Emily's Home - Ginger's Out Ch. 08

I turned the corner to my desk. Tammy took one look at me and burst out laughing. I smiled and wondered what was so funny. "Sick huh?" Oh that! I giggled.

"Get me some coffee laughing girl and meet me in the conference room. I want to turn my computer on." Tammy took my cup, still giggling. I opened Kyle's email. There was a letter and an attachment: an invoice. Asshole. I printed it all, put it on my desk and headed to meet Tammy.

She wanted to hear it all. I started with Monday and told her about the sweater, McDonald's and the near carjacking. She stared at me in disbelief. "Yup, that's how random it was. She had to stay; I headed to the court house and the divorce - which is final, finally, by the way." I told her about the name change. "I had no idea how long she'd be so I went back to McDonald's to wait for her call. She had another squad bring her to my car. A couple of hours later I was on a plane."

"Amazing; that mom and her kids were so fortunate. Reenie is so brave. Weren't you scared?"

"Hell yes; I was out of my mind scared. Reenie and the other cop told me what a great job I'd done on the phone. The plan had been for Reenie to come to court with me, come here to say goodbye to everyone and introduce you to Reenie. We barely had time to get back, make love, and hustle to the airport." Oh yeah, Reenie still had my computer. I need to tell her when she called. I gave Tammy a brief description of the five plus days. She listened wide-eyed.

"It sounds completely fabulous, Ginger." She giggled. "I have to get used to calling you that from now on."

I described how Reenie surprised me at the airport and how she'd decorated my room. Tammy's eyes were very wet. I told her about the minx leaving a message for George about me being ill. We laughed and laughed. She knew it was BS all long. I detailed our Monday, taking Reenie shopping, the dress and shoes, dinner and afterward. I also mentioned that we were going to follow my advice and do our own date night. She got up and hugged me.

"Ginger, date night has changed our marriage. Good for you."

We decided it was probably a good idea to get some work done. It was about 10:30 am when Jodi came for me. I knocked on George's door. He waved me in and asked me to close it. "George I want to apologize about not being at work last Monday." I told him about Reenie and the incident. His eyes got real wide and he shook his head.

"This Reenie you're speaking of -- is she friend of yours?" Be a big girl Ginger. Tell the man who she is to you.

"We've been in a relationship for some time now." I gave him my best smile. I got the fish out of water reaction -- mouth opening and closing with no words spoken.

"Oh." He shuffled some papers. "Well, um, I hope the two of you are happy. What I wanted to talk to you about is this. I've been offered a promotion. The higher ups asked if I had a recommendation for a replacement. I gave them your name." Oh my god!! It was my turn to do the fish thing. I was stunned, to put it mildly. "They actually called yesterday. I told them you were out sick." Uh oh. I better come clean on this now.

"George, just dock me for the day. Reenie had a day off yesterday and, umm, called me in sick." I blushed. He smirked.

"She pranked me huh? That's pretty funny actually, especially with the job she has." I nodded, smiling as I thought of my redheaded minx. "How do you feel about the opportunity?" What time does the flight leave for San Francisco?

"I'm overwhelmed and honored George. If they offer it to me, that is. Kidding aside, you've left some pretty big shoes to fill. You're a wonderful boss and I'll miss you terribly." I was still shaking my head in wonder.

"Thank you for the kind words Ginger. You won't really miss me. I'll be your boss. And, without letting the cat out of the proverbial bag, the job is yours if you want it. The person whose job I'm taking took a job with another company. They're looking to move this along pretty quickly. The timing of your vacation couldn't have been much better."

"I guess there won't be any more pizza Fridays," I said with a smile.

"Ginger, I actually brought up your idea as one reason to consider you for my replacement. It was brilliant and creative, both for morale and team building. It's exactly the type of attitude that the higher ups are looking for." I shook my head to clear it. This was all too much. Yes I was thrilled - and stunned. "I'd expect a call some time this morning." He stood and shook my hand. "Good luck. You deserve this." Wow! I thanked him and went to sit at my desk. Tammy asked if I was okay. I probably looked shell shocked as well as pale. It was the last Tuesday in March. I thought for a minute about how much my life had changed these last few months. I never, ever would have guessed this was possible.

