Your Heart's Desire (6 page)

“I would like to apply for a job,” Caroline said politely. “My brother-in-law works here, and he suggested I come in this morning.” Then, because the young woman seemed interested, she went on to tell her Rich's name and how her sister had lived in California since before the war and how Caroline had left a good secretarial job behind in Minnesota to live with them. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn't mean to go on and on. I suppose I'm a little nervous.”

The woman smiled. “That's okay, I thought it was interesting. Let me call Mr. Stokes—he's our personnel manager—I think he might want to see you.”

“Oh…thank you.” She nodded, waiting as the woman spoke on the phone, and then, just like that, she was directed to go up the stairs and down the hallway to her right.

“Then turn right and it's the third door down,” the woman told her. “It says
Personnel
on the door. Just knock and Mr. Stokes will call you in.”

Caroline thanked her again and, feeling even more nervous, went up the stairs and down the hallway. She had expected to simply be handed an application, to fill it out, turn it in, and leave. But now it seemed she was about to meet the head of Personnel. Mr. Stokes. Hopefully his first name wasn't Terry. That might be awkward, but at least she would finally have a proper introduction.

She took in a steadying breath as she knocked. A deep voice said to come in, and she timidly opened the door. But to her relief it was a heavyset man with deep jowls and thinning gray hair. “Good morning,” she said with as much confidence as she could muster. “My name is Caroline Clark, and I was told to come speak to you.” She made an uneasy smile. “I came to MG Chocolates under the impression I would fill out an application for employment and leave it here. But the receptionist told me to—”

“You told Miss Warner that you worked as a
secretary
, correct?”

“Miss Warner?”

“Our receptionist. She was under the impression you had been employed as a secretary.”

“Oh, yes, yes,” she said eagerly. “I've worked in two different businesses as a secretary, for a total of nearly ten years. My training was from Miss Mayfield's Secretarial School, where I ranked in the top five percentile of my class. I worked at my last place of employment for almost five years. And I have several letters of recommendation right here with me.” She patted her handbag.

He fumbled through a pile of papers then, finding his glasses, slipped them on, and peered curiously at her. “Please, take a seat, miss.”

She sat down, feeling suddenly hopeful. “Do you have a secretarial position open?” she asked cautiously.

“Well, we didn't have one last week. But during this past weekend one of our secretaries went skiing.” He scowled at her. “Do you ski?”

“I haven't in years.”

“Good. Dangerous sport. Miss Bentley broke her leg. Now let me see those letters of recommendation.”

She took the envelope containing copies of letters from her purse and handed them to him.

“Uh-huh…” He extracted the letters, taking his time to skim them. “Yes, this looks very good. Tell me a little about yourself, Miss Clark.”

“Actually it's
Mrs.
Clark,” she began. “But I'm widowed. My husband died early in the war.” And then she talked about her secretarial training, the places she'd worked, and what she enjoyed most about working. “I'm very detail-oriented. I work quickly and efficiently. And I do everything I can to make my boss's job easier.”

He laid down her letters and looked evenly at her without speaking, almost as if he was taking inventory. Then he asked her some specific questions about dictation, typing speed, and so on. “Well, if you're interested, you can have the job, Mrs. Clark.”

“Thank you.” She nodded eagerly. “What job would that be?”

“Mr. Glen Hancock is vice president of Production. His secretary, Miss Bentley, will be out for at least six weeks.”

“So you're offering me
temporary
work?” Caroline felt her spirits dive.

“Well, you can look at it like that,” he spoke slowly, “or you can look at it like the opportunity it is. MG Chocolates is the largest employer in this town, and we're growing fast. If you prove yourself a valuable employee, who knows what might come six weeks from now? Mr. Gordon appreciates motivated workers with good team spirit. From what I've read here and from what little time we've spent together, I suspect you could be just that sort of team player we're looking for, Mrs. Clark.”

She brightened. “Yes! I am a team player. I really am.”

“Then you'll accept the job?”

“Yes, of course. Gladly. Thank you very much, Mr. Stokes.”

“Great.” He handed her some official papers. “Fill these out right now, and I'll ask one of the girls to give you a tour of the facility.” He grinned. “Oh, yes, I forgot to ask. You do like chocolate, don't you?”

