advised them on what technology they'd need to adopt in order to complete a seamless transition with the Riser Tech team who would manage their IT needs. Riser Tech had suffered a major blow the year before when it took on a client who was not entirely solvent. The company then went bankrupt after we'd signed all the contracts. Now that Riser was poised to merge with Mija-Walco, the CEO and executives who all worked on the 28th floor had made it a priority to avoid repetition of the mistake and had spent time formulating a plan to prevent it from ever happening again. I was now part of a six-member team whose sole focus was vetting clients and laying out their options.
I spent the better part of the morning reading and responding to email as well as dealing with questions from the accounting staff that ran reports for our team. I had just finished putting together a presentation that I was scheduled to make later in the week when the alarm on my computer went off letting me know it was time to get down to Mike's office. I saved the file I was working on and grabbed the file on the Mija Oil account and headed out.
"Mike?" I said tapping lightly on his door as I peered into his office. He was on the phone and waved me in pointing toward one of the chairs across from his long desk. I crossed the room and took a seat facing the floor to ceiling glass windows that overlooked the Chicago River. No matter how many meetings I attended in Mike's office, I never lost the sense of awe and wonder I felt the first time I looked out those windows and saw the sunlight sparkling on the water. Mike joked about how they'd put him in this office because it was out of hearing range of anyone who mattered, but the reality was that he worked harder than anyone else at the company and spent more time at the office than he did at home. This office, and every piece of uniquely crafted furniture and artwork in it, was Mike's reward for a job well done.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said nodding impatiently as he looked at me and rolled his eyes dramatically. "I will. New York will be the shit, I promise, Big Guy. Okay, gotta run! Yeah, you, too. Bye!"
He sighed heavily as he slammed the phone down then raised his hands over his head declaring, "Touchdown!"
"What was that about?" I laughed as I watched him pull a can of lime seltzer water out from the small refrigerator he kept under his desk and then pop the top.
"The boss is riding my ass about the Mija-WalCo merger," he said before taking a long drink from the can. "He's worried that Mija and company are going to walk away from the deal unless we come up with something to knock their socks off with. I keep telling him that we are solid, but he's been listening to those useless wankers on the board again."
"That must be frustrating," I said as I tossed the file of papers toward him. The folder made a satisfying thwack on the desk as it landed. "Here are the numbers for Mija Oil. Jess and I stayed late, running them twice. They look good on paper, and their investment portfolio is impeccable, but when we look at their current technology, there's a problem."
"Oh, and what's that?" Mike asked as he grabbed the file and began thumbing through it. His cell phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at it, and tucked it away again before looking up at me expectantly.
"We're not sure yet, but there's something off," I said shaking my head. "We're going to pull it apart today and check everything before we make any recommendations. I don't want to draw the wrong conclusions based on sketchy evidence, but I don't want us okaying them if there's something wrong."
"Good thinking," he nodded as he continued reading the report. "Will you be ready by the time we meet with them?"
"Next month? Yes, we should have had more than enough time to track it all down and figure out what's going on," I nodded. "Jess is going to head out on the road this week and interview a few of their subsidiaries. I think that will give is a well-rounded picture of what we're looking at."
"Great job, Grace!" Mike said as he looked up from the file and smiled at me. At fifty, he was an attractive man with a thick head of black hair, a tendency to stylize his facial hair so that it looked like he had a perpetual five o'clock shadow, and a penchant for wearing wild colored shirts under his Brooks Brothers suits. He was tough, but kind and had looked out for me since I joined the company six years before. I considered him my mentor, but if I was honest, I also had a bit of a crush on him, too. "By the way, nice dress! You've developed good taste, kiddo!"
"Thanks, Mike," I said blushing slightly as I looked down at my watch and saw that I was late for my meeting with Jess and the director. "Oh shoot! I have to go!"
"Okie dokie!" he said as he winked at me and motioned to the door. "Go get 'em, champ! Check in with me later; I might have some feedback about this report."