I hadn't realized I was staring at the name change papers that I'd taken out of my purse until Tammy asked if I wanted to go out to lunch. I shook my head. I wanted to call Jenny. I didn't want to jinx this but I had to tell someone. Reenie's job doesn't allow for her to be interrupted for something like this -- at least I didn't think so. I had an odd little thought. If this promotion went through it might well pay for my vacation. I giggled on the way to the conference room. Jenny sounded excited to hear my voice.

"Hello sister of mine. How was your trip?" I smiled at the choice of words; they harkened back to our younger days.

"Jen, it was fabulous. I'm completely relaxed and refreshed. And Reenie is fine as well."

"Reenie? Oh, you mean Mo. Oh good. What about Lily?" I told her a little about each of them. She gasped as I told her about the incident the Monday I left. "Oh my god Ginger, you are so brave. And how lucky is that Mom?"

"Jen, the divorce is final. I'm officially Ginger Butler. But that's not why I called." I told her about the conversation with George and the possible promotion. I heard my sister sniffle. Tears?

"Emily Sue, I'm so proud. How wonderful for you. Good luck on the interview. I'm sure you'll do very well."

"I have so much more to tell you. If this promotion does materialize I'm not sure about when I might be able to come see you. This came completely out of the blue. I always knew George would get promoted but I never thought he would recommend me for his job."

"Relax and enjoy kiddo. It seems you and Reenie are doing well." I smiled. I told her about her Sunday surprise, about the promise rings, about our 'us' time, and about our 'date nights.' "Oh my gosh Ginger this is fabulous. There are a whole host of really good things that are happening for you. I'm so happy."

I had to ask. "Sister of mine, how are you?"

A short silence and then, "I'm taking your advice and lying low. If Janice calls or emails we'll see." Okay, that's fine. What about the bigger question? Did she really feel like she wanted to find out what life was like on the other side.

"Okay good; but there's more to it than that. We both know it."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know Ginger. I honestly don't." I can relate kiddo. Trust me.

"Okay, well, it's wonderful talking with you. Sorry if I sound like a space cadet. It's been a bit of a whirlwind. Please say hi to everyone. I'll call you again soon okay? I love you Jennifer."

"I love you too Ginger. I'm so glad you called. Please let me know when you get the good news." We said goodbye. There was a knock on the door. It was Jodi. I hurried to my desk.

"Hi, this is Gin ... Emily Rogers."

"Ms. Rogers, this is Bill McClure in Human Relations. Are you available for an interview at 1:30 pm this afternoon?"

My heart was pounding. I tried to sound casual and confident. "Of course Mr. McClure. Where should I meet you?" He told me what floor he was on and to ask at the desk for him. He had an interview room booked for ninety minutes. Oh my god, an interrogation. "Thank you. I'll see you at 1:30. I'm looking forward to it."

Tammy stared. I shook my head. "I can't say what it's about right now. I'll know more later."

"Oh my god, you and George are both going to be promoted. I'm going to be working for you aren't I Ginger?" Fuck!

"Keep your voice down! I don't know. This just came up. I can't talk about it now." I gave her my best cop eyes.

"Honey, you are so not a cop. You're Ginger Butler, nee Emily Sue Rogers." She giggled, shaking her head.

I needed to kill some time. I was a bundle of nerves. I decided to try and reach Kathy. I took my purse and headed to the conference room again. I was a bit surprised when she answered. She sounded surprised that I was calling.

"Kathy, I'd like to start up with you again if you have room on your calendar." There was a long pause.

"Ginger, I owe you an apology." I stopped her right there.

"Kathy, as far as I'm concerned that's history. You're very good at what you do and I'd like to have you train me."

She sighed. "I held out hope you might call. I saved all three of your times." I told her I had an appointment tonight and asked if she could come Thursday. "Sure, I can do that." I told her where I was staying. "I'll find it. I look forward to seeing you Thursday Ginger. Thanks very much for calling. I really appreciate it." I smiled, we said goodbye. Another item on my list checked off. I fretted and fussed. I still had thirty minutes to kill. I had a thought.

I knocked on George's door. He waved me in. "May I close it?" He smiled and nodded. "George, I don't mean to be a pain but I'd like to ask, do you have any tips or suggestions on how to deal with whatever they'll ask me?" George was a bit surprised at the question; then he nodded. I guess he had been in my chair once.

