Athena's Mischief

Kelly Chan had worked so, so hard and thought she finally had it all: an executive career, a beautiful daughter, a perfect home, and a husband who loved her – until he came home one evening and announced that he had met someone at work, fallen in love, and was leaving.

But life wasn't quite through kicking her around: a short while later the great recession ended her career and her daughter turned thirteen with the insecurity and angst of adolescence made considerably worse by her father's abandonment

There were mornings when she'd gotten her daughter off to school, then gone back to her empty bed, having no purpose, unable to face the endless, empty hours.

When her phone rang one morning, with a head-hunter describing a Vice-President of Marketing job at Pyrotechnique – at one-time a leading global technology firm, but now past its prime – Kelly almost interrupted him to say that she would take it but checked herself and listened. Five years before, she would have jumped at a chance to join Pyrotechnique, but in the last few years its product line had become stale and it was considered a has-been.

The work turns about to be very hard as the company works on developing an exciting new product – code named Athena – which could reverse its failing fortunes.

The stress and long hours are made tolerable by the terrific friends Kelly meets – Mary Jane, the HR executive and Judy, the wise-cracking and wise director of finance – who have a regular after-work gathering with women from the office, which they call the Sewing Circle, which does very little sewing – none, in fact – but makes up for it with drinking and laughter.
Kelly adjusts to her new normal, and has given up on men, almost…

She's courted by several men, including Mike, a big, huggy-bear of a man, a good-looking, good-natured guy – with a reputation as a player - who adores her – but he's a fellow executive, a colleague, and she has rules, one of which is to never get involved with someone at work…

Then one morning, the office elevator doors open and the newly hired Vice President of Product Development – carrying the expectations of the company and the industry to get the troubled Athena product development back on track – steps on board.

He's tall and lean and has the warmest, blue-gray eyes she's ever seen; he's simply but elegantly dressed and smells good – and doesn't wear a ring. Hmm…

She learns he's Steve McGregor, a wealthy entrepreneur, with a reputation in the industry for starting successful companies and launching amazing products, but - attraction or not – she keeps him at arms-length, becoming colleagues and friends.

But, two other executives – Robert, the CFO and a total jerk, and Linda, the CEO, passive-aggressive and inscrutable – are making Kelly's life – and that of Steve McGregor - miserable as they continuously starve the Athena project of needed budget in order to save cost and preserve the Pyrotech stock price…

Kelly breaks her own rule about getting involved with someone at work – and breaks it frequently, including on a sailboat in broad daylight, in the office stairwell and on the CEO's desk.

After an unorthodox after-work encounter which results in a photocopy of Kelly's butt, she discovers documents in the photocopier's memory that reveal there is mischief in the Athena product development and not everyone's motives may be what they seem…