Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch by Hine Richard

Author:Hine, Richard [Hine, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Published: 2010-10-12T07:00:00+00:00

“What are you grinning at?” I say to Lucky as I push my office door shut and hang my jacket behind it. He smiles but says nothing. I smile back. “Yeah, I guess it does take one lucky cat to know another,” I say. “What’s that? Thanks. I like this tie too. And the belt’s cool, right?”

I grip his hard plastic paw, trying to draw an extra burst of superpower energy to get me through the day ahead.

“Strength,” I say, as my wish for the day.

I sit at my desk with only one thought in mind: I need to get the Livingston Kidd proposal in to the art department. I can’t avoid it any longer.

But first, I call Meg Wilson and ask her to stop by. After steering clear of everybody yesterday, I have to catch up with people and find out what’s been going on without me. Meg is my most senior manager. She’s been at the company fourteen years. She knows where the bodies are buried and how to get things done. She serves as my unofficial deputy, occasional career coach and most reliable bullshit detector.

“So how’s the mood out there?” I ask.

“You really want to know?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, everyone’s sad about Ben, yada yada. And rumors are flying that he’s only the first. That we’re going to have another round of layoffs. Erika and Sally seem pretty shaken up. But the boys are excited to have the new girls on the team. Roger is counting the days till his extreme makeover. He’s got a thing for Sally, it seems.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

“Apparently, she reminds him of Drew Barrymore.”

“Uncanny. Must be the black hair and the fact that she’s Chinese.”

Meg shakes her head. She’s one of the few women at the company who does nothing to conceal the gray in her hair. “Did you know this was coming?”

“I was as surprised as anyone. If Henry had asked me, I would have told him Ben was irreplaceable.”

“That’s for sure. As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. Events are a ton of work.”

“That’s the other thing,” I say. I look away from Meg, gazing thoughtfully toward the window. Lucky smiles his assent toward my jacket on the door. “I’m so overwhelmed with other stuff, I was thinking of having Erika Fallon report in to you.”

“No thanks.”

“Come on. It makes perfect sense. You and Kelly have more experience with events than anyone.”

“Kelly and I already have more work than we can handle. I used to have two people reporting to me, remember?”

Meg is resisting. But I’m not ready to give up. What would Henry do? I ask myself. And then the words start flowing.

“I was talking to Henry about this yesterday. I told him you were the best person I’ve got. That we needed to keep you challenged. To make sure you stay motivated. How perfect would this be? It’s a chance to expand your empire. You’ll have two extra people to manage. A lot more visibility with sales.”

“Why would I want any more visibility with sales?”

“Events are fun,” I say.

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