Cathy drew in a deep breath and relaxed. They were as nervous as she was, although for different reasons. For her, she was terrified of making a big mistake that would not only reflect badly on Stone, but that would point out that she had never been to college or worked in business before. However, for them, she was a frightening unknown—an emissary sent by the big boss. Someone who had his ear and could say anything she wanted about them.
Power, she thought ruefully. Who would have guessed she would ever have power?
The heady feeling lasted right up until she walked into the meeting room. The table was huge, and nearly every seat was filled. Everyone turned toward her and stared.
Cathy worked hard to keep her expression pleasant. “Good morning,” she managed to say, and was pleased when her voice didn’t shake.
Murmured greetings came in response. Eric, or maybe Bill—she’d already forgotten which was which—introduced everyone. Cathy nodded and didn’t even try to remember names. That would be her goal for next time. This morning it was enough to get through the next few hours.
The conference table was extrawide, which put two people sitting side by side at the head and the foot. Cathy found herself next to Eric. She knew it was him because each of them had a three-ring binder in front of them and the names were printed at the top of the binder.
“We’ll be going in order,” Eric said, pointing to the book. “I’ll be able to answer any questions or clarify anything. Mr. Ward has his own copy of the report. It was delivered to him this morning.”
“Good.”
“Hi, Cathy.”
The familiar voice made her smile. She glanced up and saw that someone had put a speaker in the center of the table.
“Morning, Stone.” She spoke without thinking and saw several people exchange startled glances at her use of their boss’s first name.
“Are they treating you right?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She drew in a breath for courage. “Let’s begin.”
* * *
Cathy washed her hands, then dried them on the small plush towel provided. Apparently both sexes had executive washrooms, and she’d been shown to the ladies’ version of that time-honored perk. She gazed around at the light-colored fixtures, the tray of toiletries and grinned. She’d come a long way from the woman who had worked the graveyard at the answering service, she thought.
They’d taken a fifteen-minute break from the meeting. Everything was going well, and her butterflies had finally gone to sleep. She was able to follow most of what people were saying and she made notes about what confused her. Stone had promised they could discuss everything when she got home.
She headed for the door. She passed through a small sitting area on her way out, then remembered she’d left her purse on the shelf by the sink. She spun back to retrieve it and saw someone else had entered the room.
She paused, waiting for the other woman to say something. Then her mouth fell open as she realized there wasn’t anyone in the rest room but herself. She was staring at her own reflection in a full-length mirror.
While she’d known she’d lost a lot of weight and that her hairstyle had improved her appearance, the changes had happened gradually. She’d never really taken a look at herself in comparison to what she’d been before. Her reflection showed a tall, slender woman in a fashionable suit, elegant shoes, with a great hairstyle and perfect makeup. Had Cathy met herself a year ago, she would have been intimidated and assumed the worst.
Fierce gladness filled her, and she sent up a quick prayer of thanks. For Stone for giving her the chance to change, and for the fact that she’d had the courage and conviction to make the most of the opportunity.
Chapter Twelve
Cathy ran up the stairs to the second floor, then hurried to Stone’s office. He stepped into the hall and grinned at her.
“You were great!”
“Thanks.” She followed him inside and laughed. “I was so terrified that they would think I was an impostor or stupid or something, but it didn’t happen like that.”
“Of course not. You’re intelligent, articulate, knowledgeable.”
She tossed her purse and briefcase on the chair in front of his desk, then allowed him to lead her to the sofa against the far wall. She sank down onto the smooth leather and sighed. “You flatter me, but I like it. Don’t stop.” She smiled again. She’d been smiling on the whole drive home. Everything had gone perfectly.
“So what did you think?” Stone asked as he settled next to her.
“You’ve got a good team. They work hard for you. They’re also terrified of you, but then you probably like that.”
