Janes Happy Endings Ch 20

The woman sat in the office Friday, biding their time as they watched the clock. Things just weren't the same with Jane not around. They knew she was having another interview at the corporate office that day, and it was difficult for them to focus on anything else.

"Do you think she's going to take the position?" Monica asked.

"I just don't know," Veronica answered. "I guess it depends on what they actually offer her.

"How about that other company?" Ashley asked. "That was a real surprise, wasn't it?"

"It sure is. I really wasn't expecting that. I didn't think she was interested in any other companies," said Veronica.

"It makes sense though. She's really smart," Monica said.

"Does Maria have any more insight?" Ashley asked.

"I don't think so," Veronica answered. "But I'll go ask, again."

Maria was sitting in her office playing on her phone. She was having a hard time getting anything done, knowing that Jane was driving up for her second interview with corporate office.

Veronica suddenly let herself in. "Maria?"

"Oh, Veronica."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Just nervous about Jane's meeting. How about you? How are you holding up?"

"I am really nervous and anxious. But I guess we all are. What do you think is going to happen?"

"I really don't know, but I just have a weird feeling that they are trying to lowball her. I hope I am wrong."

"Lowball her?"

"I just really thought they were going to offer her more. I think they might be trying to get her to accept a much lower paying position. Too many things just don't make sense."

"Well whatever it is, I just hope for the best for her."

"I think we all do."

Jane showed up to her second meeting with corporate. She was hoping for more clarity and a better job offer than she received the last time. Unfortunately, when she was in the meeting room with Jennifer and Mark, it seemed as if nothing had changed.

"So, Jane, have you made a decision yet?"

"I'm sorry, made a decision on what?"

"The job offer. Remember? That's why you're here."

"I was actually hoping for more clarity," Jane responded. "I still don't understand what my exact path to promotion would be. And you also said you would explain the benefits to me."

Jennifer and Mark happily went over the benefits package, excited to tell her about the exceptional insurance and retirement plans. But when it came to the path to promotion, the water started to get a bit murky, once again.

"And like I said, about the promotions, you will be working for Mark. He is the COO of the company. I cannot stress how important that is. You will learn a lot by working for him and it will eventually lead to better positions."

"But what kind of positions could it lead to?"

"The possibilities are endless, really."

"Could it be something like an assistant coordinator?"

"Well, yeah. If you really work hard. Someday you could be eligible for that position, in the future."

"I was actually hoping to get that kind of position pretty soon."

"Well Jane, that kind of position takes a lot of working up to. Nobody is going offer someone with your lack of experience a position any time soon."

"Are you sure about that?" Jane asked.

"Well, not a company as big as ours."

"Well, I was actually offered that position at another company. I was offered a co-assistant coordinator position for one of their branches."

"You were?!" Mark and Jennifer both replied. "It was probably some small company, wasn't it? Yeah, an up incoming company without a track record like ours might offer you a position like that."

"They are actually much bigger than our company," Jane responded.

Jennifer and Mark both looked at each other before concluding that she was bluffing.

"Look Jane. I know what you're doing," Jennifer said. "I spoke with Maria earlier, and she seems to think we are lowballing you. I am sure she told you to come in here and try to bargain for more money."

"You know, it's fine to try to negotiate," said Mark. "But to lie and say that you have a job offer from some nameless company is a terrible idea."

"I am not lying," Jane firmly responded.

"If you're not lying then who exactly is this company that offered you a coordinating position?"

"The offer is from Sunshine Industries," Jane said, as she interrupted them both. After a moment of brief silence, she handed her cell phone over. "I can even show you the email, right here. It shows everything they are offering me and even says the title of the position."

They franticly looked through the email on her phone, trying to confirm the validity.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked.

"Well, we just want to make sure that this is really from Sunshine. What if this is some kind of scam?"

"So, first you thought I was lying and now you think I don't know who I was talking to?"

"No! We're not saying that."

"I had a video interview with them on Tuesday night. That's when they offered the job."

"Who did you interview with?"

