A/N: So... my initial plan of getting this story done by the end of May clearly worked out well. Not. So, how about we try for end of June? Also, a little update on my other Stories Survival and Cover Star. I decided I work on each story individually and exclusively until it's finished and then move on to the next. So, after Grounded is finished, I'll get to Cover Star - mainly because I have a general directon and feel it might be close to an end anyway. After that 'Survival' and well... Villians in a whole different story since that gets updated whenever I'm in the right mindset :)
After our conversation, I had expected for Lester to come back again and again with always renewed interest - or frustration. Though from what I could tell, Carlos didn't seem frustrated with me. But maybe Lester knew him better than I did and saw things that I wouldn't recognize as frustration. Or maybe Lester himself was just bored and tried to cause drama.
While Lester was a good guy at heart and a whole lot of fun to be around, he had a weird tendency to create issues where there were none. Not in a bad or toxic way, just mild fun and usually harmless and often enough also just to get a raise out of you.
It didn't take me long to realize that working with guys was more or less the same as working with women when it came to gossip or interest in all parts of your life – personal or professional. At first I figured that it was the whole me being the only girl employed side that pecked their interest and brought out the curious questions and conversations, but it actually had nothing to do with my sex and more the fact that all of them were secretly worse than a bunch of old grandmas.
One Monday I walked into the kitchen and overheard them debate the fact that someone I didn't know and who also didn't work for RangeMan but was familiar to seemingly a few of the guys had 'done a 180 and worked out every waking moment of their day'.
"Must be because of a girl," was one assumption, and a lot of agreeing sounds followed.
"Can only get better than the last six he had dated. They were neither smart nor pretty. Talking to a wall had been more productive than a conversation with any of them…."
Okay, sounded like all of whoever's dates they talked about made lasting impressions!
"Are these the criteria you judge women by?" I asked, amused, filling my cup with fresh coffee.
When I was only met by silence, I figured I might have overstepped by entering a conversation I hadn't really been a part of. But quickly, I learned they were just thinking about my question.
"Yes," Lester as well as Zip finally agreed. "You need to start somewhere, right?"
They certainly had a point. Not that I was going to admit that in front of them anytime soon, but I could at least admit it to myself.
"But not worries, Beautiful. When it comes to you, you tick all three boxes," Lester remarked a second later, grinning at me widely.
"I…um…Thank you?" I asked cautiously, not certain whether this was a compliment I needed. Sure, it was good that I would technically meet approval. I wasn't aware I needed, but… well. Before I could go on with whatever non-comitial remark I could come up with, I heard a rather familiar voice bellow behind me.
"Santos, we talked about this!"
"Jeez, chill, Ranger," Lester said, rolled his eyes a second later before winking my way on the way out of the kitchen. He really seemed to love living a dangerous life.
All of a sudden, the kitchen was empty mysteriously fast. Though I wasn't surprised in all fairness, Carlos had a rather intimidating and scary timbre in his voice that would make me run for the hills as well.
"I keep telling him to not bother you, but as always, he hardly ever listens – unless bodily harm is involved."
"I…um… thank you, but it's okay. He is a bit like that annoying little brother who somehow grows on you for the oddest of reasons."
"You'll let me know if he gets too much, though?" Carlos asked, sounding almost a little hopeful.
"Um…sure, but trust me, I handled a lot worse. I'm okay. But thank you," I assured him and turned around to find some milk for my coffee. "However, while I have your attention and you seem to be able to spare a minute, can we quickly go over a program I read up on which might make scheduling easier, as well as another program to track expenses, client accounts as well as profitability of them?"
"Sounds good. Now would actually really be good if you have the time," he suggested and finally found milk, poured it generously into my coffee and off we went to my office where I spent not just a minute but actually three hours showing him my research into programs that technically hadn't been a requirement for me.
"This is good," he said appraisingly, opening the window that showed my email program and sent an email to himself as well as Tank and Bobby with the links.
Two days later, I received confirmation that my suggestion had been approved and I was getting a green light to make the order – if I had the time. If not, one of them could do it as well. I was digging up the contact information and was about to make the order when a thought hit me. RangeMan consisted of more than just one office. There were several branches and, from what I could gain, there were options that would also make inter-office communication easier. While I didn't know if there was a whole lot of inter-office communication or even interaction, I figured the other branches were probably operating the same way as we were, with the same programs and similar issues to tackle.
Before lunch I got an email from Carlos, asking to meet him in Tank's office in about 20minutes later. As always, his messages were short and to the point, making me always wonder what it could be about. It isn't like I was worried about getting trouble, but with his mails you never knew. He wasn't a fan of emojis, smileys or too many words, it seemed, but then again, would an email from the boss riddled with smileys seem trustworthy or more ridiculous?
"You wanted to see me?" I entered Tank's office with a knock and saw two heads look up.
"Yes, Tank has some more papers for you to sign. I have a few contracts I would need you to follow up with and also… I need to ask you about the order you placed for the software you showed me."
