Second Chance Reunion Page 8
“I’m glad you think of me as a friend.” Melody smiled. “Would you be interested in joining with the other women in your building for Bible study? I didn’t ask you at first because you aren’t dealing with abuse issues as they are, but I think we can all learn together no matter what our issues.”
“I’d love to. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Glad to have you.” Melody glanced at her phone. “Adam and Ian should be here soon. I’m kind of happy they were late since we’ve had this chance to talk.”
As Annie nodded, Ian and Adam rushed into the room.
“Sorry we’re late, but that old car of mine is giving me fits again.” Adam settled into his chair. “Let’s get this meeting underway. I’d like to open with a prayer.”
Everyone nodded as Adam bowed his head. While he prayed, Annie thanked God for the talk she’d had with Melody and joined in Adam’s request for solutions to their financial problems. When Adam finished praying, he welcomed Annie to the committee and greeted Melody. He gave each of them a packet of papers.
Annie cast a surreptitious glance at Ian as she leafed through it. She wondered how he felt today about her being part of this committee. Had anything changed since Melody had first suggested Annie be a part of this? He was busy looking at his packet, and he’d given her nothing more than a nod when he and Adam had come into the room. Maybe it was the speed of their entrance that seemed to have him preoccupied. She tried to dispose of her negative thoughts and focused her attention on the financial report.
Adam eyed Annie. “Since you’re the new voice on this committee, I’d like to hear from you first.”
“Certainly.” Annie’s heart pounded as she opened her notes. “Thanks for asking for my input.”
“What advice can you give us?” Ian’s question came across as a challenge.
Annie gathered her thoughts. She wanted to help The Village, and she wanted to impress Ian. Was she hoping for too much? “I don’t know that I’m going to be giving you any advice—more like observations. Then we can do a little brainstorming.”
“I like that approach.” Melody gave her a smile.
Annie smiled and cleared her throat. “I see from the report that you have cut your budget substantially and you don’t have many other places to cut.”
“So we’re stuck? Nothing we can do but let the board shut us down? Is that what you’re saying?” Ian stood. “I’m not going to let that happen even if I have to forfeit my salary.”
Taken aback by Ian’s outburst, Annie leaned back in her chair. She wasn’t sure whether to continue or give Ian the floor.
Adam nodded at Annie. “Go ahead, Annie. Ian can have his say later.”
Returning to his seat, Ian didn’t look Annie’s way. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“I’m sure you won’t have to forfeit your salary.” Annie shuffled through her papers. “I didn’t say there was no place to cut, so I’m sure we can find more if we all work together. The one place where we can save money is with these vendor contracts. We can renegotiate many of these or find new vendors with cheaper prices.”
“Will we get inferior products with cheaper prices?” Melody tapped a pen on the table. “I don’t think we have to have top-of-the-line, but we shouldn’t settle for poor quality.”
Annie nodded. “I agree, but I’m certain we can get better prices.”
“Is that your solution? Will that save us enough money?” Ian’s disagreeable input hadn’t diminished.
Trying to remain calm, Annie shook her head. She obviously wasn’t making much of an impression on Ian. “Newly negotiated contracts will save us money, but that isn’t the entire solution.”
“What more do you have?” Adam asked.
“I have several other ways you can save money. Some are small, but the little things can add up.” Annie waited for a moment, expecting Ian to object. When he didn’t she continued. “I noticed that you send out a quarterly newsletter, which is good, but we need to send the majority of those letters as email. It’ll save a lot on postage.”
“How do you propose we do that when we don’t have email addresses?” Ian asked.
Annie forced herself not to react to Ian’s hostility. “I’m not sure, but I thought that’s one of the things we can brainstorm.”
“That sounds good.” Melody shot Ian a perturbed look.
Annie smiled to herself. So Ian was getting on Melody’s nerves, too. He wasn’t thrilled about her presence here, but she couldn’t figure out his sour attitude. It wasn’t like him. He liked to speak his mind, but he usually did so in a diplomatic way. Something wasn’t right with him, but she couldn’t let that detour her from her plan. “I also noticed you have a lot of churches who support The Village. When was the last time anyone went to visit these churches?”
The room was silent for a moment. Finally, Adam leaned forward, his hands steepled as he put his elbows on the table. “That’s a good question, and I don’t have the answer.” He glanced around the table. “Anyone else?”
Both Ian and Melody shook their heads.
Annie half raised a hand. “If it’s been over a year, you should make an effort to line up a missions moment in each church. There are always new members who may not know about this ministry, and they may be willing to be a child’s sponsor or donate in some other way. I have some ideas about that.”
“Excellent.” Adam nodded. “Give us your ideas.”
Annie glanced toward the window. “Every time I cross the quad, I see the fountain. It’s lovely, but it costs money to keep it running.”
“Are you suggesting we shut it off?” Ian crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.