"Ginger, trust me on this. You have everything it takes to sit in this chair other than actually sitting in it. Just be you. That will be more than good enough." All the nervous energy came bursting out through my eyes. Yeah, I cried. George looked like he'd just shot my dog or something. He looked more disconsolate than I felt embarrassed. I dabbed the tissue at my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Some executive huh?" I managed a wan smile. He smiled back at me. "Thanks boss. I really appreciate the vote of confidence. I'll do my best to do you proud."

I went back to my desk. Tammy gawked at my puffy eyes. I shrugged. "Nerves." I fished through my little emergency makeup bag and tried to repair some of the damage. I shrugged. Totally hopeless. I asked my wing-person (Tammy) for her help. I dumped my stuff on my desk. She took her purse, grabbed a few things, and did a little of this and a little of that. She took my compact mirror and showed me. I would have kissed her but, umm, no.

I hurried to put the stuff back in my purse and went to the washroom. After I washed my hands, I fluffed my hair, applied some lipstick, checked out my overall appearance, cursed not having dressed a little better, and looked in the reflection in the mirror. Yeah, Ginger, you can do this. Tammy gave me a thumbs up. As I passed Jodi she winked and gave me a thumbs up as well. Dear god, who else knows? I headed down a few floors, gave my name and asked for Bill McClure.

A very nice looking man came to greet me. Black hair with some grey sprinkled in, deep blue eyes, a strong masculine face. He looked me in the eye as he shook my hand and introduced himself. Impressive! He led me to a small room; asked if I wanted anything to drink. "Water please." He came back with a one liter bottle and a glass. "Thank you."

"Emily, I'm sure George has filled you in on some of the details. A position opened, he interviewed and was chosen for the promotion. When asked, he recommended you as his replacement in some of the most positive terms we've ever heard. We've had nothing but affirmative reports each and every time your name has come up. We'd like you to replace George as head of the department. Do you have any questions?"

"Mr. McClure, I've been an employee for so long the idea of being a boss seems almost foreign." His smile was reassuring. "I don't even know what sort of questions to ask. Can you give me ideas of what expectations are, salary, vacation, how to manage a staff. I'm sorry to fumble but this has come up so suddenly."

"Emily, are there any changes recently that HR should know about?" A personal question asked in very proper HR terms. George told him. I blushed and nodded. I explained about the divorce and handed the name change papers to him. "May I call you Ginger?"

"Please do." I smiled.

"Ginger, you have two weeks vacation as part of you employment package; that will be expanded to three weeks. There are bonuses based on performance that will be explained a bit later. The annual salary will be $60,000." He smiled. "As I understand it, some of your discretionary budget may extend to pizza Fridays." I smiled. He stood and shook my hand. "Congratulations Ginger. We know you'll do well in your new position. The changes will be effective the first Monday in April." Good lord -- next Monday.

I pushed the button on the elevator for the lobby. I needed some fresh air. I heard the whoop of the police siren and looked up. The brilliant smile and red hair -- impossible! It can't be. It was. She waved me over as she pulled the squad car to the curb. She rolled the window down. "Fancy meeting you here lover. How's your day?" I wanted to take her back to the Crowne Plaza and show her just how grand my day was.

"I just got promoted honey. My boss got promoted and he recommended me. It's effective next Monday. Can you believe it?" The blues shimmered with pride.

"Of course I can Ginger. Congratulations. I'll see you later for dinner and, umm, a celebration." Oh yeah, I would call Lily and cancel.

"Call me when you're clear honey ... we'll figure out the details. I love you." She winked, put her shades back on, and drove off. What a great Monday. Tammy took one look at me, stood and hugged me.

"Oh my god, it's so surreal to think you're going to be my boss. Congratulations Ginger." She kissed me -- on the cheek.

"Surreal is a good word Tammy. I'm still stunned. This is effective next Monday." She gawked. I nodded. She called Jodi over. Jodi's smile let me know news travels fast. She hugged me.

I went to George's office and sat down. He looked at me, smiled and leaned back in his chair, linking his hands behind his head. "Are you ready for the big chair?"

"Ready? Aren't you going to take your chair with you? Or should I keep it to let some of your good charisma rub off on me?" He smiled. "Geez boss, this all has happened so suddenly. I'm more than a little overwhelmed. How do I go about being you?' I shook my head in bewilderment.

