Chapter 10
It was early when Muffy entered Francine's room, a platter in her hands that contained some breakfast sandwiches and a bowl of fruit slices. They ate in the silence that waking up too early often gave, and soon they were in their separate rooms dressing for the day. Muffy was in her uniform, but Francine was allowed to wear whatever she wanted, at least within reason. She picked another maxi dress, sliding on a pair of shorts underneath. She put on her sandals and followed Muffy outside, where a golf cart awaited them. Francine let Muffy drive, and off they went into the dim morning light.
The Crosswire offices were on the far side of the island behind the airport. They drove down a gravel service road and ended up at a three-story building made of concrete. It was painted white, giving off an uncomfortable glare as the morning sun touched the upper parts of the building. Francine got nervous just looking at the building, which Muffy immediately noticed:
"I don't know why it does that to people, but it was the government building on the island. I want to say the British built it during their brief reign here over a century ago, but they abandoned it and a dictator of sorts moved in. The locals were scared of them, but the hurricane sent them away. Now it's American soil and we're technically the only rulers. Private security for private owners seems to be enough for them," Muffy explained.
"Is there a dungeon?" Francine asked as they began walking into the building.
Muffy laughed, "Funny you should say that. I believe that's where Mom wants you to work today," she grinned, leading Francine up a staircase. They ended up on the third and top-most floor, which was divided by a long hallway. Millicent's office was close to the stairs, but Francine could see a door open far down the hall, a door that most likely led to Ed's office. Francine hoped to find out what all, and who all, the building held before she left.
Millicent looked around when the young women entered. She sighed, "Oh good, I could really use the help today. Francine, please, sit and tell me about yourself."
"She wants to figure out what you can do to help her," Muffy whispered, leading her to a chair. She turned away, "I'll see you tonight when I drive you back to the villa. Mother, she doesn't want to leave this building today."
"I understand, dear. Go," Millicent commanded, waving her daughter away. She sighed again, "Alright, Francine, Muffy said you have a history degree. I have no use for the outside world and its happenings, but there's plenty on this island and in our empire that needs help. Do you have any experience that could help me?"
"I mean, you could just tell me to do something and I'll figure it out. I'm okay with that," Francine said, not wanting to admit that she had no real experience. Working with Jack's family was a blur, namely because she was too infatuated with him to pay attention. Part of her still wondered if she actually earned her internship credits or if the family was just being nice to their son's new girlfriend.
Millicent nodded, "Okay, I've got a problem with a new design we're working on. One of our partners, a good friend of Ed's, has a private lake in the Midwest and quite a bit of land around it. He wants certain things to be on said land so he can open it as a private resort, much like this one but, you know, in the heart of America nowhere near a proper ocean. Can you help me figure out where to put things? There's a simulator on that computer you can use."
Francine accepted the task, writing down the log-on information Millicent gave her so she wouldn't need it later. Once the program was open and she had the file before her, she let the task consume her. It was much like trying to solve a puzzle, especially because each item was already programmed to take up so much space, but the resort's property only had so much space available. The lake took up much of the center of the property, plus there were already buildings there that couldn't be moved. Francine could understand Millicent's frustration, namely because this felt like a game and not real work. But it was real work, and Francine struggled with it for nearly two hours before sitting back and looking at it.
"It's not easy work, is it?" a man asked.
Francine turned around to see a tall, skinny man in a tailored suit. He extended his hand, "Matthew," he said, "and you must be Francine."
"I am, and you're right. This is a lot harder than I expected, but it's fun too," Francine smiled.
Matthew nodded, "Some would say that, but not us. I'm the accountant on hand around here, so my thing is more with the numbers and all that. Puzzles and properties and all that just isn't for me. I'm so glad Muffy comes in for the social media stuff from time to time. I think her mother would go crazy if she didn't have help with it."
"What all does she do online?" Francine asked.
"Where do I begin? The resort has its own social media pages, and we ask the different class instructors and certain workers to take pictures to share. Millicent then has to act as an editor of sorts. Everything that goes on those social media pages has to be approved by her first."
"Of course," Francine nodded.
Matthew sighed, "And then they have to come up with different campaigns and deals that benefit the entire company. You can't just give things away, you know? The best deals bring people in to spend money, and in the end, they spend almost as much as they would have without the deal. It's a little shady, but everyone does it."
"Oh, like those companies that offer you so much off if you spend so much money. People think, 'Hey, I'm saving two hundred and fifty dollars!' when they really just spent two thousand, which is what the company wanted in the first place," Francine said quickly.
