Page 63 of Rekindling Desire

“Thank you,” I said, gathering my notes and standing. The few steps to Millie’s door were as if I were walking through quicksand. I couldn’t pinpoint my trepidation, but it was present.

“Hi,” I said, spotting Millie behind her desk.

“Please, Ella, have a seat.”

Taking a deep breath, I took the same seat I had when Millie railroaded me into the campaign; now I was here to argue that same campaign’s worth.

“Congratulations,” she said.

Okay, we’re going to start with this.

I lifted my left hand. “I spoke too soon. Damien and I are engaged.”

Millie opened her eyes wide and pursed her lips. “The two of you didn’t marry?”

“We did.” I sat taller. “We married in Florida. We’ve now been made aware that there’s an issue with our marriage license.” I shrugged. “Therefore, we’re back to engaged.”

“Ella, this spontaneous, irrational behavior isn’t like you. Is there more to this story?”

“There is a lot more. However, I don’t see how any of it is pertinent to my position with Beta Kappa Phi or as campaign manager for the campaign you basically forced upon me.”

“I didn’t force you.” She shuffled papers on her desk. “I believe your behavior is relevant. As a representative of Beta Kappa Phi, your integrity could be in question.”

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was the entire world crashing down, but I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture on my integrity.

“Millie, my integrity is not in question. I’ve known Damien for years.”

“You don’t just marry someone—”

I lifted my hand. “Millie, if you’re talking to me as a friend, I will tell you I appreciate your candor, but you are uninformed. You don’t possibly have enough knowledge to pass judgment.” Her lips pursed. I went on, “If you’re speaking to me as my boss, I believe you’re crossing the line. What I do in my personal life is not up for debate. Give it to me straight: are you killing the campaign?”

Millie sat taller. “I’ve been in contact with our legal department. While they understand that whom you marry or are engaged to is your business, they would like a statement from the coalition that there is still confidence in your ability to act for all the companies.”

“I’ll get a statement.”

She shook her head. “That isn’t necessary.”

“You just said…”

“Julia Sherman called me this morning.”

I let out a breath.

Millie went on, “She has faith in you and your abilities. She also corroborated the information you gave me last night. The coalition agreed with you working at Sinclair Corporate for the reason you mentioned. She stated that the coalition has upheld Mr. Sinclair’s promise of working with Beta Kappa Phi.”

“You’re not killing the campaign.”

“I’m not. I’m concerned about Dwain Welsh. Despite what Mrs. Sherman said, he wasn’t happy.”

“Did you tell her that?” I asked.

Millie nodded. “She said she would take care of it.”

“I’m willing to step down and give the manager position to someone competent. I recommend Niles. I believe that the coalition will still require the representatives to work from Sinclair Corporate.” I shook my head. “Whomever is doing this campaign will have access to a slew of confidential information.”

“Mrs. Sherman wants you, Ella.” She paused. “I’m not forcing you. If you felt that way before, I apologize. It was my enthusiasm for the campaign that had me blinded. Do you want to maintain the campaign?”

“I do,” I replied, remembering what Damien had said on the phone. He’d said that the campaign was important, but not as important as me. “I believe I can make this work, for Beta Kappa Phi and for the coalition.”

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