Once Jane told them, they immediately recognized Miranda and Cynthia's names. They also confirmed Camilla through the Sunshine Industries website. There was no more denying it. They both realized that Jane had a real offer from the prestigious company.

"They are headquartered all the way in New York," Mark pointed out.

"They would be moving me out there and getting me a hotel for a while", Jane responded. "We already discussed some of that. But if I take the offer, my next conversation with them will just be about ironing out the details of my move."

The realization was suddenly hitting the interviewers as they scrambled for the right response. Unfortunately, they weren't on the same page as both of them tried to take different approaches.

"Okay...that is a really interesting," said Jennifer. That's a real curveball you threw at us. Obviously, we don't want to lose you so let's see if we can find a way to make the offer more compelling."

"Well, wait a second, Maria," Mark interrupted. "If you compare our benefits package to theirs and you look at the projection you would be on, I still think our offer is better. Also, you need to factor in the cost to live in New York. There are definitely a lot of advantages to taking the position we are offering you."

Jane and Jennifer became even more confused. Jennifer started looking at Mark and thinking to herself, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Umm, Mark. Can I speak with you, privately?"

They stepped out together where they immediately started disputing each other's plans of action.

"Mark! You heard what she said. Why are you still trying to push the original offer?"

"I heard what she said but I think we can still convince her to take that position, if we really try."

"No! She is going to leave for New York if we don't do something!"

"And what do you expect us to do? Give her whatever she wants, just because she says Sunshine offered her?"

"Look, we had a plan, but it's obviously not going to work. We need to offer her something or we are going to lose her!"

Jennifer and Mark reentered the room as they met back with their patient interviewee.

"So, Jane, we obviously don't want to lose you. We are going to try to swing a few things for you. First of all, your title isn't going to be an intern. It was never actually meant to be in intern. We were just using that word for lack of a better title."

"Oh, really?"

"We haven't finalized anything yet, but it will be an associate coordinating position. And you will have the some of the responsibilities in our design projects."

"Really? That sounds great!"

"As far as your pay, we are still working things out," said Mark. "Why don't we have another meeting on Tuesday? By then, we will have all the details ironed out."

"I have to drive all the way back up here?" Jane asked.

"Well, yes. This is where our office is. And this is where we do all our official business."

"It's just kind of a far drive. And it would be my third time driving up here in a span of seven days."

"I understand," Mark responded. "But hopefully, the offer will make you want to stay up here. And you won't have to make that drive so much anymore. Am I right?"

"Okay...am I still only getting a fifteen percent raise?"

"Well fifteen percent is still pretty good," Mark started.

"Mark and I will try to find a better deal for you," Jennifer interrupted.

"And if we don't come up with anything, just remember that there is a direct path to a promotion," Mark tried to assure.

"That's...nice..." Jane responded, hesitantly. She left the meeting at that as she made the long drive home. She knew by the time she got back home it was already going to be dark outside.

The drive back and forth was starting to take a toll on her. She was completely stressed now and really didn't have an outlet. Unfortunately for her, Veronica was out of town for the weekend. She talked to Maria on her way home, but her supervisor was left just as confused as she was.

"Why is it so hard for my own company to be clear with me. They were the ones that started this whole mess. And why do I have to keep driving up there? Sunshine has been so compensating. The only time they ever inconvenienced me, they did it on purpose! But that was just part of their test."

"Miranda and Cynthia have been so helpful and understanding. Even Camilla has been so nice. And I'm supposed to be in direct competition with her for the next promotion!"

"If Jennifer and Mark could be even half as clear and compensating as Sunshine Industries, I would really have something to work with. Today was the only time I've even seen them crack. Maybe it was a good thing I told them about the Sunshine's offer."

The more she thought about it, the more she realized the panic she saw in Jennifer's eyes. Thinking about the differences in Jennifer and Mark's body language after she told them, she started to realize how positive the meeting went AFTER she broke the news.

"They wouldn't even be offering me this third meeting if I didn't tell them about Sunshine."

