“This is very generous,” Edna said. “I’m just doing my job, though. Like everyone else. We all love Porter’s.”
“I know. And now you can relax and enjoy the reward of all those years of effort.”
“I see.” Edna sat back in her chair. “Changes are coming,” she said quietly.
“We’ll be repurposing the footprint. Leveraging some of the unused space for warehousing, as I mentioned the other night. Were you able to join us?”
“Yes. I was there.”
“Look, Edna, some jobs will change. You’ve been a huge part of Porter’s success and I want to be sure you’re well taken care of. Nothing is set. I’m just beginning the analysis and putting the plan together, but no matter what the eventual outcomes are, it’s your turn to take advantage of what you’ve worked for all these years. I don’t want you to lose any of that. I’m so delighted I was able to look after you a little with the extra compensation.”
“I’m not that old, you know.”
“Of course, but isn’t that what makes this even better? You can use that bonus to do some of the things you’ve alwayswanted to do, and you’re young enough to enjoy it. It also moves your salary into a different bucket, giving me a little extra room for others in this budget.”
“I should be very grateful,” Edna said as if talking to herself. “I’m grateful. Thankful, of course. It’ll be interesting to see how things work out.” She stood, then reached across the desk to shake Vanessa’s hand.
No hugs this time, but Vanessa knew that most people didn’t hear much after the first words in these types of conversations anyway. She was certain Edna would be delighted after a few days of sleeping in, and especially right here at the holidays. She could bake until her little heart was content.
“Thank you again.” Vanessa came around the desk and gathered the papers for Edna. She tapped them straight and slid them into the envelope she’d already prepared with the contact information for corporate for specific questions about the package.
“You can have the rest of the day off, and I hope you truly enjoy every day going forward.”
Edna nodded as Vanessa walked her out.
Bill sat in the chair across from Lilene’s desk. He looked at Edna, then flinched and jerked his gaze toward Vanessa.
“You must be Bill, come on in.”
He clambered to his feet and followed her into the office.
“Hi, Bill. Thank you for all you’ve done for Porter’s. Some of these buildings are a little spread out. I was excited to see how much you’ve done across the entire site.”
He flashed a wary glance. “Yes. I have. I’ve been here since before we had all these buildings. Since back when we only had one kitchen in the tiny corner store. We used to serve right out the window to people.”
“I had no idea.”
“Now that’s the gift section of the retail store. It was a small five-person team when I started here.”
“Amazing.”
He shrugged.
“So, tell me about the warehouse buildings.”
“Like what?”
Like pulling teeth, apparently.“I’m staying over at the corporate apartment. What is that building used for? Why is it not being used now? I don’t know. What’s the history there?”
Bill became a little more animated. “When Mr. Porter passed away, his son really began to grow the business. He built that warehouse. Part of it was used to store the boxes ready for shipment to retailers. One section was a garage for maintenance and repair of the vehicles they used to deliver everything across the region.”
“You did your own distribution.”
“Yes, for years. Then it became more affordable to outsource that part of the business. He was a smart businessman. People around here didn’t always like his decisions, and he was kind of blunt about things. But in his defense, his smart thinking kept this town alive.”
“What is that building used for now?”
“Just for you to stay in while you’re in town, I guess. There’s no hotel around here, so it works.”
