Saturday's sun and mild temperatures extended to Sunday - perfect weather for my morning jog. My apartment was on 89th Street between Central Park West and Columbus – a 4th floor walk-up in an old brownstone. As much as I would love to live in a building with an elevator, I knew that the four flights of stairs were a blessing in disguise for my butt. My work schedule didn't leave me more than a couple of times a week to get out for a run or hit the gym, so the trips up and down stairs kept me toned. The Central Park Reservoir was my jogging track of choice. I would usually run the mile and a half path three times. The expansiveness of the sky over the water and the distant skyline were a welcome respite in the middle of a city that can frequently feel claustrophobic. I got some of my best thinking done while jogging this path.
Today I thought about my two upcoming trips. I loved to travel and had seen quite a bit of the world. Since my Gran died, I'd taken to vacationing over the Christmas holiday rather than crashing somebody else's family celebration. This Christmas I was headed to Brazil for a week and was looking forward to some sunny days on the beach.
Last week I'd booked a plane ticket for Greece the end of April. I'd been to Greece before but had spent my time in Athens with just a quick two-day sidetrip to Santorini. I'd been enchanted by the island and was returning to Greece to explore new islands.
On the way home I swung by the dry cleaners to pick up my suits. I was definitely a pantsuit gal. I gave Hillary Clinton a run for her money although mine were more tailored and not so colorful. My suits were strictly in the black, navy and grey range. Exciting? No. Practical and professional? Yes.
I lazed around the house until late afternoon enjoying a weekend out of the office. Around four I headed to my favorite market to pick up groceries for the week. Dinner tonight was fresh homemade pasta with a butternut sage sauce and a nice red wine. It was pretty fantastic if I do say so myself. While cleaning up the kitchen and putting away the dishes, my mind wandered back to the blond guy at the coffee shop. After getting ready for bed and climbing under the covers I pulled out my sketch book and flipped to yesterday's portrait. I traced the contours of his face with my fingertip and remembered with a shiver the intense color of his eyes.
"Aaaahhh, Sookie. Quit it!" I growled to myself snapping the sketch book shut and tossing it across the room. I turned out the lights and thought how pointless it was to moon over a guy I didn't know who was in some sort of relationship with 'Felicia.'
I tossed and turned until at last I fell into a dreamless sleep.
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A note from Claudine was propped up on my computer when I arrived in the office Monday morning.
I have a meeting uptown this morning.
Meet me at JoJo's for lunch at noon.
xx, Claudine
Huh. That's curious. I love eating lunch at the chic townhouse on the Upper East Side, but when we've gone it's always been for some celebratory reason. Could Claudine be pregnant? No, she was just drinking at Victor's party a few days ago.
I became distracted with work and dropped the thought. At 11:45 I headed out the door to hail a cab and pulled up to JoJo's at noon on the dot. The hostess lead me to a table on the second floor next to a window. Claudine was already seated and a bottle of champagne was at the table. I gave Claudine a quizzical smile as I slid into my seat.
"What's with the champagne? Is there something to celebrate?"
"I hope there will be." She answered. Hmmm.
"I think I'm missing something here. What's up?"
"Did you know Diantha Jennings is retiring from the Met?" Diantha had been the Director of Special Events since time immemorial. She created the job in the 60's and had held it for forty years.
"Of course I know she's leaving the Met. I read the papers."
"Do you know who they want to replace her?"
Oh shit. Claudine was going to leave me and move to the Met to take the job. But wait. That didn't make any sense. What about her company? Why would she do that?
"You?" I questioned confusedly.
"No, silly. You!"
I was shocked. "Excuse me, what?" I blurted out a little shrilly and definitely ungraciously.
"The Met wants you to be their new Director of Special Events!" She beamed as proud as a mother watching her baby take her first steps.
My mouth gaped open. I couldn't formulate a sentence. I still wasn't fully comprehending what she was telling me.
"They've been interviewing candidates for months. This is a high profile position at the museum and a critical role for them, so they won't settle until they've got the right person. They decided to put together a profile of their dream candidate and then find that person. And it's you!"
"But I work for you, Claudine. I love Crane Events. I love my clients. I'm good at what I do and I'm comfortable there." I protested.
"You're too comfortable there, Sookie. And you're too young to be comfortable. This would be a great step for you professionally and personally. They actually approached me for permission to pursue you a couple of weeks ago. I've given it a lot of thought and I think it would be a great move for both of us. I met with Diantha and Catherine Coulson, the President, this morning to discuss details."
"It would be a good move for you? Are you trying to get rid of me? You could just fire me you know." My words came out more harshly than I'd intended, but I was hurt and confused.
