The Staircase of Dragon Jerico
Chapter Twenty-Four
ERIN WAS NOT particularly keen about spending three hours in the car with Shannon Duval. She’d had very little interaction with the woman, so her only real basis for judging her was that she’d had an affair with Erin’s husband, which cost him his marriage. She doubted Mrs. Duval was any more enthused than she was.
“I… My car is gassed up and ready to go if you’d prefer for us to travel separately,” Shannon said when they met in the garage.
“I think that would be wasteful. There’s no need to take two cars,” Erin said. “I need to adjust the seat and mirrors, though. I’ve not driven Mr. Carver’s car before.”
“He’s still driving the same car he bought when he first became Chairman of the Board,” Shannon snickered. “Mine’s a little newer.”
“Six years isn’t terribly old for a car that’s well maintained. It only has 35,000 miles on it.”
“Only driven by a little old lady to church on Sundays.”
“It is rather a cliché. But it’s a comfy car. Seat warmers if you want one,” Erin said. She backed out of the parking space and headed toward the freeway. She wasn’t very happy with Shannon’s implied insults to Mr. Carver, but she’d determined to make the best of this trip.
They rode in silence until they’d crossed the river and headed north. Erin considered turning on the radio, but that seemed rude.
“Tell me about the financial status of the Mackenzie project. How deep are we and what does it take to make it profitable?” she finally said. She took Shannon by surprise, but the controller opened a folder and began summarizing the numbers. Erin had already read the formal report that came from Masters and assumed correctly it had been written by Shannon. Hearing the woman explain the details helped sharpen Erin’s understanding and told her a lot about Shannon’s expertise.
“So, even though we have clear title to the property and the plans, we still have a heavy debt to cover the excavation that was done in November and December, before Mackenzie filed Chapter 11,” Shannon said. “We managed an agreement with the union local and the general contractor to stretch payments out over twelve months, which we’ve done by mortgaging the property.”
“How much of a commitment do we need to get from Allard, or a tenant, to clear us to resume construction?”
“A company like Allard might want to simply acquire the property and take over the whole project without us. We’d need to clear $1.7 million to be able to walk away. We could take that on a build to suit lease agreement and the union would be happy because they’d be back at work and we could get joint financing fairly easily.”
They continued to talk and strategize the meeting with Erin’s former company until silence finally fell in the car again.
“Don’t you want to talk about what happened with your husband?” Shannon finally asked.
“Is there something you need to say about it?”
“Only that I’m sorry I screwed life up for you. I’m trying to reform.”
“I’m divorced,” Erin said. “It’s past. I’m divorced because my husband was unable to keep his word to me. I don’t blame the other woman. There are always willing women if a man is willing to break his vows. I’m glad to have found out before we had children.”
“You’re very pragmatic about it.”
“I have a standard. Some would say it is a high standard. I think it’s fundamental. In business, I expect everyone who works with me to strive to adhere to that standard. In my personal life, I want to share my life with people who have a compatible standard. I have a hard enough time following my own standard to assume everyone else in the world is going to follow it.”
“But you divorced your husband because he failed?” Shannon asked.
“He wasn’t trying to live up to the standard. He failed in the most basic part of a relationship: trust. Once that was broken, there wasn’t anything else,” Erin responded. She was already tired of this conversation, but Shannon seemed determined to pick at it.
“Reprimanding my husband for dissing you wasn’t related to his firing your husband?”
“By the time Bruce lost his job, we were already headed for divorce. But Mr. Duval was not yet clear on what the standard is. He thought I operated on a principle of one-upmanship. Once I was clear with him that I would not tolerate that, he then had to make decisions and statements based on the standard of mutual support and promotion of the company. He did a great job with the groundbreaking at Cloudhaven this morning.”
“He’s a good man.”
“I hope you encourage it,” Erin said, ending the conversation as they crossed the Mississippi into St. Louis.
“When you left to move to the boondocks and have babies, I never thought I’d be facing you across a negotiating table,” Dee said as she and Erin left the meeting. They waved their team members off and headed out to dinner together.
“Believe me, I thought I’d left this life far behind,” Erin laughed.
“You know, if you’d called Allard when you divorced, you’d be on the other side of the table today. I was always second choice for this position.”
“You’re perfect for it, Dee. I’d never want to take it away from you.”
“It helps coming to a negotiation with a person I know and trust. So, tell me how you came to be the CEO of JeriCorp. This has to be quite a story.”
Erin was fundamentally honest, but didn’t feel it was necessary to go into the details of her Board’s attempt to overthrow the family and that she was a compromise.
“They promised me a better position if I could put up with being the Chairman’s assistant for a few months. I had no idea they’d make me the CEO. When it comes down to it, though, Mr. Carver is brilliant and being his CEO is still almost like being his assistant. I just get to do the fun things like this.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready to return to the big show? No doubt being CEO of a midsize company will definitely look as good as being a regional VP at Allard, but the next step for you has always been into the executive suite of a Fortune 100 company.”
