member’s expression matched the other.

      “What’s this about?” Jewel leaned close to Chris’s ear.

      Chris raised his shoulders and shook his head. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

      “Dorothy. Will you come over here, please?” Bobby Dale called the company’s chief operations officer over. Hushed voices scampered around the room as Dorothy Levy gracefully waltzed to his side. She stood next to his chair. Tall, lean and erect. Her polished appearance and chiseled features belied her warm, approachable manner. “Our dear Dorothy is leaving us.”

      A few gasps escaped from some of the staff.

      “What? No!” Jewel tilted her head and sighed. Dorothy had been her mentor and had taught her everything she knew about being an effective operations professional.

      A matronly grin spread across Dorothy’s lips. Much of the staff felt the same as Jewel.

      Bobby Dale lifted his hand in Dorothy’s direction. She cleared her throat. “I know this comes as a shock for several of you. Believe me, it was a hard decision to make. Chandler Food Corp has been a part of my life for nearly twenty years, but the time has come for me to settle down a little. My recent health challenges have forced me into somewhat of an early retirement. However—” Her eyes washed over the room. She wore a sly grin. “You won’t get rid of me so easily. I’ll be around for the next month to help with the transition. Unfortunately, with the extent of my back injury, it’s what I need right now. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with all of you.”

      “You too, Dorothy,” someone shouted.

      A proud smile eased across her face.

      “We’ll miss you,” someone else said.

      Several employees approached Dorothy for hugs. Tears had begun to glisten in her eyes. Jewel wiped her own tears away. Dorothy had been like an aunt to her.

      Bobby Dale let them all have their moment before clearing his throat and continuing with a few more announcements. When all was done, Jewel headed back to her office, shutting the door behind her. Dorothy’s sudden but necessary departure and her own ambitions left her in a flux. She’d witnessed Dorothy struggle since her horrible fall the previous winter and had visited with her parents on the days Dorothy was bedridden. Apparently, the back and forth to the office along with the demands of the job had become too much for Dorothy to manage under the oppression of chronic pain. As much as she didn’t want to see her go, Jewel knew that her leaving would create an opportunity for her own advancement. Surely, her father wouldn’t just give her the chief operations officer title, but perhaps he’d move her into the vice president slot, which had been unfilled for months.

      Jewel knew she’d invite a new level of scrutiny from Bobby Dale when she expressed her desire for the promotion. She had to convince him she was worthy of the position. And she was ready.

      Jewel hit the mouse on her laptop, waking up the computer. She tapped the Word icon, opened a blank page and began chronicling her most recent accomplishments. She was going to have to make her case. Starting with the recent work overseeing the operations aspects of the new accounts they’d secured, Jewel noted all the projects she managed. Since their father had each of them spend time in various departments to assess their strengths, Jewel also made note of other areas she excelled in and how those positions helped her develop transferable skills. She sat back proudly, took a deep breath and smiled at the fact that she’d truly accomplished a lot. Dorothy had also been instrumental in her becoming such an effective manager of operations.

      Jewel looked up after hearing a light tap on her door. Chris stuck his head in. “Are you going out for lunch?”

      Jewel looked at the glass clock on her desk and realized how much time had passed. “Yeah. What about you?”

      “Just running to get a sandwich and coming back. Wanna ride?”

      “Sure.” Jewel retrieved her purse from her bottom desk drawer and followed Chris through the office.

      During the short ride to the deli, she contemplated telling Chris her plans for pursuing the promotion. Jewel looked out the window, but didn’t seem to notice the scenery as they headed back.

      “What’s on your mind?” Chris maneuvered the car perfectly between the parking lines and put it in park before tuning to Jewel.

      “What makes you ask?”

      “I asked if you wanted to come so I could have company. You hardly spoke a word since we left the office. You’re never this quiet.”

      Chris still hadn’t made a move to exit the car. Jewel put her hand on the door handle and thought about keeping the idea scattering across her mind to herself. She took a deep breath, blew the air out and frowned.

      “Upset about Dorothy leaving?”

      “More than that.”

      “You want that VP position?”

      Jewel turned to Chris. “Yes. I really want that VP position. I wanted it when Dorothy was first promoted to chief operations officer leaving it open, but dad didn’t believe I was ready for it.”

      “Have you spoken to Dad yet?”

      “I kind of feel like it’s too soon. They just made the announcement this morning.”

      “So what? Let him know now. This way, Dorothy can teach you everything she knows before she leaves.”

      “You’ve got a point. I’ll speak with him today.”

      “Good luck!”

      “Thanks, lil brother.” She pursed her lips. “He can’t turn me down this time. I have the right qualifications, more experience and I work my behind off. I deserve that job.”

       Chapter 4

      “You’re heading to the reunion tonight, right?” Stephan stood in the door to Sterling’s office with his arms folded.

      “I have my ticket but I’m still working on a few RFPs I wanted to finish this week.”

      “You’re thinking about skipping it?” Stephan entered, sat down and rested his elbow on Sterling’s glass desk.

      Sterling