Читать книгу It Must Be Love - Nicki Night - Страница 18

Chapter 7

Jewel took a deep breath before knocking on her father’s office door.

“Come in.” His voice bellowed from the other side.

Jewel tried not to let her nervousness show. Before coming to her father, she’d spoken to Dorothy, who’d prepped her to ask for the promotion. She also promised to coach Jewel and help her succeed in the position.

“Dad. I’d like to speak with you. Is this a good time?”

Bobby Dale peered over the rim of his glasses and sat back. The salt-and-pepper hairs along his temples and in his mustache gave him a distinguished look. “Anytime is a good time for you, my dear.”

“This is about business, Mr. Chandler.” Jewel stood straight. Bobby Dale wiggled his brows, seemingly amused by her serious demeanor. Jewel grinned letting on that she was teasing and sat.

Bobby Dale’s laugh was jovial. That eased the tension for Jewel.

“On a serious note, Dad. I’d really like to talk about the impact of Dorothy leaving and the possibility of me getting promoted to her position.”

Bobby Dale slid his glasses from his face, sat back and peered at Jewel. “Go on.” He encouraged her.

“Well.” Jewel sat up straighter in the chair. “I know that you’ll agree that Dorothy was a dedicated and accomplished leader. Under Dorothy’s and your tutelage, I’ve had the benefit of learning what I need to know to be an effective leader in operations. I recently requested feedback from her regarding what it would take to be successful in her position and determine potential areas for growth. With that, I believe I’m well positioned to take on the position of VP of operations and would love to discuss what it would take to gain that opportunity.” Jewel was relieved. She had gotten out her rehearsed speech without fumbling. She knew she had to exude confidence when speaking with her father as well as prove that she was capable and qualified.

Bobby Dale remained quiet. His expression was unreadable, which made Jewel nervous. She tried not to squirm. Jewel swallowed to keep from clearing her throat, not allowing her anxiety to show. She felt compelled to fill the silence that expanded between them. She’d played her hand. It was time for her father to play his hand and she wouldn’t ruin it with anxious chatter and shoot holes in her confident exterior.

Finally, Bobby Dale pressed his lips together and nodded. “You believe you are qualified?” It was more of a statement than a question. “Tell me why.”

Jewel went through the list of recent accomplishments she’d written down and practiced. Next she communicated the skills she’d developed through her experience and the impact that being coached by Dorothy had on her ability to meet and exceed the expectation of the position, resulting in positive outcomes for the company as a whole.

Bobby Dale went quiet again.

“Here’s what we’ll do. I will give you this new project to manage. If you prove yourself and excel in this role, within the next sixty days, we will discuss the possibility of a promotion. There’s still work and growing that you’ll need to do before you earn the role of VP. What do you think about that?”

“I think that’s a start. Thanks, Dad... I mean, Mr. Chandler.” Jewel’s chest tightened. She bit back her disappointment but wouldn’t let this get her down.

He chuckled. Jewel stood from her chair. She was getting that VP position. After proving herself this time, there would be no way he could deny her. Whatever this project was, she was sure she could meet and exceed her father’s expectations. She couldn’t wait to tell Chris about this meeting. He’d practiced with her both in person and on the phone.

“Wait!” Bobby Dale held up his hand. “We’re meeting with a company tomorrow about the project I just mentioned. We need to overhaul our IT system. Clear your calendar. This company also provides consultants to manage IT and routine maintenance, which is more cost effective for us than hiring a permanent IT professional.”

“Okay.” Jewel nodded waiting for more information.

“They were referred to me by Don. He mentioned that they are known to be the best in the area. Dorothy will join us for the initial meeting but won’t be around to manage the majority of the process. That will now be on you.”

“No problem. I’ll take care of it. Thank you for giving me this chance.”

“You’re welcome. I expect to be impressed by your professionalism.”

“You got it. Thanks again.” Jewel felt like pumping her fist. On the way out of her father’s office, she paused and turned back. “By the way. What’s the name of the company so I can do my research?”

“SB Tech Solutions.”

Jewel made a mental note to look them up. She wasn’t sure why, but something about the name sounded familiar. “You won’t be disappointed,” she told her father.

Thrusting her chest forward, she bounced back to her office. That promotion was in her hands. She sent a few emails to clear her calendar for the next day and rearranged items on her to-do list. Jewel opened a tab on her browser and was typing in the company name her father had just given her when her phone rang. She picked it up and filled her brother in on the details of the meeting with her father. When Jewel got back to her emails, she had to shift her focus to handling a contract she’d been waiting on from a new supermarket chain.

When Jewel looked at the time again, she realized it was after five. She was scheduled for a six-thirty boot camp class. With rush hour traffic, she’d have just enough time to get there, change into her workout gear and get ready for class. Her office was only twenty-five minutes away from her gym, but at this time of the day, travel times easily stretched into forty to fifty minutes.

Jewel shut down her computer, grabbed her purse and headed to the car. She double-checked that her gym bag was in the back seat before pulling out. The boot camp was hard but she made it through. She’d come out looking as if she’d traveled through rain. When class was finally over Jewel was starving. On the way home she stopped to grab something to eat. In the house, she showered, ate and pulled out her laptop to review her personal email. Moments later, she woke up and found her fingers still on the keyboard. She had fallen asleep and wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Deciding to check the company out in the morning before the meeting, Jewel went to bed.

Jewel woke the next morning energized and ready for her new project. The moment she got to work, she pulled up the company name and headed to the ABOUT US section of their website. She admired the clean, sleek look and feel of the website. It was indicative of a savvy tech company. She perused the information that told of all the services the company provided. Before she could explore other sections her phone rang. Their meeting was set to take place in the executive boardroom and their guests had already arrived. Jewel realized she’d never asked what time the meeting was. First thing in the morning worked fine for her.