THREAD OF EVIDENCE CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2



         She walked through the door into her parents’ kitchen, to find her mother busy with supper.  “Hello mum.”

         Her mother put the spoon back on the spoon rest, and turned to her a smile on her face.  “Hello dear.  Did you have a good first day?”

         She took a carrot stick from the vegetable plate on the table.  “I wasn’t prepared for it, but it was okay.”

         “Better or worse?”

         “Worse.  However, I’ll get used to it.  I have a one-year contract with the company.  At least I don’t have to worry about being fired before the end of the week.”

         Her brother came into the kitchen at the sound of her voice.  “That’s something, at least.”

         Claudia looked up to see him come into the kitchen.  His rugged good looks and red hair always made her glad he was her brother.  “Brian.  I didn’t know you were home.  I didn’t see your jeep in the driveway.”

         “I had to take it into the garage.  Timings off, and it’s stalling out on me.  Besides it’s due for a going over.  Dad picked me up, and gave me a ride home.  You said you don’t have to worry about being fired.  Something about a one-year contract.  Did the possibility exist?”

         “There were moments.”

         “He has a reputation as a woman hater,” Brian said.

         “I can easily see why.”

         “Then you know that God put you in this position.  Tell your father that dinner’s almost ready, and you can get ready yourself.”  Her mother turned off the skillet and selected a dish to put the stew in before she set it on the table.

         “I’ll set the table.”  Claudia put the dishes on the table while her mother set the stew on the table.

         After her father said grace he looked over at her.  “So tell us about your day?”

         “I really don’t know where to start.  It’s an amazing place.  Mr. and Mrs. Vincenzi are marvelous.  I’m really glad I have the job.”

         “And Mr. Frasier?”  Brian asked.

         “A matter of prayer.  Lots of it.  No patience, and like you said, doesn’t like women.  I thought he was going to bite my head off a couple times today, but I made it through in one piece.  I’ll be fine.  I just have to get up extra early.  Therefore, I won’t be able to join you for morning devotions anymore.  Nevertheless, don’t worry, I’ll still have my devotions before I go to work, and get a daily workout.  I’m going to have to keep in shape.  He may be older than I am by quite a margin, but he isn’t slow on his feet.  One of the designers suggested that I needed roller blades to keep up with him.  I can attest to that.”

         “Just don’t forget that just because you have to get up early, it’s an excuse to get out of devotions.  It’s not,” her father said.

         “I know dad.  I wouldn’t think of forgetting.  I’m going to need all the prayer I can get just to get through the day.  I’m sure that in time, it will be a lot easier.  After all this was just my first day.  I’m sure that there’s another side to him.  I just have to find it.”

         “Just be careful sis.  I’ve heard a lot of rumors about him,” Brian said.

         “I can take care of myself, big brother.”

         Shortly after the dishes were finished everyone gathered in the living room around the menorah and lit the first of eight candles according to tradition and read the account of how Judas Maccabeus restored the sacrifices of the temple in Jerusalem for eight days and called it the Festival of Lights, and honored God with hymns and Psalms.

         Each one took turns and read their favorite Psalm and finished the celebration with one hymn of joy to God, who restores all things.

         Claudia made her way to bed and set her alarm for four.  She was completely exhausted by the long day.  She was well aware that if God was in control of the situation that confronted her, He was also able to take care of her in it, and everything would soon right itself.  She only hoped it would be more sooner than later.  What she hoped for the most was that she would do a good job.

         In the week that followed, she was run off her feet.  She ate little, and was forced to keep one step ahead of Jim at all times.  She began to anticipate his needs, even before he asked her.  Most nights they were the last to leave the building.  Nevertheless, despite all the work, she could definitely say she liked her job.  She wasn’t bored.  Challenged definitely, but not bored.

         It was close to lunch when the door opened.  She looked up from her computer, surprised to see a man enter the office.

         “Name’s Jake Hamilton.  Is Jim in?”

         His warm friendly smile instantly put her at ease.  “Yes, of course.  I’ll tell him you’re here.”

         “Don't bother.  I’ll just go in.”

         “What the, Jake!  Good to see you.  What’s new?”  Claudia heard Jim say, before the door was closed behind him.

         Claudia saw the opportunity to get away from her desk for a short time, and decided to go to lunch, in the cafeteria.

         Claudia was surprised to see how large the room was.  She also saw two of the designers there.  She took a tray, chose some hot soup, a sandwich, a glass of milk to round out her meal, and made her way to the table with Randi and Stevie.  “May I join you?”

         “Yes of course.”  Stevie noted the food on her tray.  “I see the slave driver has let you out for a bite to eat.”

         “Actually, he doesn’t know.  He’s got a visitor.  So I thought it was a good time to get a bite to eat.”

