Sweet Heat at Bayside(39)

"No way she's right! This is your biggest, most important opening yet,  in a town that means something to you. This is the opening that matters  most, the one where you have pressure to do everything right because so  many of the people who will come have known you forever." She knew how  proud Drake was to finally feel comfortable enough with his business,  his success and practices, to open a store near his hometown. She'd  taken extra steps to make sure it was everything he hoped for.

"I know, but it's okay," he said. "I understand."

"Well, don't, because you should be upset, like I am. I would never make  an employee miss something they've worked on for so long. We spent  months looking for a location, negotiating with vendors, setting up  distribution, talking with schools … Tomorrow is the big payoff! It's the  moment when we stand back and see it all come to fruition, when your  community comes together in celebration of what you've accomplished.  There will never be a repeat of that day. That's our moment, Drake.  Yours as the owner and mine as your friend who has watched you plan and  put blood, sweat, and tears into every element, every decision." She  couldn't slow her thoughts as she paid the driver and got out in front  of her office building. She stormed inside and pushed the elevator  button repeatedly. "I'm going to lose you in the elevator. I'll call and  let you know how it goes."

"Supergirl, wait-" he said hastily. "Please don't mess this up because of me. Take a breath. What if she fires you?"

"Then she does, but at least I'm not a doormat." She ended the call and  rode the elevator up to the fourteenth floor, preparing to give Suzanne a  piece of her mind.

She stalked toward Suzanne's office, replaying Drake's words in her  mind, picking them apart until their meaning became clear. What if she  fires you? She'd been replaced. She had no job waiting in the wings.  Justine didn't have the workload to hire her. If she was fired, she'd be  left scrambling to find another job.

Oh no.

She slowed her pace as Suzanne's office came into view.

Thoughts of her mother barreled into her. Her mother had spent her life  chasing men to take care of her instead of taking care of herself,  backsliding at breakneck speed. As much as Serena loved working at the  resort, and working for Justine at Shift, she didn't want to go backward  and be an employee for either company again. She'd built her life  around moving forward, striving to achieve her next goal. Sure, she'd  put it on hold to help Drake and the guys, but she was also growing  while working with them, honing her skills, learning about business. It  had been a definite move forward.

Was she going to put her job on the line over being unable to see Drake? Was that why she was so upset?

No. This confrontation wasn't about going home to see her boyfriend, or  even about missing his biggest moment yet. She was standing up for  herself, demanding mutual respect for human beings, their time, and  their happiness.

She straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and knocked on Suzanne's  door. Suzanne waved her in. It was after six on a Friday afternoon, and  Suzanne had contracts, site plans, and proposals-hours of work-spread  out in front of her. Did the woman do anything other than work?

Suzanne lifted her gaze. Her hair was pinned up in the severe bun Serena  had gotten used to. She had a pencil tucked above her ear and wore a  strand of pearls around her neck, adding even more class to her  black-and-white dress. "Yes, Serena?" she said with an air of dignity,  clearly unconcerned about whatever Serena had come to say.         

     



 

Why wouldn't she be? The last two senior designers had walked out  without notice. It was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. Serena was a  number on an employee log. A cog in the wheel. She could walk out  tonight and Suzanne would have her position filled in a matter of days.

But Serena wasn't the type of person to walk out without notice, and she  sure wasn't going to give Suzanne a reason to fire her-or the  impression that she'd stand for being treated like her plans didn't  matter.

"I'm going to attend the event for KHB tomorrow," she said confidently.  "But I want you to know that I don't agree with the way you handled this  situation. We have worked hard to achieve the opening of this music  store, regardless of where I currently work. Years of learning from one  store to the next have built to this, and opening a store in the area in  which Drake lives is a huge achievement, as you can imagine, since you  have several locations. If this were my company, and I were the boss, I  would never expect an employee to give up something so meaningful for an  event that takes place on a monthly basis." She held her breath, trying  to read Suzanne's expression.

Suzanne pressed her lips together in a firm line. Then they tipped up at  the edges, but her eyes turned cold. "Your thoughts are duly noted, but  you aren't the boss." She turned her attention back to the documents on  her desk. "Was there something else?" she asked without looking up at  Serena.

"No." It took everything she had to hold it together and walk out the  door instead of laying into her. The trouble was, Suzanne was right.

Serena wasn't the boss.





Chapter Seventeen




DRAKE CAME OUT of the stockroom of Bayside Music and Arts Saturday  morning reveling in the familiar adrenaline rush that had accompanied  each of the last four grand openings. Carey and Cree were busy setting  up displays featuring the instruments they expected would draw the most  attention. They were holding down the fort tomorrow, too. Drake knew  he'd be a mess worrying about how sales went the first week, and because  he tended to stress over those types of things, he planned to stop by  late afternoon for a quick check-in, rather than spending the entire day  watching the clock and counting customers.

"Hey, boss." Carey carried an electric guitar in one hand and a display  stand in the other. Tall and lean with longish brown hair, an  ever-present tan, and warm green eyes that made women want to know more  about him, he was a good friend always willing to pitch in with the  music stores. "Evan and Maddy are outside. They're ready to go set up  the road signs. Unless you need them for the exterior first?"

"I think we can handle it. We have plenty of time before people start  arriving, and they usually trickle in anyway. Given the weather  forecast, I'd imagine we'll have a light turnout."

"Copy that." Cree looked up from the display she was putting together.  Her bright eyes and sunny disposition contrasted with her head-to-toe  black, from her raven hair to her clothing and heavy military-style  boots. Her Bayside Music and Arts tank top showed off her colorful  tattoos. "A day at the beach or a day of shopping? No matter how good  the products are, sun, sand, and hot guys in trunks and girls in bikinis  always win out. But that's what evenings are for, knocking around music  stores and hanging out with your buds."

"Let's hope so." Drake headed outside and found Evan and Maddy loading  signs into the back of Evan's Jeep. They looked so young and ready to  take on the world, leaning against each other's sides like best friends.  Their easy friendship reminded Drake of him and Serena through the  years.

Evan pushed from the Jeep as Drake approached. He raked a hand through his brown hair. "Hey."

"How's it going?" Drake asked, though from the blush on Madison's  cheeks, he wondered if he'd actually interrupted more than a couple of  friends.

Madison tucked her long, honey-colored hair behind her ear and said,  "Since it's so early, Carey thought we should put more flyers out before  setting up road signs. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." With his first store, he and Serena had done that  job themselves. With his second, they'd had volunteers. Now they had  volunteers, paid staff, and caterers. More importantly, they had each  other in a much bigger way. If Serena couldn't be there, at least he  could feel a little closer to her by having her traditional  grand-opening breakfast. He handed Evan a twenty-dollar bill and said,  "Can you grab a few snickerdoodles for me?"
         

     



 
"Sure." Evan pocketed the cash. "Sudden sweet tooth?"

"Something like that."

A few minutes after they pulled out, Drake was busy wrapping streamers  around the posts out front when Desiree's and Mira's cars pulled into  the lot. Their trunks popped open, and then Rick, Desiree, and Emery  climbed out of Desiree's car and Chloe and Mira stepped out of Mira's.  They grabbed bags from the trunks and headed for the store like the  cavalry, each wearing a Bayside Music and Arts shirt.

"Where do you want us, bro?" Rick asked.

"Where'd you get those shirts?"

Rick flashed a cocky grin. "We have our ways."

"The opening doesn't start for another hour and a half," Drake reminded them as they all said hello at once.