CHAPTER FOUR
"You are late!" Kimmy said when Veronica came into her office. A moment before Kimmy was cutting the split ends off her bleach blond hair. She put the scissors down, and jumped up off her desk that she had been using as a chair. Kimmy quickly closed the door after they were both inside.
"I'm not late. I'm right on time." Veronica said defensively. She put her purse down, and the large bag she had brought to work that was full of scribbled notes from the fashion show, and her many quick drawings of shoe ideas she got in Paris. None of which had anything to do with clothes unfortunately. Marcus's idea of sending her to Paris to help him with fashionable in style clothes was a colossal waste of time, but she on the other hand was flooded with designs for the Yutan VM line. The heavy bag was proof of it.
"You're on time for when you're supposed to be here, but usually your here at least a half hour early." Kimmy said and helped her take off her light weight designer coat. One of the new articles of clothes Marcus gave to her the other week. "Somebody is here talking to Marcus, and he's acting really weird! He came looking for me because you weren't here yet, and asked me to hide you in your office. So, you'll have to stay in here." Kimmy laughed. "Cute skirt by the way. It looks new."
"Why am I supposed to stay in my office? What does his meeting have to do with me?" Veronica asked.
"Beats me! Like he tells me anything of importance." Kimmy laughed.
"You didn't call me back all last week. I have to ask you something, and it pertains to work . . ." Veronica said, but Kimmy held up a hand to stop her from going on.
"That will have to wait! Right now, now that you're here, I'm supposed to go in his office and ask him if he wants coffee. It's code for 'you're here.'" Kimmy hung up Veronica's coat as she laughed. "Ridiculous right? But I'll be right back." She said and then scurried from the room.
Veronica tried not to think about it. She had a lot to do. She practically had a week off. Especially after taking the weekend for herself to sightsee Paris. It turned out to be a hectic decision that left her frustrated because of the language barrier and regretting her stay as she got lost several times in the heart of the beautiful city, but when it was all over and done with she was still glad she had stayed. She hadn't got home until late last night, and collapsed in her bed grateful to be home. In the morning she hit the snooze button for extra sleep, but it only managed to make her more tired. She got coffee on the way to work which also slowed her down even more. Finally she got to work, as Kimmy said it, she was "Late!" And it felt late too.
Veronica sat down in her chair and stretched. She took a sip of her coffee. The bag on her desk was calling to her. All the ideas were more than enough to get her excited about the day. However, she had to store the bag in her desk because she had a pair of shoes she had to make—the dream shoes.
There was a loud knock on the door. It made her jump. She spun in her chair as the door opened. Marcus came hurriedly into her office. "I thought you would be here by now, and then I saw Kimmy in the hallway." He quickly sat down in the other chair. "So, imagine my surprise to have William Berks in my office this morning. Then the surprise just mounted when he asked to borrow you for two weeks. Do you know what this is about?"
Veronica blinked. "No." She said honestly. "Why does William Berks want to borrow me?" She asked as surprised as Marcus was acting. He must have believed her because he relaxed his shoulders and sank into the chair a little.
"You're expertise on shoes, of course. Probably so he can start his own line of men's shoes I would imagine. If he wasn't him, I would have flatly refused, but . . ." Marcus's words were laced with distain as he spoke. Veronica thought it strange because he always spoke so well of him, and it was through Marcus that she had first heard about him. Last she knew Marcus thought highly of him. It was a sudden change. He continued to glower as he went on to say, "I bet he's here to recruit you for a job. Pompous ass! Like you would ever work for him! He's a womanizing louse. But I can't refuse to let him borrow you. We're all friends in the world of fashion, but please! whatever he offers you, if he does, I'll pay more. No matter what he offers you! Just come back to me with his number and we'll talk." He smiled, stood up, and said, "Should we shake on it?"
"Marcus. I'm not about to go work for someone else." She looked around her room. "I love my office. I am rarely bugged. I hardly have to answer the phone. You just offered me an assistant. And an opportunity to go through all your designer sketches before they hit your desk. I've been considering it, and I'm actually starting to think I might like that. As long as it only took a few hours (two, three, tops) out of my work day so I continue what I'm doing. Plus I know I'm already getting a raise . . ."
"Yes, but we haven't discussed numbers. I don't think it's wise to talk numbers on the eve of you possibly getting another job offer, but let's just say my number was over a hundred and fifty thousand. If he asks, just tell him you make enough." Marcus said.
"Really, that is almost double what I make now." Veronica said.
"When you get back, and you keep working with me it will be double. Just go for the two weeks, and come back ready to work." Marcus said.
"And you sure I have to go?" Veronica asked.
