Savannah took notes on the people introducing themselves to her on the screen. She was pleased that they couldn’t see her while she was doing it; it gave her the opportunity to closely watch them as she spoke. Corrine Baylor was a peppy little woman with a cute pixie haircut who liked to use a lot of hand motions when she spoke. She was organized and friendly and chipper—damn, that woman was like a hummingbird of excitement.
Savannah breezed over the legal and accounting departments, making short notes next to their bios so she would remember them later. Her real focus was on the design team. They were the people she would be working with closely over the next few months.
She was surprised when some of the team didn’t match up with her physical expectations, not that she had any really, but knowing someone on paper and then seeing them in real life gave a different perspective entirely. It all started with Randal Hogan. In front of her was a schleppy fortysomething architect with a wrinkled appearance, but his dossier showed extraordinary design ideas from his past projects that were a complete contrast to his disheveled appearance. His designs favored clean lines and modern applications of metal and glass. You’d never know he was an architectural genius by the ketchup stain above his shirt pocket.
In contrast, Devon Nguyen was exactly what she expected: a young, up-and-coming interior designer, fresh out of school with a well-trimmed fauxhawk and stylish dark-framed glasses. He didn’t say much, but from the doodles she could see from her vantage point he was a great artist.
Devon was seated next to Farrah Sanders, a fellow interior designer with a specialty of incorporating flora and fauna into arid, dull spaces. She periodically nudged the younger designer to pay attention. She had a nice mothering quality to her, it seemed—her file stated that she had twin teenage girls. Savannah imagined that was an asset in time management and problem solving.
Reagan Fischer was their engineer, and she looked anything but the part of the nerd with the slide rule. She and Randal seemed like the physical opposites of their jobs. Reagan was confident and almost disinterested. Her manner was oddly attractive.
Daniel Jacobs was their master carpenter and contractor, and his expression was intense. His use of discarded machine parts paired with driftwood made for a unique custom furniture design side business that he frequently incorporated into their designs. Another diamond in the rough, it seemed.
The person Savannah was most interested in, however, was their fearless leader, Olivia Dawson. The write-up on this woman was extensive. Everything about her on paper described her as approachable but confident, creative, and assertive. She was a well-loved leader and an excellent mediator, it appeared. She’d been with Greater Image for eight years and had been promoted to chief designer after her mentor, someone named Albie Davis, retired. Something about Olivia appeared to bring out the best in this motley crew. She was rumored to be a master puzzle manipulator, someone that could solve even the most difficult design obstacle. And she was the primary reason Savannah’s company had sought out Greater Image over the other dozen or so firms that had pitched their involvement. Savannah’s bosses wanted to know what made Olivia tick and how she managed her team to such well-oiled perfection. She’d made huge strides in a few short years and was really making a name for herself in the industry. People were noticing. Savannah was intrigued.
When she identified herself for the first time on the video call, Savannah was struck by her natural beauty. She had long dark hair that fell in loose curls from a sloppy but cute bun. She chewed on the end of her glasses while she jotted down notes. It was sort of adorable how her brow scrunched with thought before she answered Savannah’s questions.
She reviewed the timeline and drafted the first of what she assumed would be many emails to Olivia.
From: Quinn, Savannah
To: Dawson, Olivia
Subject: Project Locations and Dates
Hi Ms. Dawson,
It was a pleasure having the opportunity to meet you and your team today. I wanted to follow up with you regarding the site locations and projected deadlines. I will be coming out to your office in about a week to start going over your preliminary concept designs. (See the attachment for specs of the first location.) We will figure out the travel timeline at the conclusion of that week, depending on your group’s progress. Our first location is Denver, CO. We have a second site in Phoenix, AZ, that is slightly larger. Our final site is in Chicago, IL, which is not far from the corporate office, so there will likely be the most scrutiny on this location. Let’s make sure it’s perfect. Sound good? Have a great day. I will be in touch.
Savannah
She was careful with her word choice. She wanted to be professional, yet approachable. They would be logging a lot of long hours together and the last thing she wanted was to start off on the wrong foot.
An email notification popped up as her administrative assistant, Annabelle, read through her schedule for the day. That was quick. She scanned the text as Annabelle reminded her of the afternoon meeting with her boss, Kenneth Dodd. She nodded distractedly and reread the email, smiling at Olivia’s mention of the video call.
From: Dawson, Olivia
To: Quinn, Savannah
Subject: Re: Project Locations and Dates
Hey Savannah!
Sounds great. I will get the team started working on the project immediately. I’m available for a phone meeting anytime after eleven a.m. on Friday. I look forward to hearing from you! If you want to make it a video call, let me know—I’d rather have IT be prepared so I don’t have to talk to a gray face the whole time. Thanks. :)
Olivia
Olivia’s response was the perfect mix of business and playfulness. The smiley face at the end wasn’t lost on her. Savannah typed back a quick response and closed the window to focus on Annabelle’s ramblings. The partnership with Greater Image Design was exactly the type of professional boost Savannah had been waiting for, and it was time to get started.