“Listen, I have a couple things I want you to make a priority,” Nate said. “Some unfinished business left over from Sayles.” Nate stared out the window for longer than a quick glance. Maybe he was having second thoughts, pangs of guilt about the warp speed at which things were moving. Everyone moving on as if Michael had meant nothing to us, as if his death were just a passing blip on the company’s radar screen.
A moment later, Nate broke his stare from the window. “I’m sorry, where were we?”
I cleared my throat. “You mentioned Michael had some unfinished business you wanted me to handle.”
“Hmm . . .” Nate sat down again and leaned back in his chair. The three of us sat in silence for a beat. “Let me think.” Nate rubbed his brow. Willow gave him a worried look. “Oh yes. Yes, I remember now. We’re getting ready for the executive retreat in two weeks. I’ll need your help getting some of the reports ready.”
“Sure.”
Willow eased the hair of her bob cut behind an ear. “Nate, did you want to mention the cocktail party this weekend for the board?”
“Ah yes, I’m glad you brought that up. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. Ellice, I’ve invited the board members and a few other folks to join me at a lil’ club we frequent down near Savannah. It’s pretty informal, just a way for me to connect with the board on a social level. With Michael’s death and all, I need to do a little hand-holding. Ya know what I mean? And what better way to do that than to have them meet the new GC? I want you to join us. It’d be a nice surprise for them.”
“Well . . . I would love to but—”
“I won’t take no for an answer. It’ll give me a chance to show you off.” Nate quickly rose and walked around his desk. He threw his arm around my shoulder. “You can take the company jet down Saturday morning and you’ll be back in Atlanta, tucked in your jammies before bedtime Saturday night. You won’t even have to stay overnight. We fly out of Brown Airfield. I’ll have Sarah get you all the details. I think everyone’s gonna love you.”
“Thanks, Nate, for the invitation. I’ll look forward to it,” I said, ever the good soldier. My weekends were supposed to be for me. The time I needed to replenish my well so I could face another Monday and the burden of being the lone “drop of brown gravy.” I maneuvered myself from under Nate’s arm. “I’d better get going.”
On the way out, I nodded politely at Sarah, a short, wiry woman in her sixties who ran Nate’s office with executive precision.
“Oh, Ellice, darlin’， hang on for a second! I have something for you,” Sarah said as she dropped a large ring of keys into her desk drawer. “You might want to start perusing these.” She reached underneath her desk and handed me several oversize sample books.
“What’s this?”
“Upholstery samples, flooring samples—you know, all the stuff Building Services needs to get your new office in order, sweetie. Now, there’s flooring, furniture, and even artwork samples if you wanna hang something pretty on the walls.”
“Oh.”
Sarah grinned sheepishly. “Congratulations. Now, sweetie, take a look at those samples and I’ll have the decorator call Anita to get some time on your calendar to go ova a few things.”
“Okay . . . thank you.”
Sarah turned her attention toward a buzzing telephone and waved good-bye as she picked up the receiver.
Struggling under the weight of the sample books, I started to feel a little heady with how things were coming together. But maybe, for a change, things were working in my favor, despite the unfathomable way this all came about.
“Whoa! Let me help you there, Legal Lady.” Hardy laughed and hustled over. He grabbed a few of the sample books. “What’s all this?”
“Apparently things to help me furnish my new office.” We walked to the elevator bank together.
“What new office?”
“So you didn’t read your emails this morning. I’m replacing Michael as GC.”
“Hey! Congratulations!”
“Well, thanks.”
We reached the elevators and Hardy pressed the call button. “You don’t seem very happy.”
“It’s not that. It’s . . . it’s all happening pretty fast.”
“Hmm . . . I get that. Maybe you can put in a good word for me, though. Max says he’s trying to get me promoted to a role on the Executive Committee, too. Vice president of Security. He says HR is dragging their feet, but it should come through any day now.”