"Sookie. I love you like a sister and would never try to get rid of you. I genuinely think this is an incredible opportunity for you to take the event reins at the finest cultural institution in New York City…one of the most distinguished in the world. Think about it. The Met's trustees are Rockefellers, Astors, de la Rentas – the cream of the crop. Heads of State, and the true power elite are entertained there on a regular basis. The Costume Institute Benefit is the pinnacle of events in the city. And think about working day in and day out among masterpieces of art." Claudine knew from my silence that I was listening to what she said.
"It's hard sometimes, when considering a change in your life, to realize it doesn't have to be a forever move. No decision is permanent, Sookie. And you could always come back to Crane Events."
"I could?"
"You'll always have a place at Crane if you want it. Go to the museum and try it for two years. That will give you time to go through two event cycles and get fully settled. If after two years you want to come back, I'll make you a partner at Crane."
Whoa. That got my attention.
"Why do I feel like you're pimping me out?" I narrowed my eyes at Claudine.
"Oh, Sookie. I'm not 'pimping you out' as you so colorfully put it. Think of it as an arranged marriage." She practically sang the last words.
"So what do you get in exchange? Three goats and a pig?"
Claudine laughed heartily and shook her head. "No, Sookie. To have a Crane girl at the helm of the Met would make my company even more sought after. It's almost as much an honor for me as it is for you. If you do decide to come back, clients would line up to have you running their events."
"The honor of association? That doesn't seem all that great." I said skeptically.
"If you accept, the Met will list Crane Events as their sole recommended event planner for incoming corporate clients at the Met." Claudine leveled her gaze at me.
I blew out a swift breath. That would translate to hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly for Crane.
"So it really just comes down to money, huh?"
"No it doesn't, Sookie, and you know that. What this really just comes down to is what's best for you. But I'm a businesswoman. Why not make the arrangement as advantageous as I can?."
"What about my salary? And my vacations? I've already bought my tickets to Brazil and Greece."
"Done and done. I negotiated a much better salary for you than you ever would have dreamed of asking for. You know you sell yourself short all the time."
"How much, Claudine?" I asked flatly.
"$140,000."
I choked on my sip of champagne, and it burned as it threatened to shoot out my nose.
"What?! Claudine! That's nearly double what I'm making now at Crane."
"I know. Like I said, you tend to sell yourself short. I've always felt mildly guilty about how little I pay you, but you've never asked for more than I gave you. If you'd handled negotiations with the Met you probably would have been satisfied with $85,000."
She was 100% right. I don't know if I would have even pushed for that much. "What about my vacations?"
"Your Christmas trip is no problem at all. And luckily the Party of the Year is April 20th, so you'll be free and clear to leave for Greece on the 22nd. Otherwise you would have changed your ticket." She eyed me sternly.
"Don't I need to interview or something?"
"They'd like to set up a couple of meetings with you and the key players at the museum, but it's just a formality. You've planned several corporate events at the Met so Diantha can personally vouch for you. Plus they've done their homework on you and your references have checked out so to speak. Your reputation is sterling." She smiled at me and winked.
"When would they want me to start?"
"The Monday after Thanksgiving."
"So soon? That's less than two weeks!"
"They need to start planning the Party of the Year and want the new Director in place first."
"When do I need to let them know?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"I want to think about it some more."
"Sure, sweetie. Why don't you head out now and take the rest of the day to think. This is a big decision and I want you to feel good about it."
My head nodded in agreement as I looked down at my feet. Claudine reached out her hand and lifted my chin so I looked her in the eyes. "Sookie…..you're not going to lose me in your life if you decide to do this. We'll still be like family." She hugged me tightly.
My eyes welled with tears and I nodded my head.
Claudine paid the bill and caught a cab back to the office. I started walking west until I hit the park and then headed north until the Museum came into view. I was awed by the sight and got nervous butterflies in my stomach looking at the impressive façade. I knew I would take the job. I knew it back at the restaurant, but I was afraid to say it out loud and wanted to walk home across the park to let the enormity of the change sink in.
I didn't know if I was ready to assume Diantha's mantle. But Claudine and everybody else seemed to think I was capable. I sure hoped they were right.
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My first order of business Tuesday morning was to let Claudine know I'd made my decision. We hugged and both shed some tears, and Claudine called the Met to let them know I'd accepted.
About half an hour after Claudine hung up the phone, I received a call from Catherine Coulson. "Sookie. We were so happy to hear the good news from Claudine that you'll be joining our team."
"I'm very grateful for this opportunity and am looking forward to coming on board."
"I'd like to set up a time tomorrow for you to come to the museum and meet with me and Diantha to discuss the position and have you fill out some paperwork with HR. Would 10 a.m. work into your schedule?"
"Yes, that works perfectly."
"Sophie-Anne would also like to meet with you this week since the success of the Party of the Year is largely riding on the strength of your relationship. She'd like to see you at 2:00 in her office on Thursday."