Matthew laughed, "You're a natural!"
"Well I have a lot of practice. Muffy and I have been friends for ages, and shopping is practically her religion. I learned a lot over the years," Francine replied.
"Understandable, and maybe we can use that. The property you're working on needs someone like that. The guy that's the mastermind behind this is just that, a figurehead who really wants to use the property like his own playground. He'd love to make back some money on it though, which is why we need all of this. What you're doing will make him happy, but everything else makes the dream become a true reality," Matthew said, sitting beside her, "If you'd like, we can discuss this more at lunch. There's a cafeteria on the second floor, and I can get you whatever you want."
"I'd like that," Francine whispered, picking up on his slight attempt at seduction. Francine didn't expect to find any prospective lovers, but Matthew was certainly trying to be just that.
After a little more work, he called her out of the office and led her down a central stairwell. They went down one flight and ended up at the next floor. They crossed a main hallway and turned right, ending up in a vast room being used as a makeshift cafeteria. In reality, it was the compound's old ballroom, and the floor showed that. It was a wooden floor made with a distinct grain, not quite like the ones in the island's buildings either. This wood wasn't native to the island, unless whoever built the room got the last trees when building the floor. The room was huge, echoing their steps only if they were close to a wall.
Banquet tables were laid out around the room, and buffet tables were lined against the only wall with windows. The view wasn't spectacular, just the island's grass runway, so Francine sat facing an inner wall when she returned from the buffet line. Matthew joined her and tucked his napkin over his shirt, looking up with a handsome smile.
"So, what brought you to the island?" Matthew asked, a question that felt like a gut punch. Francine tried not to recoil as she unwrapped her silverware:
"I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon right now," she said flatly, hoping to leave it at that.
"Oh no, that sounds awful!" Matthew gasped, clearly feigning interest, though part of him did seem to be engaged. He'd just learned the girl he was chatting up had some serious baggage, and he clearly wanted to know if that baggage could affect his chances at bedding her, or whatever his end goal was.
"I didn't see it coming. He had a letter delivered to the bridal suite and I left without reading it. Why bother with someone who wanted so little to do with you that he'd leave on your wedding day, you know? I haven't turned on my phone either. I know my family might be worried about me, but my sister is probably still gloating."
"That's not very nice," Matthew interjected.
Francine shrugged, "She's the older sister, plus she's barely had any relationships, let alone one that could end in the wedding of the century."
Matthew smirked, "He left you after planning a wedding with that much grandeur?"
"I mean, his mom pulled all the strings, but yes. After all the fittings and the tastings and everything else, he chose to end it when most of his family and a tiny portion of mine mingled downstairs. We chose to have a pre-reception just in case anything came up, so people were having a good time. I don't think anyone saw me leave. They were having too good of a time," Francine sighed, shaking her head, "I hope I don't see any of them ever again."
"That can be arranged, but I'm sure you know that as a friend of Muffy's. She's very…resourceful," he said with a knowing smile. Francine suddenly realized he'd probably been with Muffy, and that made her want to pull back. Did Muffy have feelings for Matthew or was he just a fling she had when she was bored? Did he like her but wanted easy players? It was a game of questions she didn't want to participate in.
Francine finished most of her food and looked up, "I want to get back to my work now. Maybe I'll see you again before I leave tonight."
"Putting in a full day of work on your first day? That's good of you, and it's needed. Seriously, if you want to get away, have a chat with Millicent or Ed, or me if you'd like. We'd love to have you as part of the team," Matthew said, watching her leave.
Francine sighed once she got back to the office. Matthew was a nice prospect, but knowing she could hurt her friend put the brakes on that one. She didn't mind an office fling—honestly that was her favorite scenario despite Jack now tainting her love history. She loved the idea of meeting someone at work and having a sultry affair in the file room or in their cars during lunch. It was almost a fantasy of hers, but she wouldn't put her friendship with Muffy below a silly pornographic fantasy. She needed allies more than ever, and Muffy was definitely on her team. Who else would hide her from an ex she'd never even met?
So she got back to work, playing with the simulator and looking at the results. The complicated puzzle seemed to have no end. The client wanted a golf course, a hiking trail, a putt-putt course, and a go kart track on the area of land, but there were already houses, plus he wanted a few more cabins sprinkled in remote parts of the area. Putting one near the golf course meant committing to thousands of dollars in damage, possibly every year, due to stray balls hitting the structure. Go karts were loud, so if the people staying there wanted to relax during the day, they'd have to leave their cabin. Putting one near the hiking trail was just asking for trouble, both from people walking by spying on the people staying there and people wanting to use the cabin as a stop-over on long, hot days.