“I don’t know that I’ll ever return to that path,” Erin said. “Not that I’m likely to return to the happily married mommy path again, but I’m learning a lot about balancing my work and life. Part of that has been working on this new community we’re developing. It could really change things for a lot of employees.”
“Do you think you’ll lose a lot of your office workers to the new remote community?” Dee asked.
“No. I’m sure there will be a few, but we’re not moving the company headquarters to Cloudhaven. I don’t see it becoming a headquarters for any company. The idea is to attract a cross section of workers who are from many different companies and industries. They’ll still have their strong connection to the people in their own companies, but they’ll work beside people from other companies. They won’t be competing for a promotion with the person in the office next door. If it works well, they’ll be doing more collaboration and partnering.”
“It sounds a little utopian, but I’d love to see it actually work,” Dee said. “Now tell me about your love life. Have you found anyone special in this new company?”
“Oh. Well… um… no… not really. Working in a penthouse like I do, I really only see the Chairman and our assistant on a regular basis. Even he is often down at Cloudhaven, since he’s also the Chief Architect. I don’t think it’s that good an idea to shop in the company store, you know? I’ll try to get out a little more this winter. Meet more people.”
“But you share an office with the Chairman, who also happens to be the Chief Architect and principal owner of the company. And you think of yourself still as his assistant. Sounds like a recipe for romance.”
“You are the third or fourth person to suggest that,” Erin giggled. “Why can’t anyone believe we’re just good coworkers?”
“Maybe because of that little giggle,” Dee said. “Just remember, you don’t have to marry every guy you sleep with. You could just take him for a test drive.”
“You’re wicked, Dee. Wicked.”
The executive committee was meeting in the penthouse. Erin had decided that since the model of Cloudhaven had been moved to the portable building at the worksite, it would be appropriate to bring the execs into the penthouse to gather around the central table.
“Well, the contract with Allard is solid,” Masters said. “Mrs. Duval succeeded in getting a letter of commitment from First National in St. Louis for construction financing. The crews are back on the job and we should have footings poured by September 1. I am also informed that we owe the contract with Allard to our CEO who successfully negotiated with their regional Vice President. Well done, Ms. Scott.”
“Thank you,” Erin said. “I had an advantage. She used to report to me. Let’s move on to the status at Cloudhaven. Mr. Carver?”
“The street grading is nearly complete in the phase one section. Utilities have begun laying the water, electric, and sewer lines. Of course, grading is only the first step. They’ll start laying the sub base. Trucks will be lining up with gravel starting in two weeks. We will drive on the sub base for the winter. That will improve compaction and make a more stable base when we are ready to pave next spring. By that time, most of the heavy excavation equipment should be off the site and road damage during building construction next summer should be minimal,” Carver read from his notes.
“This number for the sub base,” Duval said. “Do we really have to go that deep? I had my driveway paved and they only used a four-inch sub base.”
“Um… You only drive your Lexus on that. The kind of traffic the street will bear requires a better foundation. Otherwise, we’d be spending every spring filling potholes,” Carver answered.
“Good. I want to review the assignments for the annual shareholder meeting and make sure we’re all on the same page. Mr. Duval, most of this falls on your plate. How is your new assistant working out?”
“I’m pleased,” he answered. “I have to tell you I doubted the need for an executive assistant. I’ve always handled everything just fine. But this gal is just always a step ahead of what I need. I honestly didn’t know people like this existed. Leva… Mrs. Hamilton… came to work for us after having raised her family and wanting to get back in the workforce. I was doubtful, but having seen your success, I decided to try her out. Stellar. The notes you have in front of you for the annual meeting are some of the work she’s done. Just the work she does keeping my calendar is worth her wage.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
The meeting continued with the reviews and everyone felt that in an hour and change, they’d covered all the business and were on track. Dirksen, Masters, and Duval left and Miss Anders went directly to her workstation to type up the minutes.
“I could use a cup of coffee. How about you?” Erin asked Preston.
“After that, I could use something even stronger. Coffee will do, though.”
The two went into the kitchen and Erin made a pot of coffee and poured a cup for each of them.
“I’m really proud of the way you handled that. Even the question from Duval. You sounded calm and confident. You know he was just trying to throw you. He hasn’t really changed all that much,” Erin said.
“It’s all because you’re there,” Preston said. “Duval always knew he could stall me or make me look like an idiot by asking a question, even when he already knew the answer.”
“Old habits die hard, though. I’m counting on Mrs. Hamilton to help rein him in. The more he discovers he can get done with brains and hard work instead of good looks and charm, the less abrasive he’ll become.”
“Having an assistant sure helped me. Once I got the right one. I’m… um… still a little awkward around Miss Anders.”
“She’s mostly harmless. That doesn’t mean you should be careless around her. She could take a kind gesture as meaning more than you intend. Just don’t be mean to her either.”
“I’m not interested in anyone else,” he said. Erin raised an eyebrow.
“You’re interested in Miss Anders?” she asked. She quickly calmed herself.
“Who? No! I mean anyone else… um… other than… um… you know.”
“I’m flattered, Jerry. Really. I’m just… let’s get the company sorted out and maybe one day we’ll be ready to look at what a relationship would be like. I’m not saying uh… never. Someday.”
