By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Noah
“Today is a very special day for Stone Medical Supplies,” I said into the microphone. “Four years ago today, I started this company with a dozen employees. And now look at us.” I raised my hands out to the hundred and fifty employees standing before me. An explosion of clapping and cheering filled the room. During lunch, a hired crew transformed the lobby of my building into a wide-open space with two bars, several food stations, and a DJ booth. I still felt the warmth inside of me from when I saw the faces of my employees when they saw what I had planned for them this afternoon. They deserved this party. And the cost wasn’t a deterrent. I’d made enough pounding the pavement over the years to be able to open my own business, providing for myself, my family, and everyone in front of me. I made eye contact with as many of them as I could, hoping that I could convey my appreciation for each and every one of them.
“After leaving Big Pharma five years ago,” I continued, “this company was a risk. But delivering quality medical supplies face-to-face to our customers in St. Paul was a dream I’ve always envisioned for us. And while you might not see the significance of four years versus a bigger milestone, I wanted to be the one to tell all of you that we’ve tripled our figures in the last quarter, the highest this company has ever seen!”
People whooped and hollered.
Pride swelled within me, and I waited for them to calm down before I went on. It took them a minute. Friday Fever had kicked in, plus the open bar and food had given my employees more enthusiasm.
“I don’t want to keep you too much longer, but in all sincerity, this company wouldn’t have thrived without every single person standing in front of me. I know the future of this company is in good hands with all of you and I hope this party shows my appreciation. Enjoy!”
I placed the microphone on the stand and walked into the crowd as they cheered. I clapped for them as well. Then it was like a horserace for the food and drinks. Most of them took off for the bars, which was why I chose to have two of them.
I cued the DJ to start the music, and he started up with a pop song I recalled hearing on the radio recently, though I couldn’t remember the boy band. A few of the women jumped up and down hearing the song, and I grinned at seeing them outside of their serious expressions when behind their desks. I liked seeing my hard workers cut loose.
“Thank you so much for all this, Mr. Stone,” Emily Getreur said, coming up alongside me. She was the head of accounting and really needed some downtime. With the increase in figures, she’d stayed late with me and a few others to get our numbers in on time for the quarterly reports.
“You’re welcome, Emily. How are your daughters?” I asked.
Emily’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She loved to talk about her twin daughters and their various school activities.
“Oh, they can’t wait to graduate later this year,” she said.
“Be sure to have them complete the essay for the Stone scholarship,” I said, further promoting the four-year tuition-free scholarship dedicated to employees’ children. My pay packages were competitive, but I knew what it was like to have debt.
“Oh, they will!” she said.
“Enjoy yourself.” I moved through the crowd, and several employees thanked me for the party. And as much as I wanted to mingle with them, I had Gina coming by soon. And as much as I was close to my employees, I knew they would be able to enjoy themselves a little more without the boss nearby.
Speaking of the adorable devil, Gina bounded into the lobby, shooting through the crowd as if fired from a cannon.
“Daddy!” she cried, running right past me toward the stairs to the second floor.
Gina’s nanny, Layla Porter, looked like a drowned rat as she shuffled through the crowd calling for Gina. She tugged at the tips of her short graying hair as she scanned the crowd. I glanced out the window. I didn’t realize it had been pouring outside. With Gina’s excitement, it looked like she’d forgotten her coat and Layla had forgotten an umbrella.
“I got her!” I called to Layla over the music.
Layla’s head snapped in my direction and recognition flooded her face. She waved at me and stopped walking to catch her breath.
I tried not to cringe at her. She looked exhausted. A sinking feeling weighed in my stomach. I pushed it aside and bolted after Gina before she took her first step onto the stairs at the far end of the lobby.
“Honey,” I said, and she turned around.
Her big brown eyes widened, and her crooked grin spread ear to ear. “Daddy!” she exclaimed and attached herself to my leg. “I missed you. Is this party for me?”
“No, honey,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go upstairs, and you can tell me about your day,” I said, lifting her up and holding her against my hip.
She rubbed her tiny hands over my chin. “Scruffy, Daddy.”
I smiled. “You don’t like it?”