CHAPTER 15 #2
“Finally?” Arlowe muttered through her gritted teeth. “How long have you been looking for an office exactly, Violet?”
“Oh, shut up,” Violet said and put on her forced smile before adding, “Hello, Nancy. It’s nice to see you again.”
Sarai was still too busy thinking about the fact that Violet’s car could fit four people comfortably, but five was a bit of a stretch, which meant that she’d had Enya on one side of her and Gabi right up against her other side in the back seat.
She’d tried to lean a little closer to Enya, but there hadn’t been enough space for their legs to sit there without touching, so she’d stared straight ahead out the windshield and had tried to focus on Violet and Arlowe’s argument.
“Is this everyone?” Nancy asked.
“Yes. This is Arlowe. She’s head of engineering. This is Enya, our head of product and our resident language expert.” Violet motioned to each woman in turn. “This is Sarai, who is our head of marketing and sales.”
“And this is Gabi,” Sarai stepped in. “She’s–”
“Just along for the ride,” Gabi interrupted.
“Designing our hardware,” Violet said when Sarai was taken aback by Gabi’s interruption.
She’d been attempting to make sure that Gabi felt included, but all morning, she’d come up against the opposition, sometimes Gabi herself.
“Great. It’s nice to meet all of you. I think you’re going to like this place. Shall we?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, we’d love to,” Violet replied.
“We would?”
“Arlowe, you will behave, or I will use the child locks on you and stuff you in the back seat,” Violet said under her breath as they all walked toward a three-story building that looked not at all exciting.
“So, the suite I found for you is on the second floor,” Nancy said after using a key card to get herself into the building and motioning for them to go ahead.
“The elevators are here.” She pointed. “And the stairs are straight ahead, so if anyone is looking to track their steps, you’ll get a few more every day once you move in. ”
“People still track their steps?” Sarai asked.
“I don’t think so,” Gabi replied.
They walked up the stairs and turned to the right where there was a set of wooden double doors.
“These can be changed out for glass or something else if you want. The tenant who used to be in here wanted privacy.” Nancy used her key card again, and the doors opened automatically. “The kitchen is immediately ahead and to the left, and the reception desk is to the right.”
“The kitchen is across from the reception desk?” Arlowe asked.
Violet glared at her, but Sarai thought that it was a good question and figured that they were supposed to ask as many questions as they needed before they signed a lease.
“It is in this configuration, but there’s another door off to the other side of the space. They used that for deliveries and storage, but there’s plenty of room for a reception desk there.”
“We don’t have a receptionist,” Enya said softly.
“We might one day,” Violet replied.
“Two conference rooms behind the reception desk over here. One fits about eight to ten people. The other one would make a great boardroom.” Nancy hurried through a doorway after they passed the kitchen.
“And here is the open workspace. There’s rented furniture still in here from the previous tenant.
The building rented it to them, so they’re willing to include it in your lease or not, depending on what you want.
In this configuration, you’ve got sixteen cubicles. ”
“I’m not working in a cubicle,” Arlowe stated.
“There are four offices just over there and tables, too, for anyone who might want a more open workspace.” Nancy pointed.
“You can probably fit a couple of sofas in that area as well. Plus, there are two more conference rooms that you could easily turn into offices or leave as they are. Bathrooms are shared with the other tenants, but they’re on every floor, and there’s only one other tenant on this floor.
Parking in the lot is free, and from what I’ve been told, there are pretty much always spots. So, added bonus.”
“Nancy, do you mind if we take time to walk around on our own and talk about it?” Violet asked.
“Of course. I’ll station myself in the second-floor lobby outside. Just come grab me when you need me,” the woman replied.
“We will. Thank you,” Violet said.
Nancy smiled and left them alone, looking down at her phone like the busy woman she undoubtedly was when she walked off.
“So?” Violet asked. “What do you think?”
“It’s fine, but I’m reserving judgment until I check out the bathrooms and the kitchen in more detail,” Arlowe said.
“Do I have a place for my note cards here?” Enya asked.
“Yes, Enya.” Violet motioned to the empty, giant white wall behind them. “And in your office too, I’m sure.”
“What about Sarai’s dry-erase board?” Gabi asked, surprising Sarai.
“She’d have an office with a dry-erase wall, but she can also use any board in the conference rooms. Besides, I saw a picture of the open space. There’s a dry-erase wall over there, too. I think they’re all also magnetic.”
“Thank you,” Sarai said softly.
“No problem,” Gabi replied before she walked off.