16. Most Important Part

"Lilian, do you have a minute?"

Lilian turned to see Aaron White standing in the hallway where she was filling her water bottle as he asked her that question two weeks later. The Director of Communications—Stella's immediate supervisor—knew who she was. She'd had to bring materials into his office before when Stella was meeting with him. Not that she'd ever been in those meetings, but it wasn't as if she was a complete shadow on the wall that she'd often felt like.

"Of course I do," she said. "Let me just get my laptop if you need to meet." Then she got thinking she was being presumptuous. "Or actually, maybe it's just a quick question?"

Aaron smiled at her. He was a nice enough guy in his forties, but he didn't come out of his wing often to talk to many who weren't at least managers.

"You can get your laptop," Aaron said. "How about meeting back in the conference room across the hall?"

She turned her head and saw it was empty. "I can do that."

She took off with her water bottle and was screwing the top on as she walked quickly to her desk, grabbed her laptop and went back to where Aaron said to meet. He wasn't there yet, but she didn't want to keep him waiting.

When he returned a few minutes later, he had Nate with him. Nate was the Vice President of Communications. She knew him, but he didn't know her.

Good lord, was she in trouble? What a week for Stella to be on vacation.

"Lilian," Aaron said. "I'm not sure you've met Nate Spring. I'm sure you're aware he is the VP of Communications."

"Yes, I'm aware," she said, standing and reaching for his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Nate said.

Both men took a seat and she asked, "What can I help you with?"

"We know Stella is on vacation this week," Nate said. "We thought you might have access to some of the policies she was working on and press releases."

"I should," she said. She opened her laptop and went to the drive where it was all kept. "If you could tell me specifically which ones you were looking for."

"She was gathering information to do a press release on a new portal platform we'll be providing for our customers," Aaron said.

She pulled that folder up. "Yes. I've got that here. I'm waiting for some more data before I finish the release."

The two men looked at each other. "You're writing the release?" Aaron asked.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She didn't want to lie but didn't want to sound as if she was ratting out her boss either.

"I generate a draft and then give it to Stella and then she works off of that. My draft normally provides the facts that she is looking for and this is a way to give it to her all at once."

Aaron laughed. "Very diplomatic."

She felt her face blush. They saw through that. "Thank you."

"What information are you gathering?" Nate asked.

"We sent out a survey to our customers a month ago on the portal that was being tested to get feedback on what they liked about it and anything they would change. The deadline is this week to gather it."

"I wasn't aware of any survey," Aaron said. "Did this come from DT?"

Digital Technology Department. The ones building the portal.

"The survey came from me," she said. "I tested the portal and found a few things clunky. I mentioned it to them and they suggested the survey. Stella had told me to go ahead and take care of it."

Guess Stella didn't let her bosses know. Or better yet, she was going to take credit for it when it was done. Or if it was a failure, it'd probably be swept under the rug.

"Can we see this survey?" Aaron asked.

She found it on her laptop and moved it for them to see.

"This is nice," Nate said. "Very clear and concise but not cold. It's hard to make a survey feel that way. Most people don't want to even do them."

"I tried to keep the wording simple and easy to answer. I didn't want it to take more than three minutes. I think people lose interest after that," she said.

"Very true," Nate said. "How many did you send out and how many have you received in return?"

"There are five hundred customers testing the platform. I received more than half back. Maybe three hundred. I've got the results already sorted if you'd like to see them."

"That's an impressive number of returns," Aaron said. "How did you manage that?"

"I don't want to blast out too many emails, but I've sent a few emails out reminding them and asking for their feedback. Something different and encouraging each time to those that didn't reply."

"May I see a copy of those emails?" Nate asked.

She didn't know what this was about but wasn't going to tell them no. She found the emails and then let them read them.

"These are well written. Very informative and encouraging. It makes the customers feel as if their voice matters. You did these or Stella did?"

"I did," she said. "But Stella did look them over before I sent them."

She had no idea if Stella looked them over or not, but she had the proof she sent them to her boss and got an email back to proceed. Normally one simple response that said "okay."

"If you could forward all of that to both of us," Nate said, "we'd appreciate it. The same with the start of your press release."

"No problem," she said. "I can do that right now."

She clicked a few buttons and sent it on. The press release had blank spots if she was waiting on information from the surveys, but they'd understand what was being said.

Both men stood up and she did the same. Guess the meeting was over.

"Thank you for your time," Aaron said. "This was also informative."

They were grinning at her and then were talking quietly when they walked down the hall. She had no idea what that was all about and just had to put it from her mind.

When she got back to her desk, she noticed she'd missed a call from Braylon.

