Your Heart's Desire (12 page)

When it was time for the executive meeting, Caroline was prepared with her steno pad and spare pencils. She'd also spent a couple minutes in the ladies' room, putting her hair into a tighter, more professional-looking, bun. Sure, Marjorie would say it made her look like an old lady, but Caroline didn't care. She needed to do whatever was necessary to avoid the appearance of seeking out a romance in the workplace. Never mind that she'd heard all sorts of snippets of conversations from other female employees—ones who appeared to be on the lookout for a husband—or even Evelyn, who seemed intent on keeping
Mr. Gordon
(as Caroline had now decided to think of him) to herself.

The executive meeting room was fairly typical. A long dark table with a number of comfortable-looking leather chairs around it, and then some less-comfortable-looking chairs against the walls. But covering the back wall, behind what she assumed was the head of the table, was a cheerful display of heart-shaped Valentine candy boxes, lending an air of fun to the otherwise serious room. As Mr. Hancock took a seat, she noticed several boxes of opened chocolates on the table, giving the place almost a party atmosphere. Caroline saw that Doris had taken one of the wall chairs, slightly behind her boss, so Caroline did the same.

Before long, all the VPs, Mr. Gordon, as well as the secretaries were seated and the meeting was called to order. Like the other secretaries, Caroline kept her focus on her steno pad and note taking as the meeting progressed. It seemed the biggest discussion topic of the day was a new packaging design that the marketing department had come up with for a candy box.

“This is not just an ordinary Valentine's candy box,” Evelyn was explaining. “It's a statement.” She held the model up for all to see. It was a large heart-shaped box covered in padded pink satin that resembled upholstery with cloth-covered buttons. It had a ruffled edge of satin and lace trim and a dark pink velvet bow. “You give this to your girl and you are saying something.
It's a statement.
It's not just a box of chocolates. It's so much more.
It's a statement.
A girl shows this off to her friends, she is making
a statement
. This box is—”

“Okay, okay,” Mr. Price said with a bit of irritation. “We get that. The box is a statement. My question is, will it hold up during shipment? You know we don't have refrigeration on our trucks. And that fabric looks delicate. Like a disaster just waiting to happen. For instance, down south, the weather occasionally gets warm in February. What if the chocolate melts a little? What if it ruins that fancy fabric? Then where would we be?”

“The liner in the box will prevent that,” she said impatiently. “Just like with our other packages.”

“But it's so late in the season to be introducing a new package. Especially a complicated one like that.” Mr. Hancock's tone sounded worried. “Why not save it for next year, when we can take the proper time to do it right?”

“Because we have to beat out the competition,” she told him. “It's time to raise the bar. If MG wants to continue being a big player in the confectionery world, we have to stay ahead of the pack.”

“I agree,” Mr. Gordon said. “But you have to admit you're throwing this at us a bit late in the game.”

“That's right,” Mr. Hancock agreed. “We're not magicians, Miss Stuart. And to be honest, it feels like you're asking me to pull a rabbit out of my hat. We already have a challenging season ahead. Our production goals are larger than ever for January. My crew is functioning at full throttle already.”

“I realize it will take a bit more time on the onset,” she told him. “And I'm certainly not asking you to package
all
the Valentine's chocolates like this. But this box will be our star—our front-liner. I even wanted to run some sort of contest in New York next week. And perhaps a promotion—a store owner receives it complimentary if the order is sufficient.”

“I like that!” Mr. Russell, the VP of Sales, nodded.

“Can't you just see some of these beauties in our display at the New York show?” she said to him. “I want to knock the socks off of the vendors this year. Can you imagine the orders you'd get with this new packaging?”

Mr. Russell slapped the table. “It's not like anything out there, Evelyn. You're right; it is a statement piece. I think we could double our sales with the promotion you're describing.”

“Which is why we need to pull out all the stops and do this,” she told everyone persuasively. “There's still time, we just have to get on it
immediately
.”

“Is that possible?” Mr. Gordon asked Mr. Hancock. “Can you manufacture those boxes in time to get them into the stores at least two weeks before Valentine's Day?”

“I suppose anything is possible,” Mr. Hancock said with reservation. “But it'll be a lot of work. I might have to hire more employees.”

“Then do it,” Evelyn exclaimed. Suddenly all the VPs were talking at once. Production and Distribution were stating reasons of opposition while Marketing and Sales were off and running. Caroline could barely manage to get down all their comments.

