Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(87)

“That’s because while my heart was melting, another part of me was… uh…hardening.”

“Pig.”

Sean shrugged, his lips curling at the corners.

Chapter Twenty-Four

They walked into the restaurant, arm in arm. They got the customary stares as they made their way to their region’s table. Everyone was there, including Bob. He was eyeing Krista with disdain, probably thinking the closeness was proof he was right.

There were two seats left, of course, and they were side by side. Sean held Krista’s seat out for her and waited until she settled in before he sat down himself. They were the last to sit. The presentation, or whatever was going to happen, started immediately. The lights dimmed as a small stage at the front of the restaurant was lit up. Tory was up there smiling.

“Good evening everyone. I hope you had a great and productive weekend. Now, as you all know, we had a small competition with our team building, as we do every year. This year is the first since our implementation of Senior VPs over all the regions, and so far I must say, it is going well. It is still early, but we are already seeing results in the field from more detailed leadership, and I have been able to back off and focus more on the larger scope. Thank you Senior VPs for making the program a success!”

Everyone clapped. The Senior VPs had large grins and their egos were growing even larger. Except for Sean. He smiled for the crowd, and clapped along with the rest, but felt the pressure to perform. There was work to be done, and Sean didn’t quite have a handle on it yet. Unlike the Big Cat from New York, Sean’s ego wasn’t built on long years being in charge.

“I would also like to extend a thank you to the managers who have helped the VPs settle in and get to work. And of course, the support team that makes it all possible. Give the managers and administrative support a hand!”

Everyone clapped again. Krista barely smiled. Yay for us. Now let’s move on.

“This year we have a few trophies to give out for various achievements. Let’s not think of these as winners, but more as those who rose above the norm. These are people and regions that proved themselves shining stars. Everyone did a great job, and I thank you for making this year’s team building a success!”

Krista turned and looked at her table. Georgie and Dean were facing her and met her gaze. She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her champagne. Georgie laughed. Apparently he thought this was a lot of hullaballoo as well.

“The first trophy is for good sportsmanship. This person always had a positive spin to any of the weekend’s events, from tug-of-war to dinner. He made those around him laugh and he befriended people from every region. Our first award goes to Marcus, from L.A.!”

Krista looked at Marcus in shock. He had his winning smile and his easy manner well in hand as he rose and winked at her. That guy was so good at being liked, he got awards for it. Incredible!

He went up and got his trophy. Tory stepped out of the way so he could say a few words.

“Wow,” he began, “this is unexpected. I’d like to thank all the little people—“ he waved his hand and laughed, letting everyone know it was a joke. “No, thanks to all the career professionals that welcomed me in and showed me the ropes. I made some great friends here this weekend. They deserve to share the award with me! We’ll keep in touch!” Marcus bowed and stepped off the stage, but it was obvious he wasn’t in a hurry to leave the lime light behind him.

“Great. Good work,” Tory said, stepping forward with another trophy. “This next award is for courage. There was a lot this weekend that wasn’t for the faint hearted. Paintballing, puzzles in the air, trying to fit in—this is hard stuff! For some people, even harder. This individual got over his shyness and made the best of all we had to throw at him. Give it up to Perry from Utah!”

Perry went up and stammered out a speech about everyone being really nice and accommodating. Despite what Tory said, Perry didn’t completely get over that shyness.

Next up was one for being inspirational. Some guy from Texas got that. Krista didn’t know who he inspired, but apparently he was nice to other people besides her. Then there was one for biggest funny man. Some guy from Chicago got that one. There were a couple more that were pretty stupid and made up, and they went to the other regions. All regions had gotten something at that point, which was probably Tory’s intention. Krista noticed Sean starting to tense. The awards he was waiting for must’ve been coming up.

“Okay, just a couple more, everyone, hang in there. Have another glass of wine!” Tory joked. “Now for the best leadership award. This man knows his way around the company, and has been successfully throwing his weight around since his first days here.” Sean slumped slightly. He knew it wasn’t him. “People look to him for guidance in all things, big and small. This weekend was no different. He took his people through the various obstacles with a level head and vast experience. Ron from New York, come get your trophy!”

Ron got up slowly, no stranger to winning. He made his way up, smiling and shaking hands. He took the trophy then took the mic. “Now, I couldn’t be a great leader, without a great crew. Give it up for my hard working team over there in New York!” Everyone cheered. “This weekend was a small slice of daily life, albeit a pleasurable one. I learned a couple things this weekend, and that is to allow more room for adapting and changing. I’ve been doing this a long time, with various titles and through various company restructurings,” there was some spattering of laughter, “and it’s great to still be a part of it all. Thanks!”