"I wouldn't refuse him. I won't. You'll have to do it." Marcus said. "So pack up your stuff, and go to this address, and ask for him." He wrote down the address to the William Berks store. "He wants you there this morning. Right now. Well he said he would be back after a breakfast date with . . . Claudia Slavic. Anyway it was something like that. Knowing his taste in women, she's a model." He scoffed. "You can't accuse him of being gay the way he goes through women."
"I didn't know you thought so little of him." Veronica said.
"We were fine, until he tried taking my prized jewel!" Marcus said. "But whatever he offers you, I'll do better. So . . . we'll leave it at that, and you should go. He's probably out of the building by now."
Veronica packed up for the day and easily found her way to William Berks. She had seen it many times before on the way to work. And once after hearing of the store she came in to look around. It was a nice store.
She parked in a parking garage three blocks away, and then went into William Berks. Nothing had changed since she had last been there. There was everything from belts, ties, tuxes, to suits in a showroom. Nothing was under a hundred dollars, not even the umbrellas. But Veronica had to admit there was a shocking lack of shoes. In fact, no shoes at all. Another surprising thing was Veronica could see herself working there. Any reserve she had about coming to work with William Berks for two weeks washed away. Maybe it was best to keep an open mind. She went up to the front counter and said, "I'm Veronica Mitchell. Mr. Berks asked me to meet him here today."
"Oh, yeah. I'll call his assistant. He'll be right out." The clerk was dressed in a William Berks suit. He picked up the phone then mumbled into the receiver before hanging up. He smiled before saying, "Actually, you can go back through that door there. Then it's up the elevator, on the third floor. He'll meet you there. His name is Chip Larson. Sandy reddish hair."
"Thanks." Veronica said and followed the directions by repeating them to herself as she walked. She easily found the elevator and went up.
A man with red hair, blue eyes, and smile greeted her at the elevator. "Miss Mitchell?" He asked her. She nodded a reply. "I'm Chip Larson. I'm Mr. Berks assistant. He isn't here yet, but I can show you where you'll be working." He motioned for her to follow him. He took her into an office which had a wall of windows, a large dark cherry desk, a couch, a library filled with books on fabric and clothing designs, and a large built in shelf which had color coated fabric stacked like a rainbow along the opposite wall from the desk. Outside the window she could see the park. It was an amazing view.
Chip Larson brought her deep into the room before saying, "Can I get you anything? Coffee, soda, water, muffin, scone, bagel, anything."
"I'm good." She smiled. "I am not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be doing though."
"Just waiting for Mr. Berks right now. He said he should be back around ten. You have a half an hour. Are you sure you don't want something to drink?" Chip asked.
"Okay. I'll take some water then." Veronica said. The moment Chip left Veronica struggled to decide what to do with herself. Finally, she sat uncomfortably on the couch and folded her legs. More than once she wondered if she was even allowed to sit on it. She impatiently fidgeted while she waited. When Chip came back with water she jumped up as if the couch had suddenly become hot. He rolled in a cart that had a carafe of water, and ice tea for good measure. She thanked him, and once again she waited alone.
Chip had long since brought her water and tea when she wandered out looking for the bathroom. She took her time looking at pictures on the wall as she made her way back, and then out of shear boredom she began to thumb through the fabric on the shelves. Then looked through some of the books. After an hour she was starting to become impatient. He was wasting her time. Veronica looked out the window and watched people enter the park, and she began to wish it was her. It was a nice day, and a walk in the park sounded like a perfect idea.
"It's a nice view, right?" Veronica turned around. The man she had broken his nose, and talked with on the plane entered the room. Veronica stared at him in momentary shock. She watched him walk to the window and point out a tall building in the sky line. "And that is my apartment right there." He looked at her and smiled. "So, I heard you stayed in Paris after all."
"You're William Berks! I broke William Berks nose!" She said in disbelief.
"Punch me and I bleed." He said with a smile. "So you stayed in Paris. Did you see the Eifel Tower?"
"You're William Berks." She said again but it was a question. She couldn't believe it until she heard him say it.
"Yes, but call me William or Will. Either one I don't mind. But everyone calls me William for some reason. You can dare to be different if you want, and call me Will. I don't mind." He said.
"But . . . you're not old! You're thirty!" She said guessing.
"I'll be thirty in three weeks. And your what? twenty-five?" He asked.
"Twenty-three." She said.
"So, clearly, talent doesn't have an age." He smiled. "Are you hungry? We could go out to lunch before we start?"
"You just ate with Claudia Slavic, didn't you?" She asked. "Besides it's eleven."
"I met with Mrs. Slate over breakfast, yes, for graphic designs for my website, but all I had was coffee. I already ate when I woke up at six to lift weights. And when I lift weights I get hungry. It's a bizarre phenomenon that sometimes happens, but nevertheless I still get hungry. So, are you?" He asked.