“Okay,” Mr. Gordon spoke loudly, getting everyone's attention. “Here's what I think we should do. As you know, the New York trade show is next week. Our full sales force will be there. We'll take prototypes of this new packaging and, if Evelyn and Glen are correct, if we really do double our orders, I will telephone you from New York.” He pointed to Mr. Hancock. “And you will immediately go into production of the new packaging. Understood?”

“Okay, if that's what you want.” Mr. Hancock still sounded doubtful. “But I want to go on record as saying I recommended we waited until next year.”

“And I want to go on record saying that I'm concerned about the sturdiness of a package that's covered in a delicate fabric like that,” Mr. Price added. “I won't take responsibility for chocolate that gets soft in warm temperatures and makes a mess of that satin. I remember when my wife spilled milk on a satin dress. Never did come out.”

“Dear, dear Warren,” Evelyn said in a teasing tone. “Such a worrier. Like a dog with a bone.”

“You'd worry, too, if it was your responsibility to get something as delicate as chocolate to its final destination—and in perfect condition,” he said back to her.

“And yet you do such an outstanding job.” Her voice was sweet as syrup. “Year after year. You always deliver, Warren.”

He chuckled. “Yep. Delivering, that's what I do.”

Caroline wasn't sure how detailed Mr. Hancock wanted her notes to be, but just to be safe, she'd tried to get it all down. It had been a relief to have something to focus on besides Mr. Gordon at the head of the table. Although she'd tried to keep her eyes on her steno pad, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in his dark brown suit. And she admired the way he managed his VPs, somehow listening to all of them and making the decision he felt was best for the company.

The meeting ended, and as Caroline was finishing up her notes, she realized the other secretaries were already moving toward the door. She stood, too, making her way around the room, trying not to eavesdrop as the VPs and Mr. Gordon remained behind, chatting about the New York show.

“Okay, Terry, looks like you owe me a steak dinner in New York,” Evelyn said in a flirtatious tone.

“That was your bet, not mine,” he said good-naturedly. “Besides, you haven't won yet.”

“Oh, I will win,” she told him as Caroline reached the door. “You'll see. Don't I always win? And I won't settle for merely a New Yorker steak. I want a good bottle of Champagne, too.” Her laughter seemed to follow Caroline out the door. There, Doris was waiting for her.

“Well, that was interesting,” Doris said as they walked together. “I thought for sure that Mr. Gordon would agree with Mr. Hancock and put the kibosh on that crazy packaging plan.” She shook her head. “Miss Stuart might be full of ideas, but she doesn't always understand the complications of carrying them out.”

“It was a beautiful package,” Caroline admitted.

“A
statement
,” Doris said in a teasing tone.

“Let's just hope it's a good statement.” Caroline chuckled as she went into the production department. And, although she wasn't particularly fond of Evelyn, she had to admit that her satin box idea was clever. The package was definitely attractive. It was the sort of box a girl would keep long after the chocolates were gone. Perhaps she'd use it as a jewelry box or a place to contain love letters. It really was a beautiful Valentine keepsake. And, for the sake of the company, Caroline hoped that it would be a success in New York. As she started sorting the morning mail, she tried not to imagine Mr. Gordon and Evelyn sharing a steak dinner and Champagne in a glamorous Manhattan restaurant. But, like a Technicolor film, it was all she could see playing through her mind.

Chapter 13

On Monday Caroline was
determined not to let images of Evelyn and Mr. Gordon infiltrate her thoughts. However, as the day passed, unwanted scenes of the two of them would flash through her mind. In the morning she saw them flying together across the country on a luxurious airplane. In the afternoon, she saw them riding in the back of a taxi together. And as she walked home from work, she saw them in the lobby of a fancy New York hotel. Oh, she knew that Terrence was an honorable employer and would never take advantage of a situation like that. And she was fully aware that the two of them were not there alone. Plenty of other MG employees had gone as well. The VP of Sales and his sales team had left on the same flight. But somehow it was only Mr. Gordon and the glamorous Evelyn that starred in this troublesome movie that kept playing through her head. And the final scene, as Caroline was getting ready for bed, was of the two of them shopping in Tiffany's, selecting a big fat diamond ring!

On Tuesday, she did better at blocking the unwanted images from her mind. Fortunately, Mr. Hancock gave her a long to-do list. He was calling it the “just in case” list. All related to Evelyn's new packaging design. He wanted Caroline to get prices on the various materials required to manufacture the fancy satin chocolate boxes.

“Hopefully we won't need it.” He crossed his fingers. “If we get lucky, Mr. Gordon will decide to wait until next year for this.”

