Posts tagged “business”

Chasing Truth: Chapter 8

Posted on 08/08/2014

            Mari sipped at her lemonade, enjoying the sun that filtered through to the patio outside of Janey’s café. It was nice to take a morning off from tours. She’d slept in and let the sun wake her before she rolled out of bed to enjoy a morning of relaxation. Raoul and Allison found her in the hammock in the backyard and suggested lunch at Janey’s. The temptation turned out to be greater than that of spending the rest of the day in the hammock.

“Business has picked back up since you’ve been back,” Raoul noted as he stirred his soup.

“Yeah, I meant to talk to you about that.” She swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “What do you think about hiring another guide?”

“We’ve discussed it. Are you planning on sticking around?”

“I don’t have any plans to leave as of right now. I spent enough time away as is. Whether I stayed or not, you’d still need another guide.”

“But whether or not we have you as a trainer determines how far out we can look.”

“You can count on me for the next month or so. I haven’t really thought beyond that. Still, I don’t have any plans to leave.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The relief in Allison’s voice made her smile. “What? You thought I’d leave so soon? I haven’t gotten over missing this place yet.”

Allison shrugged. “You hadn’t said much one way or the other. We didn’t want to make any assumptions.”

Mari glanced up from her plate and reached for her glass when she spotted him. Tyler was as attractive as the night before, this time dressed in jeans and a plain white shirt as he came through the side door. His hair was a little wild, ruffled and sticking up as if he’d run his fingers through it and forgot to brush it back down. She couldn’t fight the smile when they met eyes. She set her glass back down just as he reached the table.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted with a warm smile.

“Hey.” She fought a laugh when Raoul looked pointedly at her. “Papa, Allie, this is Tyler. Tyler, Raoul and Allie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tyler.” Allison reached out and took her husband’s hand. “Raoul, I think I want to take a look at the to-go desserts before we leave. If you’ll excuse us.” She didn’t give him a chance to protest or even address Tyler, drawing him from the table and toward the bakery inside of the café.

Tyler smiled knowingly as he watched them go before he turned back to Mari. “I think Allie and I will get along just fine.”

“Yeah, well don’t count on her always being in your corner.” She rose from her seat. “What are you doing here?”

“I believe these are for you.”

He whipped his hand from behind his back and the flash of colors stole her attention. There in his hand was a bouquet of pinwheels. Surprised laughter spilled from her lips.

“Wow. Okay, yeah, you did pretty good with this. I might be a little impressed.”

She took the bouquet and playfully spun one of the wheels, a smile on her face all the while. It was an inconsequential story and yet he remembered the simple pleasure the pinwheels brought her. When she looked up again their eyes locked.

“I don’t want any confusion about what yesterday was.”

She opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out but an exhalation of air. She wasn’t prepared for his forwardness, but this was Tyler. Everything she learned about him indicated he wasn’t a man to play games. This only proved it. The question was, was she ready for it? She inhaled and tried again.

“And what was yesterday?”

He smiled that crooked smile. “We had fun. I want to see what else we can have together. Are you interested?”

Her fingers went back to the pinwheels. It would’ve been easy to stop by Louise’s and get a bouquet of flowers. The pinwheels were thoughtful. Sweet. Meaningful. Exclusive to her. The excuse of a busy schedule and previous thoughts of him being a complication or distraction completely left her mind.

“Yeah. I’m interested.”

The smile returned full force. “I was banking on that wild girl in you.”

She laughed. “I guess there’s still a bit of wild left in me then.”

“Good. It works to my advantage. Am I being presumptuous if I plan to get with you tomorrow?

She smiled and shook her head. “Tomorrow night is good as long as it’s not too strenuous. I’ve got a tough schedule and I’m still getting back into things.”

“Dinner then. We’ll get you fueled back up. Should I pick you up from the shop?”

She could just walk down to the shop in the morning instead of taking the truck. It would give her more of a chance to get to know him and she was finding she wanted very much to do that.

“Yeah, that works. Thank you for these,” she added lifting the pinwheels.

“Trust me. It was my pleasure.” He pulled her in for a brief hug and she went willingly, linking her arms around him. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised as he pulled back.

“Tomorrow,” she echoed as he backed away from her before waving and walking back through the café.

Moments later, Raoul and Allison rejoined her. She wasn’t surprised to find Allison empty handed. Raoul’s gaze settled on the pinwheels she held before looking to the café for Tyler’s retreating figure.

“Should I be looking for my shotgun?”

Allison nudged him playfully while Mari rolled her eyes.

“No, Papa.”

He looked at the pinwheels once more; this time taking in the reverent way she touched them. He groaned softly.

“You like him.”

“Yeah…I think I just might.”

 << Chapter 7 || Chapter 9 >>

Categories: Chasing Truth

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Sneak Peek//{Ehredt:New Collaborative Story}

Posted on 12/10/2012

Ehredt
Collaboration by Dee & Neynie

Bluff Springs, TX

Yohannes Ehredt sat in the dimly-lit board room of Ehredt Corp after the company’s shareholders meeting. It had been business as usual, with his associates listening to the reports of company representatives from almost every field within Ehredt Corp. However, one field was absent at the meeting: Ehredt Green. The corporation had recently created the new branch to appease environmentalists who claimed that the company was putting the environment in danger with its strong presence in the petroleum field. It had already been three months since the development of the green technology division, yet there was little to show for its creation, and the outside pressure to promote environmentally safe technology was growing day by day.