         “You know you’re playing with fire.  The last secretary to take matters in her own hands didn’t make it to the end of the day.  Good luck!”  Randi said.

         Claudia took a bite out of her sandwich.  “Hopefully he won’t miss me.  I’m tired of eating at my desk.  I wanted to get away for a change.”

         “As long as that change doesn’t find you in the unemployment line looking for another job,” Randi said.

         “It won’t.  That much I can assure you.”

         “So the rumor is true.  Mr. Vincenzi hired you and the dragon can’t fire you, no matter what,” Stevie said.

         “Right the first time.”

         “He can still get angry that you’re away from your desk,” Randi said.

         “It’ll be worth it just to sit and relax and have a bite to eat in peace.”

         “I heard you just graduated.  Where did you go to school?”  Stevie asked.

         Claudia finished her soup.  “Loshi University.  I took business management.  I was just hoping to get a good job as a secretary.  I was surprised to get an offer to work here.  I had several interviews with Mr. Vincenzi.”

         “If the dragon can’t fire you, then you must have a contract,” Stevie said.

         “One year.  If I last that long.  You were right about the roller blades.  It’s a good thing I workout every morning before I come to work.  If I didn’t I don’t think I’d make it to the end of the day.”

         “You see we weren’t wrong.  I’m glad you interviewed with Mr. Vincenzi.  They’re the best.  I wouldn’t think of working anywhere else.  When you work for them, you get totally spoiled and the benefits are great as well,” Randi said.

         Claudia looked at her watch.  “Yes, well I’d better get back before he does miss me.”

         “It was nice having lunch with you,” Randi said.

         “Yes.  We’ll do it again sometime.”  Claudia emptied her tray and placed it on the top of the garbage can with the other trays, and headed back to her office.  When she entered she was faced with a furious Jim Frasier.

         His black eyes blazed his fury at her absence.  “Where have you been!  Next time you’re going to be away from your desk, be sure I know about it!”

         Claudia sat behind her desk.  “I just went to the cafeteria to get something to eat.  I’m tired of eating at my desk.”

         “Eat!  Is that all you can think about?  I have an appointment with camera!  I was supposed to be there ten minutes ago!”

         She chaffed under his anger.  “You had a visitor.  I didn’t think you’d mind.”

         “You didn’t think!  I was beginning to think...  Never mind, grab your notepad and pen.  I’m already late!”  He stormed past her desk.  Claudia scrambled to keep up as he hurried down the hall.

         Later that night, Claudia lay in bed and cried at the unnecessary behavior on the part of her employer.  She would just have to do better.  She just didn’t understand him.  She thought she did a good job.  She had been certain of it.  Stevie was right.  She would have to be more careful where Jim Frasier was concerned.

         She woke late the following morning, and didn’t have time to jog or have a decent breakfast before she left for work.

         She had just pulled into the parking lot when Jim pulled in alongside her.  She was late.  She would have to hurry and get his coffee before he found more fault with her.  She rushed ahead of him into the building, quickly signed in, and headed for the cafeteria to get his coffee before she went to the office.

         She placed the hot cup of coffee on his desk, before she went to her own and prepared for the day ahead.

         “Call Ken.  I want to see him as soon as he gets here, if he isn’t here already.  Then get me the file for Harrington’s in Mechesh.”

         “Yes sir.”  She made the call and left a message for him for as soon as he arrived.

         She looked up as Ken arrived a half hour later.  “He’s waiting for you.  Better go right in.”

         “Thanks.”  He had a smile on his face as he went into Jim’s office.

         “Good, you’re here.  I’ve been going-” Claudia heard before the door closed behind him.

         She called down to the cafeteria and asked them to send up some toast and coffee.  She began to feel the effects of no breakfast.  Before it could arrive, however, Ken came out of Jim’s office.  “I’ll talk to Mr. Vincenzi right away about the designs.”  She heard Jim say as Ken passed her desk.

         “I’ll be waiting for your decision.”  Ken left, and gave her a wink as he did so.

         She grabbed a notepad and pen, and was on her feet, as Jim came out of his office.  He gave her a scowl, as he noted her readiness to follow him, and looked up in surprise as a person from the cafeteria arrived with her toast and coffee.

         Claudia looked nervously between her boss and the delivery person.  “Take it back.  I won’t have time to eat it now.”

         “Yes of course.”  The young man got out of the way as Jim passed him as he left the office, Claudia two steps behind him.

         Mr. Vincenzi was surprised to see them.  “What can I do for you Jim?”

         “Ken just gave me the revised designs for the new catalog.  I thought you’d want to see them immediately.”

         “Yes of course.  Mama, Jim has the revised designs for the next catalog.  Come and join us.  Tell me what you think.”

         The next hour was spent in careful study of the new designs for the new catalog.