“I'll do my best to round up this information as well as the costs as quickly as possible,” she promised. “Just in case.” And then she'd spent the bulk of the day making phone calls, getting estimates, and making lots of notes.

On Wednesday morning, she felt she'd actually gotten the upper hand on her Technicolor mind-movie. In fact, she had nearly convinced herself that if Evelyn returned with a huge engagement ring on her finger, Caroline would simply take it in stride. She would warmly congratulate both of them and get on with her life. But when the phone rang just as she was getting ready to go to lunch, and she heard Mr. Gordon's voice, her previous resolve instantly melted.

“How are you doing, Mrs. Clark?” he asked with what seemed genuine interest.

“I'm fine,” she told him. “Staying busy.”

“And how's Joe? Still saving up for that baseball mitt?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, he's actually working for my sister now, earning twenty-five cents a day.”

“Enterprising young man. What does he do?”

“When he gets home from school, he's responsible for his young cousin Danny until suppertime. I'd say it's babysitting, but both boys take offense at that term.”

Terrence laughed heartily.

“But I'm sure you didn't call long distance to hear about that.” She put on her business tone. “How is New York?”

“New York is grand as always. Such a great old town.”

“Did you lose the steak dinner bet?” As soon as it was out of her mouth, she regretted it. Why had she said that?

“Yes.” He chuckled. “But I think it's a good bet to lose. In fact, that's exactly why I'm calling. Is your boss around?”

“He just stepped out for lunch,” she said. “But he's probably in the break room. Want me to go look?”

“No, that's okay. I forgot that it would be lunchtime there. Why are you still at your desk?”

“I was just finishing up some things. I've been gathering estimates on the materials and whatnot for the new packaging. Just in case…”

“Good for you. And as it turns out, fortunate for everyone. Why don't you take a message for me, for Glen?”

“Okay.” She picked up her pencil.

“Tell him we'll be going ahead. The new packaging idea has been a huge hit at the show. Pull out the stops and move forward. Bruce in Sales will call him later with some real numbers. But it's time to move. Not a moment too soon, either.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

There was a brief pause. “No…I think that's all for now. Thanks for helping on this, Mrs. Clark. It looks like we've got a winner on our hands.”

“That's wonderful.”

“You have a good rest of your week,” he said warmly. “I'll be back in the office on Monday.”

“Travel safely,” she said.

After she hung up, she grabbed her brown bag lunch and hurried to the break room, where she found Mr. Hancock sitting with Mr. Price. “I have good news,” she said a bit hesitantly. “Well, I guess that depends on your perspective.” She offered an uneasy smile. “Mr. Gordon just called. The satin heart design has been a big hit. He said to go forward with it, and he wants you to start production immediately. I put the full message on your desk, sir.”

Mr. Hancock let out a little groan. “Okay…then I guess it's a done deal.” He looked at Mr. Price. “You ready for this?”

Mr. Price rolled his eyes. “I just hope you package these things well enough to arrive at the stores looking as pretty as they did at the New York show.”

“We'll do our best.” Mr. Hancock turned back to Caroline. “Go ahead and start placing orders for the materials on the list. Hopefully we can start production the first of next week, if not sooner.” He shook his head. “I better hire a few more employees.”

For the next two days, Caroline spent most of her time getting the right materials lined up for the new satin packages. And, although her boss was less than enthusiastic, Caroline discovered that she enjoyed looking for the best materials for the best prices and the fastest deliveries. Mr. Hancock held several production meetings in his office, and instead of feeling like a mere secretary, Caroline almost felt as if she was a true part of the team. As they discussed the fabrics and ribbons and the way the construction of the boxes needed to happen, it seemed that they were actually listening to her ideas. And since she was the only woman—and perhaps more familiar with things like satin, lace, and velvet ribbons—they seemed eager to hear her thoughts.

By Monday, the materials were delivered, and on the following day, Caroline spent some time on the floor, along with the production managers, observing how the manufacturing process was actually going. “This is really interesting,” she told Mr. Hancock as they watched a small team of workers assembling the specialty boxes.

“As you can see, the basic technology is the same as with our other boxes,” he said. “But getting them to look like Evelyn's prototype isn't easy. Not without spending an inordinate amount of time—which equals money.” He frowned at his clipboard. “If we can't start producing them about five times faster than we're doing right now, we will go into the red.”

“Hopefully the workers will speed up as they get used to the process.” She glanced at her watch. “I should probably get back to my desk.”

He nodded grimly as he watched a worker fumbling to fasten a satin-covered button through the fabric and padding and into the cardboard part of the heart. “Thank you for all your hard work in getting us off to a fast start, Mrs. Clark.”