He smiled and sat up. "First off, it's George. You're management now Ginger. Second, you don't." I wrinkled my brow wondering. "You don't 'be me.' You just be you. Yeah, it will take some time to settle in but you'll do fine. I was every bit as scared and nervous as you were when I got promoted. I wasn't nearly as smooth and cool as I am today." We both had a good laugh at that. "Honestly, you'll be fine. Keep the door open, the lines of communication open, and always lead by example. That's another one of those little reasons why I recommended you. You were always out front of any task we had. Your work was exemplary and was nearly always completed ahead of schedule. 'Speed of the leader, speed of the team.' Old adage, yes, and it still holds true." Wow! Solid gold, isn't he? I thanked him for his confidence and mentioned I had to call Lily.

"If it's not prying Ginger would you mind sharing?" I explained that since leaving our marital home, I'd been a bit of a nomad. I gave him some detail about what I hoped would happen. "Oh don't be silly. Call Lily and see if she can move the appointment up. If she can, take the rest of the afternoon off. Celebrate with ... Reenie, right?" I smiled brightly as I nodded. "I'm sure the two of you will celebrate your good news tonight. Enjoy!" I admit it - I blushed.

It was just about three when I called. Yes, Lily could see me earlier. Could I be there by four? Yes. I knew things were different the second I saw her come out. The smile was still bright but the light in her eyes wasn't there. She shook my hand, led me back to her office and asked if I wanted anything to drink. Let's just get this done Lily.

"No thanks. How have you been?" The curtain fell. Ah ha, she's seeing someone.

"I've been busy of course. Things are fine otherwise. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Your tan looks fabulous and you certainly look relaxed." I smiled and thanked her. "I guess we should get down to business. You mentioned it when you called earlier, but would you mind giving me details about what you'd like in the contract?"

"It's pretty much what we'd discussed before. I'd like the rental portion to be for at least six months. I'd like to get comfortable there, buy furniture and the like. If things work out I'll complete the purchase then. If it's necessary I can put down thirty per cent as a security deposit of sorts. I'll leave it to you to work out the best possible terms for me. If you have the time, could we go look at it one more time?"

"Sure, let me find the listing and get the combination for the key." My cell phone rang: Reenie!

"Hi lover, how's your day?"

"All done Ginger. Where are we going to dinner? Or are you dinner?" I smiled.

"Lily is going to show me the house. We ought to be finished about 5:30 or so. Why don't you meet me at the motel? Oh, do you have my computer?

"Yeah, I'll be sure to bring it. Should I just meet you in the room?" I blushed again. Minx!

"Sure, it will give me time to change clothes."

"Oh goodie, I can help with that." Lily was standing, watching, and listening. I couldn't stop smiling.

"We're just on our way out. I'll see you soon." I put the phone back in my purse. "We should take two cars. I have to meet Reenie for dinner."

"I heard. Are the two of you going to live together?" Bitch, it's none of your fucking business.

"I really don't know right now." That's enough of the truth. "Lead the way Lily, I'll follow you." It wasn't long ago I would have followed Lily to the ends of the earth. Now? No, I'm no longer angry. I don't care very much says it best.

As we turned in the driveway I remembered why I liked it. The lawn had been cut, there were short evergreen plants and a nice size tree that had begun to sprout leaves. When we went inside, I was reminded that the entry way tile was also in the kitchen. The house needed a good cleaning but that was more from no one living there than abuse. The kitchen was fabulous. I might want to do some painting and things if I bought it. The master bedroom was excellent with plenty of closet space and lots of windows. We would spend a lot of time during the summer on the patio and make very good use of the hot tub. Two bedrooms and baths were perfect.

Six months -- April through September. That should be enough time to make a decision. I asked, "Do you think you can get them to take a six month lease with an option?"

"Yes I do. And, if you put down ... say $30,000, I'll get them to waive rent payments. That would leave the mortgage at just below $100,000, well within your reach." Yeah, I remembered the earlier figures. Even with taxes and utilities I shouldn't be spending more then $1,000 a month - very, very doable.

"Okay, let's get it done. Will they accept a personal check or should I get a cashier's check?"

"The bank won't let you occupy the house until a personal check clears. It's Tuesday. If you give me the check tomorrow you should be good to go by early next week." Had Lily mentioned the name of the bank? I asked; she told me.

I laughed. "I bank there. That should shorten the time by a day or two."