Francine played with a few more options without much success. She eventually took a break, standing and moving towards the window. Millicent definitely had the better view. Francine could only see trees at first, but then she caught the reflection of the sun off the water, so she knew what to look for in the gaps. There was also a path leading through the trees, probably headed down to the beach that she now knew was right there. There was also a small dock, she guessed. Ed seemed to enjoy to water, so why not boat to work or boat on your lunch break?
Millicent sighed loudly and Francine turned around. Millicent shook her head, "He's going to have to give something up, isn't he?"
"There's always something that doesn't fit. I think he should prioritize his needs. Is this a family resort? If so, nix the golf course. If it's more for adults, nix the putt-putt and the go karts and maybe add another adult activity if that doesn't seem like enough. But it doesn't work, not with the extra cabins he wants," Francine agreed.
Millicent nodded, "Well, I'll call him later on. If you'd like, there's a path to the beach over there, or you can hit up the recreation rooms. I can take you wherever you'd like, or my office manager can. Have you met Matthew?"
"Yes, he led me to the cafeteria for lunch," Francine replied.
"Good, he's a good man. He does good work as well, and I might just put his negotiation skills to the test. This man is not an easy one to work with, so he won't like what we have to say, but I'm glad you agree with me," Millicent said, sinking into her desk chair.
"I can work on something else if you'd like, just say the word," Francine said.
"No, not today. Matthew has some people doing inventory already, and he's already organized the invoices I'll need for this week's bill session. Wait, do you know how to do photo editing?" Millicent asked.
"I'm afraid that's one of those things I always wanted to learn but kept putting off," Francine admitted, which was definitely the truth. She always wanted the skill, but she was so focused on other things that she never learned.
Millicent sighed, "Well, if you do anything when you get home, pick that up and call me. I don't think you'd price gouge me," she grinned, standing up again, "There's some video games and stuff downstairs if you're interested."
"I think I'll go sit on the beach until Muffy arrives. If she gets here, will you tell her where I am?" Francine asked.
"I'll get the message to her. And Francine, thank you. You're welcome here any time," Millicent smiled, watching her leave. Francine heard her groan when she left, but she knew it wasn't because of her. The Crosswire's led a stressful life because of all their investments and projects, though they did seem somewhat happy. Muffy really did look happier than Francine had ever seen her.
Once she found her way out of the building, Francine watched a cargo plane land. Workers approached and unloaded numerous crates, but Francine didn't stick around to watch after that. She went to the wood line, following a worn path through the grass that ended up in the trees. Soon she was at the edge of the sand, so she took off her sandals and walked around, looking out to sea. Sure enough, when she looked to her left, Ed had a small boat attached to a decent sized dock. Francine grinned and shook her head, making her way towards a small wooden gazebo at the edge of the beach. She sat down inside, listening to the waves as she made herself comfortable. She had a long time to wait for Muffy, another two hours at least, and her early arrival time was getting to her. She lay back on the bench, closing her eyes and listening to the waves. They were comforting, seeming to rock her as the sound hit her. Soon she was asleep and happy, without a care in the world.
A/N: So I have an announcement about this piece. I want to do a rewrite, but not just any rewrite-I want to rewrite this piece so it's an original work. I've decided I'm still going to post the fanfic version in its entirety. I mean, I don't intend to publish the original version anyway, so that's not really an issue. I just want to fix some problems I had with this piece while I was writing it, and I feel the best way to do that is to go original and see what happens. I plan on doing this for Camp NaNo 2019, and my goal is that the piece is longer than this one so I'll have more to work with. This is a task: By The Sea has over 250k words in it, so a longer original is going to be a task, but it is one I'm looking forward to. Just thought I should let you guys know.
Also I'm working on the whole "y u no post?!" thing. Winter really got me down so I'm struggling, but I've made it a mission to post more during March, so maybe that'll give me the boost I need. Please remember to nag me if it's been a while since I posted and you want more. I don't mind and often reviews like that are enough to countact my lovely depression. If I'm posting it, 9 times out of 10 it's a finished product just sitting on my harddrive waiting on me to get my act together, so yes, please bug me if you need to. I don't mind at all.