Changes Ch. 02

This is a continuation to Changes Chapter 1. To appreciate this story I suggest you read the first part.

Thank you for your feedback and comments on my first submission. It did encourage me to continue. As always, I'm open to criticism.

This is a slow building story. I'd ideally like to submit it in one part. But that will take me forever. So I'm aiming for one chapter a week.

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Heather was at the AutoTech office at 10:45 on Wednesday. Dressed in a clean cut dark pants, a fit to form blazer and almost flat shoes, she paced just outside the entrance waiting for Vanessa. She wasn't a fan of high heels, always opting for practical and comfortable shoes. Catching her reflection in the window of a parked car, she instinctively patted down her hair. She realized she was fidgety and stopped to take a deep breath.

Before any important meeting she seemed to have a whole lot of nervous energy. Heather enjoyed that. She knew that the day she went into a meeting with her heart not pounding in her ears would be a day to reevaluate her job. She wanted to do well. All of last evening had been spent preparing. Going over the slides Steve had sent, thinking of how to handle any difficult questions Tim may direct at them followed by a long, relaxing bath. She'd retired early and had hit the gym before the meeting.

Several deep breaths had helped her get her telltale nervous restlessness under control. She turned around in time to see Vanessa walking towards her. Heather raised her hand to get Vanessa's attention and joined her at the entrance to the building which housed AutoTech's office.

"Good Morning, Vanessa."

"Hey, Heather. Not a very good morning, I'm afraid."

"Oh." Heather's brows furrowed as she focused on keeping up with Vanessa as they made their way towards the elevators. "Is everything alright?"

"Jules is sick," Vanessa sighed, referring to her 4 year old daughter. "Bad chest congestion. She was up all night. Which means I was up all night."

"Oh that's bad. You really didn't have to be here, Vanessa. I could have met Tim myself." Just as she said this, Heather realized maybe Vanessa didn't think she could handle this herself. "I mean, I..."

Seeing Heather falter, Vanessa reached out and touched her arm. Heather looked down at where Vanessa's hand touched her arm just above her elbow. She needed to confirm that what she felt was in fact Vanessa's hand. She looked back up and met Vanessa's eyes. They looked sad for a second before Vanessa blinked and smiled gently. "I didn't doubt that you could handle this meeting single handedly, Heather. You've proved yourself on several occasions. Since Tim was expecting both of us, I didn't want to bail."

Heather barely heard what Vanessa said. She felt flushed. Since she had started working at Bridge, she hadn't had physical contact with her boss even once. She couldn't even think of a time they'd shook hands!

Registering the concerned look on Vanessa's face, she nodded, acknowledging what her boss had said. Vanessa gave her arm a light squeeze and withdrew her hand. Heather's arm tingled where Vanessa's fingers had lingered. It must have been for just a few seconds, but had felt longer. She'd had to look away from Vanessa. She's almost felt the need to move her arm away, to break contact. Thankfully Vanessa had withdrawn her hand before her neurons could fire.

They both realized they'd stopped right in the middle of the corridor. Simultaneously glancing at their phones to check the time, they moved towards the elevators.

"This is us," Vanessa said, getting Heather's attention as the elevator dinged to a stop and the doors slid open on the 11th floor.

They were almost at Autotech's office. She had to clear her head. Heather couldn't go into the meeting in this head space. She took the thirty seconds it took them to walk to the reception to focus. She needed her wits about her. This was a crucial meeting.

Later that evening Heather finally had some time to revisit the morning's events. She'd come home after a long day, picking up some soup and grilled chicken from the cafeteria since she knew she wouldn't have the energy to cook after getting home.

The meeting had gone better than expected. Having Vanessa there was a huge help. Vanessa Bridge was born for sales. She'd immediately put Tim at ease and before long they were discussing last night's game, politics and their kids. Vanessa had deftly steered the conversation towards the agenda, run him through the slides they'd prepared and in forty five minutes they were done. Agreeing to meet for drinks on Friday they left with an annual contract almost in the bag.

