Page 1 of Isolated (Harper Security Ops #21)

Iris

Self-doubt was mostly a foreign concept to me.

I’d always considered myself to be a confident woman.

I didn’t think it would have been possible for me to get this far in my life and career if I wasn’t so sure of myself and my capabilities.

But even those most self-assured individuals would feel just a touch uneasy when their boss walked into the conference room at the end of the meeting they were leading.

My eyes caught a glimpse of him as he entered, and though I felt a slight chill run along my spine, I didn’t falter. Then again, the timing couldn’t have been any more perfect.

“That’s going to be it for today,” I told my team. “I appreciate all of you remaining engaged in this meeting on a Friday afternoon, especially this close to the end of the workday. We’ll pick this up on Monday. Have a great weekend. ”

Murmurs of understanding filled the air as my colleagues stood from their seats, gathered their things, and filed out of the conference room. I offered a few smiles and nods as they exited before my attention drifted to my boss.

Robert Clark didn’t typically sit in on meetings.

Not now, anyway. He’d done it on the first two or three that I’d led on my own, but he hadn’t done it since.

And it was only that which had me wondering if there was something I needed to be concerned about.

Had there been an issue with one of the recent campaigns we’d done?

I hoped not.

In fact, I believed the last several I’d worked on and completed were some of my best works yet.

Seven years ago, I’d landed my first job at Mono Mark Solutions, a marketing agency that focused on providing clients with the very best opportunities to grow their businesses while broadening their customer base.

I was initially hired as an entry-level digital marketing specialist before working my way up through the ranks to a senior digital marketing manager.

And just eight months ago, I’d been promoted to marketing director.

I took my job seriously, and I absolutely loved the work I did.

That was likely the reason I’d done so well over the years, earning promotions much sooner than was typical within the company.

As I shifted my attention to Robert, I couldn’t miss the proud look on his face as he approached me. It alleviated any lingering concerns I had about his unusual visit, considering he was generally a stern man.

He came to a stop in front of me and glanced down at his watch. “This late on a Friday afternoon, and somehow, you manage to make it so not even one of them had a glazed-over expression. That’s impressive, Iris.”

I smiled at him, unwilling to allow his demeanor to impact the way I carried myself.

“Well, you know I prefer to meet in the mornings when everyone is usually fresh and ready to work, but I had a few tasks that took me all morning to complete, and I didn’t want anyone to leave here today without having a broad sense of our next couple of projects. ”

Robert held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, you’ve got no complaints from me. It doesn’t matter to me when you make them happen, as long as you and your team continue producing the results that you have been.”

Standing a bit taller, feeling proud, I tipped my chin higher. “Thank you, sir. Is there a reason you decided to drop in at the tail end of this meeting today?”

“Two of them, actually. First, I wanted to let you know that I spoke to Dale Mackey and Michael Russel earlier this afternoon.

It took a few seconds for the names to register. Dale and Michael were the equivalent of Robert at their respective companies. My team and I had worked together on campaigns for both companies recently. “Is everything alright?”

“It is. In fact, both Dale and Michael wanted to reach out to me personally to express their thanks and praise for the work we did for them. They’re seeing increased numbers across the board in every category.”

I had suspected as much would be the case. Again, I was excellent at what I did, and my team was tremendous. “I’m not surprised, but I’m thrilled to hear that. Those campaigns were exceptional. I’ll share the news with the rest of the team on Monday. They’ll appreciate that.”

“If you believe that will keep them motivated, share away.” As he pressed his lips into a thin line, his eyes roamed over my face in a contemplative way, forcing me to recall he’d had two reasons for visiting me this afternoon.

As though sensing my concern, he said, “I guess I should share the second reason I came in here to talk to you. It’s about your motivation. ”

My brows knit together. I came in to work each day, eager about the job I had to do. I hadn’t believed my motivation was lacking in the slightest. “Pardon?”

He shook his head, as much of a look of approval as I could expect from him washing over his expression. “If things continue going as they are, I’m afraid we’re going to have to replace you.”

