Lost and Found (A Novel) (8 page)

“It is plainly written all over your face.” Dale smirked. “What has she done now?” Sighing loudly, Wynne launched into an animated tale from the moment Caelie decided to challenge his ideas until the meeting in Elise’s office earlier that day. “I don’t see what’s the problem with having her on your team. You said it yourself that her proposal was good. She’s exactly what you need on your team, so?”

“Not EXACTLY but yeah it’s a fresh start. I just don’t like the idea of having to babysit her. You get what I mean?” Wynne grabbed his hair, staring at his friend with an exasperated look.

“No, I don’t. She doesn’t sound like she needs you to babysit her. Give her some time and enjoy what she could offer to the team while it lasts. It’s not like as if she is going to be stuck with you forever.” Dale’s wise words seemed to have Wynne pondering. Deep down, he had to agree that Dale had a point. It was just his stubborn nature that kept his nasty attitude towards Caelie.

“Fine, I just hope you are right.” Wynne said resignedly, not having the energy to keep fighting his point across to Dale, which he would have done under normal circumstances. That night however, he was just too tired and Dale was very distracted.

“That’s good then. Now, I’m going to pick one of the babes to babysit.” Dale stood up, his eyes fixed on his prized catch. “See you later Wynne.”

“I won’t be here when you are done.” Wynne called out to Dale’s retreating figure but it wouldn’t have made any difference. It did not look like Dale would be returning for his friend. Grabbing his coat, Wynne fought his way through the throngs of people to the welcoming fresh air beyond the entrance.

CHAPTER 7: PRESENT YEAR

Caelie closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cool smooth surface of the mirror with her hands gripping tight to the edge of the porcelain washbasin. The melody of the steady drips of water soothed her frayed nerves. She did not know how long she had been in the washroom but she had no intention of leaving it anytime soon. As uncomfortable as she was standing in that position, it was still better for her to be there than out of the washroom.

The past week had been long and tiring for Caelie. She had stayed back almost every day with Wynne’s team and even Alex at times to prepare for her presentation to the client. They had all worked hard to help her improve her public speaking skills, which had been practically non-existent. However, no matter how much she practiced and no matter how much her colleagues prepped her, she could never feel that she was ready. No doubt she had improved in leaps and bounds on her articulation and voice projection but the one thing no one could help her with was to remove her nervousness. From the moment she woke up that day, she could feel butterflies swimming in her stomach. She felt queasy, not able to keep any food down. With her nerves in the way, she was worried that she would tripped over her words and blunder through the presentation. Not to mention all the shakings that her hands and legs would be doing, it would just be plain embarrassing. Hence, she stood where she was now, hiding within the solitary confines of the washroom.

“Caelie, are you alright in there? You need to come out soon.” Alex’s voice drifted through the door. Slowly, Caelie’s eyes fluttered open, her breath hitched slightly at the prospect of having to walk out the door. “Caelie?” Alex called out again followed by soft knockings on the door.

“Yeah I’ll be out in a minute.” Pushing herself away from the mirror, Caelie bent over the washbasin, splashing some water on her face. Drying her face, she looked up and studied her reflection in the mirror. Petrified hazel eyes set within a pale face stared back at her, causing a small groan to escape her mouth. Rummaging through her small make-up bag, she set to work on making herself look more presentable in neutral colors. Her long straight red hair was left flowing down her back, with a few strands pulled over her front shoulders, framing her face. Alex had suggested that she tied up her hair back so that the clients could see her face but that was the last thing that Caelie wanted, attention to herself. Caelie was adamant about hiding behind her shield of hair. Looking down at herself, Caelie took in her choice of clothing for that day. A light blue crisp blouse with a straight loose knee length navy blue skirt and matched with a white closed-toe suede cone heels. That was the best she could find from her modest wardrobe.

Bracing herself for the uphill quest ahead, she pushed open the door and stepped outside, right into Alex who had been leaning on the door. Alex stumbled from the impact before turning around to face Caelie. Her face scrunched up slightly as she eyed Caelie up and down.

“Uh, Alex, why are you looking at me like that?” Caelie asked, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot under Alex’s scrutiny. Shaking her head, Alex thrust a cropped length dark blue blazer towards Caelie, who looked up with a puzzled look.

“Just put it on, it will look great on you. Trust me.” Alex pushed Caelie back into the washroom. Not having a choice, Caelie put on the blazer and together they assessed the new ensemble.

“Wow.” Only one word came out of Caelie’s mouth. Alex’s blazer matched Caelie’s skirt perfectly, giving her outfit a very professional look. Caelie’s eyes flickered towards Alex’s reflection from the mirror, who was grinning from ear to ear, satisfied with the outcome.

“Come on, let’s go. Wynne’s waiting for you.” Alex had to practically drag Caelie all the way to the boardroom where the presentation was to take place. With each step, Caelie’s heart grew heavier and her stomach churned even more. As they passed the rest of the team, they gave her thumbs up and wishes of good luck along the way. By the time they reached the door that led to the boardroom, Caelie’s head was so lightheaded that she felt as if she could faint at anytime. “Good luck Caelie, I know you can do your best.” Alex winked and pushed Caelie into the room, closing the door firmly behind her, as if to prevent her from escaping, which was precisely what Caelie had felt like doing as she stood rooted to the ground, looking at a solemn Wynne nervously.

Wynne frowned slightly before quickly masking his face into a more pleasant looking one, causing Caelie to look on in perplex. “The clients will be here shortly. Come, take a seat first.” While Wynne was smiling as he talked, there was a slight edge to his voice as it they were forced. Caelie took small steps until she reached where Wynne was and gingerly sat on the chair beside him. A few uncomfortable minutes passed in silence as they sat quietly, each minding their own thoughts, before the intercom beeped and Chanell’s voice spoke.