I noticed it wasn't so much a question but a statement. "I'll make myself available to meet with her." The thought of meeting with Sophie-Anne instantly made my palms sweat.
"I'm sure you're busy so I'll let you go. Please come to the fifth floor administrative offices when you arrive tomorrow and the receptionist will show you to my office."
I'd launched myself out of my chair before my receiver was back in the cradle.
"Claudine, help! I'm meeting with Sophie-Anne on Thursday in her office. Finding something appropriate to wear is going to be more stressful than deciding to take the job was. What am I going to wear?"
"You're not going to wear anything currently in your closet, I'll tell you that much. Grab your coat – let's go."
In our uptown cab we talked about what might work. "We'll find something that enhances your personal style, Sookie. Nothing that would make you feel uncomfortable."
"What personal style?" I grumbled under my breath.
Claudine escorted me through the doors of Bergdorf's and straight into the waiting arms of her personal shopper, Trudi.
"We've got a bit of an emergency here, Trudi. Sookie here has a very important meeting on Thursday and is needing something fabulous to wear."
"I'm sure we can find something." smiled Trudi. "What kind of a meeting?"
"A meeting with Sophie-Anne Leclerc." Claudine practically gushed.
"Oh?!" Her eyebrows shot up and she looked faintly impressed. "This will be fun. We'll find the perfect look for you Sookie, don't you worry." She rushed to the back to confer with one of her associates. They looked me up and down before disappearing.
In no time they'd found the perfect outfit. The chic sheath dress in grey wool suiting material crossed in the front almost like a wrap dress. The neckline wasn't too deep. It had capped sleeves and a sexy pencil skirt. A hint of scalloped lace peeking underneath the skirt was a perfect counterpoint to the fabric of the dress. A black belt finished it off and trimmed in my waist. It was tailored but still feminine and very stylish. I felt incredibly relieved.
"Finish this off with some great black heels and pearl earrings and you'll be set."
A stop at Saks yielded a few more items before our return to the office. I felt guilty shirking work like this, but I was desperate and my boss was the one leading the charge.
I had a lot to do over the next few days to prepare for my departure. My first order of business was to contact my clients and let them know that I would be leaving Crane, and which of our event coordinators would be stepping in for me on each project.
The call to Victor was probably the hardest. He sounded disappointed. "So what does the Met have that The Madden Company doesn't?"
I didn't know what to say so just deflected. "I'm going to miss working with you and The Madden Company, but you'll be in good hands between Claudine and Amy. I hope we will continue to have opportunities to work together."
"I'm sure, Sookie. Please keep in touch and let me know how you're doing, okay?"
"Of course. Say hi to Margot and I'll talk to you soon." And I clicked off.
By the end of the day I was beat and wearily headed home.
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Diantha met me at the reception desk and shook my hand with a firm grip. She was in her early 60's with shiny jet black hair cut in a rather severe bob and angular glasses with midnight blue frames. Her clothing was always black or shades of gray – and I'm pretty sure I'd never seen her wear anything but Eileen Fisher paired with bold jewelry.
"Sookie, I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am to have you here. Come and I'll introduce you to Catherine."
Catherine was the first woman President of the museum. She was intense, intelligent, and more than a little intimidating. I held my own throughout the meeting, and felt that we would have a good working relationship.
"I'll be frank with you, Sookie. Attendance at the museum is down, our endowment has shrunk with the tanking economy, and public funding has been severely cut which is forcing us to pinch every penny. We have to continue entertaining – it's crucial to our fundraising programs and central to our mission as an institution, but we're looking for smarter ways to deliver quality events for less money. I'll be relying on you heavily to think outside the box and put a fresh spin on our events. As other institutions in the city seem to be getting chicer and sexier, I'm afraid the perception is that we're becoming more dowdy and matronly. We need your help."
Wow – no pressure or anything. "I'm looking forward to the challenge. Thank you both, for entrusting me with this position."
Diantha leaned in to speak. "I'll be setting up meetings for you to meet with the key players from each curatorial departments. It will be helpful for you to get acquainted as soon as possible and familiarize yourself with their gallery spaces and their upcoming exhibition schedule since your staff plans all the openings."
My head was swimming at the thought of the sheer volume of information I would soon be needing to consume and process.
Diantha led me back out to reception and on the way stopped to introduce me to a stunning blond woman who I immediately recognized as Felicia. She was probably 5' 10" and looked almost unreal with her perfectly symmetrical featuresl. I disliked her instantly, but I suspect that's because I'd developed an unhealthy obsession with her very gorgeous boyfriend. They'd have beautiful babies, dammit.
"Felicia, this is Sookie Stackhouse who will be taking over as Director of Special Events. Sookie's been Vice President at Crane Events for several years. We are very fortunate to have her joining the team."
