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“I think I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “You’re thinking there is a great deal of risk, and I haven’t mentioned anything about rewards. I’m asking you for a lot of work and a week away from your daughter, all without any mention of what you might find at the end of the rainbow. Well, obviously, there’s a bonus involved, a hefty bonus. And, there’s a raise as you stand to run a much larger operation. Your compensation package will be renegotiated with your new duties in mind. You will become a prime target for every headhunter in the banking business. I suspect more than one journalist will want an interview.”
“You’re trying to turn my head,” I said, which was the truth. I didn’t see how anyone would be able to turn him down.
“I don’t say this often.” He moved closer and lowered his voice. “I trust you, Jasmine. I believe you are a straight shooter who does what is best for everyone. I would be a fool not to include you on this project.”
I wanted to tell him that I was the product of good parents, people who always did their best for others. That was the truth.
“Let me think about it?”
“Of course. You have forty-eight hours. That’s the deadline for rounding out the team. Oh, if you’re wondering how you’re going to take care of Emily, I would suggest Marcie. She’s a bit money hungry, so the extra job of living with Emily for a week might fit her well.”
“I hardly know her.”
“You know her well enough to leave Emily in her care…right now.”
“That’s different from being a babysitter for a week.”
“Just one week that will fly past before you know it.” He backed away, and his face became unreadable again. Dracula, with all his power to lure, had returned.
“I should get out of here before I say too much,” he said. “Consider the offer. You’re perfect for the job, and we both know it. But, if you’re a bit afraid or uncomfortable, turn me down. No one is going to blame you.”
He nodded, spun, and was gone before I could offer any thought. I blinked and tried to get a hold of my brain and my feelings. There was no doubt that working long hours in a city where no one knew us was a large temptation. Who wouldn’t want to share space and meals with Codrin? The thought of that made my heart beat just a bit faster. As tempting as that was, my brain was trying to herd my thoughts on the possibilities of success and failure, the repercussions that would come with either outcome. I was still in my first year. Why did I have to deal with this now?
I knew what Wayne would say. He’d grin and ask me what I was waiting for. The opportunity for success and recognition was there. Only a fool would allow fear to curtail achievement. Besides, he would call it “fun.” Anything that required inordinate amounts of energy and effort was “fun.” How could it not be? Opportunity didn’t wait around the corner, hoping I would show up. It was right there. All I had to do was grab it. If Codrin came with it, so much the better. No, that couldn’t be. I was married. I couldn’t forget that. The project wasn’t some boondoggle where we would spend half the time taking in museums and basketball games. I had been promised work, lots of work. I would welcome that.
Shaking my head, I grabbed my coat and briefcase and headed for the parking garage. I needed to think, although I was leaning toward the project. I needed to ascertain if Marcie would be available for the week I would spend in Indiana. As I drove home, I felt the thrill of the unknown. There was no question that the offer appealed to me on a sheer exploration level. I had never been involved in an acquisition before. I had never been tasked to run the numbers on a large workforce with the goal of picking out the keepers and the losers. For a brief moment, I wondered if it was all some sort of setup. Was Codrin leading me down the road to failure? No, I didn’t believe that. He was different, but I didn’t think he would betray me.
I wouldn’t betray him either.
Not if I joined the project.
I would do everything that was required of me. It would be…
Fun.
Emily hadn’t yet gone to bed, which allowed me to evaluate her condition. As far as I was concerned, she was ready to go back to school. While she complained about that, I could tell that deep inside, she welcomed going back. Sitting around doing little but homework and eating wasn’t what she had been trained for. She needed school and her buds as much as she needed a stable home. After tucking in my daughter, I went to talk to Marcie.
“Good job,” I said, “Emily seems to be doing very well.”
“I didn’t have much to do with that. We played games and ate ice cream. Who wouldn’t love that?”
“I have a question. No, I have an offer. I’ve been asked to take a business trip, one week in Indianapolis, not all that far. How would you like to take care of Emily? Take her to school, pick her up, feed her, make her do her homework, and put her to bed. You’d live here, of course. You could go to the office for a few hours, and I would expect you to work from here. Sound doable?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think about it. Oh, I’d double your money. You’d get paid by the bank and me.”
Marcie’s face broke into a huge smile. “I’ll do it.”
Chapter thirteen
IcontactedCodrinthenext day and told him I would be happy to join his team. Did he have a date for the travel? He said the best week was the one after Thanksgiving. Anything after that would be too close to Christmas. People from both organizations would bail out. The plus was that most of the team would have Friday after Thanksgiving off, so they would be packed and well-rested when they made the short hop from Chicago to Indianapolis. I agreed. A long weekend with Emily was exactly what we needed.
Feeling excited, I informed Marcie of the dates I would need her. She was as gung-ho as I was, and she promised to take excellent care of Emily and the house. I reminded her that if things went south, I was only three hours away. She said she wouldn’t need to bother me. Emily and I would talk every evening. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. After all, Wayne wasn’t there to assure Emily. Marcie was likable, but she wasn’t family. I asked myself if I was doing the right thing. It wasn’t an easy call. My brain told me it was the best decision for my career. My heart reminded me that children were sometimes fragile. A trauma now might lead to real problems later. I tried to load the scales, so I could make a decision. Everything was pretty even…until I added Codrin.
Codrin, AKA Dracula, tipped the scales in the direction of his career. I would have added him to the heart side if I was completely honest. I didn’t want to admit how he affected me, how my heart speeded up, how heat flushed my skin. I knew I couldn’t act on those feelings. It was enough to experience those feelings again. There was a joy there, a reason to smile and hum. Codrin transformed a gray day into bright sunshine. His presence tamed the wild storm. I told myself I wasn’t falling for Codrin. That was only a small lie.
I invited Marcie to the small Thanksgiving dinner I prepared for Emily and me. I considered inviting Codrin, but I decided against that. I would be seeing enough of him during the next week. Over dinner, I informed Emily that I would be leaving the next week. Emily wanted to cry—until she learned Marcie would be staying at the house. Emily was all right with being alone with Marcie. I was the one who was nervous and upset. I asked myself how I could leave Emily with a stranger, although Marcie wasn’t really a stranger. I told myself my career would be better for the travel. In a world where Wayne seemed farther away than ever, I needed a solid career.