“The clients are here Mr. Grant. I will bring them in shortly.”

Caelie gulped and fidgeted in her seat. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you if you are stuck.” His voice came barely a whisper beside her just before the door opened and Chanell ushered the clients into the room. Caelie looked questioningly towards Wynne, surprised at his sudden niceties but Wynne was already up on his feet, greeting the clients. The next minute, Caelie was also up, following the cue from Wynne as he went around introducing her to the clients and playing up his socializing skills. Gone was the grouchy, mean jerk that tormented her internship experience. In his place now was a very pleasant man who was all-suave and poise. Without the perpetual frown on his face, Caelie could see the dashing good looks that Wynne possessed. The man oozed confidence and his presence commanded attention to whatever he had to say. The clients made up of a group of three men and a woman seemed to be quite taken with him.

So intrigued was Caelie on seeing this new side to Wynne that it momentarily took her focus away from her daunting task. Alas, the time could not have come soon enough and she had to start what she had came to do. Caelie could feel the nervousness seeping back into her body as all attention was now drawn towards her. Walking to the front of the room, Caelie closed her eyes for an instance and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she sought for Wynne who was now seated nearer to where she stood. He gave her a small smile and an encouraging nod of his head. The unexpected support of her team leader seemed to give Caelie the boost she needed and so began her presentation.

The first few minutes went well and slowly Caelie began to gain her confidence. She remembered the various tips given to her and mentally reminded herself to follow them. She consciously tried to slow down whenever she realized that she was speeding up on her speech. To calm her nerves, she paused at regular intervals, taking a deep breath before continuing. It also helped that the clients were an amiable bunch, smiling pleasantly and nodding their heads as she went about explaining her proposal to them. Just as she thought that she would be able to finish her presentation with no hiccups, one of the clients commented on a point that she had mentioned, causing her to loose her train of thoughts. Momentarily forgetting her next sentence, Caelie gave them a wide smile, hoping that it would not be apparent that she was racking her brain to stir her memory. The clients sat patiently as though she was just pausing for effect.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you if you are stuck.” Wynne’s voice drifted through Caelie’s memory. Praying hard that she had heard him right, Caelie caught Wynne’s watchful gaze, widening her eyes slightly at him, hoping that he could catch her drift.

“So, gentlemen...and lady,” Wynne smiled charmingly as he nodded slightly in the woman’s direction, earning a flattered giggle from her and drawing the attention of everyone in the room towards him. He then began to engage them in a discussion of the points that had been raised as if it was part of their plan.

Letting out her bated breath, Caelie mentally thanked Wynne for coming to the rescue whether willingly or forced. With all eyes away from her, she casually flipped through her notes, looking for something that would jogged her memory for the next points in her presentation flow. Finding what she needed, Caelie set down her notes and stood relaxed waiting for her cue. Without even looking at Caelie, Wynne seemed to have guessed that she was ready and smoothly directed their attention back to her. Caelie took them through the rest of the proposal with ease this time, smiling with relief as she reached the end of her presentation.

“Well then, I think that is a great proposal. You have quite a talent here, young lady. I’m sure Mirage must have been proud to have you with them.” Caelie beamed shyly at the oldest of the clients who smiled approvingly at her. Turning towards Wynne, the man extended his hand in a gesture for a handshake. “It’s a deal Mr. Grant. We are honored to be working with you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Henderson.” Wynne said, taking the man’s hand in a firm grasp.

Standing by Wynne’s side, Caelie was grinning herself silly at the first deal that she had helped to clinch for the company. She was barely able to contain the excitement that bubbled within her as she waited for Wynne to walk the clients out. Just as the last of them stepped out of the room, Caelie couldn’t help but jumped for joy and broke out into a victory dance around the conference table, feeling uninhibited, knowing that she was alone in the room.

Wynne leaned against the open doorframe of the boardroom. He had returned after seeing the clients out to walk in on a hyper Caelie. He watched on with amusement, seeing this personality of her that he would never have guessed existed. She jumped and twirled, a wide grin on her face, her hair flowing around her, oblivious to her lone spectator.

Wynne had to acknowledge that Caelie had done pretty good for herself. She had shown a remarkable improvement within just five days. Probably because she was the youngest on the team, the others had pampered and fussed over her, which had irked him a bit. One thing he had to admit, he was impressed by Caelie’s determination and resilience in the face of a challenging task. No doubt initially he was banking on Caelie’s failure just to get her off his team but after observing the hard work she had put in and how seriously she took the task entrusted upon herself, Wynne did not have the heart to see her disappointed. Only once did she tripped up, but even then, she was able to stay calm and masked her turmoil well. Wynne had to say that she had handled it professionally. So, it was only right that she got to experience what she truly deserved, the satisfaction of achieving a successful pitch. And now that he had the chance to see this side to her, it was totally worth it.

As if suddenly sensing a presence watching her, Caelie stopped abruptly and looked up at the door. She gasped and turned a bright red when she saw Wynne staring at her with a smirk on his face. Caelie scolded herself mentally for not being more careful. Flustering, she straightened her messy hair, pulled down her skirt that had hiked up an inch and hurried out of the room, shivering slightly as she passed Wynne by the door.

“SURPRISE!!!” Caelie blinked at the group of people standing around the staff lounge and grinning at her. They were made up of the rest of Wynne’s team, Alex and Chanell. As she walked in, each of them came over to shake her hand or pat her on the back. Words of congratulations floated around her. After the crowd had dispersed from around her, Caelie noticed then that a variety of food and drinks had been laid out on the table as if ready for a party. It did not look like they had waited till the deal was clinched before grabbing all these food.