Chapter 35: Aftermath Offer

At the end of the Jane’s first workday as the head of the Rocky Mountain Division of TCI, her secretary Minnie came in, “Miss Jane, I have your schedule for tomorrow – rather what used to be Mr. Collard’s schedule. I don’t know what you want me to do with some of the meetings.”

Brenda and I listened in as Jane conferred with Minnie after going over the various scheduled meetings, talking about their purpose. In the end most of them got cancelled, and Jane scheduled a series of one-on-one meetings with each of her then direct reports starting at seven o’clock the next morning. I made a mental note to be sure I got her to work on time. Minnie left to take care of the meetings, and then go home.

Brenda, Jane, and I worked another hour, putting together a presentation for Jane to use with all of the managers at a larger meeting after lunch the next day. After we’d finished three-dozen PowerPoint slides, Jane declared we were done for the day. She gave me a somewhat lecherous grin, and I noticed from the corner of my eye that Brenda caught that look, too.

Jane offered, “Brenda, we’re dining out as you might expect; would you like to join us? I know you probably have a husband at home, but ... well, if not tonight, one of these evenings. Just casual talk, nothing deep about the business, I promise.”

Brenda smiled, “I’d love to, but I have to check in. Might I invite Mike to join us? I’m sure you’ll like him. He does most of the marketing for the Denver Broncos. He’s also dying to meet the two of you. I spent most of last night telling him about the two of you – extolling your virtues on many fronts, and telling him about what happened to Collard.”

Jane and I simultaneously said, “Oh, most definitely. Bring him along if he can make it.”

A half-hour later, we left the building to connect with Mike at a restaurant near the stadium where he could jump us to the head of the line.

Mike turned out to be a super nice man: tall, dark, handsome, well mannered, polite, an astute business man who appreciated the short summary of what we’d done all day, and a man with more jokes and quippy remarks in his conversational repertoire than anyone I’d ever met. I could see that he and Brenda had a special relationship.

Midway through dinner, Brenda paused in our conversation and dining and asked, “May I ask a delicate question?” Neither Jane nor I were sure to whom she addressed her question. We both nodded.

Brenda continued, “Are you two an item? Secretly?”

I about coughed up the piece of meat I’d been chewing.

Jane laughed, “Yes. What tipped you off?”

“The way you two act with each other. There’s an undercurrent of love between the two of you – a deep caring and desire to make each other a success. Also, when you’re not looking all gooey-eyed at each other about a thousand times a day, you each get that look that signals you really wish you were off in bed somewhere fucking the daylights out of each other.” She looked serious and then she threw her head back and laughed.

Jane looked shocked and said, “Oh, my God. I was trying to be so well-behaved.”

Brenda smirked, “Well, I also got some intelligence from New Jersey about the possibility.”

I asked, “Is it bad enough that I should recuse myself from the projects and from working with Jane?”

“Oh, no,” Brenda protested. “Not at all. You’re a good work team. Just keep any financial decisions involving Steve’s company on someone else’s shoulders and you’ll be fine. We have a lot of couples and husband-wife teams in this place, of all ages, so the company is already tolerant of all that. Just avoid conflicts of interest of a financial nature.”

After a pause, Brenda added, “I think your pairing will be good for all of us. By the way, there are several serious relationships and affairs going on among your management team. See if you can spot them tomorrow. As far as I can tell, none are affecting job performance.”

Jane nodded. She liked guessing games. I could tell our being outed bothered her a little because it might impact her career.

Brenda looked me squarely in the eye and in a tone that had a teasing quality to it asked, “You’ve been checking me out, too, haven’t you?”

I groaned but told the truth, “Yes, probably. You’re a very attractive woman, and I feel a resonance with you that I rarely find with most other people. I always like good-looking, competent women. It’s hard not to look at you.” I worried that Mike might clobber me in my blind spot, but when I looked at him he was laughing.

Brenda teased, “It’s hard?” She giggled with her play on words, and I instantly regretted setting her up for that word double entendre.

I rolled my eyes at her tease. She laughed.

Jane stepped in, “Steve lives with three women in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has a few others he resonates with, too.”

Brenda laughed, “And you’re one of them?”

Jane realized what she’d just said and clammed up, throwing one hand over her mouth. Behind the hand she muttered, “Oops. Just talked too much ... again.”