"Not really. I just drank coffee this morning. And I had lots of water while I waited for you." She said.
"Yeah, sorry I took longer then I hoped for." He said.
She stared at him. Suddenly she was confused. "So—sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm still not exactly sure what I'm doing here. I thought you were joking when you said you were going to ask my boss for time off so I could make your shoes, or I would have said it wasn't necessary. Well, I didn't think it was possible anyway, so . . . Besides you asked for two weeks, when it will not take me one if I put in a lot of hours. But as I said, I'll make them on my time off. You have officially freaked my boss out that you're wanting to hire me. And as much as I appreciate you making my boss nervous enough to offer me a raise, and tell me I'm his 'jewel,' I don't think I can stay here to make you a pair of shoes. I can do that on my time off. And I already missed a week of work. I have a lot to do!" She grabbed her purse.
"And what if I do want to hire you?" He asked. "What would you say? Are you interested in hearing me out?"
"I would say you can't afford me. Marcus said he'll top what every you offer me, plus I get free clothes all the time, plus I like it there. I've spent four almost five years at Saxton Hip. My life is there. Saxton Hip is the best thing that ever happened to me. I love it there." She said.
"I'll give you your own line of Veronica Mitchell shoes, a clothes allowance, two weeks off (guaranteed) every year, you can make your own schedule, and I'll give you a salary that will top his with a four year contract." He said.
"My own line." She said mildly surprised. She had never thought about it before. It kind of came to a shock to her that he would even suggest it. Veronica had always been satisfied with just making shoes and not caring that the name Yutan was always before her initials. It felt comfortable and satisfying that her shoes were being worn by thousands of people, and she had a boss who loved her shoes. She had job security and worked hard to get where she was. Her dream was being fulfilled by working with Marcus; she was making shoes. That was all she wanted—that was until he mentioned her own line. It was strange she had never considered the idea until the moment. "With my name instead of yours?" She asked clarifying.
"It's what you should be doing, Veronica. And I don't want you to make just men's shoes either. I don't know if you noticed but I don't make shoes. They are an art all in themselves, and I tell my clientele that." He added, "I'm sure I can help you open your own shoe store and be a silent partner. It's a good business investment on both our behalves. This would be your office for now." He added, "I saw your other office. It's not that great. You can't love it that much there. Not as much as you rave anyway."
His words sounded too good to be true. She knew there was a catch somewhere in there. However, she did recognize one big flaw right away. "I . . . I don't think I could do that to Marcus." She said honestly. But the idea of her own shoe line was almost too tempting. "He helped me get my foot in the door. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for him."
"Come on, Veronica. You have talent—real talent. I have seen it and so has Marcus Yutan, but you don't need either of us to make great shoes. You just need a nudge in the right direction. You should be designing your own shoes—for you. You said it yourself, you don't want his new offer, all you want is to make shoes. I am the stepping stone for that, at least that is what I'm offering here. I can teach you business sense as you work for me, beside me, and you'll design shoes. In four years you should have your own up and running successful store, and that is when I'll completely cut off from you. It's not the first time I've done this either." He paused before saying, "I can bring you out of the shell, Marcus Yutan has kept you in."
Veronica stared at him and thought. It took her a while to say, "I don't want to run a business. I just want to make shoes. I have no business sense. All I want is to make shoes and when Marcus's realizes that, he'll give my old job back." Veronica said.
"And if he doesn't?" He asked.
"I don't know. He will!" She said. "I'm pretty good at showing him he's wrong without saying it. It's just a matter of time until he stops putting his books on my desk. I can spend two or three hours on it in the mean time."
"It's a waste of time, if that isn't what you want. You're too talented to do his dirty work!" He said. He waited for her to respond, but Veronica didn't. She couldn't make any decision like that right away, and wasn't about to. He saw her change in posture and her resolve to not say another word about it. "Okay, so you have a partner go in with you in your business. They do the business side of your company. You make the shoes."
"I don't think so, Mr. Berks." She said stubbornly.
"William." He corrected her. He smiled. He looked at her for a moment and then like a switch the business man in him softened, and he said, "Well, I think we should go out to lunch then. Get your stuff. I'll drive."
"What?" Veronica looked at him. Another surprising twist in his always captivating and charismatic conversations. Her certainly wasn't boring. However, she was apprehensive. It wasn't like her to go out to lunch with a perfect stranger. She did nothing rash. If she was at all smart, she should be either working on his shoes, or going back to Saxton Hip and catching up. Her pile of work was mounting by the day. He walked to the threshold of the door, and smiled waiting for her. His black and blue eye was almost healed. He had friendly green eyes when he smiled. She didn't know why, but she grabbed her purse and followed him.