Talks of promotions

When the office door opened and Derrick Connors walked out with a big smile on his face, it made April smile in return. He wasn’t just smiling, but the grown man was blushing and seemed he couldn’t help himself when he looked over his shoulder back into her boss's office. “From your expression, I take it that things went well?”

“Not sure about the offer, but every second with that woman is time well spent. So yeah, things went well. He said moving closer to her desk and glancing back at the door, though unable to see the woman he desired from where he now stood. “She mentioned the two of you are going to White Wolfe Cafe down the street. I won't try to intrude.” He said after Mandy had already told him that it was just going to be her and April going. “But do you think you could bring me back something? I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“Slice of chocolate cake for Roxie and…” She paused for a moment looking the man up and down. “Do you know what you would like?” She watched him shrug, he wasn’t from around here and wasn’t a frequent patron to the cafe, so he had no idea about the menu.

“I’m easy, maybe just a burger and some fries.”

“How much red meat do you eat?” She said raising an eyebrow and when she saw his expression she knew the answer was closer to the category of too much. “Maybe something healthier so all parties involved can keep you around longer. Chicken caesar wrap and I think you will like their vegan curried broccoli and chickpea slaw. I also assume you are going to continue to work while you eat, so I will pay for it out of petty cash and bill it back to your office.”

“A burger really would be fine.” He hadn’t cooked a single meal while he was gone and had survived off of fast food, but it didn’t need to come to a caesar wrap and a vegan slaw. Wasn’t all slaw vegan?

“A burger would be fine, but what I’m getting you is better.” The vegan curried broccoli and chickpeas actually sounded really good and she considered getting that with the spicy bacon wrapped plantains for herself.

“First Candace and now you trying to get me to change how I eat.” Derrick rubbed the back of his neck thinking of how his little girl would often tell a waiter to hold one of his sides in favor of a house salad, but she hadn’t been so bad as to decide what he was going to get. Least not yet anyhow.

“If you like we could ask Ms. Best’s opinion, if you hold any value to that.” At her words Derrick looked at the open door, not sure how much of, if any of the conversation she could hear.

“That sounds wonderful actually and umm if you took my offer would conversations like this be normal?”

“That would all depend on how often you chose to order at least semi healthy options on your own I suppose. Is trying to help you stay healthy a deal breaker?”

“Sas, so much sas. No, it will be fine. Enjoy your break from the office.” Derrick said, starting to walk away from the secretary's desk. He thought about her getting a slice of chocolate pie, that sounded really good. Turning around he held up a finger and opened his mouth to add that to his order, but decided against it. Derrick nodded to himself, before turning back around and heading to the elevator to go back to his temporary office on the first floor. “Guess I don’t need cake.” He thought, now wanting it more because he couldn’t have it.

“Okay, I have waited long enough tell me all about it! Everything from the moment you saw it was your boyfriend at the door.” April turned her thead to look at the waiter as he refilled her glass of water and added another lemon wedge to the rim. “Thank you.” She said to him with a polite smile.

Touching her cheek as she felt a blush come to her face, Amanda did her best to keep control of her face and not show a massive smile. “He is not my…” Her voice trailed off, he actually was. Derrick Connors was her boyfriend, that had happened and she hadn’t taken the time to consider what all of that meant. “Well he is, but Bailey.”

April had her fork in hand and was ready to stab one of the bacon wrapped plantains, when she pointed her fork at her blonde friend and talked over her. “Bailey is your ex-boyfriend and you should not be thinking of him right now. Right now is the time to tell me what you and your boyfriend talked about.” She knew that wasn’t fair, Bailey was helping her. Even if she hated how that help came with him acting like a stereotype of a blonde ditzy bimbo. When Bailey first came around Amanda seemed so much happier and full of life. She caught her humming when no one was around, she had fallen in love with him and when they were together they spent more of it with their lips pressed together than not. She was happy for her, she really was, even if she was not okay with the constant public displays of affection. Then she found out he wasn’t working, and Amanda was paying for an expensive headhunter to help him find another job. She always thought the headhunter got paid when they found someone a job, she couldn't believe Amanda, her financially savvy friend would accept that, let alone let it go on. Then came the news about the district manager retiring, Amanda and her spent more and more time at the office and from what Amanda told her things at home were getting worse. Bailey wouldn’t do any chores and would constantly complain she wasn’t around. She was not a big fan of Bailey.

“Bailey does matter, we have an open relationship and apparently Derrick is my boyfriend. It is all complicated” Amanda took a bite of her Roasted Garlic, basil potatoes with arugula, not just because she was hungry, but also to think about what to say next.

“He, Derrick. Came through the door with those flowers I found giddy. It sounds ridiculous, and I do not like the comparison. It was like when you come home and your dog is overjoyed to see you, even if you were not gone long. I was the dog in that scenario, there I said it.” She felt herself blush again thinking about him coming into her office, his smile, his eyes. “You have to understand, he was going to come in tonight, so seeing him came as a complete surprise.”

“Oh I understand and knowing you like I do. What happened over the two of you made kissy faces and made out like teenagers?” Seeing her friend look away like some demure girl instead of the mature confident woman she was did more than amuse April. Especially when poking at her made her blush like that.

“Yes, we did do that.” Amanda looked down at her food and took a deep breath, that was nice, but their conversation after was a lot to unpack and she wasn’t sure what she was going to do at all.

