Strength in Numbers Read online

  Strength in

  Numbers

  By

  Jeanine Hoffman

  Strength in Numbers

  Lesbian Fiction: Romance

  Copyright © 2007 by Jeanine Hoffman

  Al rights reserved. 2

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-934889-50-3

  Printed ISBN: 978-1-934889-51-0

  Audio eBook ISBN: 978-1-934889-52-7

  (Audio sold only at http://L-Book.com)

  First Edition

  eBook, Print, Audio Format

  Published: April 2010

  This book is Published by

  L-Book ePublisher, LLC

  La Quinta, Ca. USA

  Email: [email protected]

  Web Site: http://L-Book.com

  Editor: Judy Underwood

  Cover Design by Sheri

  [email protected]

  * * *

  This work is copyrighted and is licensed only for use by the original purchaser and can be copied to the original purchaser's electronic device and its memory card for your personal use. Modifying or making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, without limit, including by email, CD, DVD, memory cards, file transfer, paper printout or any other method, constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Author's Note

  In the course of writing this novel I was reminded of how much enjoyment some people receive from doing little things for their partners, friends, and family. Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was taught that lesson from my grandmother in the form of culinary joy. We would cook together and for each other and enjoyed sharing the kitchen as wel as the end product of our endeavors.

  I've found throughout my life that the way to some women's hearts is through their stomachs as wel as the act of showing you care enough to prepare a meal for them. I've also found a simple joy in being able to share a kitchen with a close friend or partner. Done wel , we can almost dance our way through the preparation of a very enjoyable meal. Most of al , I enjoy the simple pleasure of cooking for my friends and family. It is a way for me to express my love and friendship in a quiet way.

  In the original draft of this book, there were extensive (and I do mean extensive) cooking scenes because a few of the characters share a love of cooking in the same way that I do. Instead of forcing the non-cooks among us to go through a verbal recipe of sorts, my wonderful publisher and I came up with another idea.

  At the end of the book I have included the basic recipes from the story line. The measurements may not be precise but I encourage you to fiddle with them and make them your own. As one of my favorite women would say: Bon Appétit!

  Acknowledgments

  So many people to thank and so little space! First and foremost, my thanks to the amazing people at Fox Chase Cancer Center without whom there would be no author and therefore no book.

  Also much thanks goes out to the members of the Virtual Living Room – you women ROCK! I would be remiss if I didn't thank MJ, JD, CP, DK, (Do I know people with names and not initials? YES!), Rrrose, Cheri, Rachel, Vic, Jae, and Fran. Thank you al for the help, support, and belief in me when I had very little left.

  The Royal Academy of Bards must also be thanked for providing so many of us a chance to see what others think of our work before taking it any further.

  A huge thank you to Roxanne for taking a chance on me, and Judy for turning my thoughts into something eminently more enjoyable to read.

  She has been wonderful! Sheri for what is always going to be an amazing cover if she works on it, and of course, you! Whoever you are that took a chance to read this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

  Thank you!

  Dedication

  To the medical personnel that care for us when we can't, – I thank you.

  To Sue – without you, there is simply no point.

  And Parker – you are too young to read past this point – but thank you for accepting my need to take time away and write.

  Strength in Numbers

  CHAPTER 1

  SHARON SAT IN her office thinking about Jay her senior lender. She had seen the younger woman coming into work. Jay, dressed in a dark tailored suit, white dress shirt with stylish black boots and her honey colored hair pul ed into a French braid, looked every inch the successful young banker that she was. Jay was one of the youngest senior lenders in the company and one of the most successful.

  Sharon left her office to start her day like she began every morning, a department meeting to go over new and complex applications, changes in policy and anything else pertinent to the department. She overheard Jay's secretary, Scott, giving her the morning rundown and watched him cock his head asking if Jay felt al right.

  "You look a little tired," he said.

  Jay chuckled. "A little? I'm fine, thanks. Nothing some sleep won't cure."

  Sharon tucked that away for future examination as she moved past them into the conference room. As the meeting progressed, Sharon watched as Jay drifted, noting the smudges under her eyes. She was probably thinking ahead to the meeting that would fol ow – a conference with her own team, then closings fol owed by a lunch meeting with managers of the bottom three branches. The company was one of a new breed of banks; open seven days a week for the convenience of its customers with ful services available during the extended operating hours. That meant a senior member of the lending department, such as Jay, had to be available at al times – at least by telephone to answer the questions from the branch employees and to make lending decisions. As the senior underwriter in her department, Jay was often consulted by newer lenders for advice when dealing with applications that were somewhat murky.

  "Did you close those two start-up business loans yesterday?" Sharon asked Jay, looking at her senior lender across the table.

