“Yeah, that’s what I meant,” Justin said. “Because this is a new position we’re implementing, we’d like you to be the sole architect. You get to mold and shape the new department. As it grows we’ll bring people in to join your team.”

Now that she knew she wasn’t being fired, Samiah regained a bit of the control she thought she’d lost. She sat up in her chair and placed her folded hands in her lap. “Is it too early to discuss salary?” she asked.

“Gotta respect how direct you are.” Barrington chuckled. He tapped Justin’s desk as he stood. “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Samiah continued to study her supervisor as the CEO vacated the office.

“So?” she asked. “Will my pay be comparable to that of other department heads?”

“Not yet,” Justin said. “Pay grade–wise, this would be a lateral move, for the time being.” He held his hands up again. “It does come with a significant onetime bonus. We can’t ask you to take on something like this without monetary enticement,” he added with a good-natured grin. “As the new department gets better established and more employees are added to it, you will get a pay raise. Not only that, but Barrington is pledging three percent of the company’s annual revenue to outreach programs.

“You do a lot of good already, Samiah. Just think of how much more you can do with that kind of budget.”

That’s exactly what she was thinking about. In the past few years she’d cajoled management into committing acts of charity here and there—donating gently used computer equipment, sponsoring youth sports teams, purchasing box fans for a local drive that provided seniors with relief during the scorching summer months. With this new position, she wouldn’t have to finagle funds for her goodwill pet projects. She would have hundreds of thousands of dollars—possibly millions if Trendsetters had a good year—at her disposal. The possibilities made her skin tingle.

“There’s one other thing,” Justin said.

She straightened in her seat. “What’s that?”

“You’ll need to remain in your current position for a few months while concurrently building the Outreach Department. Aparna is leaving for Jaipur next week. She’s had this trip scheduled for her father’s sixtieth birthday celebration since the spring, and she’ll be there for a month. When she returns, it will likely take another two to three months to transition, and that’s being conservative.”

Samiah surreptitiously sucked in a shallow breath. Four months of essentially working two jobs. Was she expected to sleep and eat? She barely had time for those things now.

“You’ve given me a lot to consider,” Samiah said. “When do you need an answer?”

“That’s the other thing.”

“You said there was one thing,” she said.