As much as she desired vision and clarity, she realized that she wasn't being clear with herself. She still had not figured out what she really wanted to do. She needed to make decisions fast and get down to the bottom of what she really wanted.

Jane decided to take some time to herself. She went down to a small bar that was walking distance from her apartment. She had never been there before but decided to give it a try. She took a pen and pad so she could write down her thoughts while having a few drinks.

---

Later that night, hours after Jane came back home from the bar, she was in bed, about to fall asleep when, she received a phone call. To her excitement, it was from Veronica.

"Hey!"

"Hey, mami!"

"I didn't expect you to call! I thought you'd be busy with your family."

"Yeah, I've been busy, helping my parents out. But I had a little bit of free time and I wanted to call you before I go to sleep."

"That's so sweet of you to check up on me!"

"So, how did it go?"

"It was a little discouraging, to be honest."

"Discouraging? What happened?!"

"They were ready to just offer the job without even going over anything. The tune didn't change until I brought up the other offer. Then, they basically didn't believe me. So, when I showed them the actual emails and communication I've had, they all the sudden started acting nicer to me."

"Oh, I bet! How could they not believe you!?"

"Mark then tried to convince me that their offer was still better. But Jennifer wasn't having it. She is clearly worried about losing me. She and Mark started to debate on what they could even offer me."

"Did they actually offer anything else?"

"Jennifer started to say that it wasn't really an intern position. And that it was some kind of associate coordinating position. But it didn't sound like that before."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. And then she told me that they would try to offer me more money. But when they started to discuss it, it seemed like Mark wasn't too sure about it."

"Oh my God! I don't understand why they are acting like that!"

"I don't understand either, but I'm glad they started to budge, once I told them about my other offer."

"I am glad they did too, but it shouldn't have had to take that! Maybe you should just take the other offer."

"I'm just not sure yet," Jane quietly responded.

"What is the other company anyways?" Veronica asked. "I've been meaning to ask you that. Are they as big as our company?"

"It's a company called Sunshine Industries," Jane responded, hesitantly.

"Wait... what?" Veronica quickly responded, before a brief silence. "Sunshine Industries?"

"Yeah. Have you heard of them?"

"Jane, of course I've heard of them. I just didn't know they were the ones who made you an offer."

"Yeah, they did. They are a really big company."

"They are huge! And they are all the way out in... New York." Veronica suddenly came to a very important realization.

"Yeah... they are in New York."

"So, if you accept that job, you would have to move all the way to..."

"To New York?" Jane interrupted. "Yes."

Veronica's heart began to rush. She never realized the job offer was so far away. Scenarios began to play in her head and all she could think about was Jane taking the job and never seeing her again.

"Would you really take that job?"

"I am just not sure yet, Veronica."

The fact that Jane wasn't immediately jumping on the opportunity to work for Sunshine Industries gave Veronica a bit of hope. Maybe she would stay, and they could continue to see each other. But the more she thought about it the more discouraged she became. Sunshine Industries was a much better company. There was no way in hell Jane was going to reject such a great offer.

"Are they offering to pay more?" Veronica asked.

"They are offering to pay me a lot. I mean like, a lot, a lot."

"That's...really good, Jane. I'm very happy for you."

Although Veronica said she was happy, Jane could immediately sense the sadness in her voice. She knew why Veronica was sad and she was also suffering from the same realization. The realization that if she accepted the job of her dreams, there was pretty much no chance her and Veronica would continue to see each other.

"Yeah. It's a really good job. I am excited about the offer too."

A moment went by before either woman talked. They were both caught up in their own thoughts and emotions, thinking about their lives, so far away from each other.

"So, when do you need to make your decision?"

"Sometime next week," Jane responded.

"Is there a chance you stay? I mean, like any chance at all?"

"There's a chance," Jane answered. "But I haven't figured everything out, yet. I still have a lot of thinking to do."

Another brief moment went by before Veronica started to speak. "Jane, I just really hope that..." She suddenly stopped talking which caused Jane to react.

"You hope what?"

"I just...well...never mind. It's nothing."

"No, tell me."