“I
love
chocolate.”

He nodded. “I thought so.”

“The smell alone in this place has me slightly lightheaded.”

“I remember that, too…” He looked dismayed. “I'm sorry to say that it wears off over the years. Unless I've been on vacation, I usually walk in and hardly notice it.”

“But you still like chocolate?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. Most assuredly.” He patted his midsection. “It probably shows.”

Caroline felt slightly giddy as she handed him back the paperwork.
She had a job!
Just like that—she had a job. It was almost too much to take in. As she watched him browsing over the completed forms, she realized they hadn't discussed her wage yet.

“I always feel a bit awkward speaking about salary and benefits and such,” she explained a bit timidly. “But because I'm the breadwinner of our little family, it's a necessity.”

“Little family?”
He looked surprised.

“Oh, yes.” She felt a stab of worry. “Didn't I mention I have a son?”

“No, you did not. May I ask who cares for your young son?”

“My son isn't so young. He's nearly ten years old and very mature for his age,” she said defensively.

“Even so, children need watching. And sometimes they get sick. What happens then?”

“We live with my sister. She's a homemaker with two little ones. When Joe comes home from school, my sister will be there. And I'm sure she will be happy to help out if he should get sick. My mother used to do those things for me.”

“Oh, well, then it seems you've got this all figured out.” His smile returned.

It wasn't the first time she'd experienced this line of thinking. Many people in the workforce questioned the sensibility of working mothers. Like Marjorie, some acted as if it were her moral responsibility, as a mother, to find a replacement father for her son. As if it were that easy! Thankfully this was not going to prevent her from getting this job. As she signed the last form Mr. Stokes had for her, she felt relieved that she hadn't mentioned Joe to him earlier. That might've ruined everything. Once again, she inquired about her wages and, as he explained the salary structure and benefits, she was pleased to discover that she would be better off here than she had been in Minnesota!

Chapter 7

Caroline was sent back
down to the redheaded receptionist, Miss Warner, for her tour of the facility. “First things first.” Miss Warner opened a box of chocolates, holding it out to Caroline. “Just so you fully understand what we do here,” she said with a smile. Then while Caroline sampled a delicious chocolate, Miss Warner made a phone call, and after a few minutes, a woman in a white uniform showed up.

“Betty works the assembly line, but fills in for me during breaks or if I'm giving a tour,” Miss Warner explained as she led Caroline down a hallway. “We'll start at the beginning.” Before long they were in a large warehouse area. “This is where the ingredients for chocolate are delivered and stored.” She pointed to containers, explaining their contents. From there, they went to the actual manufacturing area, where enormous machines were noisily operating. Miss Warner led Caroline to a cordoned-off area, where they could observe the machinery and people at work. “This viewing section is where we bring groups during our tours. Much safer than being down on the floor.”

“Do you give many tours?” Caroline asked loudly to be heard.

“Tours became so popular with the public that we scheduled them for Wednesday mornings. But if it's a client, we give them a private tour at any time, complete with full sampling privileges.”

“Sampling must help with sales.” Caroline was craving another chocolate.

“Most definitely.” Miss Warner waved her hand to the large wide-open area that occupied the center of the building. “This is what we call Production and Packaging, and it's the part of the business that your boss, Mr. Hancock, is in charge of. As you can see, this is where the chocolates are made and boxed.” She pointed out the various machines, explaining what they did, how much they produced, and so many details that Caroline felt slightly overwhelmed.

“Everything looks very modern and efficient.” Caroline mentally compared it to the leather company, which besides being much older was much dirtier. “And everything looks so sanitary!” Even the assembly line workers appeared clean and tidy in their crisp white uniforms with red trim. And everyone had on neat white caps that completely covered their hair. Many of them wore white gloves as well.

“We produce a very high-quality product,” Miss Warner said proudly.

Caroline nodded. “Very impressive.”

Next Miss Warner took her to Distribution and Delivery, explaining the various ways orders were packaged and shipped. “Most of our chocolates are just stock orders—for larger stores. But we also do special orders for smaller stores. And then we do individual orders, too. Those are shipped by mail anywhere in the U.S.” She pointed to a white and red delivery truck that was currently being loaded. “We run eight trucks now, but Mr. Gordon wants to work up to a dozen by the end of next year.” She glanced at her watch. “Which reminds me—this is New Year's Eve and the factory will be closing early today, so I better keep us moving. I've still got a lot to do before three o'clock.”

