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Dee was the face of the organization and made many of the donor calls herself. For now, that suited Jenni.
She didn’t have the confidence to meet potential donors face-to-face. The old Jenni would have, and she hoped that in time, she’d regain some of her old self again.
She finished her coffee and headed to her office downtown. She hadn’t planned on going into the office that morning—Are my hands still smelling like fish? No, that has to be my imagination—but an early morning email from Dee requesting her presence had changed that.
Walking into the hallway that housed her office, she was surprised to see Dee waiting for her.
She knew she wasn’t late, so this had to be something very important.
Jenni wracked her brain and came up blank. It must have shown on her face because Dee said, “Jenni, you look terrified. I just need a favor.”
“Sure, Dee, what’s up?” She looked carefully at her boss. Dee had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked like she had slept in her clothes. She also looked like she had been crying.
“It’s my mom,” said Dee slowly. “I was with her all this weekend at her care home. She’s just not doing well. I thought I could catch up on a few things this morning, but Gentle River just called me, and they’ve taken her to the hospital again. I have to go.”
Jenni nodded. Dee’s mother had been struggling with Alzheimer’s for years, and it had been a steady decline. Her dad was long out of the picture, having divorced Dee’s mom when Dee was younger, and her siblings were all out of state. It fell to Dee to handle it all, as far as Jenni could tell.
“I need you to handle an appointment for me,” Dee was saying. “It has taken me forever to set this up, and I can’t simply cancel. Second Bank has never really been a supporter of ours, but they have a new CEO who actually agreed to meet me about doing something for the fiftieth-anniversary gala. I am not expecting much, but any donation would get our foot in the door for the future. I need you to go and make the pitch.”
Jenni started to open her mouth, but Dee continued.
“I know you weren’t expecting this, but I left some information about the bank on your desk. The appointment is at ten-thirty, so you’ll have time to review everything about their corporate giving, their likes and dislikes in terms of mission, and that sort of thing. You have all the gala information and our pitch piece. I am not sure if I can be back today or not, but you can brief me in the morning. I hope I’ll be back in tomorrow.”
“OK,” said Jenni without much conviction. “Of course, I’ll do it.”
Dee looked at her and said carefully, “Jenni, it’s time you started getting out. Development work is people work. You do a great job behind the scenes, but you need to be on the scene. I just can’t do it all. The organization is growing, and our gala is a huge deal. The board is expecting big things based on our previous successes. I know that you can handle this.”
Jenni reached out and hugged Dee. “I will do my level best. You need to take care of yourself and your mom. Don’t worry about me. But before you go, who is the CEO?”
“William, or I guess, Bill Ragland,” Dee responded. “But Mr. Ragland for you.” Then she fished in her pocket for her car keys and looked at Jenni expectantly.
“Got it. Mr. Ragland,” Jenni confirmed. “Now go.”
She walked into her office and saw the paperwork Dee had left for her on her desk.
It was nine-fifteen now, so she had about an hour to do some research. She wished she had dressed a little more appropriately for a call, but at least she wasn’t in waders and a flannel shirt.
She delved into the materials and tried to absorb the pertinent details. She shook her head and laughed to herself. It was another crash course.
Chapter Ten
The corporate offices of Second Bank were within walking distance. It was a bright spring morning, and Jenni tried to use the beauty of the day as positive motivation for what she was going to do.
When she got to the address, she realized it was a high rise, so she had to check the listing on the wall by the elevators to find the correct floor.
Stepping out on the tenth floor, she walked into a well-appointed seating area with a very well-dressed receptionist.
She looked up at Jenni and inquired, “What can I do for you?”
Jenni smiled and tried to look as professional as possible. “I’m Jenni Kirk from Raleigh Wins. I’m here on behalf of Dee Carroll who unfortunately had a family emergency this morning. I’m here to see Mr. Ragland.”
The receptionist shook her head. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Ragland called in sick this morning.”
Then she brightened. “But he did make arrangements for you to meet with our VP of Corporate Relations, Mr. Prescott. I’ll buzz him to let him know you’re here. Go through these doors, and his office will be in the suite at the end of the hall on your right.”
Jenni waited until she heard the security lock click before opening the door and proceeding down the hallway.
The offices were all glassed in, glass doors to enter, and clearly lots of glass windows opposite to see the Raleigh skyline.
