When Love's at Work (5 page)

When Purity saw the job posting in the local
newspaper, her heart skipped a beat. She knew she wanted it
immediately.

Purity completed the last of the new-hire
paperwork and headed for the office. It would really be hers now.
It was no longer her temporary space.

Purity Indigo Zyetta, events coordinator of
The Kids’ Place. It had a lovely ring to it.

Purity was in her office reading her job
description and wondering who her direct supervisor would be.
Surely it wouldn’t be Mark Watterson, since he was the president.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Sheila Martin
appeared at her door.

“
Knock, knock,” Sheila
said.

“
Come in, Sheila,” Pure
responded, noticing the files Sheila was carrying.

“
I thought you’d like to
review some of the events we’ve had in the past couple of years.”
Sheila placed the files on Purity’s desk. “I don’t know if anyone
told you, but you’ll be reporting directly to Judd Broadstreet. His
official title is vice president of financial planning.”

Sheila placed an organizational flow chart
in front of Purity. It had Mark Watterson’s name at the top as
president, then the eight board members and then four
vice-presidents. Pure thought the flow chart looked very top heavy.
Of course, that was the case with most organizations, but she had
hoped that The Kids’ Place would be different. She hated when so
much of the money an agency collected went to high salaries rather
than resources for the people they were trying to serve.

The organizational chart was a single page
and she noted that support staff was not included. Was that an
oversight?

“
Sheila, how long have you
worked here?”

“
A little over eight
years.”

“
Do you like working
here?”

Sheila sat down in a chair opposite Purity,
“Mostly yes,” she said earnestly. “The pay is okay, although I wish
it were more. I haven’t had an increase, other than cost of living,
since I was hired. I could sure use a few more days off a year,
too, but other than that I like the work. Honestly, Purity, I’ve
had a couple of bosses who were really not team players and that
just drags everyone down.” Sheila hoped she wasn’t being too honest
with the woman she hoped would not only be her new boss, but a new
friend.

“
I’ve been there,” Pure
replied knowingly. “My last job was like that. I was working as an
assistant to the executive director of a foundation. No matter how
hard anyone worked, the only person who took credit was the
director. It made us all mad as hell, but what could we do?
Finally, we all banded together and quit. Of course, new people
were hired, but we just decided we weren’t going to contribute our
knowledge and skills to an agency that didn’t value or acknowledge
our contributions.”

“
It will be nice to have a
real team player on board,” Sheila said, reassured by Purity’s
words and actions.

“
How long has Alex
McCallister been a board member?”

“
Let’s see,” Sheila began
thinking back to who was around when Alex accepted the invitation
to be a board member. “Must be about five years ago. Mark Watterson
solicited his service the first year he was president. They’re old
college buddies.”

“
Is he married?” Purity
knew she sounded like a school girl, but she couldn’t help it. Alex
wore a gold band on his wedding ring finger and she just needed to
know if he was off limits.

“
Yes. Well, actually yes
and no. He’s been trying to get a divorce for a couple of years
now, but his wife is being stubborn about the whole thing. Are you
interested in him?”

“
Dating co-workers is
usually frowned upon.”

“
That’s not what I asked
you.” Sheila caught the evasive answer with ease.

Pure met Sheila’s gaze. “Yes, I’m
interested.”

“
From what I know about
Alex, he’s a loyal kind of guy. Until the divorce is final, he’ll
be wearing that ring.”

Judd Broadstreet appeared in Purity’s office
doorway. “When you get a minute, Purity, I’d like to meet with you
and go over a few things.”

“
Sure, Mr.
Broadstreet.”

“
Call me Judd, everyone
does.”

Directing his attention to Sheila, Judd
asked, “Sheila, will you set Purity up with an orientation to the
facility and our programs? I want her to know everything about us
so she can answer questions confidently when she’s out in the
field.”

“
I’ll arrange it right
now,” Sheila said, slipping past Judd and heading to her desk to
schedule a meeting between Purity and Sally Murphy, the vice
president of communications. Sally always had the latest
information on programs, events and the latest gossip, as
well.

Pure gathered a legal pad, a pen and her
calendar and followed Judd into his office. Purity made herself
comfortable in one of the thick leather chairs. She wondered how
much money had been spent on the furniture when simple cloth
covered seating would be more cost effective.

“
Starry, Starry Night,”
Judd said.

“
Pardon me?”

“
Starry, Starry Night.
It’s the theme of our winter fundraiser. We do it every year.
Sheila probably has a file with all the information on what’s been
done in year’s past. The basic gist is that we get some top name
stars to show up, sign autographs and take photos, and we charge a
hefty admission price. The celebrities get exposure for doing a
good deed, people are thrilled to meet the stars, and we get a nice
chunk of change to put in our coffers.”

“
When’s the
date?”

“
First Saturday in
December.”

“
I’ll get right on it,”
Purity commented, thinking that four months was hardly enough
notice for a celebrity to make a commitment to being at a charity
event. She would have liked to give them at least a year’s notice.
Publicity would need to go out months in advance if they wanted a
good turnout, and a good profit. She’d just have to work with what
she was given.

“
In the meantime,” Judd
continued, “we have the Garden Party in August, our annual
Back-To-School Carnival Labor Day weekend, and we need to get
something planned for Halloween and Thanksgiving.”

Suddenly Purity was feeling very
overwhelmed. Five events in four months.

Shifting topics, Purity asked, “Judd, what
is your policy about raises?”

“
You want a raise
already?”

“
No, not me. I was
thinking about Sheila Martin. She’s carried a heavy load for
several years without any monetary compensation. Is it possible to
give her an increase?”

“
How long has she been
employed here?”