"What about it?" I asked, wondering whether I made a mistake with it.
"Are you sure you ordered the correct one? In the E-Mail the price was different. Not that it makes a big difference, but I browsed the website and they have seemingly a hundredth software solutions for twice as many issues. So I just wanted to make sure we spot a mistake while we can still correct it."
"I ordered the right software, no worries," I replied, amused. "I got us a discount, figuring with the number of branches RangeMan has, it might be a good deal for them and called in to see if they'd be willing to give a discount. I have to admit, though, I expected maybe a few percent of the price and not about half of it."
"You should have hired her years ago," Tank mumbled and me as well as Carlos laughed.
"I didn't know her years ago," he stated, before turning towards me. "You have a really good head for business."
"Thank you," I just said, secretly happy about the praise and approval.
He handed me a stack of files as well as several loose papers on top of that. "Top is for you to sign. It's an updated NDA that our lawyers sent over. It covers things that hadn't been included before – whatever that was. The rest is paperwork for the insurances that I forgot to push your way when you started and was only reminded about recently. Most of it wouldn't be something that technically applies to you since you aren't out in the field, but …you know…"
"Better safe than sorry," I finished for him, having heard that particular argument several times over the past few months. "I get these back to you by tomorrow," I went on when his only response to my remark had been a knowing and amused nod. I figured I wouldn't need a whole afternoon to sign papers, but in case I buried them somewhere on my desk or felt the need to actually thoroughly read them, I was safe.
"No rush," Tank replied and Carlos addressed me once more.
"The green files are ones I need you to take a look at if you have space. It isn't urgent, but a second or third pair of eyes can't help. I left a note with each file about what I need you to look out for."
"I'll get that done as soon as possible as well," I said, wondering already about which pile on my desk this would land on. The Urgent, Super Urgent or Get your ass moving NOW pile? By Carlos' reaction, it might also land on the bigger When I get a chance one.
By the smile on his face – that was gone as fast as it had been displayed – he knew as well as I did. It was the least urgent pile for now. And that was the refreshing and exciting thing about my job – there were tasks that required urgency and pressure, but no one expected you to handle literally everything and also as if their job was the most crucial and important one.
About four weeks after the new software had been delivered and sat up by IT, I was called into one of the meeting rooms. O-kay, that was certainly new.
I arrived perfectly on time – actually five minutes early – but seemed to have been the last one to arrive. Being met by a good dozen foreign faces, my first instinct was to run, followed by the question, What happened?
"Everyone, this is Stephanie Plum, who has spent the past few months making everyone's life a lot easier here in Trenton," Carlos said and everyone around the oval table was nodding at me, while throwing me more than just curious looks.
Carlos pointed towards a chair which was not only the last one unoccupied but also the hot seat, facing everyone at the other end of the table. None of the guys gave me any HR or lawyer whiff, so I figured I was probably not facing termination. Not that this conclusion made anything more clear, because there were still plenty of options what this could be about and somehow I liked very few of the options my mind came up with.
"You probably wonder what this is about," Carlos started and I was barely stopping myself from answering 'no shit, Sherlock.' Had I mentioned how uncomfortable situations in front of plenty of people I didn't know made me feel?
"I might have," I answered, trying to sound lighthearted and amused. Which took a lot of effort.
"I don't think you ever met the heads of the other seven RangeMan branches."
Shacking my head no, because what else was there to do, he went on. I had various degrees of intense email-communication with some of them, not so with others, but that had been all the contact we ever had. I wasn't even aware they had been in town right now. Not that I needed to be aware of that. Our paths usually didn't cross very often.
"I just finished telling them of the improvements over the past few months and how much of these are thanks to you. Also, as we started the setup of the new software rollouts and you initiated things, getting everything ordered and set up, tested and trialed, I guess we can start on the other branches. I'm aware that we haven't worked out every single kink yet, but I'd say we are ready to go and work on details that cross our paths as we find them."
"Okay," I said, shrugging a moment later, because really, what do you respond to that? "And you needed me for what exactly here?" I asked confused, not sure why that announcement warranted for me to attend a meeting I most likely had no business partaking in to begin with.
"I want you to help with the rollout, seeing as you know the software by now, very well."
"Sure, no problem," I replied, still a bit confused.
"On location."
"Which…one?" I asked, trying to remember all the places RangeMan had branches at.
"I guess we could start you in Boston and let you work your way west or southwest."
"I… you want me to visit the other offices?" I asked, surprised. I don't know what I had expected, but somehow not that I'd be traveling anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.
"Well, I guess you could try it with video conferences, but somehow figure this won't work well enough.
"I…okay," I finally said, not sure if this was the best of ideas. It wasn't like I really knew what I was doing. I was still winging it when it came to some things the programs could do and often enough found myself googling the user manuals because no one ever thought of including a FAQ and quick starter pack with the delivery.
A week after that meeting, I found myself on a plane to Boston, and two weeks after that, to Miami. Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Denver and Helena followed them and I hoped Carlos had no intention of adding anything in North Dakota to my roster.