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“All right. Here we are. She should be out any minute. She knows you’re coming. I told her I’d bring you here first thing in the morning when we talked yesterday. Remember, her name is Minnie. Do well,” I said.
“Don’t think this means you get to be the older sibling forever, now,” he said. “Eventually I’m going to figure myself out again, and I’m going to take that back. But Mom and Dad would be amused.”
He was right. They would think it was hilarious the little girl who followed Brandon around and had said his name as her first word would be taking care of him now.
I was reluctant to leave him alone there in the chair. I wanted to just hover there and wait for Minnie to come and take him in for the interview, then wait until he came out to learn the news. But I forced myself to walk away. This wasn’t the first day of kindergarten, and I wasn’t dropping my little boy off for the first time. He was a grown man going to what was not his first job interview, and he would survive just fine.
Once in my office, I did my best to distract myself with work. The whiteboard had been reconfigured with new hashtags and some were erased, so I stood and examined them for a while, adding a few, making notes in color-coded ink next to others. When that ran out of usefulness, I went back to my desk and sat there going over posts, working on the new blog I was putting together for the company, and engaging with a few fans who were online. All the while I kept one ear to the door, waiting to hear Brandon come to tell me how it went.
Finally, I heard footsteps and I jumped up, but it was Quentin. I realized I felt a little burst of happiness in my chest when I saw it was him and told myself to knock it off. Those weren’t thoughts I should be having about my boss.
“Good to see you, too,” he laughed.
I shook my head and settled back into my chair.
“I thought you were my brother coming to tell me how his interview went,” I said.
“Oh, is he here today?” Quentin asked.
“Yes. He’s in with your mother now. Thank you, by the way, for the recommendation. I really appreciate it. And so does he.”
“Not a problem. If it’s a good fit, it’s really helping both of us out. Besides, like I said, I try to keep the company feeling like a family affair. We like how you’re doing and feel like you fit in with that, so bringing him aboard just makes sense,” Quentin said.
I was floored by the declaration. I thought I was doing well, and the results from fan engagement were showing it, but Quentin going out of his way to say that was unexpected. But I didn’t get much of a chance to think it through because suddenly Brandon was standing there behind Quentin. I jumped up again, and Quentin turned around, stepping out of the way to let my brother inside. Brandon turned to him and extended a hand.
“Brandon Holster,” he said. “You must be Quentin Freeman.”
Quentin took his hand.
“Yes. You’re Merry’s brother? The accountant?” he asked.
“Yes. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity.”
“Absolutely. Glad to do it,” Quentin said. “How did the interview go?”
“Yeah, Brandon. How did it go?” I asked.
He turned slowly, then flashed me a grin, and I squealed with excitement. Running around from behind the desk, I gave him a hug.
“Congratulations!” I said. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
“I am, too,” he said.
“We have to celebrate. Bar tonight. You and me. Olivia. Quentin, if you want to come. Invite some of the guys,” I said.
“That sounds great,” Brandon said. “I’ll make some calls.”
“Great. Quentin?” I asked.
“I might be able to do that. A buddy of mine is coming back into town tonight, so if I make it, he’ll be coming with me,” he answered.
I nodded, not really paying attention to anything beyond him saying he might come.
17
Quentin
All day I had been excited to finish up work and get home. I’d been eagerly anticipating Cole getting back in town for so long, and he’d finally landed the day before. I offered to pick him up at the airport, but his flight didn’t land until the middle of the night and he said he didn’t want to inconvenience me like that. As a welcome-home surprise, I hired a town car, so a chauffeur was waiting for him at the luggage claim, white gloves and holding a sign with his name on it and everything. It was the kind of thing that would make him laugh, and I wish I was there to see his reaction. Cole was definitely not a fancy-car-and-personal-driver type of guy. He wouldn’t really care what kind of vehicle pulled up at the curb in front of him as long as it had four functioning tires and got him home in one piece.
