But then, there was a small part of her that wasn’t sure. Wasn’t sure he loved her in the same way. Sure, he’d kissed her hair and held her hand, but those were touches friends could share without them being more than a supportive gesture.
She hit the gym hard on Sunday, doing her best to flush the hormones from her system, and came to work ready to focus. Unfortunately for her, being the boss meant making the hard calls and delivering the news.
That was another lesson Dad had taught her—don’t shy away from being the bad guy for the greater good. You don’t have to be popular, but you do have to be respected.
Which was why there was a grumpy researcher sitting across from her. He wore a white lab coat and impossibly small rectangle-shaped glasses perched on the edge of his tiny nose. His features were all smaller than average, though he stood over six feet tall.
“I’m going to be frank with you, Jones.”
“Please do.” His bow tie bobbed. As far as bow ties went, it was rather dashing—a navy background with tiny orange and pink blossoms. It made her think that Jones might have a fun side, even though his constant squinting said otherwise.
“The world doesn’t need another hemorrhoid cream—especially a scented line. I’m cutting the funding for your research and moving you over to the anti-nausea program.”
His mouth worked as if there were an overly large piece of bubble gum lodged in there before he was able to come out with words. “I’ve worked for two years on a formula to mask the smell of witch hazel. Jillian thought women would appreciate the fruity and floral scents.”
The whole conversation was a little on the strange side. “Despite Jillian’s personal feelings on the matter …” The seven-year-old girl inside of Ginny snickered, and then the grown woman inside of her felt bad for making fun of someone. Her feelings for Jillian were as convoluted as ever—especially since she’d been right to cancel InfantPure. “Our focus groups said they didn’t want to have a strong scent of any kind coming from their …” She let it hang. Jones was smart; he’d understand what she was delicately implying.
She stood up, holding her arm out towards the door. “Thank you for your diligent work. Keep your eye out for other areas where it may have application, and feel free to submit a proposal to your department head.”
He had stood when she did and was moving with her towards the door when he stopped abruptly. “I quit.”
She continued moving towards the door, where she could signal Lyle to call for security. While she felt bad for changing things so abruptly, she didn’t have time to talk him out of a fit. “I understand. Lyle, would you please see that Jones is escorted out of the building?”
“Wait!” Jones threw his hands out to the side.
For a moment, it looked like he was going to grab on to the doorframe and have to be dragged out of there kicking and screaming. At the last second, he lunged at Lyle, who sidestepped him.
“Mr. Jones, please conduct yourself in a dignified manner,” Lyle implored.
“Dignified? Do you have any idea what I’ve sniffed for this company?!”
Virginia’s eyes went wide and she shut the door on his outburst. Mentally moving the interchange off her plate, she glanced at the next item on her list.
Seated behind her desk, she glanced up as the door opened, allowing Jones’s loud protest to pour into the otherwise serene office.
Emily Down, VP of operations, strode in. Her trademark sensible black heels chewed up the distance as she crossed the room and took a seat across from Ginny. Crossing her legs, she pointed over her shoulder at the door that was once again shut. “Do I even want to ask?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know thecrapI had to deal with this morning.” Pun intended. Ginny cleared her throat to hide the giggle. “I offered him a new position and apparently insulted him.”
Emily looked her over. “You’re awfully calm, considering the storm out there.”
“Dad advocated taking responsibility for your emotions and not taking it for other’s emotions.”
“Well, you truly are your father’s daughter, aren’t you?”
Ginny wasn’t sure if that was a compliment. She opted not to make an issue out of it and let the heavy silence force Emily to change the subject.
“Jillian asked for seven million in severance pay.”
Ginny didn’t flinch. “Give it to her.” She put her hands on the keyboard and opened a new email. Accounting would be involved in the transfer of funds, and they’d need her to sign something to authorize it. She might as well let them know that she was aware of the situation so they could expedite the process.
Emily didn’t bounce out of her seat to take care of things. “Really? That’s … excessive.”
Which was a nice way of saying,Are you going to let her push you around?
Not that Ginny needed to justify her actions, but if Emily was going to send the severance pay, she should at least know the basics. “Jillian didn’t suck at running the company. She did things differently than I would have, but I’ve seen the payoff of what she accomplished.” And because Ginny wasn’t clear about her intentions to stay, Jillian didn’t have the opportunity to job-hunt. “Be sure to have her sign a release form stating the amount of severance pay will stay confidential, as will her reasons for leaving the company.”
“Shrewd.” Emily got to her feet.
