“Fine then, I’ll let you go, but don’t forget the list,” she reminded me, referring to the ridiculously long grocery list that she’d sent me the night before.
I was hosting Christmas at my house this year, and it was already a nightmare. My mother called me in the early hours of the morning and late at night adding more things to my already long to-do list. In past years I was able to get out of hosting because I lived in a condo that wasn’t nearly big enough for my family, but escaping it was impossible this year. I purchased a home over the summer, so she made it clear when they came down for the closingandwhen I went home for Thanksgivingthat I’d be hosting. There was no room for argument either. Her words were final, and she’d already begun planning.
“I won’t, Mama,” I said just as an alert came through on my phone.
I pulled it back and saw that it was a motion sensor from my property. I didn’t bother to check it right away because I hired some contractors to come by and put the Christmas decorations up at my house. Janet, the housekeeper, was there to oversee things for me in my absence, so there was nothing for me to worry about at the moment.
“Hey, Ki, we’re ready.” Melonie, my assistant, stuck her head out of the conference room and said.
My brows dipped. “Mel…”
Her smile stretched wider. “Some habits are hard to break.”
Mel was my first cousin and executive assistant. When I accepted the position as Chairman of the Board for Atlyn City University and told my family I was moving, she hurried to pack her things and came along with me. I was glad that she did because she was like the little sister that I never had and my best friend.
I was the youngest of three, my older brother and sister being twins and twelve years older than me. My parents weren’t trying to have another child and with my mother being in her mid-forties at the time, they didn’t think they would, but she popped up pregnant with me at the same time my aunt Trish got pregnant with Mel, and we’d been inseparable since.
“Seriously, we’re ready and I have a hair appointment, so chop chop Dr. Ward.”
“Aight, I’m coming,” I chuckled. “Ma, I have to go. I’ll call you when I’m on the way home.”
“Okay, and let them know you won’t be working when I get in town,” she added. “I need to fatten you up.”
I laughed as I ran my hand across my waves. “Ma…”
“You haven’t been eating, Kiyan. I can see your cheekbones.” She continued to fuss. “I keep telling you that you need a woman in that house to cook for you.”
“I have to go, Ma,” I replied, ignoring what she was saying because if I let her go on about me getting married, she’d never stop talking.
“Alright, baby, call me when you get off.”
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you so much more. Give your cousin my love.”
I let her know I’d do that too before hanging up the call and heading inside the conference room for my meeting. I took my seat at the head of the glass table, setting my coffee cup down and taking the iPad from Melonie. She’d already had all of my notes pulled up and ready for me to get the meeting started.
“Auntie?” She asked lowly with a smile as I got comfortable in my seat.
“You know it,” I mumbled then cleared my throat. “Good afternoon,” I glanced around the table. “Let’s keep today efficient. We finalize the preliminary budget this week, which means number needs to make sense. Let’s begin,” I nodded toward Mel.
She tapped around on the keys of her laptop, bringing the agenda on the screen for everyone to see.
Finance was up first, so Dr. Bolder began. “Sir, overall costs are projected to rise about twelve percent next year. Mainly utilities, insurance increases, and tech upkeep. Enrollment is steady, but we have some concerning drop-off effecting mid-year retention.”
I frowned slightly hearing that. “Define concerning numbers.”
He clicked to move to the next slide. “A four percent dip in returning sophomores.”
“Four percent isn’t a dip. It’s a warning. What’s causing it?”
“Student support resources, primarily.” The Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Flynn, answered for him. “Counseling is overbooked. Housing is strained, and the tutoring center is understaffed.”
I nodded. “Noted. Add that to priority considerations.”
Mel immediately began to jot it down.
“Now—departmental requests,” I sat back in my chair.
