“Thank you. I’m worried about burnout and this will help ease some of the pressure.”
“I agree. I ran your idea by HR and got the okay to temporarily rehire twenty of our previous employees. Depending on the state of our finances, we may be able to hire some of them back permanently.”
Vi beamed at him. “That’s great news. Everyone on the first floor will thank you.”
“We’re counting on it. We can’t afford to lose any of our remaining employees. We also need to bring a few new upper management people on board.”
“I wouldn’t know who to recommend,” she said.
“That’s not why I called you here. Todd let me know you were up for a raise and promotion before the bad news hit. I’m not able to restore your bonus or anyone else’s at this time, but I would like to offer you a new position as executive sales manager for the company. As one of our vice presidents, you’ll get a significant raise commensurate with your title and an office on this floor.”
He wanted her for a job that far up the ladder? Vi could hardly believe her ears. Such exciting news and such a huge responsibility. She was both flattered and scared. “Thank you,Mr. Iglesias. I accept.” She also needed time to figure out how to do the job. Not that she’d admit that.
“Excellent. When can you start?”
“How about next week?” she said, mentally calculating how to start off with a bang. It’d be nice to have a reference point. The previous manager in charge had been let go, but she may have left information behind. “Are there any notes on what was going on before we filed for bankruptcy?”
“Check with Peggy. Before I forget, you’re going to need guidance, and Todd has offered to work with you. You can imagine how busy he is in operations, but he’s available to meet this afternoon.”
She could hardly believe her luck. Todd would be a big help. “That’d be wonderful. Should I keep the promotion to myself?”
“It won’t be official until I make the announcement Monday and alert the press, but news is bound to get out. I don’t mind if you want to tell people before then.”
They talked a bit more, then Vi returned to the first floor. Make that, floated. She decided not to tell anyone at the company just yet—she wasn’t sure how her friends and the remaining teammates would take the news. Family and friends outside the company were a different matter. It was lunchtime, and she headed to a nearby café to pick up food. As if she could eat. She bought a sandwich, a soda and a giant chocolate cookie to celebrate.
Still amazed and hardly daring to believe her luck, she itched to share the news with Gran, Rose, Carmie and Blake. She took her lunch to the car, where she’d have privacy, and then forgot about the food while she made calls.
The first was to Gran, who actually answered the phone. “I have exciting news,” she said and shared it. “I won’t get my bonus for a while yet, but my salary is going way up.”
“That’s wonderful, honey.”
“Did you get the insurance check?”
“No, and I’m getting worried.”
“Don’t be. With my bigger salary, I should be able to take out a loan to cover you. Rose can help some, too.” Depending on Peter.
“I hate to do that, Vi, but if I don’t have the insurance money by next Wednesday, I may have to. As soon as I get it, I’ll pay you both back.”
“I’d rather you keep your money and let us do this as a way of thanking you for all you’ve done for us over the years, but I know you won’t accept that. So yes, I’ll consider it a loan. I’m sure Rose will, too.”
“That’s so reasonable. Why can’t Malcom be like you girls?”
Ah, they were still at loggerheads. “I have to go, Gran. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
On the way home from work, she phoned Carmie. No answer. “I have news,” she said via voicemail. “Get in touch when you can.”
Then she phoned Rose. Her sister was thrilled for her. “What a shame you didn’t get your bonus, too.”
“I probably will in the future. Anyway, I’m very happy about the promotion. Gran will only take money from us as a loan and will pay us back when she gets the insurance check. If she gets it before the final date, she won’t need to borrow at all.”
“At least she agreed to let us help. I’ll talk to Peter about that.”
“Let me know what he says. Did Gran mention Malcom at all?”
“Only for a second. From the little she said, they haven’t made up yet. That stubborn streak is creating big problems for her and always has.”
“As we both know,” Vi agreed. “Malcom is just as bad.”