As she returned to her department, she felt concerned for the new production crew. Assembling those boxes was a challenge! Fortunately, it wasn't her challenge. Caroline was relieved to get back to her desk. Due to the distraction these past few days, some of her daily chores had been neglected. It felt good to restore order and return to her routine. But as she sorted mail, she considered Mr. Hancock's concern over the expense of producing those fancy boxes. She hadn't really considered the cost of everything combined. The materials hadn't been cheap, and the workers' wages wouldn't be, either. She had no idea what the cost per box would be. Fortunately, that was Mr. Hancock's job. She just hoped it would all balance out eventually.

As the week passed, Caroline became painfully aware of two things. First of all, her boss was worried and distressed over the production of those “doggone” satin boxes. He'd already had one emergency meeting with Evelyn, hoping to convince her that it was necessary to simplify the design. However, she would not hear of it. The second thing troubling Caroline was that she had only seen Mr. Gordon twice. And both times he had been coolly professional and businesslike, treating her just like any other employee. While she knew that was probably for the best, she felt disappointed. And, although she tried to hide it, she felt blue.

Also, unless it was her imagination, many of her coworkers were feeling stressed and somewhat gloomy, too. It seemed everyone was on edge. Much of it was because they were in the midst of fulfilling Valentine orders and the pressure was high. But a lot of the tension seemed related to the fancy satin boxes—especially in her department. Sometimes it seemed that the only one with a positive attitude was Evelyn. Of course, Caroline realized that since it had been Evelyn's idea, she had to keep her spirits high. The only time Evelyn's perennial smile faded was when she ran into Caroline. And it all seemed to come to a head on Friday morning.

“
Excuse me
,” Evelyn said in a disgruntled tone as she pushed past Caroline to reach the sugar container. “I happen to be in a hurry.”

“I'm nearly done.” Caroline dumped the spoonful of sugar in her boss's cup, moving out of the way so quickly that some coffee slopped out.

“And, in case you forgot, I happen to be a
vice president
,” Evelyn snapped, reaching for the sugar. “In the first place, I shouldn't be getting my own coffee. In the second place, I shouldn't have to wait on
you
.”

“I'm sorry.” Caroline got a rag to wipe up the spilled coffee. “But I was getting Mr. Hancock's coffee. He's
also
a vice president.”

Evelyn glared at her. “You seem rather uppity—for a
secretary
.”

Caroline didn't know how to respond to this humiliation, but she was relieved they were the only ones in the break room.

“Maybe you think you can get away with disrespect,” Evelyn continued, “because I'm a woman. Maybe you don't think I'm owed the same respect as a man in my position.”

“I don't feel like that at all. I actually—”

“Or perhaps you resent me.” Evelyn put her face close to Caroline's. “I am not blind.”

“Blind?” Caroline cautiously backed away. For someone in a hurry, Evelyn certainly had a lot to say this morning.

“When it comes to Terry.” She narrowed her eyes. “I know the score.”

“I honestly don't understand what you—”

“I saw you at the New Year's Eve party. Cozying up to Terry's mother like you think she's your ticket to Terry. I know your type, Mrs. Clark. Opportunistic, manipulative—you take a job you don't really care about, playing the poor war widow, the helpless female in the workplace…but all you really want is to trap a rich husband.”

“That's
not
true!” Caroline heard the break room door open and Evelyn's face immediately broke into a big smile.

“So, if you'll take my advice,” Evelyn said pleasantly, “you'll discover that MG Chocolates is a
wonderful
place to work. You really are lucky to be part of the team, Mrs. Clark. Don't you think so, too, Terry?”

Caroline turned to see Mr. Gordon approaching the coffee area with a curious expression. “I guess so.” He peered at Caroline. “Everything okay?”

“Of course.” She held out the coffee cup. “Mr. Hancock's waiting for this.”

It wasn't until she was in the production office that she realized she had tears running down her cheeks. How completely humiliating!

On Monday, a memo went out to the entire company. Caroline read it with only mild interest, knowing at once that she wouldn't participate.

Just like that, everyone in the company—well, at least the females—was all aflutter. Caroline tried to feign interest as she sat with Doris and Mrs. Gallagher in the break room during the lunch hour, but the truth was she was still stinging from Evelyn's attack on her the previous week.

“Mr. Price said Mr. Gordon only did this to lift everyone's spirits,” Doris was saying to Mrs. Gallagher.

“Yes, that's true,” the older woman agreed. “But you must admit it is a fun idea. I already called my husband to let him know that I expect to find something in there.” She laughed.