anything else?”
He paused again, much longer this time. When he finally spoke, his words were tentative. “I have one situation that just crossed my desk. I was about to tell them no, but…”
“Mike, what is it? I need a job!” She clutched the phone as if it were a lifeline and gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to scream.
“Are you sure? You’ve been on the roads for weeks, barely home long enough to sleep. Maybe a vacation wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
She glanced around the sparsely furnished and barely lived-in condo. If she had to sit and stare at those four walls for the foreseeable future, she would need a straitjacket or medication. Her father would find some discreet facility for her breakdown, avoiding any embarrassment for the Kendall name. No, a vacation was not an option. Work was her only chance to get back on top, back in the game, back in her father’s good graces, the actions of a desperate little girl trying to gain her father’s attention. When would she outgrow that clawing, desperate need?
“I want it.” She hoped Mike couldn’t hear the quiver in her tone, tried to infuse it with decisiveness.
“Okay, I’ll email you the 4-1-1, not that there is much. It’s with the Georgia Knights. Their owner, Seamus Callahan, asked for you specifically. They’re expecting your call. In fact, they asked for you by name. How could they know you were available?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll take it. I know Miranda. She’ll look out for me.” She resisted the urge to dance across the small kitchen, relief pushing away the initial panic. She was on her way back to the big leagues.
Even if it was a different league than she expected.
*
Stacia drove into the almost empty parking garage to the lower level, as directed by the security guard, to the employee’s parking level. She walked into the entrance and gave her name to the security guard behind the desk. He gestured to a couple of chairs and made a phone call.
Ten minutes later, the elevator doors opened and a tall blonde woman stepped out. When she saw Stacia, her face broke out in a wide grin.
“Stacia! It’s been so long, since your father’s last inauguration, isn’t it? I was so delighted when my father told me your firm was going to be handling our little issue. I was hoping to see you but never really thought you would be assigned. I thought you were working with Representative Glazier?”
Stacia blinked rapidly and tried to keep up with the whirlwind that was Miranda Callahan. She had forgotten how energetic and bubbly Miranda was. They may have run in different circles in school but their social circles overlapped enough for them to be well acquainted with each other. Still, Stacia was hesitant to share the news of her recent failure with the other woman. Not that she had much choice. The media made sure of that.
“Well, as I’m sure you are aware, since the representative lost his primary bid, he cleaned house, including my services. As a result, I was free to assist in this matter.”
Miranda blinked once. “His loss, our gain. Personally, I think the man is a fool and a laughingstock right now. He tried to ask my father for a campaign donation. As if he would donate to one of Senator Kendall’s mouthpieces.” She paused, her face reddening as she remembered that she was speaking to the senator’s biggest mouthpiece, his own daughter.
Stacia smiled, what she hoped was a brilliant smile but felt brittle, hard, and forced. “No worries, Miranda. The representative felt a change in staff would be important for an independent bid. For my part, it worked out. I was ready for a change. So you’re working with your father now?”
They stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind them. “Yes, he wants me to learn the team and how it works. I’m technically the president although you know how that goes, with a controlling man like my father in charge. I’ll be your main liaison for this, except for Cole
He paused again, much longer this time. When he finally spoke, his words were tentative. “I have one situation that just crossed my desk. I was about to tell them no, but…”
“Mike, what is it? I need a job!” She clutched the phone as if it were a lifeline and gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to scream.
“Are you sure? You’ve been on the roads for weeks, barely home long enough to sleep. Maybe a vacation wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
She glanced around the sparsely furnished and barely lived-in condo. If she had to sit and stare at those four walls for the foreseeable future, she would need a straitjacket or medication. Her father would find some discreet facility for her breakdown, avoiding any embarrassment for the Kendall name. No, a vacation was not an option. Work was her only chance to get back on top, back in the game, back in her father’s good graces, the actions of a desperate little girl trying to gain her father’s attention. When would she outgrow that clawing, desperate need?
“I want it.” She hoped Mike couldn’t hear the quiver in her tone, tried to infuse it with decisiveness.
“Okay, I’ll email you the 4-1-1, not that there is much. It’s with the Georgia Knights. Their owner, Seamus Callahan, asked for you specifically. They’re expecting your call. In fact, they asked for you by name. How could they know you were available?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll take it. I know Miranda. She’ll look out for me.” She resisted the urge to dance across the small kitchen, relief pushing away the initial panic. She was on her way back to the big leagues.
Even if it was a different league than she expected.
*
Stacia drove into the almost empty parking garage to the lower level, as directed by the security guard, to the employee’s parking level. She walked into the entrance and gave her name to the security guard behind the desk. He gestured to a couple of chairs and made a phone call.
Ten minutes later, the elevator doors opened and a tall blonde woman stepped out. When she saw Stacia, her face broke out in a wide grin.
“Stacia! It’s been so long, since your father’s last inauguration, isn’t it? I was so delighted when my father told me your firm was going to be handling our little issue. I was hoping to see you but never really thought you would be assigned. I thought you were working with Representative Glazier?”
Stacia blinked rapidly and tried to keep up with the whirlwind that was Miranda Callahan. She had forgotten how energetic and bubbly Miranda was. They may have run in different circles in school but their social circles overlapped enough for them to be well acquainted with each other. Still, Stacia was hesitant to share the news of her recent failure with the other woman. Not that she had much choice. The media made sure of that.
“Well, as I’m sure you are aware, since the representative lost his primary bid, he cleaned house, including my services. As a result, I was free to assist in this matter.”
Miranda blinked once. “His loss, our gain. Personally, I think the man is a fool and a laughingstock right now. He tried to ask my father for a campaign donation. As if he would donate to one of Senator Kendall’s mouthpieces.” She paused, her face reddening as she remembered that she was speaking to the senator’s biggest mouthpiece, his own daughter.
Stacia smiled, what she hoped was a brilliant smile but felt brittle, hard, and forced. “No worries, Miranda. The representative felt a change in staff would be important for an independent bid. For my part, it worked out. I was ready for a change. So you’re working with your father now?”
They stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind them. “Yes, he wants me to learn the team and how it works. I’m technically the president although you know how that goes, with a controlling man like my father in charge. I’ll be your main liaison for this, except for Cole
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