Heather had played her part to perfection as well. During the meeting she had also realized how much she could learn from her boss. She really did struggle with small talk and breaking the ice. Heather knew her work and was always prepared, but effortlessly connecting with people never came to her naturally. Perhaps she could have a meeting with Vanessa one of these days and get some tips.

After the meeting Vanessa had rushed back home to be with her daughter. Heather had met Jules a few times when she'd accompanied her mother to office. She was a very well-mannered child. As long as she had a book to occupy her, she needed no supervision.

Heather knew that Vanessa was divorced but knew little more than that. She was a very private person. Being a single parent while managing Bridge must be tough, Heather thought. She knew Vanessa's sister helped out a lot. At least she had some family to fall back on.

Her thoughts went back to her reaction to Vanessa's touch. Physical contact beyond a handshake was enough to make Heather uncomfortable. She wasn't like this around her very close friends, but with strangers she always maintained her distance. That didn't explain Heather's reaction. It hadn't been just discomfort. It was almost as if she didn't know how to handle a reassuring touch. She thought back to the last time someone she wasn't very close to had held her and she knew that if it had happened, she didn't remember.

In, fact thinking about it she realized the last time she'd hugged or touched someone was when she'd visited her best friend a couple of months back. Her physical contact with people was limited to a handshake. Not a comforting thought. "Way to go Heather, you're so dying alone." She thought to herself. "Remember not to ever get cats."

Having finished her dinner, she cleared up. She wouldn't dwell on what had happened before the meeting. She told herself she was making a big deal of nothing. But she wouldn't have expected something even close to this from Vanessa. She wasn't cold, but she was always professional. A reassuring gesture as simple as today morning's was not something she'd expect from Vanessa.

She picked up Jaya, the book she had made very little progress with in the last month. She let it absorb her, diverting her thoughts till she dozed off.

Friday evening Vanessa and Heather were meeting Tim for drinks. Another thing that had surprised Heather was that Vanessa had suggested it. She'd later told Heather that it would give them a chance to discuss commercials with Tim in an informal setting. It always helped to get an idea of budgets and work around that. Another tip to make note of.

Heather had dressed in black opaque leggings and an olive green wide necked top. She wore a rough cut Lapis lazuli pendant the weight of which made it snuggle between her breasts. She wore minimal make up. A hint of eyeliner and pale pink gloss.

She hadn't check in with Vanessa since the meeting. They would have to have a quick chat before the evening Tim to ensure they were on the same page.

The first few hours at work were a blur. She ensured she was on top of all her follow ups and made a note of things she needed to get done next week as well. While munching on her salad at lunch Heather realized that she had not noticed Vanessa come in. She finished lunch and walked towards Vanessa's office. Her boss was on the phone and waved her in.

"... very helpful. Yes, I'll be there to pick her up Monday morning. And, Joe, if she's not doing well, please call me."

Heather guessed that she was on the phone with her ex-husband. She also gathered that Jules must be spending the weekend with her dad.

"Ok. Take care, bye."

Vanessa exhaled audibly, referred to her laptop and set a reminder for something. She then looked up at Heather and smiled.

"You look nice today. And that pendant. What is it?"

"Oh, it's Lapis. I picked it out in a flea market. I later realized it's my birthstone. Not that I believe in that stuff."

Vanessa chuckled. "It's quite unique. I've been looking for a pale rough cut amethyst for some time now. Haven't come across the right one yet." She leaned forward and scooped up the pendant in her hand, feeling the rough texture.

Heather froze. She looked down at Vanessa hold her pendant, admiring it closely. She let it go and it plopped back down, nestled between Heather's breasts. All this unexpected movement made her nipples harden. She was sure they were poking out through her top.

"Amethyst is my birthstone by the way. Not that I believe in that stuff either," Vanessa added with a wry smile.

Heather hadn't recovered enough to react right away. She did manage a smile though.

"So, let's go over the commercials we can offer to Tim," said Vanessa, pulling up the worksheet she had worked on. "I have a feeling he will sign an annual contract if we price it right and give him an exit clause if quality and timelines are ever a concern."