“
Around eight
years.”

“
I’ll check into it and
get back to you. We like to reward loyalty and hard work. If Sheila
Martin has been displaying both, she definitely merits a
raise.”

“
Thanks for checking,
Judd,” Purity responded, rising from her chair and reaching across
Judd’s desk to shake his hand. “I’m excited to get started.” And,
scared to death, Purity thought to herself as she exited Judd’s
office and made her way through the corridor back to her office.
One thing at a time. First she needed to talk with Sheila, then go
through the old files, and make a to-do list. Everything seemed
more organized when she had a to-do list.

Purity almost walked straight into Alex
McCallister.

“
Whoa there,” Alex said,
putting his arm out to stop their bodies from colliding.

A bit stunned by their close proximity,
Purity stared into Alex’s electric blue eyes. His dark unruly hair
was defiantly sticking out above his suit collar. The lips Purity
had dreamt about earlier in the week were intoxicatingly close.

“
Sorry,” Pure said. “Guess
I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“
No harm, no
foul.”

Damn that ring, Pure thought. Damn it to
hell.

Chapter Four

Sheila and Purity spent the better part of
the day going over event details, searching through files and
figuring out each other’s work styles. Purify found Sheila to be
efficient and highly capable. It was obvious that many of the
contacts she made over the years were loyal to her.

“
Sheila, why didn’t you
apply for the events coordinator position?”

“
I don’t have a college
degree.” Sheila lowered her gaze, scrutinizing the pen in her hand,
embarrassment weighing heavily on her shoulders.

“
Neither do I.”

“
You don’t?” Sheila’s head
rose quickly. “But, I saw the job posting and it required a
degree.”

“
I saw that, too, but I
applied anyway. Sometimes experience, a solid work history and
excellent references can persuade a potential employer to hire
you.”

The words echoed in Sheila’s ears. She had
practically been doing the events coordinator’s job for the past
six years. Sheila thought about applying for the job, but when she
saw the degree requirement, she just pushed the notion aside, like
she had so many other times with jobs she felt she wasn’t educated
enough to qualify for.

“
You have great skills,
Sheila,” Pure interrupted Sheila’s thoughts. “Don’t sell yourself
short. If, at any time, you decide that you want a job higher up on
the proverbial ladder, just let me know. I’ll write you a stellar
recommendation.” Purity quickly added, “Not that I’m trying to get
rid of you, far from it. I just want you to be fulfilled in your
work. It’s more than a job, you know?”

Sheila did know, and nodded her head. She’d
never had a supervisor who actually cared about her well-being.
Working with Purity Zyetta was turning into one of the most
pleasant work arrangements Sheila had ever known.

“
We haven’t taken a break
all day. Want to go out for some food and a drink?” Purity asked
Sheila.

“
Definitely,” Sheila
replied, “and the first drink’s on me,
boss
!”

“
You’re on,”

The two women put their work stations in
order, turned off their computers and agreed to take separate cars
to the Olive Garden restaurant about a mile up the road.

Purity was looking forward to getting to
know more about her co-worker, as was Sheila. They laughed, drank,
and shared stories over their chicken parmesan and angel hair
pasta.

As they parted ways to head home for the
night, Purity realized she hadn’t called her friends to let them
know she got the job. One thing happened after another and it all
snowballed so quickly, she had simply forgotten.

After calling Courtney, Meg and Tapestry,
and receiving lots of celebratory attaboys, Pure was once again at
her front door being welcomed into her calm oasis.

It was exciting to think about the upcoming
events. She really wanted Courtney to help her with the
Halloween-themed event. She would come up with the most creepy and
wonderful ideas that would thrill the kids. The adults may not be
as pleased by Court’s off-beat expressions of creativity, but the
kids always responded enthusiastically.

She wanted Tapestry to help with the outdoor
Garden Party, especially the decorations. Apparently last year they
had roses for centerpieces and lavender and vanilla scented
candles. Not only did it draw bees to the arrangements, the aromas
clashed terribly and it made many people so nauseas they couldn’t
eat their meal. Not to mention the disastrous results that could
ensue if someone had an allergic reaction or was asthmatic. No,
there would be no scented candles or scented flowers at the Garden
Party this year.

Pure remembered Sheila’s recounting of the
tale and how she was blamed for making the decision about the
centerpieces. Her face flushed with anger at receiving a reprimand
for something she hadn’t even been in charge of.

Pure really hoped that Judd Broadstreet
would be able to work it out so Sheila received a raise.

Injustice was one of the things that
irritated Purity to no end. If you worked hard and tried to live
your life with integrity, honor, honesty and kindness, it just
seemed like life should treat you the same way. Of course, it
didn’t always work that way, Pure knew, but she still tried to make
her little corner of the world as just as possible.

Purity was awakened in the middle of the
night. Was it another flashback? She wasn’t drenched in sweat and
her heart wasn’t palpitating. She heard a sound coming from just
outside her window. As she peeked through her window blinds, she
saw a kitten covered in orange, black and white fur. It was whining
sorrowfully.

No, she said to herself, I can’t have a pet.
It would cost me a $300 deposit and $50 a month. No pets. She left
the window and crawled back into bed. The kitty continued its
lonely song. Pure knew she had earplugs some place, but where? She
didn’t want a cat. She didn’t need a cat. She was not going to let
it get to her.

The sound stopped. “Thank God,” Purity said
aloud.

She settled back into a comfortable position
and was almost asleep when she heard barking. Her eyes flew open.
The kitten was so little. Images of a big dog barreling down on the
sweet little kitty and chomping hard gave her feet flight. Before
she knew it, Pure had turned off her alarm system and was opening
the sliding glass door.