The lights in the board room flickered off before turning on again, causing the CEO to turn in his seat and face the perpetrator.

“Oh. I didn’t know you were in here,” Issa Olembo’s hand hovered over the light switch by the door. “I just came to turn off the lights.” Noting the look on his longtime friend and employer’s face, Issa paused. “Everything alright, Yohan?”

“It’s time, Issa,” came Yohannes’ reply.

Issa’s eyes widened, and he slowly shut the door behind him and neared the great oak table. “Sir?”

“Make the call.”

 

Dubai

“Well, mabrook, Mr. Haddad,” Neim Alssous patted his heavy hand on his best friend’s back. “I heard about the promotion from Bette. You’re the second best man for the job.”

Samir Haddad smiled. “Ha. Good one, Neim,” he replied, his eyes still on the landscape before them.

They stood on the 11th floor balcony of the Ehredt Corp office, located in Dubai. The Dubai office was the most successful and most luxurious of the branches, as seen in the building’s architecture.

“For someone who just got a promotion, you don’t seem too excited. Maybe I should tell Boss that I’m more qualified. It’s not like it’d be a lie, anyway.”

When he didn’t receive a quick comeback, Neim frowned. Typically, Samir would offer a dry insult in response. “Something wrong?”

Samir leaned over the rail of the balcony. “The office is in America.”

“And that’s cause to pout?”

“In Texas,” Samir specified, looking over at his friend.

Neim winced. “Isn’t that the place with the boots and the horses, and the—”

“Yes, Neim. That’s Texas.”

“Ana asif, my brother,” Neim shook his head before chuckling. “I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it too, right?”

Samir rubbed his jaw. “A promotion is a promotion. This is a good thing, and I shouldn’t complain.”

“You’re right. Maybe you can purchase a horse and settle down with a blond-haired, blue-eyed cowgirl in a little house on the prairie,” Neim mused with a smirk. “A nice, quiet life for you. Your parents would love it.”

“Thanks for the support, Neim,” Samir rolled his eyes. He straightened and headed back inside the building to his office. “You’re always good with that.”

With a wicked grin on his lips, Neim ambled after him. “I wonder if there are any local shops that can make you a cowboy hat. Yeehaw!”

 

Broome, West Australia

The cool breeze glided along the sandy shores of Roebuck Bay, tugging at the reeds standing tall against a crouching figure. In the meadow of green fields and sand bays, the unassuming character remained still as the tall reeds of grass swayed against narrow shoulders. The waves crashing against the bay and seagulls cawing overhead were the only sounds that could hear for miles. At 5 in the morning, not many residents roamed in the shadowed shores of the Bay. A lone eagle swooped down, crossing the water and teasing the bent reeds with its lowered wings. The crouching human remained undeterred, barely flinching when the eagle steered toward the hat propped sideways.

Then a bleating sound of a car horn interrupting the droning sounds around, alerting the eagle who shot up into the sky and the bent figure finally stirred, peering up from the shade of the beige canvas hat. Lifting a gloved hand that held thin strands of what appeared to be weeds, the figure slowly stood to full height.

Up the hill, a jeep thundered down the bumpy terrain onto the flat sandy plain. Its squeaky brakes distressed the seagulls who now scattered in the air, wings flapping noisily against the rumbling of the jeep’s engine. Then a person dressed in similar gear to that of the one watching stepped out of the jeep and raced over to the swaying reeds.

“Phone call from the States!” the driver spoke over the scawing seagulls and walked over, holding out a cellphone.

The other took up the phone and turned toward the sea. “Adina speaking.”

For a few minutes, only the waves responded as the phone conversation went on without so much of a word from Adina. The driver bent over the tall reeds of grass and reached to touch one but Adina nudged at the hand with a knee.

“Okay, when exactly did you want this to happen?” Adina spoke, squatting also to tug at another weed-like plant from the ground. “Tonight? Isn’t that a bit too early?”

Adina’s shoulders lifted helplessly and then a sigh. “Okay, my colleague and I will take the next flight out.” A pause and then Adina nodded. “Right, I know. See you soon.”

Once the conversation ended and Adina lowered the phone, the driver finally spoke. “Where are we going?

“Headquarters.” Adina pulled off the hat, long curly dark hair fell onto her shoulders and she released a heavy sigh. “In Bluff Springs.”

There was a long silence between the two as they squatted; staring at the bare ground once occupied by the plants Adina had just pulled out. The driver sighed, pushing off the hat and rubbed the back of her neck. “Why now?”

“I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” Adina replied, standing to her feet and heading for the jeep.

“We’re leaving tonight?” The driver called, sauntering after her. “But we’re not prepared to leave yet!”

Adina jumped into the driver’s seat, handing the phone back to her companion. “It’s not up for discussion. The headquarters have decided and we’ll follow,” she said in a no-nonsense tone that rendered the driver speechless.

With both in contemplative silence, Adina turned the jeep around and moseyed up the hill. Not a few moments later and the droning waves and cawing seagulls returned, undisturbed until the sun fully shone out.

Categories: SneakPeeks

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