Felicia swept her eyes over my outfit and gave me a tight, insincere smile as she shook my hand. "Lucky us. I've got to run to a meeting. Nice meeting you."
Now I was pretty sure my dislike for her had very little to do with her boyfriend.
The receptionist directed me down to HR to fill out my paperwork. I quickly completed the forms and was waiting in a small room to see a manager about health plan options when a handsome dark haired man crossed the room and sat next to me.
"Is this your first day on the job too?" he drawled with a sexy southern accent. I was rocked by the sound of home.
"No - I start December 1st, but am just filling out the paperwork now. Your accent is so familiar, may I ask where you're from?"
"Northern Louisiana, and from the sound of your accent I'd be willing to bet you're from there too." He winked at me and I could feel the heat spreading in my cheeks.
"Bon Temps." I grinned.
"I grew up not too far from there – what a small world. I'm Bill Compton, newly minted art conservator – nice to meet you."
"I'm Sookie Stackhouse, soon to be Director of Special Events."
"That's a tough job. I just moved here from California to take this job, but my partner is still in LA. He manages special events for one of the movie studios."
Figures. I guess it's true that all the good ones are either gay or married – or dating 'Felicia.'
"I'll bet that's really fun – my experience with media events has been pretty limited. I've primarily worked with non-profits and a few corporations."
"Ah. I hear that non-profit events are the most stressful." A woman beckoned him to an office down the hall. As he rose he winked again. "I do hope I'll be seeing you around Miss Stackhouse."
I hoped so too – it would be nice to have at least one friend here.
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"Hello, Sophie-Anne, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."
"Sookie Stackhouse, I've heard so much about you." Purred Sophie-Anne from behind her desk.
At least I assumed it was a desk since she was sitting at it and there was a phone on it. But there wasn't a scrap of paper on it or a computer. I'd always thought that paper-free desks were just an urban myth.
Her office was flawlessly decorated – it was contemporary without being sterile or cold. Beautiful large format photographs adorned the walls.
Rather than risk an insipid response, I decided to just smile and let her continue.
"Jean-Luc tells me you're quite knowledgeable of food and wine and have great event instincts in general."
Jean-Luc was the executive chef at Feast and Fetes. In my opinion they were the best caterer in New York City.
Again, I let her continue since she had yet to ask me a question.
"Where did you learn about food and wine?"
"I grew up in a small southern town that didn't even have a Chinese restaurant. I knew next to nothing about food when I moved to the city. I've just learned from going out to eat a lot - to as many different restaurant as I can, being an adventurous eater when I travel, and asking my chef friends lots of questions. I've learned about wine by working with chefs like Jean-Luc to pair wines for dinners over the years. I've taken a few wine courses and on occasion visit wineries when I travel."
"Where do you like to travel?"
"Anywhere I haven't been before."
"Where did you go last?"
"Hong Kong"
"Where are you going next?"
"Brazil"
She was silent for a moment and looked at me contemplatively. This was really weird.
"What do you think of goat cheese?"
"Personally I like it but I think it's been overdone at events."
"Chicken sate?"
"It's difficult to eat gracefully and nobody knows what to do with the stick afterwards."
"Lamb lollipops?"
"I dislike them for the name alone, and again, there's that stick."
"What kind of wine would you pair with squab."
"Cabernet Sauvignon, but I wouldn't recommend serving squab for an event. More than half the guests would ask for the fish option since squab has such a strong flavor. And in general people aren't crazy about eating pigeon."
"What do you think of giftbags?"
"I wish I could ban them from events. I think they're usually tacky and tend to bring out the rudest behavior in guests. But everybody else seems to love them so I think they're here to stay."
"And what do you think of pigs in a blanket?"
"I love them." Oh shit. Was that a trick question?
"Who's your favorite fashion designer?"
"That's not really my area, I'd rather stick to what I know if that's alright by you."
She cocked her head and looked at me for what seemed an eternity and then broke out into a sly smile.
"I like you Sookie Stackhouse. We're going to get along just fine."
"Thank you, Sophie-Anne."
I got the feeling I was being dismissed, so I bent down to pick up my handbag.
"One last thing, Sookie. How would you sum up the decor styles of Lafayette Reynolds and Johan Hennin?"
"Well, Johan's work is exquisitely delicate. His arrangements are sculptural and feel very precious to me. Lafayette's work is loose , lush and bold. His approach is fresh and unexpected and never feels contrived."
"If you were me, who would you hire to design the Party of the Year?"
"Lafayette Reynolds." I said with a smile.
"Thank you for your time today, Sookie. I'll see you at our first planning meeting December 10th."
"Thank you, Sophie-Anne. Have a nice Thanksiving holiday."
I left her office shaking my head. That was the most bizarre meeting of my life.
A/N Thanks to those of you who have left reviews and have added this story to your alerts! :)
