Chapter 2
The second bad thing happened shortly after Vi stepped through the door of DD Telecom. There was no sign of the usual cluster of employees drinking coffee and chatting in the lobby before the company opened. Weird. Had she missed something? Frowning, she finally checked the messages on her phone.
An emergency all-employee meeting had been scheduled in the big conference room. That explained the multiple texts from this morning. The unease she’d felt earlier flooded back, and she hurried upstairs to the meeting room on the second floor. It was packed. Todd stood at the podium, his tie slightly askew and his blue button-down shirt strained across his middle-age belly. He raked a hand through his hair. Twice. Had to be bad news.
She found an empty seat next to Eric, a short-lived boyfriend from the IT section of the business until their amicable split almost a year earlier. Like all the guys she’d dated over the past several years, he was a nerd. In the worst sense.
The guy kept his shoes in a pile under his bed and left dirty dishes in the sink all day, both of which drove her nuts. What a slob. He also spent a great deal of time drinking and partying with friends, reminding her all too well of her parents before the divorce. She had no interest in wasting her time and didn’t care if she never saw him again. But as they worked for the same company, she maintained a civil relationship with him. “What’s happening?” she said in a low voice.
“Brace yourself. Alan Ragen has bankrupted us. He was forced out last night and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.”
The CEO had done what? Certain she’d misunderstood, she gawked at him. “I don’t understand.”
Eric was about to say more when Todd adjusted the microphone. “I’m sure you have questions. So do I. I didn’t find out about this until late last night. Here’s what I know. Alan got himself into a dicey financial situation. He needed cash and stole it from the corporate account. I have no idea how he did it or why the accounting team didn’t catch on until a few days ago. All I know is, he’s gone and the company is in financial straits. We’ll be laying off half the staff, and?—”
Reaction was swift and loud. Angry voices roiled through the air, momentarily silencing him before he continued. “I’m every bit as upset as you are. If you’re laid off, you’ll be summoned to HR today to discuss your severance package and meet with a job counselor.”
This couldn’t be happening! Vi had never been timid and wasn’t now. She stood up. “What about our bonuses?” And her pay raise and promotion?
“That’s a good question, Vi. I’ve been told there’s barely enough money to cover payroll, let alone bonuses. That includes mine. The board of directors has chosen Tarleton Iglesias as our CEO. For those of you who don’t know him, he’s been with the company for six years and is highly regarded.”
Vi barely heard anything after the word bonuses. She crossed the fingers of both hands. Please, please don’t lay me off. An acrid taste, sharp with fear, made her wince. Her throat had dried up, and she reached into the smaller of the pockets in her purse for a breath mint. She gave Eric one, too, and he needed it. The mint helped with the bad taste, but not the panic flooding her stomach, the same unpleasant feeling that signaled the money woes she’d experienced throughout her childhood.
Besides helping Gran—if she didn’t have the money to permanently stay at the 709, where would she go?—there were bills to pay. The mortgage, car payment, et cetera, including Mr. T’s last vet bill for surgery to remove bladder stones, to name a few. Expenses her barely adequate savings account couldn’t possibly cover. Should’ve put more money away. Too late now.
“What do we do next, sue?” someone asked over the noise.
“We could, but unless the company has a way to pay, I don’t know that we’d get anything from it. Consulting an attorney can’t hurt. In the meantime, I’ll keep you informed.”
Blake arrivedat the 709 a few minutes early. Several residents and guests sat chatting in the lobby, a comfortable carpeted space with pleasant watercolor paintings on the walls, a large fish tank filled with exotic fish, and padded armchairs grouped here and there. As required, he stopped at the front desk to sign in. Another person was in front of him, an attractive female he’d seen somewhere but couldn’t place. Long legs, slender, hair twisted in a knot at the nape of her neck, she wore a dress that draped her hips and hinted at her round behind.
“Vi Preston,” she told Charlotte, the fifty-something woman behind the desk, in a no-nonsense tone, like a businesswoman with no time to waste.
The unflappable Charlotte checked her in. As Vi turned to leave and glanced at him, she arched her brows as if surprised to find him there. Almost as if they knew each other when they didn’t. “Oh,” she said.
Whatever that meant. He noted the sudden flush on her face. Like his grandfather, he had that effect on women. He’d inherited his looks from the man. “Hi,” he returned, flashing his friendliest smile. “Have we met?”
“No, but I saw you here the one time I visited. You were with your pregnant wife.” She glanced around. “I don’t see her today.”
She’d noticed him? That explained the eyebrows. “Now I know where I saw you. You were with two other women, one around your age, the other a senior. I’m not married. That pregnant woman is my sister. She’s expecting twins. I’m Blake Wanamaker. Nice to meet you, Vi Preston.”
“How do you know my name?” Tiny lines that made her look suspicious appeared between those eyebrows.
“You didn’t exactly whisper when you announced it to Charlotte. Not that you were overly loud. You have a voice that carries.”
For the most part, women seemed to like him. Not this one. She pursed her lips in a disapproving way and raised her chin a notch. Although he had a good five inches on her, she somehow looked down her nose at him.
“You have family here, too,” he said in an effort to coax some warmth into her.
“And I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
She spun away before he could reply. Ah, well. Can’t please everyone.
Blake stepped up to the desk and smiled. “It’s good to see you, Charlotte.”
Unlike Vi Preston, she returned the smile. “You too, Blake. Your grandfather mentioned you’d be here tonight.”
Curious to find out more about Vi, even if she was ice cold, he said, “It’s always interesting to meet new people here.”
Charlotte glanced behind him at the line where other guests waited to check in. Better get going, as Grandpop was expecting him. “He’s waiting for me now. Have a great weekend.”
Eager to see the man, he forgot all about the less-than-pleasant encounter. As soon as he entered the dining room around the corner from the lobby, he spotted her again, her long legs swinging straight for Grandpop and a female about the same age with silver hair also seated at the table and in cozy conversation with him. Blake was taken aback, had assumed the dinner would be just the two of them. His grandfather hadn’t mentioned other people at the table. And now Vi was joining them? What were the two seniors up to?
She wouldn’t be happy to see him again. The prospect of enduring a meal with her didn’t sit well with him, either, but it’d give him a chance to get on her good side if only to see if he could. Whatever the reason for this dinner, it was bound to be interesting.