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I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "Let's just focus on us for now. We'll figure out the business stuff later."
Reyna nodded, and I knew that we had made a breakthrough. Our relationship might not have been perfect, but in that moment, it felt genuine. I knew it was going to be difficult to blur the lines between what was real and what was fake, but we had to find a way to make things work.
Chapter 25
Reyna
Thedayaftertheinterview, Bryce was called away on business. He would have to be away for 2 weeks to California to work on some new partnership with another marketing firm out there.
It was actually a relief. I would get to have some thinking time to myself and just be alone. As much as I loved being with Bryce, I really wasn't used to being with someone so intensely. Getting back to some alone time and girl time was just what I needed.
It was time that I got started with the Foundation, too. I had delayed the start because of everything that had been happening, but a quick call to Joanne was all it took to give her notice that I was going to come in.
The best part of moving to the Foundation? I got to set Ella up for the kill. I told Bryce she was a great fit for my job; she already knew it inside and out in terms of what was on my plate. What she lacked in experience, she could delegate to the team members. We agreed on a trial period, but Ella was ecstatic, and I knew she was going to do a great job.
But now, time to face the music.
I took a deep breath as I knocked on the door to Joanne's office. Even though I felt like we reached a genuine understanding the last time we saw each other, she had a piercing gaze that could unravel even the most confident person.
"Come in," Joanne's voice called out from within the office.
I stepped inside, my heart pounding slightly. Joanne was seated behind her desk, reviewing some papers. She looked up, her expression unreadable. She was immaculately dressed in a muted gray Chanel suit, pearl earrings, and necklace. Her office had a gentle but very classy perfume about it.
"Reyna," she said coolly, motioning for me to take a seat. "Welcome. It's time we got started on some real work for you."
"I'm looking forward to contributing to your team, Joanne."
"That's wonderful. And it's perfect timing that you're here today. We just got another proposal for a fundraiser that we just can't handle with our current team. As I told you, we have a full marketing team here already, but the proposal from the zoo to collaborate on a fundraiser is a hard one to pass up. So I want you to head that one."
I was genuinely touched that she kept a placeholder for me and that she was entrusting me with leading a project, not just being a contributor.
"I'd be honored to do that. It sounds wonderful. Are we raising funds for anything in particular?"
"The Foundation supports various initiatives, but this one will be for literacy in the elementary school system. Did you know that the literacy levels in Grade 3 mirror those achieved in Grade 10? If we can improve literacy by Grade 3, we will give children a leg up on their studies and general understanding. It's brilliant."
"I had no clue! I'd be happy to work on that."
"There's only one problem. We only have a little over two weeks to pull this together. Are you up for it?"
"I am!" I smiled brightly at Joanne.
She brought out the proposal package and spread out the information on the desk. We went through all the pertinent information. Then I packed everything up into the dossier she gave me, ready to head out and start working on it.
"Thank you for the meaningful project, Joanne."
"Meaningful? What were you expecting? We only do meaningful things around here."
Oops. I quickly blushed. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I mean, you could have just appeased Bryce and given me some kind of supporting role, but here I am, heading a project. That means a lot to me."
"Dear, if you're as good as Bryce says you are, I'm willing to throw the kitchen sink at you. Now chop-chop, there's not much time. Let me know if you have any questions. You have a team ready to support anything you need. Olivia will introduce you. Olivia!" Joanne's voice beckoned to her assistant sitting just outside her office.
"Yes, Mrs. Taylor?" Olivia's bespectacled face popped in.
"Olivia, this is Reyna. She'll be leading the zoo project, as I mentioned to you. Could you please set her up in her office, introduce her to her team, and generally make sure she feels welcome and supported here at the Foundation?"
"Of course. Reyna, welcome. Please follow me."
I spent about an hour with Olivia. She did everything Joanne asked her to do. There was nothing like a great assistant. They really made our jobs as managers much easier. I met my team who were anxious to get going on the project. We got right to it when we found an open conference room. There was a lot of work to be done in a short period of time.