Miss Warner led her to an elevator in the front of the building. “I usually take the stairs,” she said as she pushed the button. “The elevators are for executive personnel. But when we give client tours, I'm allowed to take this elevator. And, since you work for an executive, you get to use it, too.”

As the doors closed, Caroline observed that the elevator, like the foyer, had a marble floor and handsomely carved wooden walls. Impressive.

“I think we'll skip the second floor,” Miss Warner said as she pushed the button for the third floor. “Besides, you already saw some of it when you went to Mr. Stokes's office. The rest is mostly storage and a few offices for bookkeeping and finances—middle-management stuff.”

On the third floor, Miss Warner showed Caroline a large employee lunchroom, which overlooked Production and Packaging down below. The sounds and smells of the chocolate production wafted up. She pointed out where employee lockers, restrooms, and even shower rooms were located. Everything was clean and practical, plain and utilitarian.

“Will I have a locker, too?” Caroline asked eagerly.

“No, this area isn't for you. I just wanted you to see it—to get the lay of the land.”

“Oh…” Caroline wasn't sure what that meant as she followed Miss Warner back to the elevator. Was it because she was considered a temporary employee until Miss Bentley returned?

“Now we go up to the executive offices,” Miss Warner said as she pushed the button for the fourth floor in the elevator. “There are four departments: Production, where you'll be working. Distribution, Marketing, and Sales. Each department has a vice president.” Miss Warner started rattling off names, but Caroline knew she wasn't going to remember all this—she needed to take notes, and her fingers were itching for a steno pad.

As they exited the elevator, Caroline was immediately aware that they were on the executive floor. The foyer outside of the elevator, with marble floors and richly paneled walls as well as several handsomely potted plants, was even more posh and polished than the main entrance foyer downstairs. But what really captured her attention was the open walkway that appeared to circle the building. She peered over the brass rail to see that it overlooked the manufacturing floor, where her tour had started. It was four stories below them, but highly visible from this bird's-eye view.

“Some of the workers think the catwalk is so the VPs can spy on them,” Miss Warner said quietly. “But I think it's just to make them feel connected.”

“I like it,” Caroline told her. “Makes for an interesting perspective.”

“The offices on this side are for Production and Distribution. And over there, on the right side, are Marketing and Sales.” Miss Warner pointed across the open area to the opposite end. “And that is the president's offices.”

Miss Warner paused by a large glass door with the word
Distribution
in large letters. As they went inside, she introduced Caroline to a pleasant-faced young woman named Miss Fowler. Her blond hair was styled, and her gabardine suit was more fashionable than Caroline's.

“Our job in distribution is to get the product out of the factory and to its final destination—in excellent condition,” Miss Fowler told her. “It sounds simple enough, but believe me, it's not always easy.” Then, as she was telling them about how a delivery truck broke down in a snowstorm up north, an older man stepped into the office. “And this is my boss, Mr. Price, vice president of Distribution.” Miss Fowler quickly explained to him who Caroline was, and he said a polite but brisk hello, hurrying on into his office.

“Welcome to MG,” Miss Fowler said cheerfully. “See you at lunch.”

Caroline thanked her, and Miss Warner led her to the next glass door. “This is where you'll be working.” Miss Warner pointed to the big gold letters,
Production
, as she led her into the spacious office area. Similar to the distribution office, this space was carpeted in a deep red rug, and several club chairs and a coffee table made a waiting area on one side and a large mahogany desk was on the other.

“That's Miss Bentley's desk,” Miss Warner said, “but yours for now.” She pointed to a door off to one side. “That's a closet for your things.” She pointed to the opposite side. “And those are the offices of some of the production employees.” Now she went over to the big door in the rear wall that said
Vice President of Production, Glen Hancock
in gold letters. “And that is your boss's office. Mr. Hancock.” She gave the door three sharp knocks.

“Come in,” a male voice called out.

Caroline felt nervous as she followed Miss Warner into the spacious office, where one whole wall was floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything about this place was so much bigger and grander than what she was used to at her previous place of work. She wondered if she was out of her league here. What if she couldn't measure up to their expectations?