  "Yes, both closed with no problems, and I sold a separate line of credit to one of them," Jay answered with a smile.

  "Excel ent cross-sel ing! That's what I'm talking about, people. Make the cross-sel on qualified loans," Sharon said, as her eyes settled one by one on the others in the room. She then moved on to another topic before wrapping up the meeting. As everyone left, Sharon cal ed Jay back.

  "Jay, do you have a minute?"

  "Sure," Jay had replied but Sharon saw her jaw clench, knowing ful wel that she was already thinking of the next meeting.

  "Are you feeling al right? You look rundown."

  "I'm fine, just a bit tired. It's been a busy month." They walked together into Jay's office, and Sharon shut the door behind them.

  "Have you seen a doctor lately?" Sharon asked.

  "Yes, within the year. What's this about?" Jay had set her notebook on her desk and looked at Sharon, smiling politely but it didn't touch her eyes.

  "You just look worn out, and I am concerned. Anyone special keeping you up at night? If so, you need to be careful and not let it affect you at work," Sharon said cautiously.

  "Sharon," Jay had laughed. "I'm married to this job. Who has time for social fun?"

  "Al right, if you say so, but if you need to talk outside of work, let me know," Sharon had said before she opened the door and left.

  * * *

  Back in her office, Sharon turned in her chair, thinking about her conv
ersation with Jay. She wished things could be different, but it just wasn't possible. Her worry for Jay was more than simply her tired eyes. It was extremely difficult to be a lesbian in this conservative company, and she knew that from firsthand experience. Long ago she had decided to play by the rules and stay in her closet. Her last relationship had ended about five years earlier when her lover couldn't take the secrecy as wel as always coming in second to Sharon's job.

  She and Jay had run into each other at the Mann Music Center during an Indigo Girls concert shortly after Jay had begun working at the company. Sharon had gone with Sandy in an effort to piece things back together and try to enjoy each other's company once again. It was a warm Philadelphia night, clear and comfortable. They were sitting on a blanket, sharing a picnic dinner before the show when Jay had come up to them.

  Sharon had stood and greeted Jay in a quiet voice. "Jay, what a surprise to see you here."

  "I thought that was you," Jay said, grinning and happy to see her. "I didn't know you liked the Indigo Girls." She had tilted her head looking at Sandy.

  Sharon had ignored Sandy. "Uh, yes, I do. Jay, I don't bring my personal life into work, and I don't want it brought there by anyone else."

  Jay looked shocked by the sudden stiffness of her new supervisor. "Sure. I understand – keep things professional at work. Of course, Sharon."

  Sharon glanced at Sandy's thin-lipped expression and sighed. "Jay, it's more than that, actual y. No one at work knows about me. That's how I've managed to get ahead there. It's a conservative company in a conservative field, and they don't promote people who are different. You might want to keep that in mind for yourself as wel ."

  Jay had blushed furiously. "I see your point. Sorry to have bothered you. Don't worry; I won't bring it up at work. Enjoy your evening." She left and hurried back to her friends.

  Sharon sighed, turning back to Sandy on the blanket but caught "the look". She knew what was coming, another "living out and proud"

  lecture. She tried to stop it before it started. "Sandy, I know how you feel about this issue, but it's best if she learns now what kind of environment we work in and how to deal with it."

  Sandy shook her head. "You were rude and didn't even bother to introduce me. Now she's afraid of you and thinks she's going to have to stay closeted for the rest of her life just to do wel in your eyes! How is that environment ever going to change if you don't work for change?"

  "Can we just agree to disagree on this one, Sandy? You work in a liberal field and don't have to deal with the conservative jerks I have to deal with every day." She tried to change the subject. "Could we just relax and enjoy the concert tonight. Is that too much to ask?"

  Sandy had dropped it, and they had enjoyed the show but their final breakup happened two weeks later.

  She swiveled in her chair and stared out of the window. What's done is done and I'm leaving it in the past. Over the years that had fol owed, she'd spent way too much energy keeping Jay at a distance, always afraid that someone might connect them especial y since Jay had not taken her advice about staying closeted. Lately, however, she'd begun to reconsider her own life as wel as her professional relationship with Jay.

  By reaching out to Jay now, she felt as if she was taking a smal step in the right direction. Sharon knew she wanted her life to be different but was terrified of upsetting the delicate balance she felt she had achieved. She knew Jay was viewed as highly talented and professional even though she hadn't taken Sharon's advice. Stil , she had no idea what Jay's life was like away from the job. After the concert she had completely stopped attending any GLBT community events for fear of running into anyone else.