"Should we really offer an exit clause? It might make him doubt our quality, Heather asked, concerned.

"It all comes down to how you position it. He hasn't asked for one, but we are telling him, we're giving it to him only because we know he will never need it. We are telling him we will never want a client to be forced to work with us just because they signed a contract. If he ever has cause for concern, he is free to opt out." Vanessa looked right at Heather and held her gaze for a few seconds. "It gives him the feeling that we are not selling, we are building a relationship. That's all it takes to convert a lead. Don't sell."

Heather did all she could to not squirm under Vanessa's gaze. Once she registered what Vanessa had said, she couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "That's brilliant!"

Vanessa had a broad grin on her face too and it made her eyes sparkle. She looked like a different person.

At 6:30 that evening Heather hurriedly packed and freshened up. They'd agreed to go in Vanessa's car as she had a driver. Vanessa would then drop her home. Heather would leave her car parked in office. Though she didn't plan on having more than a couple of glasses of wine, it made sense leave her car here than parked on the road overnight.

"Hey, Heather, you ready to leave?"

"Yep, let's go." Heather followed Vanessa out to where her car was parked. Jose, her driver was waiting for them.

"We're headed to Plush, Jose. You remember where that is?"

"Yea Vanessa, I remember. We shouldn't take more than twenty minutes."

"Perfect. And thanks for staying late today," Vanessa said, as she caught Jose's eye in the rearview mirror.

Vanessa made a quick call to check on Jules. Satisfied that her daughter was doing alright, she turned her attention to Heather.

"I'm glad Jules is better." Heather said as Vanessa finished her call.

"Yes, she's much better. Her medication seems to be working." Vanessa looked across at Heather and after a pause said, "She's spending the weekend with her dad. He's going to play nurse for a few days."

Heather laughed. "I bet it'll give you some much needed downtime."

"Oh yes. I'm definitely going to sleep in tomorrow. It's been a long week." Vanessa took a deep breath, then chuckled. "I'm sure I'm going to miss her by the evening. It's only during the weekends that I get to spend time with her. The rest of the week is just driving her to school and a bedtime story and tuck-in time."

"I love bedtime with my niece. She's almost 3 and she's the most adorable thing," Heather said with a wide smile on her face. "But she's so grown up every time I get to see her. It almost makes me sad that I can't see her every day."

"Yea, they grow up fast. But, with the week I've had, I'm not sure that's a bad thing!" Vanessa glanced sideways towards Heather, laughing at her own joke.

They were ushered to the private booth Vanessa had reserved for them. The staff seemed familiar with her. Heather guessed she was a regular here. Their booth was indeed private. It was cut off from the rest of the seating area. At this early hour the place was quite empty. Heather had been here on weekend once and the place had been packed.

They decided to wait for Tim before ordering anything. They chatted about work while they waited. Vanessa filled Heather in on other deals she was working on. She had recently decided to work closely with the sales team on important prospects. She explained how the numbers showed that the team was generating good leads but a large number of them were lost. So she'd decided to step in and help out the team get their numbers up.

"I'm so glad you're going to do this. I know it must take a toll on you, keeping up with the entire team," Heather said and saw Vanessa nodding her agreement. "But I realize how much I can learn from you."

They continued chatting and soon they saw Tim being directed to their booth.

"Tim, it's good to see you."

"Hey guys, sorry I kept you waiting. I needed to wrap up a few last minute things"

"Don't worry about it," Vanessa said, shaking his hand. "We haven't been here too long."

The waiter arrived with the menu cards. Tim ordered a scotch and Vanessa ordered a wine. Heather decided to go with the same wine, trusting Vanessa's choice.

"So, let's get to it," Tim said, pulling out a notepad he was carrying. He added, "Unfortunately I have only an hour before I have to leave. I've got a family thing later tonight."

"That should be enough time. We won't keep you longer."

The meeting went well. The commercials looked good to both parties and Vanessa and Heather agreed to send across the contract first thing on Monday. Sealing the deal with handshakes, Tim drained his glass and left.

