LITMIR.BIZ

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the next day. He was looking forward to watching a basketball game with him. He was a Lakers fan while his brother favored the Atlanta Hawks.

      “Hey, I just got off the phone with Ari,” Dreyden announced. “He’s bringing pizza and beer.”

      “Great,” Kellen replied. He took note of Dreyden’s grayish pallor and the dark circles beneath his eyes and the way his clothes hung loosely on his frame. “Hey, when was the last time you saw a doctor?” he inquired.

      “I think it’s been about two years,” Dreyden responded with a slight shrug. “I think I may have a virus or something, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

      “I don’t agree,” Kellen responded. “This has been going on for a while now. I’m not the only one who has noticed how much weight you’ve lost, and that you haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

      “The whole family has said something.” Dreyden was quiet for a moment. “If it’s that noticeable, then I guess it’s time for a checkup, at least.”

      “Make the call to the doctor’s office.”

      “Enough about me,” Dreyden said as he settled back in his chair. “Let’s talk about you. How was your first week on the job?”

      Kellen shrugged in nonchalance. “It was okay. I spent most of the day in technical workshops and the rest getting familiar with some of our current projects. I haven’t been able to touch anything yet.”

      “So what do you think of the new Special Projects Director?”

      “When did you find out that Addison was getting the position?” Kellen asked.

      “I think Ari may have mentioned it a couple of weeks ago.”

      “Why didn’t you tell me?”

      “Dad didn’t want us to say anything,” Dreyden responded. “He wanted to be the one to discuss it with you.”

      Kellen gave a short laugh. “There was no discussion. Dad straight out told me that he had given the job away. He didn’t think that I could handle the position.”

      Dreyden took a long drink of his bottled water. “You’re still upset with him, I see.”

      Shrugging in nonchalance, Kellen responded, “I don’t agree with his decision, and I never will.”

      “Dad wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

      “That may not have been his intention, but he did,” he stated. “He clearly has no faith in my abilities.”

      “You’re taking this the wrong way.”

      “I don’t know any other way to take it, Dreyden. Dad didn’t even consider giving me a chance to prove myself. He just gave the position to someone else.”

      “Kellen, do you honestly think that you could have gone to another company and walked into a director position with no experience?”

      “I’m really tired of hearing that. Maybe I should put some feelers out there and see,” he countered.

      Dreyden scratched his arm before folding them both across his chest. “Maybe you should. Who knows...it may work out for you.”

      Kellen eyed his brother for a brief moment, noting the way he was scratching his skin.

      “Dad would probably see it as a betrayal of some sort.”

      “No, I’m pretty sure he would understand,” Dreyden uttered. “Dad has always allowed us to make our own choices. You’re free to do whatever you want.”

      “I don’t know what to do,” Kellen said with a sigh of frustration.

      “I would give the job six months,” Dreyden stated. “If you still feel the same way, then start sending out your résumé.”

      He nodded in approval. “I can do that.”

      “I think I need to change the soap I’m using or something. My skin is dry and itchy.”

      Kellen chuckled. “I’ve told you about buying that cheap stuff. You need to stop being so frugal.”

      “And you need to start putting away some money for the future,” Dreyden advised. “God bless the child that’s got his own.”

      “You don’t have to worry about me, big brother. You, Blaze and Ari have been good role models for me. I’ve learned from all of your mistakes.”

      “But have you learned from your own?”

      Kellen laughed. “The jury’s still out on that.”

      * * *

      “Charles will provide leadership for all team members throughout the life of this project to ensure continuity, meaningful collaboration and clear communication,” Addison stated Monday afternoon. “Kellen, I would like for you to shadow the team.”

      He gave a slight nod, but did not respond otherwise.

      Kellen had been with the company for almost three weeks now and hadn’t been able to touch a project. She could tell that he wasn’t happy with her decision, but this project was too important to the company—Addison was not willing to risk placing a novice on something like this.

      After the other employees left the room, she said, “I get the feeling that you’re upset about my decision to just let you shadow the team.”

      “I’m here to work. All I’ve been doing since training ended is shadowing this person and that person.”

      “I understand that you’re ready to jump in and get to work, however, you need to observe a few projects first.”

      “You saw my portfolio,” Kellen uttered with a hint of arrogance. “You know what I can do. Is all this necessary? Why can’t I learn by actually working on something?”

      “This is a major project...”

      “Oh, I get it,” he responded. “You’re afraid I’ll make a mistake and it’ll reflect badly on you. This is about you.”

      She responded coolly, “This isn’t about me at all.”

      “You don’t have to worry about me tarnishing your sterling reputation, Addison. I’ll shadow the team as you decided, but I’m not about to let you think I’m okay with it.”

      Addison sat there, her cheeks on fire but trying desperately to appear calm, refusing to let Kellen see just how upset she was. “Kellen, I shadowed for a month before I was given a small project to work on. Just be patient.”

      “I hope you don’t plan on having me shadow for a month.”

      She folded her arms across her chest. “Actually, I was thinking it might be a good idea.”

      “You can’t be serious.”

      Addison met his gaze. “I am very serious about this, Kellen. Let me be clear. I’m not going to let you touch anything until I know that you’re ready.”

      “I hear you, boss,” he uttered before walking away.

      She could not believe his gall. If she’d been a man, there was no way that Kellen would talk to her this way. Clearly, he didn’t like having a female in charge. Some men believed that female managers were emotional and leadership-ability lacking. She knew that some of her male employees felt that way. Well, she wasn’t going anywhere. Addison led her teams with a firm hand, while being open to their thoughts and opinions.

      In a way, Addison understood Kellen’s desire to get to work. She had been the same when she started, but not as arrogant. He had a lot to learn about the specific technical parts of the job—things he wouldn’t have learned in school. Kellen was very talented and he was intelligent. Still, there was so much he had to learn about his job.

      * * *

      Kellen

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