Hidden Treasure by Jane K. Cleland

Author:Jane K. Cleland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

* * *

The glorious weather didn’t last long. The sunny warmth gave way to overcast skies and cooler temperatures. I was snuggling with Hank in my private office as I researched chartering yachts when I spotted a dragonfly hovering outside my window. No wonder Clara Driscoll chose dragonflies as a theme for Tiffany’s lamps. No wonder they were so enduringly popular. It was more than their astonishing shimmering incandescence; it was their resilience, their capability, and their adaptability. They were magnificent creatures. Watching it, I had an idea for the church. Before I could develop it, Cara called.

Gretchen was downstairs, wondering if I had a minute. I said I did, and within seconds, I heard the click-clack of her stilettos as she crossed the warehouse floor.

My eyes widened as Gretchen sat on a guest chair across from me. “You’ve cut your hair,” I said.

She patted the sides of her pixie-short hair. “What do you think?”

“Give me a minute.” The super-short cut accentuated her cheekbones and eyes. “I think I love it. You look more sophisticated somehow. The truth is that you’re so beautiful, you could wear a paper bag and it wouldn’t matter. How much did you cut?”

“Twenty-three inches. I donated it to a nonprofit that makes wigs for kids.”

“Oh, Gretchen, that’s fantastic of you.”

“I hope it helps. In any event, I’m sorry to barge in, but I have a request and I wanted to make it in person. I’ve been thinking about my workload. I don’t think I’m as productive as I might be. I think I defer to small tasks as a palate cleanser, as it were. I have so many big things to do that it’s nice to get down in the dirt sometimes. To help me become more productive, I need an assistant.”

“You have too much on your plate.”

“Not exactly. It’s not that there’s too much … it’s that I’m feeling overly fragmented. An assistant will help me keep track of all the details.”

“Do you have a proposed job description?”

She extracted a turquoise plastic sleeve from her tote bag, removed a sheet of paper, and slid it across the desk.

I read the bulleted list of duties carefully. “Budgeting. Project management. Scheduling. Supervising. Merchandising. This is high level.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not sure that it’s reasonable to expect one person to have such disparate skills.”

“I do.”

I laughed. “True. But you’re extraordinary.” I placed the single sheet under a paperweight, a snow globe featuring a winter forest scene, then tapped the paper with my index finger. “I say go for it.”

She smiled. “Thank you. I’ll keep you posted.”

She reached for her tote bag, preparing to leave.

The dragonfly flew away. I turned back to face her. “You know the Congregational church next door.”

“Sure! I love Pastor Ted’s garden! Jack and I bring Johnny each season. Johnny’s only four, but Pastor Ted talks to him as if he’s an adult. It’s wonderful to see. Johnny just asked Jack why we haven’t planted more varieties of lettuce.”

I laughed again. “What was Jack’s answer?”

“‘Good idea—we’ll do it next year.

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