  Her intercom buzzed and reminded Sharon that her next meeting was coming upstairs. She asked her secretary to just send him in when he arrived. There was an opening in Jay's section, and she quickly glanced at the resume of this applicant. Bailey McIntyre, age thirty-four, graduate of the University of Miami, experience in another financial institution with a good reputation as a loan generator and closer. Excel ent references, but no reason given for the sudden relocation. Nothing else from HR either. Sharon closed the file raising her eyebrows in a question just as there was a knock on the door.

  "Come in," Sharon cal ed and pushed the file to the side.

  One of the most stunning women she'd ever seen walked through the doorway. She was the picture of a successful woman in business with stylishly short dark hair, green eyes like emeralds, short, standing around five-three and tasteful y dressed in a black skirt suit with smal heels.

  Sharon blinked rapidly before standing and motioning her inside.

  "I'm sorry," Sharon said. "You're Bailey McIntyre?"

  "Yes. I take it you were expecting a man?" She smiled, showing her dimples. "It happens al the time. My parents met at the Baileys Irish Cream booth at a Taste of Philadelphia event, and they decided to commemorate it."

  Pul ed into the smile, Sharon shook her head. She'd made the assumption of gender and apologized. "I'm sorry. I haven't even spoken with HR

  yet and was just going off the resume. Come in, please, and have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?"

  Bailey smoothed her skirt and took one of the leather chairs in front of Sharon's desk. "No thanks. I'm fine."

  Sharon quickly sat down. "I noticed you are relocating from Florida. May I ask what brought about this sudden wish for cold and icy winters?"

  She gave the younger woman a genuine smile, stil intrigued with the face sitting across from her.

  "One too many hurricanes happened," Bailey chuckled. "Seriously, my family lives in this area, and I've decided to move to be closer to them."

  They continued the interview until Sharon decided to bring Jay in on the meeting since this would be a new member of her section. She asked Bailey if she would mind waiting in the outer office for a moment while she talked to the section supervisor. As far as she was concerned, the job was Bailey's if Jay had no objections.

  * * *

  Jay agreed to meet the new candidate for her section, grateful that she might final y have some help with her workload. As she walked to her boss's office, she noticed the dark haired woman in the reception area and stopped, frozen in place. It can't be... she's in Florida. What is she doing here?

  The dark haired woman looked up, caught sight of Jay, and smiled warmly.

  "Jay, I didn't realize you worked here."

  "Bailey?" Jay gathered her thoughts and replied in the most professional tone she could manage. "What are you doing here?"

  "I'm applying for a position in lending. I've decided to move back home."

  Before Jay could respond, Sharon's door opened and her assistant stuck his head out. He smiled and motioned her inside. "She's ready for you now, Jay."

  "If you'l excuse me," Jay nodded cool y to Bailey, squared her shoulders and headed into Sharon's office. Once inside she shut the door firmly and confronted her boss. "That's the woman you want me to meet?" She pointed at the door and the lobby.

  Sharon looked startled. "Bailey McIntyre? You know her?"

  "I grew up down the street from her. Our families are friends."

  "Why didn't she use you as a reference?" Sharon asked, standing. "Jay, is this going to be a problem? Anything that I should know?" She stared at Jay. "Is she an ex?" she asked in a strangled whisper.

  "As a matter of fact, I haven't spoken to her in years, long before I came on board here." Jay couldn't help thinking that if Sharon didn't know she was gay then this issue wouldn't have come up at al . On the other hand, if Sharon would loosen up about being openly gay, both of their lives would be easier.

  "Let's meet with her and see what I think. I've heard good things about her career from our parents, but we've never worked together. Actual y, I haven't seen her since sometime during our first summer break from col ege." Jay took a moment to calm her breathing before nodding to Sharon that she was ready.

  * * *

  During Jay's portion of the interview,
Sharon remained quiet. She had not been prepared for Jay's information or reaction, and she watched them careful y. Whatever their history was, she wanted to make sure it didn't taint her department. However, both women were thoroughly professional, and she relaxed. It must not have been any more than just a friendship. Pleased, she again decided to make an offer to Bailey McIntyre.

  When Bailey had left, Jay settled into a chair in front of Sharon's desk.

  "What did you think?" Sharon asked.

  "On paper, she's a great choice. I'm just not sure she's a good fit for this division."

  "Jay, she's a go-getter with a lot of loan experience and knowledge. What exactly are your concerns?" Sharon tilted her head as she listened, trying to hear the explanation behind the words. She suspected issues from their past must be at the root of Jay's hesitancy, but she wasn't about to coddle anyone, especial y Jay. "Do you have any concrete reasons why we shouldn't give her a chance? I have to tel you that I think she's perfect for the position, and she should have the opportunity to prove herself."