         “These are very good.  Much better than the last designs.  Get them up to the sewing room.  We’ll need to be ready to model them as soon as the catalog is ready for print,” Mr. Vincenzi said.

         “Will do.”  Jim stood to his feet, ready to get back to his office.  Claudia was ready to follow him out.

         “Jim, you go ahead.  Claudia, I want to have a word with you.”  Mr. Vincenzi caught them both by surprise.

         “Yes sir.”  Claudia resumed her seat and waited for what he might want to talk to her about.

         Mr. Vincenzi resumed his seat behind his desk, and looked at her.  “How do you like the job so far?”

         She sat nervously in the chair, and looked right at him.  “It’s okay.”

         “Now you be honest with me.  There isn’t very much that happens around here that I don’t know about.  Is Jim treating you all right?”

         “He has a temper.  But for the most part it’s okay.”

         “Yes, he has a temper.  Do you like the job?”

         “Very much.  I like the people, at least what I see of them.  Mostly I’m just trailing behind Mr. Frasier, taking notes about everything.”

         “I’ve heard good things about you.  Keep up the good work you’re doing just fine.  Now you better get back to your boss.  Remember, he’s a very good man, and good at what he does.”

         “Yes Mr. Vincenzi.”  She stood to her feet, the interview over and left the office.

         Back in the office she found her toast and coffee on her desk.  Surprised, she sat down and ate it, before she got down to the business of the day.

         Jim came from his office an hour later, a thoughtful look on his face.  He didn’t ask what Mr. Vincenzi had talked to her about, but she could tell it had affected his treatment of her.  She grabbed her notebook and pen, and followed him out of the office.  For the first time he didn’t walk so fast that she almost had to run to keep up, he was even thoughtful enough to open the door for her to enter the design area before him.  An action that didn’t go unnoticed by the designers at their tables.

         Jim went over to the tables and looked at the designs, before he headed for Ken’s office.  He missed the raised eyebrow from Stevie and the shrugged shoulder Claudia returned, as she followed him into Ken’s office.

         “Have a seat.”  It was more a command than an invitation, as he looked across the desk at Ken.  “Mr. Vincenzi was very pleased with the revised designs.  He wants them in sewing right away so the models can get paid for what they do best.  Show off our designs.”

         “That’ll make Katie and Jeffrey happy.”  Ken studied him.  “Everything okay?”

         “Yes of course.”  Jim gave Ken the designs he had brought to the office earlier.

         “I’ll get these copied and get them right back to you, and see these are delivered ASAP.”

         Ken left the office and Jim stood to his feet.  Restless to be on his way.  He picked up a trophy on the shelf and looked at it.  It was his high school basketball trophy.  There was also a picture on his desk of a beautiful young woman.  He realized it was a new addition to his desk.

         Claudia could feel his restlessness.  In the short time she had been with Vincenzi Clothiers, he had never waited for anything.  She was amused to see him in a situation that she was in everyday.

         He looked at her a scowl on his face before he put the trophy back on the shelf, and looked up as Ken reentered the office.

         He handed the copies to him.  “Here you are.”

         Jim stood to his feet, ready to leave.  Claudia followed suit.  “Good.  We’ll be out of the office the rest of the day.”

         Ken stood to his feet and walked them to the door.  “Have fun.  Say hello to Levi.”

         “Just get those designs to sewing so that when we have the material we can get started on them.”

         He left the design area with a puzzled Claudia in tow.  “We’re going somewhere?  And who’s Levi?”

         “I need to see a contractor on the other side of town.”

         “Will we be gone long?”

         “As I told Ken just now, the rest of the day.”  He entered his office, and picked up his briefcase.

         Claudia grabbed her purse, and rushed after him.  “Do you want me to follow you in my car?”

         “No.  We’re taking the company car.”

         Later they entered a warehouse that Claudia could see supplied them with the material for the clothes they were famous for.  She stared at row upon row of material.  All types and designs possible.  She began to wander down one aisle, while Jim went to find the contractor.  “Miss Peterson, we’ll be looking over the material soon enough, follow me!”

         Claudia blanched at the command in his voice, and her stomach flipped over at the look on his face as she immediately followed him to the contractor’s office.  “Sorry.”

         He didn’t reply as he made his way up a stairway to the office and knocked on the door.

         “Come.”

         Jim opened the door, and stepped aside to allow Claudia to go ahead of him.

         A middle-aged man stood to his feet, and walked around his desk, and clasped Jim in a hearty handshake.  “Jim, what brings you to my humble premises?”

         “We’re ready to select the material for the next catalog shoot.”

         “And this young lady?”  He raised his eyebrows hopefully.

         “My secretary, Claudia Peterson.  Mr. Levi Benson.”

         “Charmed.”  Levi’s smile curved his lips, and reached his eyes.