"It's...nothing."

"Please, tell me!" begged Jane. She wasn't sure exactly what Veronica had to say but she knew she needed to hear it.

"I just...hope you make the best decision...for yourself.". That was the best Veronica could come up with. But it wasn't what was really in her heart. And it definitely wasn't what she was originally wanted to say.

A much longer moment of silence went by as neither of them could think of anything to say. Eventually Veronica tried to break the silence. "I should probably get some sleep. I need to wake up early in the morning to help my parents with something."

"That sounds good," said Jane "Thanks again for calling me to check up on me."

Immediately after they hung up, Veronica dropped her phone and covered her face as fought her urge to burst into tears. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was no way that Jane was going to stay. Two hours away was nothing compared to being all the way across the country in New York.

"Why would she stay? They are offering her more money. They are a bigger and better company. And our company isn't doing anything for her. There's no way she isn't going to end up in New York!"

"I always knew...I always knew that someday others would realize your potential. I always knew that others would finally recognize how special you are. But I didn't want you to leave all the way to New York!"

Veronica was devastated. She could barely get any sleep. All she could think about, the entire night, was, "I'm going to miss you."

Jane wasn't doing much better. She had tears in her eyes as she finished her emotional conversation with Veronica. Though neither woman said exactly what was in their heart, she could tell they were both hurting. But unlike Veronica, this had already been weighing on Jane's mind for the past several days.

Now more than ever, she didn't want to lose Veronica. The one thing she could take comfort in was that Veronica was sharing the same emotions she was.

---

Monday morning, as the women all came back to work, there was a subtle mood as Jane and Veronica were both still hurting from their conversation. There was sadness in the air and all the girls could sense it.

Maria started her morning with a normal phone meeting with Jennifer. "I think it's going to be a huge season for us," she said, as they were wrapping things up.

"I hope so," Jennifer responded. "Fashion can be very seasonal."

"But this is my favorite season. And it's usually our best season."

"Well, I can't wait to see what you're able to come up with. You already have some very good ideas."

"I will update you every step of the way."

"Thanks Maria. You're doing an amazing job, as always."

"Thank you," Maria responded, before remembering that she wanted to ask about Jane. "Hey, can I talk to you about something else?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I understand your having a third interview with Jane. Is everything okay?"

"She just really threw us for a loop with that crazy offer."

"I know! It's crazy, isn't it?" Maria felt satisfied, thinking that her plan had worked. She was sure that Jennifer was now going to make a much better offer.

"Mark and I can't seem to agree on what to offer her. He really thinks we can convince her with just a few upgrades in from the original offer. But I don't really think so. I mean, that offer she got was ridiculous."

"Really? Do you think we she might leave us?"

"Maria, has she told you to the other company is?"

"Umm, no. Why? Who is it?"

"Maria... it's Sunshine Industries."

Monica just happened to be in Maria's office, dropping off a stack of papers. She overheard the news, leaving her in complete shock, just like Maria. She quietly left the room, realizing that she wasn't supposed to overhear that, and ran back over to her desk where she whispered to Ashley.

"Pssst! Ashley!"

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear where Jane's other offer is from?"

Ashley began to look around the room realizing that Jane had stepped out for a moment. "No. Who offered her?"

"The other company! It's Sunshine!"

"Sunshine is the other company!?" Ashley asked, surprised.

"SHHHH! I overheard it!"

"I can't be quiet. I have to say something to her!" Ashley responded. Then she looked over at Veronica, who was just sitting there, quietly. "Veronica, did you know about this?""

"Yes," she quietly answered. "She told me on Friday night."

"She HAS to take that job, don't you think?"

"I would think so...Yeah, maybe."

"As Jane reentered the room, all the women suddenly went quiet. However, Ashley couldn't let it slide. She had to talk about it.

"Jane!"

"Yes, Ashley?"

"Who exactly is the other company that offered you a job?"

Jane could read the room. She wasn't sure if Veronica was one that told them, but she knew for sure that everyone already knew. "It's Sunshine Industries," she responded.