My stomach dropped. That made not a bit of sense. He’d just been telling me how great of a job we’d done on the campaigns for two companies. “Sir?”

Robert might have been a gruff man, but he’d always been fair, especially when it came to the work we did. If we were meeting or exceeding our goals, he was happy. And I was not only relieved but also proud to admit I hadn’t had any problems accomplishing that month after month.

I noticed the barest hint of a twitch of his mouth. “It’s been less than a year, and I’m pleased to admit, you’ve surpassed all expectations I had about putting you in this position as marketing director.”

“If that’s the case, I’m not sure I understand why you’d want to replace me.”

It might have seemed strange or bold to others that I was willing to be so direct with my boss, but I guess that’s where the confidence kicked in. If I was going to be relieved of my position when I was doing an excellent job, I deserved to know why.

“We’re not looking to fire you, Iris,” Robert assured me. “But it’s likely we’re going to need a new marketing director if we promote you to Vice President of Marketing.”

I blinked in surprise. That was… that was one step shy of the highest-ranking position I could aspire to reach as Chief Marketing Officer.

“It’s the end of August, Mr. Clark.”

Confusion marred Robert’s features. “I’m aware.”

Nodding, I explained, “This would be a cruel April Fool’s joke.”

He snorted—the only indication I’d get that he was amused.

“This is not a joke. I need you to get to a year in this position as marketing director, but the timing will be perfect. Howard’s looking to retire by the end of this year, and you’re the best choice to step into his position at the start of the new year. ”

Howard was the current Vice President of Marketing. He’d held the position for years, far longer than I’d even been here.

“That’s… I’m honored, sir.”

A small nod in return. “Howard will be relieved to know he’s leaving his post in good hands.”

“I promise to do my very best to make him proud. To make all the executives proud.”

“I expected nothing less from you, Iris. You’ve always put your best foot forward here, and we see how dedicated you are to the job and your team. Anyway, I wanted you to know about this before you left for the day. Consider the news your birthday gift from me.”

I beamed at him. “Thank you.”

“You should head out of here,” he urged me. “Everyone else is. And while you know how much I appreciate your dedication to your work, I think it’s reasonable to ask you to give yourself the full weekend off. Leave your laptop here for the next two days, and enjoy your birthday weekend.”

Laughter spilled out of me. “I’ll try.”

With another nod, he moved toward the exit. “Happy birthday, Iris.”

“Thanks.”

Robert walked out, and I stood there for a moment, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

It had been my dream to continue climbing the ladder and proving myself at Mono Mark Solutions.

Even though I’d received regular promotions, I hadn’t ever anticipated being able to make the jump from marketing director to the vice president of marketing so quickly.

I had expected I’d be working in my current position for several years before anything above it even became an option.

I was overwhelmed with joy, glad the hard work I’d put in over the months and years was paying off in such a big way. I couldn’t wait to share the news with my family and friends.

On that thought, I gathered up my things, stuffed them into my bag, and returned to my office.

I packed up the rest of my usual belongings, as well as a few extras.

It was my birthday tomorrow, so my coworkers had all chipped in to celebrate it.

Not only had we had cake, but they’d gotten me some flowers and entirely too many balloons I now needed to take home with me.

With my hands full, I moved to the door.

I glanced back at my desk, my eyes lingering on my laptop.

It felt strange to leave it, considering I always took it with me.

Of course, I didn’t always work from home on the weekends, but sometimes, an idea would pop into my head, and I’d be unable to stop myself from getting some work done.

But perhaps Robert was right. I deserved to take the weekend off to celebrate my birthday. I had a busy weekend planned anyway. Content that I wouldn’t be needing the laptop, I walked to the break room to grab the remaining cake I was urged to take home with me and left.

And the whole drive home had been a nightmare with the number of balloons I had to contend with. Although I was not a quick ten-minute drive from the office, I was certainly much closer to my job than I had been just over two years ago.

Back then, I’d been living closer to home.