"Congratulations Heather." Vanessa raised her depleted wine glass. "This calls for a celebration."

"Thanks Vanessa, but you did most of the heavy lifting here."

"Well, we work well as a team." Vanessa said, making Heather laugh.

"We sure do!"

They decided to get some more wine and something to eat since they were here and Vanessa didn't have to rush back home for a change.

Heather had not spent one on one time with her boss in a social setting before. But they seemed to be getting along fine. In fact Heather was having a lovely time. She was a little buzzed halfway through her second glass and Vanessa seemed to notice this.

"You don't drink much, do you?" Seeing the sudden concern on Heather's face, she laughed. "You're fine, I just noticed that you're freer. Less conscious."

Heather was quiet for a moment. Wondering how honest she should be with her boss.

"You're right. I don't drink much at all. Over the last year I've really cut down on my drinking. And, I've switched to wine. No more hard liquor." Heather avoided Vanessa's eyes, looking down into her glass.

"Does that have anything to do with you focusing on your fitness? I noticed the definition on your arms the other day. It appears you're working hard."

Heather's gaze flew to Vanessa's face.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry," Vanessa added.

Heather looked into Vanessa's kind eyes and nodded. "It's alright. Yes, it's been a conscious change. I've struggled at times though."

"That's to be expected. It's not easy to make changes in your life," Vanessa averted here gaze. "I've been there." Heather saw the sadness in Vanessa's eyes as she said this. And it tore at her. "But, here we are, making progress," Vanessa added with a gentle smile.

"To making changes," Heather said, raising her glass. They clinked glasses, ordered some more wine and moved on to happier topics.

They chatted for a long time and ran through a couple of more glasses of wine before Vanessa suggested they call it a night.

"We should really not keep poor Jose waiting any longer," Vanessa said. "He's attending his son's football game tomorrow morning."

Vanessa paid the bill, left a generous tip and gave Jose a call to bring the car around.

Once in the car Heather gave Jose her address.

"Do you live alone?" Vanessa enquired.

"Yep, I've lived in this house for almost 3 years now." Heather smiled, and added, "I love the place."

"I remember having my own place when I started working." Vanessa reminisced. "Wow, that was almost 10 years ago. And then Joe moved in with me and I haven't lived alone since." She was silent for a moment and then added, "I'm not sure I could live alone again. For one thing, I'd miss Jules like crazy."

Heather didn't know what to say.

"Did you find it difficult when you got your own place? You must have had roommates through college."

"Yes, I had roommates and when I first started working I lived with a couple of flat mates for a while." Again Heather stopped, thinking about how honest she should be. It may have been the wine that made her open up. "I moved here because it was closer to my boyfriend's place at that time. I hardly spent any time alone at my place. So it never really felt like I was living by myself."

She realized Vanessa was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to carry on. She also knew Vanessa wouldn't press if she didn't want to say more.

"We broke up over a year back. I think that's when it hit me. I didn't know what it was like to live alone before that."

Vanessa didn't say anything, she just reached out and rested her hand on Heather's. For a second Heather tensed, but she relaxed into it. Vanessa's hand held hers lightly. It was comforting, something Heather hadn't felt in a long time and it made her tear up. She blinked back her tears and gave Vanessa's hand a light squeeze. They sat like that for the rest of the ride. When Jose asked her for her building number, Heather realized they'd reached.

She turned towards Vanessa, still holding her hand. "Thank you Vanessa. I'm glad we could close the deal." She hesitated for a second before adding, "Also, I had a wonderful time with you." With that she leant in and hugged Vanessa. Vanessa's hand reached around Heather's back and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Me too Heather, I really did have a good time," Vanessa breathed into her right ear. It made Heather break into goose bumps.

She got out of the car, peeped in and added. "Have a good weekend. And if you're bored being at home by yourself, call me!"

Vanessa laughed, "I might just take you up on that."

She smiled back at Vanessa and closed the car door. She watched the car drive away and walked into her building.