Annie shook her head. “We should definitely keep it running. I was thinking about getting people to sponsor the fountain for special occasions—like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays or some other event. If you want to do something like that, you could put it in the next newsletter that goes out. Also I think we should promote the campus store—for donations. Is there any way you could locate the store off campus where the public could shop? You could earn money from the sales.”
“I like that idea as long as we have an off campus location. We keep security tight here because of the abused women we house, so we can’t have the general public coming to the campus.” Melody smiled.
“I’d be glad to check into off-campus sites.” Annie smiled back, glad at least someone liked her idea. “That’s all I have.”
“But won’t an off-campus site cost money in rent?” Ian eyed her.
“Not if we could find a church who would donate a room or even someone who owns a storefront they’re not using and would be willing to donate its use for us. It never hurts to ask.” Annie held her breath as she waited for a response.
“It’s definitely something we can look into.” Adam nodded. “Thanks, Annie, for volunteering to check for us. Also, you’ve presented us with some good ideas.”
“Thanks.” Annie smiled bigger, her heart lighter even though Ian didn’t seem to share Adam’s assessment.
“Unless someone else has something to add, I think this is where we need to do that brainstorming.” Adam flipped the page on the legal pad where he’d been taking notes.
Melody nodded and Ian even mumbled his agreement. Annie gave a mental sigh of relief. She’d made a successful presentation even if Ian hadn’t voiced an enthusiastic approval.
For the next hour the group went through the budget line by line and found more items to cut. They made plans to implement Annie’s suggestions. Adam jokingly congratulated Annie for bringing them into the twenty-first century. By the time they finished, Annie had a renewed confidence. After they agreed to meet again in a week, Adam closed the meeting with prayer. Following the prayer, Annie gathered her things and headed for the door.
“Thank you. I’m glad to contribute.” Annie only wished Ian felt the same.
Adam stopped when they reached the door. “I was very impressed with your work on the finances, and I’d like to offer you a temporary job. The pay won’t be much, but the work is something you could use on your résumé while you search for full-time work.”
“What kind of temporary job?”
“You’d continue to work with Ian and Melody on the finances, helping to implement the changes we talked about today.”
Grimacing, Annie didn’t know for sure what to say. “I appreciate the offer. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but if you’re trying to find ways to cut, how can you pay me?”
“That’s a good question.” Adam smiled. “I think the suggestions you made today will more than make up for the little bit we’re going to pay you.”
Annie smiled in return. “Thanks so much. I’ll work really hard to earn that money.”
“I know you will.” Adam nodded. “Your first assignment will be to contact churches to set up presentations. I’ll get you the list.”
“Jordan Montgomery has already asked me to talk to his congregation. At first, the thought of talking to them petrified me, but I want to do whatever it takes to help The Village.”
“Excellent. That’s a good start. And I’ll also get you information so you can start working on the email addresses for the newsletter.”
“I’m excited about this work. Thanks again.” Annie pushed open the door as Adam headed back down the hallway.
Annie stood on the stoop just outside the door and let the sunshine warm her face. Even though she didn’t get that first job, God was providing a different opportunity. She loved being productive. She should never have let her life become such a mess. As she hurried across the quad, she made a promise to quit looking back. She couldn’t undo the past. Living for today was the important thing.
Chapter Six
Ian stood in the conference room and stared out the window. Annie was hurrying across the quad. She stopped in front of the fountain. Was she thinking about her sponsorship idea? Why had he challenged every suggestion she made? Probably because she made him crazy. Her pixie good looks and brilliant mind were things he didn’t want to think about.
His behavior at the meeting had been uncalled-for even if she did set off his conflicting feelings. She was here, and she wasn’t going away anytime soon. He would have to interact with her more often than he wanted. Getting a handle on his emotions was imperative, but he wasn’t sure how to do that. He’d been struggling with this ever since she had arrived, and he hadn’t made any progress. It was time to change that.
While he watched her, she glanced down at her side. She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone and answered it. She appeared to be having an animated conversation. She ended the call, shoved the phone back into her pocket and sprinted across the quad toward her apartment building.
As Ian contemplated Annie’s actions, Adam entered the room. He set several papers on the table. “A copy of my notes from the meeting. I’ll email you a portion of the donor list so you can start making calls.”
“Thanks. I’ll get started as soon as I can.”
“One more thing.” Adam gave Ian a pointed look. “I don’t usually butt into other people’s personal lives, but I want to know what’s troubling you. You’re not acting like yourself.”
Ian was sure Adam knew Annie was the trouble, but he was letting Ian state the obvious, owning up to his problem. “I apologize for my negative attitude during the meeting.”
Adam continued to give him that sharp stare. “And to what can we attribute your attitude?”
“I think you know. It’s Annie.”
“What are you going to do about her?”
Ian wondered whether he should tell Adam about the money incident with Annie. The old event still troubled him. He was torn between not denigrating Annie and defending his behavior. “I’ll deal with it.”
