But Channing felt that if he brought this up in front of the directors, he would get accused of blaming his own failings on others.
With a disconsolate feeling, Channing took his seat and watched as Kyle got up to deliver his presentation. Kyle’s presentation was nowhere near the same level of innovation and forward thinking as Channing’s had been, but the big difference was that Kyle delivered his words with flair and panache.
Channing could tell that Kyle was loving every minute of it, and it appeared that the senior directors were too…
Bleurgh. This sucks.
Kyle is a stinky douchebag.
But it doesn’t matter what I think, it’s the senior directors who count…
Kyle eventually wrapped up his presentation and the general vibe in the room was that he had done a good job. Certainly, Channing felt that his efforts had not been taken in as positively as Kyle’s.
‘I think you have some decent ideas,’ Kyle said, leaning over and whispering in Channing’s ear. ‘But… maybe you’re not quite ready to step up yet.’
Channing blushed with anger.
But not wanting to fall into Kyle’s trap and start a scene, Channing simply got up from his chair and walked back to his office. It was time to pack up his stuff and take an early exit from work.
Channing was getting more and more suspicious about Kyle’s motives.
They’d never been friends, not since Kyle arrived at Green Sky Future a couple of months after Channing. But this went beyond a normal level of competition that you could expect to exist between coworkers with similarly keen ambitions.
Channing suspected that Kyle would stoop to the lowest levels to quench his thirst for success, and he knew that from here on in he would have to keep an eye open for any moves that Kyle might be making.
However, Channing was determined that his entire day wasn’t going to be ruined. The presentation may have been a washout, but Channing had an appointment on the other side of town that was sure to improve his mood…
* * *
The sound of a cacophony of dogs barking and howling was like music to Channing’s ears as he stepped insideBark Buddiesdog center.
‘Channing!’ Teddy cried, excitedly walking over toward Channing and offering his hand for a high-five. ‘So glad you’re here. We’ve got a new arrival called Tracker who I think you’re going tolove.’
‘I can’t wait to meet him!’ Channing replied, happy to see Teddy’s friendly face.
Teddy was only a year or so older than Channing and had recently come out of a long-term relationship with his ex-forces Daddy. It was a sad break-up, but Teddy was on the road to recovery and happiness again, even without a new Daddy in his life.
Teddy worked full time atBark Buddiesand with his blonde surf dude hair and year-round tan, he was always a pleasant sight to be welcomed by.
‘Okay, well let’s go,’ Teddy said, cheerily bouncing along in his lemon-yellowBark Buddiest-shirt and black skater shorts. ‘Before we get to Tracker, there’s someone I want you to meet…’
‘Huh?’ Channing said. ‘If it’s another property developer trying to buy this place, I’m more than ready to tell them where to go.’
‘Ha! No, not this time,’ Teddy said, his eager smile putting Channing at ease.
As Channing followed on behind Teddy, he felt the good vibes and sense of relaxation he always felt when he arrived at Bark Buddies.
Sure, it was time consuming being a volunteer here. And cleaning up dog poop wasn’t exactly a highlight of the job, that was for sure. But there was something so incredibly rewarding and fun about being around so many wonderful dogs who wanted nothing more than to find their forever home.
Channing had a secret dream that one day he would be able to officially make a sizeable investment intoBark Buddies.
With his knowledge of green energy and access to plenty of extremely wealthy individuals, Channing knew that there was potential forBark Buddiesto expand its operation to take in even more dogs that needed a comfortable home as they waited for adoption.
But all of that could wait.
In that moment, all that Channing was focused on was meeting this mysterious person that Teddy was teasing.
As Teddy opened the door to the break room, Channing almost turned and walked straight out of the building.
