Slipping to the side of the lobby, she leaned against the wall for a moment, lifting first one foot and then the other, wiggling her ankles, wishing she could pull her heels off.
“I’ll bet you wish you were barefoot.”
She jumped at the familiar voice and smiled as she turned to see her father walking closer. “Dad! I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I’ve just been touring the model offices with Albert Partridge. It seems he’s quite proud of his son but no prouder than I am of my daughter.”
She fell into his embrace, loving the feel of her father’s arms around her. “Thank you, Dad. That means so much coming from you.”
He patted her back then leaned away, giving her a stern look. “I know you said you wanted the business to be yours, but I’d still love to have Carmichael Designs work on some of my office buildings.” He threw his hands up in front of him to stop any oncoming protest and added, “I can tell by the people here tonight that you’re going to be busy. But I’d still like to get in line to hire you. Not because you’re my daughter, but because I think you’re the best.”
She laughed, her heart light. “I think we can make that happen.”
Looking out toward the lobby, a few people were leaving, and she glanced at the huge clock on the wall. “I need to start closing down my model offices, Dad. I’m really glad you got to come tonight. Tell Martha that Rory and I’ll have you two over for dinner soon.” With more goodbye hugs, she watched her father move back into the crowd.
She moved to the elevator and nodded toward one of the security men standing guard. “Has everyone left the upper floors?”
“Yes, ma’am. The condo tours are over with, and the last of the office visitors have just come down.”
“Perfect. Then I’m going upstairs to double-check my area before I leave.” He stepped to the side and she entered the elevator, glad when the doors closed and she could lean against the walls. Her mind was whirling with the success of the evening and the number of business contacts she and her employees had made. Carmichael Designs was finally getting off the ground. “A lady always celebrates her gains in a quiet, understated manner.” Ignoring her grandmother’s words, she stepped off the elevator with her hands in the air, twirling in a happy dance.
Catching her reflection in the windows, it struck her how carefree she truly was now. No more ‘fake it till you make it’. She was happy with her life, her career, and her man.
All the office lights were on, just as she expected. With a final glance around, she flipped off the lights as she moved from room to room. Now, standing in a completely darkened space, she looked out one of the windows onto the night sky of Hope City. The Partridge Tower was not nearly the tallest building around, but even on the eighth floor, she could appreciate the skyline.
She walked directly to the glass and stared at the other lighted buildings. From her vantage point, she could see the moon’s reflection on the water in the harbor and the lights from numerous ships near the docks. Peace settled over her and she stood for several long moments, reveling in the emotion.
Finally, she turned, knowing Todd and Barbara would want her to help field the business questions from some of the potential clients. Just as she approached the outer door leading to the lobby, she heard angry voices. Peeking out, she could see Anthony and a man she didn’t recognize.
“You promised!” Anthony growled. “You promised you could handle this job. I would’ve never given it to you if I didn’t think you could provide what was necessary.”
“You wanted it to come in under budget and on time. That’s what I gave you.” The other man snarled, his height equal to Anthony’s with a few added pounds that, from her viewpoint, seemed intimidating.
“I’ve got a designer who’s calling City Hall making waves about the system! Questioning the inspector!” Anthony dragged his fingers through his hair, mussing his perfect salon style.
“I got the inspector to okay everything. I’m telling you, you’re fine. My company followed codes in most of the places, and the inspector agreed. Extra shit that wasn’t needed, we can’t worry about. But your fuckin’ lights come on, and your fuckin’ heating and cooling works. The power systems are more than adequate for all the electricity needs of this building. Anything extra required is for suckers.”
Sandy heard the words the man was saying but struggled to make sense of them. Is he saying he didn’t follow all the necessary codes? Did the inspector sign off when the electricity was not up to code? She held her breath, not wanting to eavesdrop, but considering the men stood between her and the elevator and stairway doors, she had no choice but to remain where she was.
“You’d better be right,” Anthony said, his voice sounding less sure and more like a whine. “Yet the inspector called me wanting to know why Ms. Carmichael was calling his office wanting assurances that his inspection was complete.”
“Well, maybe Ms. Carmichael should keep her nose outta other people’s business.”
“What are you going to do? Wait, no! I don’t want to know!” Anthony cried.
“Christ, Anthony, this isn’t like my grandfather’s day. No one is going to get whacked. She just needs to be warned off, or hell, paid off like everyone else, including that Anderson guy you’ve got overseeing everything.”
She gasped at hearing Dave had been taking payoffs, but the sound was buried under a loud crackle followed by several sharp pops that rang out next to her. She whirled around to see a thin curl of smoke ease past the door