I nodded and rushed out the door. Back in my office, I grabbed a second copy of the Mija file and headed down to the director's office for my second meeting of the morning. We spent an hour hashing out how to divide up the research and by the time we were done, both Jess and I had been assigned a list of tasks ranging from important to urgent. I passed on Jess's invitation to have lunch together and headed back to my office where I ate my sandwich at my desk while I organized the tasks on my list and prioritized my plan of attack.
By the time I looked up again, the sun was beginning to sink as the last rays of light hit the windows of the buildings on Wacker Drive. I thought about how much I loved living in the city, and how alive I felt every time I walked down the city streets and mingled with the thousands of people who inhabited the offices and apartments here.
I had never felt this way back in Corner Grove, Indiana where my family had lived and worked for generations. In fact, despite the vast acreage that my family owned and farmed, growing up I had often felt trapped. The Amish traditions and expectations were a heavy mantle for a young girl who wanted to explore and experience. There were so many things I read about in the books and magazines I checked out from the public library, but when I'd ask my parents or my teachers about them, they would direct me back to the scriptures and remind me of the importance of patience, obedience, and living a life of devotion to God and the community.
When I finally packed up my few belongings and headed to Chicago for college, I felt like I could finally breathe. The adjustment to college and city life was enormously difficult, but after a year of living in the dorms, I'd shed my skin and adjusted to college life. I'd bought new clothes and cut my waist length hair into a fashionable bob so that I wouldn't stand out as much. But what had been most freeing was the ability to move around the city anonymously.
In Corner Grove, I was Eli and Rebekah Miller's oldest daughter, Bishop Amos Miller's niece, "that nice Miller girl who works at the grocery store," and Gabe Yoder's sweetheart. In Chicago, I was Grace Miller, college student. No one knew anything about me unless I told them. There was absolute freedom in anonymity.
At times, it was painfully lonely, though. There was no way to contact my parents unless they made the trek down to the phone booth at the end of the dirt road where we lived, but the difference in my schedule and theirs often made it difficult to arrange, so I had to be content with a monthly letter that summarized everything that was going on. Once a year, I would go home and visit, but the minute the train pulled into Corner Grove, I would start to feel homesick for the city.
When I finally graduated, no one from my family was there to share in the joy of my accomplishment because they couldn't get away from the farm or the store. Dat offered to send Gabe up to sit with me while I received my degree, but I couldn't think of anything more humiliating than having an Amish man sticking out like a sore thumb when very few of my friends knew about where I came from and what I'd left behind.
I ran my fingers through my hair and inhaled deeply as I tried to shake the memory of that very lonely day. After graduation, I had landed an entry level accounting position with Riser Tech, and after six years I was making enough to be able to afford a down payment on a small but comfortable condo just north of downtown. I had a wardrobe that made me feel good myself, and only one of the plain, ugly Amish dresses tucked in a drawer for when I went home. Mamm and Dat were happy to have me come home, but their one rule was that I had to dress Amish while I was there. It seemed like a small price to pay for the time I got to spend with them, so I followed the rules and wore the hated dress.
It was dark now, and most of the people in the office had gone home, so I packed up my things and headed for the L. Out on Randolph Street, I stopped at the bridge and looked out along the river. Lights were coming on in the buildings that lined the waterway and the street lamps cast a golden glow on the water. I sighed as I took a deep breath and said a small prayer of thanks for the beautiful life I was living.
Chapter Two
Adam
"Mr. Wallace, your father will see you now," the young woman behind the desk said as she flashed me a smile that told me if I stopped and asked for her number after the meeting, she'd definitely give it to me.
"Thanks, Miss.." I grinned as I trailed off waiting for the curvy brunette to fill in the blank.
"Carson. Kimber Carson, Mr. Wallace," she said as she stood up and prepared to usher me into my father's office.
"Please, call me Adam," I said offering my hand as I gave her the once over and then flashed an appreciative grin to let her know I liked what I saw. "Why haven't I noticed you before, Kimber?"