Page 60 of Degrees of Innocence
Gaby smiles at me and looks down at her half eaten pies. “My goodness, you are a bunch of pie heisters! Now I have two of you to deal with,” she exclaims, clucking as she swishes about the kitchen. “I made a quiche for breakfast, good thing I put that in the back of the refrigerator last night,” she says, narrowing her eyes at us.
“Gaby, I am seriously going to have to start running twice as long to wear off all your delicious meals. I have never tasted a better rhubarb pie in all my life, honestly,” I say.
“It’s my mother’s recipe. I’m glad that you like it,” she says, bringing us each a plate of quiche made with spinach, goat cheese and paired with fresh fruit. We devour the breakfast and as we’re leaving Chase gives Gaby a warm hug. She beams up at him and it’s clear to see how much he means to her.
I reach over instinctively and give Gaby a hug, too. “Thank you for such a warm welcome and lovely meal. Did Chase tell you we are coming back tonight?” I ask.
“He did mention that,” she says warmly.
“Okay, we’ll see you tonight then,” I say.
Chase hands me earplugs before we get to the helipad. “The helicopter will be noisy, put these in and keep them in until we land,” Chase says. I adjust the earplugs after we’re seated and I’m surprised when he hands me a set of headphones. They are cushioned and I place them over my head as he does after buckling in. I take in all the instrumentation on the panels and over the pilot’s head. The whirring of the blades barely penetrate the earplugs as we lift off, hovering at first, and then gaining momentum, height and altitude, clearing the tops of the trees. We are flying parallel to Lake Michigan and from this far up in the air, the water appears to be a deep dark blue as we approach the city. As we near Prestian, I can see the outline of their crest on the side of the sky-rise before the pilot lands on its roof. Chase assists me out of the helicopter and guides me out of the wind and toward the rooftop entrance to the Prestian building. As we enter the elevator he pushes numbers on the security panel. The light turns green and we begin our descent one floor lower. The doors open into the reception area and we walk through what appear to be administrative offices.
“Katarina, you can use this office for now, but we’ll look at different space arrangements in the future. Right now I need to go meet with a group that has flown in from overseas, but it shouldn’t be more than an hour. Matt and Sheldon will be outside in the corridor if you need anything,” he says before departing for his conference.
I open my Mac and sign onto the network, quickly becoming engrossed with the project updates and replying to those that require it.
I feel his eyes on me and glance up from my computer, surprised that an hour and a half has already gone by. “I didn’t realize so much time had passed,” I say, glancing at the clock on the wall.
“Yes, I can see why. You’ve responded to more than forty emails, and provided teams with good direction as they work through the next steps. Are you always so involved in every aspect of the project?” he asks.
“Title, project consultant,” I say as if that should explain everything.
“Job scope,” he says with a wide grin.
“Regardless, I’m caught up now and won’t feel guilty taking some time off to go pick up my personal belongings today,” I say.
“You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. You work more hours than most of our executives. Now are you ready for a little tour?” he asks.
“I’d love for you to show me around,” I say, packing my MacBook into my black leather bag. Chase leads me to the executive suites, introducing me to a few members of his team before taking me through the vacant space that can be utilized by the team working on the Prestian facility.
“Chase, it’s absolutely perfect. The smartboards will work great for the work we have left,” I say thrilled with the layout of the space and the technology we’ll have.
“I’m glad it will work nicely for your team. I told Jay you wanted to leave fairly early this morning, so he could get you back for the meeting. He will have the car pulled around shortly so we should probably head downstairs,” he says, taking my hand as we walk toward the elevator. As we reach it, Sheldon appears out of nowhere and enters the elevator with us.
The limo is waiting for us right outside the building and Chase opens the rear door for me so that I can get into the backseat. “If you want to use the computer to get some work done or just go online, feel free. He flips down a leather cover and exposes a computer monitor inlaid in the back of the seat. You just press the power button, sign on with this password, and you should be all set,” he says, giving me a piece of paper and a quick kiss before closing the door. The computer is intriguing and since it’s at least a forty-minute drive I boot it up and am soon online accessing my worksite.
There is a new email from Martel Design and I see that it is from Mark responding to my request to begin putting group meetings together with the design team and the users of the space.
I quickly review it and then reread it slowly, digesting the information within it.
***
From:MPowers@Martel&Sons.org
Miss Meilers,
My colleagues and I have had an opportunity to meet and review designs. We believe we will be able to deliver a design that meets your needs by the end of the week.
Thanks,
Mark