“Good morning, Mr. Hancock,” Miss Warner said respectfully. “I'd like you to meet your temporary secretary.” She did a quick introduction. “Mrs. Clark will be filling in for Miss Bentley until she recovers from her broken leg.”

Mr. Hancock stood and extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Clark.” He smiled warmly at her, but as she exchanged the usual pleasantries, she felt surprised that he wasn't older. Not that he was young, exactly, but her best guess was that he wasn't much more than forty. The VPs back at the leather factory had all been close to retirement age.

“I'm very impressed with the factory. Miss Warner just gave me the tour. And the machines and the automation all appear to be so very modern. Everything down there looks so sanitary and well organized. Very impressive.” Caroline didn't want to blather, but she was trying to suppress her nerves.

“Great. Glad to see you appreciate a well-run factory. And I'm relieved they found someone so quickly.” He sat back down at his desk and picked up a folder. “I was already starting to feel overwhelmed. Especially since Valentine's Day is only six weeks out. We're in our most demanding production season right now. I need someone who can jump right in where Miss Bentley left off.”

“I'm ready to do that.” Caroline hoped that was true, but she had her doubts. How ready was she really?

“So can you begin work
today
?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, I, uh, I don't know. I suppose I could.”

“Tomorrow's a holiday,” he reminded her. “And every day we lose in these next couple of weeks is critical.”

“I'll start today,” she declared. “I just need to give someone a call…let them know my plans.”

“Thank you!” He nodded eagerly. “There's already quite a pile of correspondence on Miss Bentley's desk. Do what you can with it. And we close early today, so it will be a short day for you.”

“I just want to finish her tour,” Miss Warner said as they were leaving. “She hasn't seen the marketing and sales offices yet. Or Mr. Gordon's office.”

“By all means, finish the tour.” He waved them off. “And let me know if you have any questions, Mrs. Clark. I'm busy, but not too busy to help you get off to a good start.”

“Yes, I'm sure I'll have some questions,” she said as they backed out the door. “But I'll write them down so we don't waste too much of your valuable time.”

“Good.” He nodded. “I appreciate that.”

Now Miss Warner led her in the opposite direction from the elevator. “This first office is the sales department.” She peered in the door to what appeared to be an empty office. “But it looks like they might be in meetings. Mr. Russell is probably getting his salesmen ready for the big convention next week.” Caroline vaguely wondered if this was where Terry worked. He'd seemed so smooth and polished…like a salesman.

Miss Warner led Caroline on down the catwalk, pointing to a large wooden door with no words on it. “This is the executive break room,” she said as she pushed it open to reveal a surprisingly luxurious room—nothing like the break room Caroline had been acquainted with back in Minnesota. Besides a modern kitchen area, there were several glass-topped dining tables and a comfortable-looking seating area. Miss Warner made a longing sigh. “My dream is to be up here someday. Oh, I don't have the proper training yet, but I just started a secretarial correspondence course last fall. And sometimes I fill in for the middle-management secretaries, just for a few hours. Once I did a whole day. But they would never let me take six weeks.”

“Well, good for you, for pursuing your dream.” Caroline smiled.

Miss Warner paused in front of the next glass door. “And this is the lovely marketing department. Miss Stuart is the vice president of this department.”

“Miss?”
Caroline asked in surprise. “This vice president is a woman?”

“Yes.” Miss Warner pushed open the door just as a fashionably dressed young woman emerged from the executive office. “Hello, Miss Thornton, this is Mrs. Clark. She will fill in for Miss Bentley.”

Miss Thornton shook Caroline's hand with a questioning look. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Clark.”

“Mrs. Clark just moved here from Minnesota,” Miss Warner told her.

“Minnesota?” Miss Thornton's brow creased. “This must be quite a change for you.”

“Yes, it takes some getting used to, but I'm happy to be here.”

“So…welcome to the team,” she said in a slightly superior way, “even if it's just
temporarily
.”

“Thank you.” Caroline noticed Miss Thornton narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, almost as if evaluating her. And judging by this secretary's stylish coral suit with its big shiny black buttons and her matching high-heeled pumps, she would probably concur with Marjorie—Caroline definitely looked dowdy and old-fashioned in comparison.