Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [42]
She was just about to reach for the poker to turn a burning log over in the fireplace when the telephone rang. Crossing the room, she quickly picked the receiver up. “Hello.”
“Do you have any words of encouragement for a stressed-out friend?”
Sage arched her brow. Rose sounded so pitiful. “I told you last week if things continue to be uncomfortable at work, to file a complaint with the corporate office. Maybe then they will consider giving you a transfer, especially if they don’t want to lose you. With your experience and excellent work record, you can get a job with just about any advertising firm in the nation, so don’t let that jerk, Mr. Bakersfield, stress you out.”
“I wasn’t letting him stress me out, but today was a different story, Sage,” Rose said softly. “Things really got to me today. I even went into the ladies’ room and nearly cried my eyes out after the announcement was made that Mike Faraday would be getting promoted to advertising director, the job that I rightly deserve.”
“What! Mike Faraday! Lazy Mike Faraday, who never lifts a finger to do anything? How could Bakersfield do such a thing!”
“Easily, since Faraday is a man. Although everyone is reluctant to breathe the words, we all know Mike’s promotion is a clear case of sex discrimination. Mr. Poole had him on probation for his job performance just last year! Mike’s promotion was the last straw.”
Sage nodded. “What do you plan to do?”
Rose chuckled. “I’ve already done it. I turned in my resignation.”
Sage blinked, surprised. Rose had worked for the company more than six years. “You did?”
“Yes, and I feel damn good about it. And before I could get home, the phone was ringing. Word had already reached the Martins Advertising Agency, and they were calling to offer me a job.”
“Are you going to take it?”
“I’m not sure. It was just last year they were talking about layoffs. I told them I would get back in touch. I’ve decided not to rush into anything and to just take things easy for a while and not make any decisions about my future just yet. I have enough money saved to tide me over for a few months. I really would like to move to Florida, preferably Orlando or Miami. I’m sick and tired of cold weather.”
Sage laughed. “Then, you’ll never make it out here. It’s been snowing for a week. And it doesn’t just snow ice particles; it snows sheets of ice.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not. In fact, why not come and see for yourself. You’ll have some free time on your hands since you’re no longer with the elite employed,” Sage said, smiling. “And you know you have a place to stay when you get here. So what’s keeping you from catching a plane and coming here?”
“The cold.”
“Hey, stop being a wimp and get your butt on a plane and fly on out.”
“I’ll think about it. And by the way, I saw your parents today.”
Sage sat down in a wing chair. She usually talked to her mother at least twice a week but had spoken to her father only once or twice since she’d left Charlotte five months ago. He had called her a few days after she had gotten to Anchorage to make sure she was all right and had told her if she needed anything, to give him a call at any time, day or night. She had deliberately kept the conversation short and knew he had probably picked up on that fact. “Where were they?”
“Attending the annual jazz festival, and as usual they looked good together. Your parents are one of the few older couples I know who still seem to care so deeply for each other. They were even holding hands, which I found so touching. I always thought your mom was a special woman because it’s clear to everyone how much your father loves and adores her.”
Sage’s mouth curved faintly as the image of her father and that other woman came into focus. If only Rose knew the real deal. Sage, too, had always thought her father simply loved and adored her mother. But that was before she’d found out about what he’d done behind her mother’s back.
Deciding that she didn