“Good to see you both,” Elena says when we enter the conference room. She stands to greet us but quickly sits again in her seat, scooting closer to the table and folding her hands over the finished oak. “I hope you have brought evidence of good progress.”
Theo unbuttons his jacket and then sits down. I sit next to him, open my laptop, pull up the presentation he prepared and emailed to me, and then get the copies of some of his reports hehad me print for Elena and the other Board members to review.
While my laptop is loading the presentation, I hand out the packets and then retake my seat. Theo catches my attention again, and his eyes flare as if trying to convey something to me. Again, I give him a small smile and a nod.
The room is so quiet, I can hear everyone’s breathing. Each of the present members of the Board is raptly flipping through pages, their eyes scanning over the words and figures that Theo has meticulously put together since the last Board meeting.
My laptop pings with an incoming message in the middle of a tranquil moment. I click on my email icon and read the newest email in my inbox.
To:Whitney Palmer
From:Theodore Hurst
Subject:Following Up
Whitney,
We can find an alternate time to discuss the matter mentioned in my prior email. We must work past this roadblock as a team. So, let’s find a time to chat, okay? Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Theo
I read the email and then give Theo the side-eye, hoping to convey that I’m not amused with his note in the middle of animportant meeting. Theo simply sets down his phone on the table. He crosses his arms over his chest in response, leaning back in his chair so he’s out of my eyesight unless I turn my head entirely toward him.
“Well, looks like you’ve made decent headway,” Elena says as she finishes her last page of Theo’s strategic goals report. “I think these are all very reasonable, attainable goals for the company.”
I can feel Theo’s shoulders deflate from his position next to me in relief. He has been running himself ragged for the last few days, ensuring that everything in this report is exactly as it should be. With Elena and Maxwell both breathing down his neck, the pressure has been on.
“I’m glad you think so,” Theo says, his voice even, though I catch sight of his hands shaking as he folds them into his lap.
My chest aches. Theo came into this position thinking he would be welcomed warmly as part of the team. Still, his experience thus far has been nothing but. So far, the Board is out to get him or, at the very least, make his transition as difficult as possible.
“Shall we begin to run through the financials presentation you’ve prepared?” Elena asks as she picks up a pen to scribble something down on her copy of the report.
“Absolutely,” Theo agrees. He pushes out of his chair and straightens his jacket before walking up to the presentation screen at the head of the room. I click over to my presentation app and mirror the slides onto the screen so Theo can begin his spiel.
“So, on page four, you’ll have the projected numbers for this quarter,” Theo says. I hear pages turning in the room.
“Those are significantly lower than the financials from this quarter last year,” one of the Board members observes. “How do you expect us to be able to make the leap for hotels withnumbers like this? This is much different than what you originally proposed.”
Theo clears his throat and his eyes flash to me. My eyebrows furrow and I tilt my head, waiting to hear his explanation.
“Yes, well I had to make some changes when I had the opportunity to scour through the financial reports in greater detail. You’ll notice on page nine that I have made additional proposals and listed out some solutions to bridge the gap for the difference in the projection.”
A few of the Board members murmur to each other but they flip to page nine and nod their heads after reading his suggestions. Elena’s expression is stony as she watches Theo, her eyes tracking his every movement. It’s something I find odd for her, that she’s watching him so closely, but I suppose she’s just waiting to see how he goes about explaining his solution. Feeling more confident now that he avoided the conflict, Theo continues his presentation flawlessly.
Watching him explain everything he’s working on and his plans for the next phase feels like poetry. I find myself getting lost in how he articulates and forms his words, so professional and yet, casual. I hang off every word he says. Theo catches my eye a few times as he speaks, and his lips tilt up a little at the corner before he can re-school his features. Each time this happens, my heart seems to skip a beat.
When he concludes his presentation, he saunters to sit beside me again. I nudge his arm with mine, silently telling him he did well.
Elena folds her hands again on top of the table. She exchanges glances with the other Board members and then nods her head. “I think you’re on the right track for now. I look forward to seeing everything else you come up with in your following review.”
Again, I can feel the relief rolling off Theo’s shoulders. He thanks Elena and the rest of the Board profusely, maybe even a little too much. I grin to myself as I gather up my things.
We walk back to our own workspace when we leave the conference room. Theo isn’t saying a word. Occasionally, his arm brushes mine when our steps align, and it’s enough to drive me mad. With every little touch of his forearm against my skin, my breathing becomes more and more rapid.
All the thoughts I tried desperately to quell this weekend come roaring back with his touch. I try my hardest to get a grip on myself and not get lost in the memories of the way he held me while we danced on Friday night.