“Oh I’m aware, our regional manager went in looking put together, and left with his tie loose and askew, his hair a bit messier.” She could have let him know to go look in a mirror, but she liked the idea of him seeing himself later and realizing how he had been walking around.

“Would you stop teasing me?” Amanda said, putting her fork down and glaring at her spirited friend.The shrug she got in response wasn’t encouraging. Teasing like this didn’t usually get to her, but she had never made out with Bailey in her office before either. “Moving on…” She said in a flatter voice so April wouldn’t ask an inane question like asking if he had used a breath mint before they kissed. He did, but she did not need to know that. “He told me that I did not get the district manager position, that Greg in my department had gotten it.” Just saying it out loud upset her all over again and she had to hold up her hand to keep April from asking more questions. First she needed a drink of her water.

“That vacation Greg went on last month, we went to go play in a golf tournament. One you have to pay to join and he just so happened to be in the same group as Mega Corps Chief Operations Officer. Apparently they went off to a gentlemans club together later that night. I do not know how exactly he convinced him to give him the role, but I do know that weasel painted a picture about me being incompetant, and I think the phrase he used was making decisions when I was emotional, like how women get.”

April leaned back in her seat, considering breaking the asshole's nose. “Do you want me to…”

Amanda shook her head and picked her fork back up. “Please, do not do anything to antagonize him. He was a nobody, but now. Now he will be another petty man with power.” She said taking a bite of her food harder than she intended, causing a little pain when she bit hard onto the metal object. “Derrick gave me another option though, and it is a good one. I can stay on in my current role and he will try and help me find something better when it opens up. Or he can, well did. Offer me the position of Director of Finance for the West Coast.”

That was the news April was waiting for her to spill. “A director position? DId you tell him yes, or are you going to make him sweat it out a little before you say yes? Oooooo, how much does a position like that even pay?” She was so excited for her friend, still wanted to break Grag’s nose, but it was tempered by the fact Amanda would still be above him.

Looking down at her bowl, Amanda took a few more bites. She wasn’t sure she was going to accept the position, she wanted it. It was something she never even considered she had a chance at achieving, she had known the position was vacant, but there was zero chance of her getting it, so she never bothered applying. “I do not know if I will take it at all.” She let out a tired sigh, this afternoon was a rollercoaster of emotions. “Also I know Derrick told you about this first, so no acting surprised.”

“To be fair, I had no idea what shitbag did to get that job, but how can you not know if you want this job? Also if you turn it down, can I have it?” She said the last part in jest, but couldn’t understand why Amanda would not be jumping up and down excited about this role. She had clawed her way up through the company to get where she was and even with how valuable she had shown herself to be she would often get pushed aside by the boys club.

“A few reasons.” She signed. “I do not feel like I earned something like this, I want to earn what I have, not have it handed to me. Derrick also told me one of the ways he was able to sell it to his boss was because Mega Corp and I mean all of Mega Corp. Not just the West Coast offices, does not have a single female above the position of Vice President for a department and from what I understand.” Amanda paused with how to word this correctly. “She works over in the New York office and she is a fierce woman, Derrick’s words not my own. She is VP of Acquisitions and she is fantastic at her job and knows how to keep people in check, but she is also sleeping with her current boss, the man who gave her the role. That might have nothing to do with it all, as I said she is good at her job or so I am told, but I do not want people thinking about me like that. Then there is Bailey to consider.” She put down her fork, not hungry any longer.

Reaching across the tiny table, April took her friend’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Those are valid reasons and I would be happy to talk through everything with you. Maybe we can make one of those pros and cons tables we used to make.” She said thinking about the last time they did it was trying to figure out which restaurant they wanted to order food from when they were working late. “If you want to take this position, I do have a plan, a scheme if you will for Bailey Ann Best to have an exit so all of this.” She motioned with her hands in the air as if something was floating around them. “Doesn’t just blow up in our faces.”

Giving the offered hand a squeeze back, Amanda was conflicted on many fronts. She wanted this position, but did not want it to look like she was sleeping her way to the top. She had worked so hard for what she had. She also knew she loved Bailey, how could she abandon Bailey after she had done so much for her. Was she even willing to give Bailey up for a job? Men at the office thought of her as an ice queen, with no heart, but that wasn’t true at all and the very idea of giving up on someone that had been in her life for so long, someone she loved for a job, felt shattering. “I do not want Bailey to exit, but I do want the job, and yet do not know if I want it on these terms. This is hard, and I need more time to think all of this through.”

Amanda gave April another squeeze of her hand and gave her a sad smile. “Derrick and I are getting on a flight tomorrow for his assistants wedding. Maybe with the weekend to think this over I will have some more answers. For now though, please do not talk to anyone about this. I do not want Bailley freaking out over something that might not come to pass. I should listen to your scheme though, we can make it part of the pros and cons table. And I am sorry… I know you have some decisions to make with all of this too and my choice affects yours. Do you know what you want to do?”

April hadn’t let go of Amanda’s hand and for a second wondered if it would be rude to put another bacon wrapped plantain in her mouth. “You want one?” She motioned to the plate before putting one in her mouth, making the decision that it wouldn’t be rude if she offered to share. She waited for Amanda to take the offered morsel of food before she gave an answer. “I knew what I wanted this morning, now I have no idea. Maybe we can make a pros and cons table for me too.”