He almost never called her during the day. Always texted, but there was no way she was bringing her cell phone with her to the meeting with Aaron and Nate.

She called Braylon back quickly. "Hi," he said. "Were you busy?"

"I was," she said. "In a meeting." She lowered her voice. "I have to tell you about it. I'm not sure what to make of it."

"I'm about five minutes out from the building coming back from a meeting. I thought I could pick you up for lunch if you can go early today," he said.

She looked at her watch and saw it was twelve thirty. Since Stella wasn't here she could do it. No one cared when she went to lunch other than her boss, who liked to know where she was at all times.

"I can," she said. "I'll leave now and be waiting for you to pull up outside so I can hop in. We aren't going far, are we?"

"No," he said. "Just a few blocks. I'm in one of West's cars. He'll pick us up when we are done."

"I'll see you in a few minutes," she said. She shut the top on her laptop and then grabbed her purse and jacket and left the office.

She was opening the door from the stairs at the same time that Nate was getting off the elevator.

"Hi again," Nate said to her.

"You too," she said. It probably sounded stupid, but it's what came out of her mouth.

"Hope I didn't keep you from lunch," Nate said, as he walked her through the lobby to the front door.

"No. I normally go at one, but my boyfriend called and said he'd pick me up if I could go now."

Nate held the door open for her and it was almost like perfect timing that West's town car pulled in front and Braylon got out.

It didn't appear as if Nate knew Braylon, at least she didn't think so from his expression, but she wasn't watching that closely either. The fact she was getting into a private town car and not a taxi might be a little flag though.

"Have a good lunch," Nate said.

"Thank you," she said. "You too."

"Who is that?" Braylon asked, getting in after she did.

"That is the Vice President of Communications. I just had a meeting with him and the Director of Communications."

"How come?" he asked. "I'm assuming this is what you wanted to tell me?"

"It was odd," she said. "Aaron, he's the Director and one level above Stella. Then Nate, who you just saw, is the VP. Aaron stopped me in the hallway and asked if I had a minute. As you know, Stella is on vacation. I said sure but didn't expect Nate to be there."

"What did they want to know?" he asked.

"They wanted to see a policy and press release we were working on. But it seems to me they were in the dark about some of the things I was doing."

"In a good or bad way?" he asked, frowning at her.

"They were grinning and looking at each other a lot. They were very complimentary of what they saw. I didn't want to brag, but they asked if I was writing things or Stella."

"If you're doing the work you make sure you claim it," he said. "I know there are office politics, but you shouldn't let someone continue to take the credit for your work."

She let out a sigh. Braylon had been telling her this for over a month. Even Laken had given her some pointers to make sure she was acknowledged for her work. How to embed her initials or signature into the work to prove she was a part of it.

Little things she'd never thought of before but would go a long way to show she was a part of something.

"I know," she said. "This time I was honest and said what I was doing." She explained the survey to Braylon and how it was her idea and she wondered if Stella would take credit for it.

"She can't take credit for it now if they are just finding out. Or can she say that she created it all?"

"She can try," she said. "But thanks to Laken, I've got them marked as my property and creation. With that comes the risk if it fails too, but I wasn't too worried."

"As you shouldn't be," he said. "We all fail at something in our career. It's part of it. But continuing on is the most important part."

They pulled in front of the restaurant he was taking her to, got out and went inside. During lunch hour, most times people were served quickly as many had to return to work.

She liked to never go over her hour, but it had happened before. Then she'd stay even later at night if she had to.

Though she still put in more than her forty hours a week.

She never wanted anyone to say she took the easy way out. Or only put in partial effort.

And she sure the heck didn't want rumors like Stella had that she only got her position because she was having an affair with the person before Aaron.

She tried not to listen to rumors, but more than one person had made a comment on it being true and that was why Clint had been terminated.

But wouldn't they have terminated Stella too if that was the case? She thought so, but what did she know?

"How late do you think you'll be tonight?" Braylon asked her after lunch when they were pulling in front of the building.

"I hope to get out on time unless something comes up," she said. "But you never get out on time. What is even on time for you?"

"I have no clue what on time is either," he said, grinning. "But I'll try to be done by five if I can be. Thomas is out this afternoon so that is normally what keeps me there."

"You mean it's not West that keeps you there?" she asked playfully bumping into him.

"No. He can reach me any time and knows that. I don't have to be in the office for that."

They got out and walked into the building together. Him going to the stairs with her and her floor, then he grabbed her arm and gave her a quick kiss before walking to the elevators to get on there like he always did.

"I'll talk to you tonight."

"Bye," he said, giving her a little wave. It looked silly but felt right at the same time.

Was it possible she was falling in love with Braylon?