Page 101 of Happy Harbor
“Melody wanted to be here, but she broke a crown overnight and had to go to the dentist.”
Just great. It had been good to see Melody the day before at her bridal shower, and Josie had really hoped she’d be there now.
“The place looks the same.”
“Well, we haven’t exactly had the money to do any major renovations,” Sandra said, forcing a fake laugh.
They walked farther down the hall to Sandra’s office. She closed the door behind them, and Josie sat in the same chair she sat in when she was fired.
“All right, let’s get to it. What exactly do you want me to see?”
“I have totally restructured the team you worked with last time. Some people were demoted, some were promoted. Everyone knows you’re coming back, and they are all okay with it.”
“I didn’t say I was coming back.”
“I know. But I’m hopeful. There are some things that Human Resources would require us to work on, given the history you have with some of the other employees.”
Josie sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “And what would that be?”
“Well, the head of HR said that you would have to go through some sensitivity training.”
Josie laughed loudly. “Sensitivity training? What exactly would that entail?”
“I think just teaching you how to be understanding and kind to your fellow employees.” Sandra kept a smile on her face the whole time, which only made her look like a psychopath.
“Believe it or not, I’ve mellowed out since you saw me last.”
Sandra looked at her carefully. “I believe you. The Josie I knew would have bitten my head off rather than come back here and sit in that chair.”
“I’m not the same Josie anymore. I’ve seen and experienced some things in the past few weeks that have really changed how I see the world.”
“Like what?”
“The value of community, for one thing.”
“How so?”
Josie smiled and shook her head. “Let’s not get off track. I said I’d come here and give you input, so tell me what you need input on.”
Sandra nodded and picked up a folder. “The Carlton file,” she said, handing it to Josie. “Do you remember this one?”
Josie opened the file and immediately recognized it as one of the biggest accounts in the whole company. “April Newton was working on this one.”
“I let her go. She wasn’t getting the job done. The client wants you. They’ll leave our firm if I can’t get you back.”
“Surely you don’t expect me to uproot my life again just for one file?”
“Of course not. You’ll have all your old clients. And you can choose to work alone, or you can hire your own team.”
Josie stared at her. “I thought you didn’t want me to work alone?”
She nodded. “I want you to come back and be effective at your job, so if that means working alone, then so be it.”
Josie looked down at the file again. “You know, the main issue with the Carlton file was outreach. April was never good at putting plans together for outreach.”
Sandra started writing. “Tell me all your thoughts.”
She stifled a grin. “Hope you’re ready to write.”