         Claudia liked him right away.  “I’ve never noticed this warehouse here before.  Have you been here long?”

         “Five years.  I moved here from Misloa.  How about you.  Are you a native Ibanian?”

         “Yes.  I was born here.”  She felt comfortable, despite the fact that her boss was in the same room with them.

         “I won’t hold you up.  I know you want to have a look at the material?  Take your time.  Let me know your choices.  When you’re ready I’ll set up delivery.”

         They stood to their feet.  Jim followed Claudia out the door, and down to the fabric floor where he handed her several designs.  “Here take these, find material you think would go well with these designs.”

         Claudia was awed that he would trust her with such a monumental decision.  “I’ll do my best.”

         “These are copies.  The originals are in Ken’s capable hands,” Jim said.

         Claudia looked the designs over and began to look at the material with a critical eye.  She compared material against design until she felt she had a match.  She placed the material for the designs she had been given on a flatbed cart.

         She was surprised when she looked at her watch to find that it was after four.  Jim had told her that they would be gone most of the day.  She saw just how accurate he was.  She also realized she was very hungry.

         Jim came up behind her.  “Ready?”

         She looked at the material she had selected and up at him.  “Yes.”

         Jim looked over her selections against the designs she had pinned to the fabric.  He recognized a true gift as he agreed with all of her selections.

         Claudia was heady with that fact as a smile spread itself across her face.

         “So the young woman can smile.  You have been so pensive that I begin to worry about you with this boss man of yours,” Levi said.

         Claudia blushed as she took a seat again in his office and waited to see what was next on the agenda.

         “When would you like delivery?”  Levi asked.

         “Would the end of the week be too soon?”  Jim asked.

         “I can accommodate.  This of course is just the preliminary shipment.  I know that you will need more once the orders start to come in.”

         “Which won’t be until after the showing?  It will give you plenty of time to get the material we’ll be needing for that.”

         “Of course.”  The order was soon written up, and a delivery date set up for that Friday.  When everything was ready Levi followed them down to the car.  “You keep this one, yes?”

         “Yes.  I’ll be expecting the shipment on Friday.”

         “You’ll have it,” Levi said.

         They left the warehouse at half past five.  “I suppose you’re hungry.  Want to stop for a bite to eat?”

         “No thanks.  I’ll eat at home.”

         He was exasperated with her as he turned his attention to her.  “I want to stop.  I am hungry, and I don’t want to wait until I get home.”

         “All right.”  There was nothing else she could do.

         Claudia was surprised when they pulled into the parking lot of a very expensive restaurant.  He turned to her.  “Shall we?”  He got out of the car and proceeded toward the front door of the restaurant.

         She hurried after him, and once more found herself in the role of follower.  They were seated in a quiet section of the restaurant.  A fire blazed in the fireplace.  Candle lights in chimneys graced the center of the tables, and quiet music could be heard through an unseen speaker.  The atmosphere was peaceful, and did a lot to calm her fears and trepidations.

         “What did you think of the warehouse?”

         She looked up from the menu they had each been given.  “Interesting.  I’m surprised I never noticed it before.”

         “It’s for businesses only.  The average person on the street can’t just go in and shop there.  That’s where the fabric stores shop for their material, and where we get all our material for our designs.  By the way, you have very good taste in fabric.  The designs will look fabulous in your selections.”

         He praised her.  “I don’t understand you.  One moment you’re barking at me, the next you’re acting the part of the gentleman.  Almost.”

         He ignored her comment, and set his menu down.  “Are you ready to order?”

         “Yes.”  She looked at her menu, and decided on filet mignon with a bowl of soup.

         When the meal arrived, she was surprised to find just how hungry she was.  That fact wasn’t lost on Jim.  “When was the last time you ate?”

         “You know when I ate last.  It was the toast and coffee after our visit to Mr. Vincenzi’s office.”

         They ate in companionable silence, Claudia wondered when he would test her mettle again.  She saw another side of Jim Frasier that she hadn’t seen before.  Gone was the hard-nosed man who dictated her every move through her entire day.  Here was a thoughtful man, who seemed at least for the moment, to have her concerns in mind.

         Jim was continually surprised by her as he contemplated her quiet demeanor.  She never complained, didn’t ask foolish questions, just listened.  It was a phenomenon he wasn’t used to.  On the other hand he wondered if he could go out for a leisurely ride on his boat that weekend.  Jake had suggested it the previous day.  He felt the need to get away from the office for the entire weekend.

         When they had finished with dinner, Jim drove back to the plant.  “Thanks for dinner,” Claudia said.

         “My pleasure.  I mean that.”  He got into his own jeep and was soon out of the parking lot and lost to the early evening traffic.

         Claudia followed suit, and was soon home.  She had had a wonderful day, despite its rude beginning.