“Someday,” he agreed.
As they half expected, Reinholdt tendered his resignation from the Board of Directors and they began a search for a replacement. Much to their surprise, Vaughn also said he was retiring. He was nearly eighty years old, so it was understandable.
Preston and Erin used the opportunity to nominate two younger people who would firm up their voting bloc. It wasn’t contested by any of the other members of the board. Erin convinced her former boss and mentor to join the board by indicating that she could attend meetings remotely. The new president of Vaughn Home Furnishings, taking Vaughn’s place in management of the company, had also agreed to take Vaughn’s place on the Board.
At the annual shareholder meeting, Duval turned the meeting over to Erin for the next item of business.
“I’ll ask our CEO, Miss Erin Scott, to introduce the next item of business,” Duval said.
“Thank you, Mr. Duval. Our next item of business is election of the Board of Directors,” Erin said. She hadn’t realized how many shareholders there were in the company—many of them employees—who came to the annual meeting. While the family controlled the largest portion of the stock, it wasn’t a clear majority. Now, as part of her compensation package, Erin was a shareholder, too.
“As you can see, there are some new names on the slate of candidates for the board. These have all been vetted by the current board and the principal shareholders. We place these names before you this afternoon.”
“I move the election of the slate of directors presented by the board,” one of the shareholders called out.
“Second!” another called.
“Moved and seconded. Is there any discussion?” Erin asked, scarcely pausing before she moved directly to the vote. “Those in favor say aye.”
The motion carried and she officially became a member of the board of directors instead of being merely an ex-officio member as CEO. She turned the meeting back to Duval. Duval introduced Mr. Masters, the CFO.
“We initiated a full internal audit this spring,” Masters said. “With changes in Board membership and executive management of the company, this was a prudent move so we could be fully transparent. The audit was completed by Jefferson-Mahon Accountants and we are pleased to inform the shareholders that we have a completely clean slate going into the next fiscal year.”
There was much more and Masters fielded several questions regarding the previous January layoffs and the revival of the Mackenzie project, which had been renamed ‘The Allard Midwestern Headquarters.’ The response was positive and the report was accepted.
The model of Cloudhaven had been moved into the hall for the meeting, so shareholders could see exactly what had been committed to. Mr. Carver had continued to develop the model as more features had been added to the spec. He now had thirty architects and draftsmen working on the plans as development picked up speed.
His presentation was short and to the point. Erin did not allow time for questions, but moved directly on to the next division of JeriCorp.
She’d been out to the jobsite with Carver and Jerico on several occasions, riding between the two men in the front seat of their rather luxurious truck. She was always pleased with what she saw. The community was going to be wonderful. She even considered the possibility of moving to it herself.
At last, the annual company meeting was adjourned and she greeted many of the shareholders afterward, learning more about the business from those who owned it. Of course, Lawrence Jerico and Jacqueline Carver were very popular among the shareholders who had known the family for many years.
Finally, she left the auditorium and went to the penthouse. Mr. Carver was already there.
“Congratulations, Ms. Scott,” he said when she stepped off the elevator. “I’m impressed with the way you’ve managed your executives. Everyone did a good job today.”
“Including you, Mr. Carver,” she said. “I’m glad you gave the introduction to Cloudhaven. That meant as much to the shareholders as anything that was discussed. It was okay to leave the flowery speech to Duval, but people really needed to see the person who conceived it. Congratulations to you.”
“It was only having you standing beside me that gave me the courage to speak. My heart has only just begun to slow down.”
“Thank you for doing it. I know you only did it because I asked. I appreciate it.”
Without really thinking of what she was doing, she impulsively reached up and kissed him softly. Then she jumped back with a gasp as he looked at her with wide eyes.
“I… um…” she started.
“Please don’t say you’re sorry!” Preston said.
“Well… No, I’m not,” Erin breathed. “I didn’t plan that. I… But I’m not sorry.”
“Good! I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time now.”
“I kind of jumped away from you because I was so surprised by my brashness.”
“Could we… um… try again without jumping away?” he asked.
“Yes,” she squeaked.
They moved together and joined their lips. It couldn’t be considered a passionate kiss, but was certainly one that held promise of something more to come. When the elevator bell rang they pulled away from each other slowly.
“Miss Scott. Mr. Carver?” Miss Anders said. “Um… I should probably go back downstairs.” She started to back onto the elevator.
“Nonsense, Miss Anders. It’s office hours,” Erin said. “Uh… We’d appreciate it if you kept our little celebration of the annual meeting quiet. I assume Ms. Dirksen has set a time to go over the minutes with you?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I think we’ll have everything by the end of the day on Monday.”
“Do we have anything else on our agenda for today?”
“I’m told there is a traditional gathering of attendees at the Dragon Wing Bar on the waterfront after the meeting. I thought I’d go there to see what it was like.”
“Sounds interesting. Why don’t we all go down and mingle. Mr. Carver? Will you join us?”
“Um… uh… y-yes. If it’s okay.”
“I think so.”
Erin hooked an arm through his and the three of them left the office.
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