“I hope you do a better job going forward than you did today.”
Ian nodded. “I will.”
“A first step is to apologize to her. She did a good job, and she needs to know that you think so, too.” Adam cleared his throat. “And I wanted you to know I offered Annie a temporary job working with the finances. So you’ll be working together. I assume that isn’t going to be a problem.”
“It won’t be.” Ian hoped his expression didn’t reveal his shock. He had to readjust his attitude. Adam was right. The whole apology thing wasn’t going to be easy, but it was a first step in letting go of the past. It was something he thought he’d done but obviously hadn’t. “I’ll take care of that apology right now.”
“Thanks.” Adam clapped Ian on the back. “I know this is a difficult situation for you, but we need to work as a team to get things back on track financially.”
Ian grabbed Adam’s notes and followed him into the hallway. As Ian folded the papers and put them into his pocket, they went in opposite directions. Walking across the quad, Ian rehearsed what he was going to say to Annie. He let each version of his apology run through his mind. None of them seemed adequate. When he reached her apartment building, he opened the door just as Annie ran out, nearly bowling him over as she raced toward the door, her attention focused on her phone.
“Whoa.” His pulse accelerated as he grabbed her shoulders. “You really ought to pay attention to where you’re going. Why such a hurry?”
She stared up at him with those big blue eyes. His heart hammered. He could tell she was debating about her answer. “I need to see Melody. She’s not answering her phone.”
Ian looked Annie over from head to toe. She looked too good in her navy-blue business suit. She’d changed since their meeting. Why? “Melody had an appointment off campus after our meeting. Where are you going?”
Again she hesitated before answering. “I need a ride to see about a job. Melody said she’d give me a ride whenever I have a job interview.”
“Was this something you had scheduled?”
“No. This just came up. They want me to come in today. I said sure because I thought Melody was here. I had no idea she’d left right after the meeting.” Annie pressed her lips together. “Guess I should’ve checked first. I was so excited about the call that I didn’t think first.”
Ian counted to ten before he said anything. He didn’t want to come across the way he had earlier today. At this point he shouldn’t give advice. “I’ll give you a ride.”
“You will?”
“Of course. Where do you have to go?” Her question said a lot about where she thought they stood with each other. She didn’t believe she could count on him for anything. Did he want that to change? Hadn’t he determined only minutes ago that he was going to figure it out—the sooner the better?
“To that business park a few miles up the highway.”
Ian nodded. “I know which one you mean—the one next to the big-box store.”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“When do you have to be there?”
Annie glanced at her phone. “Not until one-thirty.”
“Then you have over an hour before you even have to leave campus. You have plenty of time.”
Annie looked worried. “I was hoping Melody could give me some last-minute pointers before I go in to talk to them.”
“Annie, you’ll do fine. Be yourself. You have the skills. You showed that this morning during our meeting.” Ian wondered whether that statement alone would suffice as an apology. Probably not, but it was a good start. “Let’s grab a quick bite to eat over at the senior center.”
Annie grimaced. “I t
hink I’m too nervous to eat.”
Ian motioned toward the center. “I think a good visit with Cora and her gang is what you need.”
Annie sighed. “I suppose.”
Ian caught himself before he put a hand at her back to propel her in the right direction. The last thing he needed to do was touch her. He remembered his reaction when they’d bumped into each other at her apartment building. He didn’t need any more of that kind of contact.
They walked in silence as Ian tried to sort through his feelings. They were a jumbled mess. This was his chance to apologize and put the rest of the day in a better perspective. Why couldn’t he get the words to come out?
“So you think I should just be myself? What do you mean by that?”
Annie was thinking about his advice. He had to come through with something worthwhile. He wanted to be more of a hero than a heel. “You know...like you were this morning.”
Annie stopped and stared at him. “You didn’t think much of my presentation this morning. You questioned every suggestion I made.”
The apology sat in his mouth like a wad of cotton. He was going to choke on it if he didn’t spit it out. “And I’m sorry about that. I was wrong.”
Annie stood there with her mouth open. She blinked a couple of times. “You’re sorry?”
“Yes, will you forgive me for being a jerk?”
Annie nodded. “Forgiveness goes both ways. I need a lot more forgiveness than you. Can you forgive me for walking out on you, for stealing from you, for involving you in a disastrous lifestyle?”
Wow! God was certainly working on him today. The forgiveness he needed to work on went way beyond the stolen money. It went to the core of the hurt—the one he’d never forgotten—the one he’d let fester in his heart and keep him from forgiving her. He’d been stuck in the past, and he hadn’t even known it. Today could be a new start, but he had to be honest with himself and with her. “Annie, I...”
“I know it’s a lot to ask.” She started walking again, almost as if she didn’t want to hear his response or at least look him in the eye while he struggled with it. “Adam offered me a temporary job after the meeting, so I’ll start paying you back the money soon.”