Or, well, maybe it was better to say the place I grew up—Grouse, Pennsylvania—considering where I was now felt just like home, too.

Grouse is where I’d spent nearly twenty-nine years of my life.

It was an hour from where I lived now, and I’d commuted to Mono Mark Solutions every day.

To some degree, I hadn’t really minded the time on the road, if only for the fact it gave me time to brainstorm for work projects.

But eventually, I decided my time would be better spent somewhere other than the car, so I now lived in a place my family often referred to as the middle of nowhere.

My home was on the very outskirts of Steel Ridge, in a gorgeous old farmhouse on a piece of property with two acres of land .

I loved my new house. I’d been taking my time ever since I moved in to turn it into a place I never wanted to leave.

Twenty-five minutes after I stepped out of the office, my house came into view and put a smile on my face. All my hard work had led to me being able to purchase that beautiful home.

I parked in my driveway and spent the next few minutes wrestling all the balloons into my hands, along with the flowers, leftover cake, and my handbag.

“Are you throwing a party?”

The sound of irritation floated through the air and in my direction. I didn’t have to look to know whose voice it was.

“If I was throwing a party, Walter, you’d be the first to get an invite.” I turned and beamed at him.

My crotchety old neighbor practically snarled at me in return. “I wouldn’t attend. I don’t like parties.”

Still smiling, I tipped my head to the side. “I don’t believe that. Everyone loves a good party.”

“Not me.” He crossed his arms over his chest, like he needed to exaggerate his pouting to show me just how serious he was.

The man was so miserable; I found it endearing and laughed. “Well, maybe you haven’t been to any good ones lately.”

“Don’t plan on going to any, either.” His eyes narrowed on my balloons and the flowers in my hand. “If you’re not throwing a party, what’s all that nonsense for?”

“My birthday is tomorrow.”

“I thought you said you weren’t throwing a party.”

I didn’t care what he said. This man desperately wanted to attend a party. “I’m not. But my coworkers had a little something special for me at work today. In fact, I’ve got some leftover birthday cake. Would you like some?”

He hesitated. It was brief, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed it. “What kind?”

My grin grew. “There’s both chocolate cake and white cake. Do you have a preference?”

“Well, I prefer chocolate, but I’m not singing to you. I don’t celebrate.”

But he certainly wanted my cake…

Laughing, I said, “Let me bring this stuff inside and get myself ready to leave. Then I’ll bring some over to share with you.”

Little did he know, he was going to celebrate with me. I might not make him sing for the cake, but he was going to tolerate a few minutes of my company.

I felt bad for Walter.

He had been living here alone for years. His wife had died twenty years ago, and his daughter had moved across the country.

He wasn’t a grouch by nature; he was lonely. And I often found myself asking him for help—even when I didn’t need it—just to give him a reason to feel useful.

“Where are you leaving to go to?”

Even if we didn’t spend our days hanging out with one another, Walter seemed to be bothered every time he realized I was leaving for any reason other than work.

“Tonight, I’m going to meet up with some of my friends for dinner. Tomorrow, I’m heading to Grouse to visit with my family for my birthday. They’re having a party for me. Would you like to join me?”

Something lit up in his eyes. “No. ”

“Are you sure?”

“I told you, I don’t like parties.”

I shrugged. “Alright. Well, if you change your mind before I leave, I’d be happy to take you. I’ll stop back over shortly with cake. Okay?”

Walter would never accept my invite, but that wasn’t going to stop me from extending the invitation.

“I’ll wait on the porch.”

I smiled at him. “Sounds good.”

A few minutes later, I’d made it inside and unloaded everything from my arms. Then I went about getting myself ready for dinner with my friends. I rushed myself a bit, if only because I wanted to spend extra time with Walter.

And though I knew it would drive him crazy, when I met him on his porch, I didn’t hesitate to bring not just the chocolate cake but a single balloon as well.

He happily took the cake, but he grumbled the entire time about the balloon being tied to his rocking chair.