“Yes, but that’s a known fact and you were peppering me for information, so you deserved it. Talking crap about a Junior VP is a different matter altogether.”
“The distinction is hard to grasp. But I told him because that’s his favorite song. He finds it hilarious. More so because of his last name, of course.”
“Oh. So he wasn’t mad?”
“Actually, he finds it a good sign that you know the song at all.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Among your age group? A great many.”
Krista fell silent, not knowing where to go from that dead end. Sean continued to look at her like he expected something. She continued to look back, waiting for comment.
When he didn’t relent his expecting stare, she finally asked, “What?”
He smiled a secret smile, probably mocking her somehow, and looked up as Ray sauntered in.
“Hi lady and gent,” Ray said as he took a seat at the round table in the corner of the office.
Sean got up and followed suit. Krista stalled, wanting to stare at Sean’s butt for as long as possible. When she finally followed she noticed that Ray caught her. She gave a “Can you blame me?” type of shrug to his knowing smile before she giggled and sat down.
“What’d I miss?” Sean asked, looking first to Krista, and then to Ray.
“The inner workings of a woman’s mind, I’m afraid,” Ray said, examining his notes.
Sean smiled another secret smile. “Good. Too complicated for the likes of me.”
“What is?” Marcus asked as he walked in.
“Women,” Sean answered as he nodded hello and beckoned for a following Judy to close the door.
“We aren’t so hard to understand. Just shut up, look pretty and do as we tell you. After that everything will go swimmingly,” Judy said on her way to sit down.
“Exactly,” Krista nodded once.
Sean gave Krista a searching look before he said, “Okay gang, here’s where we are. In.” His smile would have lit up a darkened room.
“Wait… In?!” Marcus exclaimed.
“IN! We did it! Not only did the buyout happen quickly and effortlessly—well, as effortlessly as those things go—but we’ve been approved to continue on with the mother company rather than the newly sequestered.”
“So when do we present?” Judy asked with an excited smile.
Suddenly everyone was flying with glee but also sitting on edge. This is what they had been working toward. It was go time. This was big money for the company, but if they f’ed up, and that was all in their hands now, the company would take a huge hit for it.
“The good news is that John handed them the ideas Marcus and Krista worked out. They loved them, but want to see more. They also want to see what we can do with those ideas in TV spots.”
“What’s the bad news?” Ray asked.
“Our work has just begun. We need to enlist more team to help with this. Obviously this is bigger than Dell. Krista will head up the research division—“
“Obviously,” Marcus cut Sean off. Judy and Ray nodded.
“—but she’ll need at least two people to help. Krista, who do you think we should enlist?”
“Well, anyone from my department will take seniority over me.”
“You should know that you were requested specifically,” Sean said from behind steeped fingers. “Mr. Hartling wants to see what you can do with that idea you threw at him over dinner. He already knows your work from what we gave him, and has faith in you, despite your lack of experience.”
“Sean looks as proud as a papa-bird,” Judy muttered from the side of her mouth. Marcus barked laughter.
“Well, I did find her, after all. It was me who talked John into letting her on my team,” Sean said in defense.
“Yeah, yeah, excellent judge of character and all that,” Ray said, waving him off. “Forgive me, I’m the newest member of this company, but that Research department is …how do I say…“
“Useless?” Marcus provided.
“Lazy?” Judy helped.
“Inefficient?” Sean supplied.
“Entrenched,” Ray finally spit out. “Krista is right. They won’t follow her direction because she is so new, and any work they do will most likely have to be redone.”
“Same with the art department,” Judy remarked. “I love them dearly, but it even took me a good prodding from Sean to get going.”
“You mean,” Marcus said with raised eyebrows and a smile, “a good prodding from Sean and being shown up by a twenty-year-old...”
“The twenty-year-old did help, I admit,” Judy muttered.
“I’m twenty-five, by the way, guys,” Krista intoned.
“Same difference,” Ray said with a smile.
“Well, what are our options? I hesitate to hire off the street. There aren’t many Kristas,” Sean said deep in thought.
“Why not?” Judy asked.
“I am not really a real life model of a statistician.”
The rest of the group was moved to silence.
“I, uh, have a couple friends, though,” Krista supplied. “I went to school with them. One did almost as good as me in school, the other not as great, but they both know the stuff. I’m not sure how much they would cost, probably cheap, but they might work if the deal was sweet enough…”
“I want to meet them,” Sean said.
“You already did. At the bar, remember?”
“I meant, in a professional setting,” Sean explained.
Krista shrugged.
He nodded, “Okay, we’ll table that for now. Judy, I have your art solution.”
“Who? We don’t have much budget left. And I’m not easy to work with.”
It was obvious Judy didn’t like others making her hiring decisions for her. No good manager would.
“He’s already hired, and he’s the genius that made Marcus’s ideas come to life,” Sean said, looking at Krista.
She knew it was Ben the whole time. Who else would it be? Why else would Sean have gotten him in the door so early if he wasn’t already planning this? She wondered just how many steps ahead Sean really was.
“Now, Marcus, do you think you need help with ideas?” Sean asked, leaning forward on the table.
“Ideas, I got plenty, as long as I have Krista and this genius kid to work them out.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Sean said, looking at Krista again. “We might need one more art person, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Sean leaned back and sighed. He suddenly looked extremely tired. “I’ll email your newest assignments by tonight.”
There was a collective groan. Sean just smiled and got up to go to his desk.
“Okay slaves, let’s go row,” Krista said, getting up as well.
“Krista, stay a minute, will ya?” Sean asked while looking at his computer.
Everyone else, sensing work, rushed out. Krista continued her groan and went to sit in the chair in front of his desk. After a couple minutes of him playing with his email, letting everyone else wander out, and she, sitting in silence the whole time, he finally asked, “We’re good, right?”
Krista felt a spark of heat remembering their exchange at the winery. She was a glutton for punishment, but holy-moly, she wanted him. Bad. She wished she could just satisfy her urges, just once, and then never see him again. At least the womanizing part of him. She would miss the part of him that was growing into her friend.
It killed her to feign indifference, but there was no other way. This job was insanely good for her career, it paid well, and what’s more, she really liked it. Sean the Professional was the challenge she needed. His management style worked with her in a way that was enabling her to grow into the position she wanted. Under Mr. Montgomery she would still be back where she started.
“Yeah, we’re good,” she said with more tenderness than she intended.
Before Krista could close up shop with her gushy emotional sabotage, Sean looked at her closely with his brilliant green eyes. He nodded slowly, emotions warring on his face. “Good. I like working with you. I don’t want anything to come between us—that.”
She matched his nod with a fluttering heart.
She was in a tough place. She was finally finding the part of herself she’d lost when she was with Jim. Her personality was emerging from the hiding place she’d stashed it to keep it, and herself, safe. And somehow, Sean had entwined himself in that process. She’d grown to trust and rely on his friendship—the part of him not touched by his womanizer traits. She kept slipping closer to him while trying to push him away. And instead of saving herself by cutting off communication, like she should do, she couldn’t; not after landing an account that would propel her career forward.
She’d been in better situations.
It was a tough place, but for a future that included his friendship and this job, it was a challenge she would meet.
The End