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“All righty, then,” she whispered. The man really did take his integers seriously.
She slipped the card back into its small packet and hid the missive away in her purse. She took a few moments to admire the romantic gesture, then did exactly what she was supposed to do—went back to work.
* * *
The remainder of the week was similar in nature—all about the massive crisis seizing Staci Kay Shoes. On the plus side, Staci was back from her Board of Directors sessions and eager for a recap of the in-house happenings.
Maxi met with her Wednesday morning in Staci’s office and said, “We have so much potential to pull this out of the fire. Everyone is scrambling, and I have to say…it’s invigorating. I mean, really, Staci. Everyone is digging as deep as they can to ensure their department isn’t holding up progress in any way. And they’ve all been extremely straightforward with status reports.”
“Excellent news.” Perched on the edge of her desk, which Maxi occupied a guest chair in front of, Staci held up her venti to-go cup and tapped it against the one she’d brought Maxi for their meeting. “You make me breathe so much easier. Honestly, I’ve lost tons of sleep over all of this. But in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about something Lola told me when I flew out for a surprise visit to the Scottsdale hub while she and the Marketing team were refining the ad campaign prior to its launch.”
Maxi’s brow lifted. “What’s that?”
“Well,” the cinnamon-haired CEO/owner said in her smoky voice, “she was really freaking out because I was there for an impromptu presentation of her promo ideas. I actually felt bad about putting her on the spot, but it seemed to really spur her on. One thing she said that fully resonated with me was that employees of Staci Kay Shoes find something about the company they can relate to personally. It’s not just about shoes. Well, for the women, that seems to be a key point, but also the fact that our company offers professional aspirations they can stand behind.”
“In their sexy stilettos,” Maxi added, with a smile at her own quip. “Lola and I have always contended that our shoes complete a look for us. That look helps to define who we are. And the more confident we are of our individual personalities, the more driven we are to succeed.”
“Exactly.” Emotion tinged Staci’s voice. “That’s always been my underlying motto—and Lola captured that brilliantly in her campaign. Even the male members of her team identified with the creed, because their wives, sisters, gal-pals are fans of the brand. But, Maxi, that’s just advertising to reel in the customers. If we can’t fill their orders—if we can’t complete their image—then we’ve failed them.”
“Staci.” Maxi felt a jolt of emotion herself. “We’re not going to fail them. I wouldn’t accept it, nor would you. None of our department heads would accept it. Ryan Donovan wouldn’t accept it.”
Staci slipped off the edge of the desk, rounded it, and slid into her chair. She set her cup aside and steepled her hands before her. Then asked, “You’ve known him for two days and have already deduced this?”
Maxi shook her head. “I knew him for two minutes and realized it. He’s a genius, Staci. And it’s clear that he’s thoroughly committed to whatever cause he takes up. Honestly, I’m starting to think he and I should exchange VP-director roles. I’ve already learned so much from him that I could—”
“No.”
Maxi did a double take. “I’m sorry. No?”
“No. Absolutely not. And Ryan would wholeheartedly agree. Trust me.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“Maxi.” Staci held her gaze. “To Lola’s point about the people who care the most about this company having a huge passion for the shoes…” She inhaled deeply as though to steady herself from all the feelings churning within her. Then she said, “Let’s face it. Ryan can understand our issues and help us come up with solutions, but—”
“Actually, I think he could single-handedly turn things around.”
“I see that you’re in awe of him, but this is a team effort,” Staci reminded her. “And you are proving yourself to be a fantastic leader. Which I suspected all along. From your first day here as an intern—when our operations were set up in a tiny warehouse in a skeazy neighborhood because I was still trying to figure out what the hell I was doing starting up my own business—I saw more potential in you than any other person I’d hired to help me get things up and running.”
A lump lodged in Maxi’s throat, and it took a few seconds to swallow it down. She’d found a purpose with the company. That was one of the reasons Maxi was fighting so hard to pull it all together at Staci Kay Shoes. Save something that meant so much to the both of them.
“Thank you,” she said of the huge compliment. “That means a lot, coming from you. I’ve always looked up to you, Stace, but the confidence you have in me has meant that I could stretch and grow on my own here. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know.”
“You’re a dream come true, Maxi. Too bad you were a sophomore in college and determined to graduate.” Staci suddenly smirked. Sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Otherwise, I would have made you my chief operating officer right off the bat.”
“As if I knew anything about what that would entail,” Maxi scoffed. “Come on. We were sorority sisters and I didn’t have a clue in the world as to what I was going to do with my life and was already on my third major in just a year. Meanwhile, you were breezing through the Fashion Design curriculum like you’d written it yourself.”
“It’s a passion. Just as shoes became your passion. So,” Staci continued after a quick sip of coffee, “I wanted to help you to find direction—and you seemed genuinely fascinated with the entire operational function of the organization.”
“Of course I was fascinated. My parents inherited a restaurant that had been passed down to my grandfather, and somehow, they just all knew how to run it and didn’t have time to explain it to me.” Which, admittedly, had made Maxi feel inferior within her family unit, even though she knew that had never been anyone’s intention. The restaurant was busy, and it took massive man-hours to keep it successful and profitable.
She explained, “I felt compelled to learn the ins and outs of managing a business. Unfortunately, even as I worked for you as an intern, I wasn’t totally sure where I’d end up after graduation.”
Her parents had pushed hard for her to join the team; Maxi had not felt it was her true destiny. Her wavering hadn’t created too much of a strain on relations, but guilt still festered in the back of her mind over having chosen a different path.
But Staci helped to solidify Maxi’s belief that she’d followed the right dream. “Heading up Operations here is definitely the best place for you.”
“Well, I did fall in love with the shoes.” Maxi grinned, despite the lingering sense of duty to her family that she hadn’t fulfilled. To distract herself from those thoughts, she reached for her coffee and sipped.
