Page 47 of Let's Call a Truce
It was the first time Ben had openly looked at me since our standoff in the hotel lobby. His eyes were sad, and every muscle in my body twitched with the desire to reach out to him. We watched each other for a few seconds, then he slipped his hands into his pockets and moved down the hallway with his head dropped, leaving me behind without a word.
I was still watching the spot where he disappeared when the door opened to Eduardo’s office.
“Come on in. Christina will join us soon. Another meeting ran a little long.”
“Not a problem.” I gave him my largest smile as I settled down on the couch. “How have you been?”
“I have been well, thank you, and looking forward to this conversation.”
Christina bustled into the room, juggling her laptop and several folders, which toppled onto the couch when she got close. She gathered up the spilled papers.
“I’m sorry, you two. I shared the news of my impending retirement with the engineering VP, and he was a bit frantic about it all. Too many questions, not enough time.”
“That’s fine, and a perfect segue into why we’re here today. Juliana, you know I have been considering you as Christina’s replacement when the time comes. You have impressed every person you have worked with, and I know you will continue to do so. However, you are still young in your career, and this would be a huge jump.”
My stomach dropped. It had been a long shot, but from his comments after the meeting with Billings College, I thought I’d proven myself.
Christina laughed from her spot beside me. “Eduardo, you could not have phrased that in a worse way.”
I glanced between the two of them with wide eyes. This conversation was giving me whiplash.
Eduardo chuckled. “You’re right, Christina, I apologize. I should start with this. Juliana, I want you for the CRO position, if you want it.”
My heart exploded in my chest. “Of course I want it! Although your previous comment gave me a bit of a heart attack.”
“As it would have for anyone.” Christina sent an amused glare Eduardo’s way. “We both agree you are the right person for the job. But there are a lot of areas you would be responsible for that you haven’t worked on before.”
“I have been in the business long enough to know when you find raw talent, you foster it,” said Eduardo. “But you have to make sure the person is truly ready before pushing her out of the nest. I’ve asked Christina to delay her retirement for another six months. She’ll use the time to train you extensively. It will also give you time to find your replacement so you don’t end up doing both jobs.”
“And Justine is okay with that?” I asked Christina. I didn’t want my inexperience causing issues with her wife.
“It took a bit of cajoling, but I argued it would be nicer to travel outside of the busy season, anyway. Plus, she loves you, too. This is the only way to make your promotion work for you and for KMG.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked to clear them. Christina and Eduardo both gave me knowing smiles. “I don’t know what I have done to deserve someone like you in my life,” I said to Christina, “but thank you. You have been an incredible boss andmentor, and I’m honored to get to learn from you before you run off to see the world.”
Christina reached out and gave my hand a squeeze. We turned our attention back to Eduardo, who pulled out the contract listing the additional benefits and increased salary. I started running through all the ways this money could change my life with the girls, starting with getting a place big enough for each of them to have her own room.
“Look at the offer over the weekend and let me know on Monday if you accept.” I nodded to them and made my way to the office door in a haze. I paused as I was about to leave, whirling around to face Eduardo.
“Thank you, sir, for this opportunity. You are taking a risk with me, which I promise you won’t regret.”
“I have no doubt.”
I pressed the button when I got in the elevator, then stared in confusion when I realized I’d selected the architectural floor. My stomach swooped, and not from the descent. I realized, as I inched closer, that it was exactly where I wanted to go.
Going to Asia’s office instead was always an option. I hadn’t worked up the courage to face her after Saturday, but even with us fighting, she’d put it aside for something this big. But Ben had been with me on every step of this project. I may want to claim the victory as my own, but his support was a huge factor in me getting this promotion. I wanted to be the one to tell him it worked. To see that genuine smile.
Fear flooded me when I reached his office. How would I be received? And how would I handle it if he turned me away? I tried to peek through the opaque glass running on either side of his door, half hoping I’d find the office empty, but there was no seeing through those privacy panes. With no excuse to cop out, I fortified myself and lifted my fist.
A low and harsh “Come in” echoed from inside his officeafter I knocked. I entered to see him sitting at the drafting desk in the corner rather than at the large desk he used for meetings. I studied his office, taking time to really see it after my conversation with Asia a few weeks ago. It was a large space, suitable for a vice president, with floor-to-ceiling windows. They gave a magnificent view of downtown and let in plenty of natural light. I wasn’t surprised he set up his drafting table next to them.
He’d sparsely decorated the office with his diploma and a few framed architectural drawings. I wondered if they were his own or ones that inspired him. On either side of his drafting desk stood building models, and I recognized them as two buildings dotting the Orlando skyline, ones I had admired long before joining the KMG team. For my entire childhood, downtown Orlando had been a bland set of blocky buildings. Now the city was changing daily, dotted with new and interesting skyscrapers. It was still no New York or Chicago, but it was gaining character by the day, and Ben was a huge part of that.
As I rounded the desk, I looked down. Damn it. Asia was right. There was a big picture of Paris right there next to his computer.
Everything had a place in this office. Dozens of architectural blueprints stood up in a vertical file, not a single one left out after a long day of work, and his drafting tools lined the side of the desk, like soldiers awaiting orders. I wanted to open his desk drawers, curious to see if I would find items swept inside to make the office seem clean or if he was a neat freak. If the latter, it must have stressed him out when we knocked things off his desk before.
Hopefully, something else had occupied his attention.
