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He nodded at both Mac and Jason and then did his best to avoid eye contact completely with Lucas as he sat. Then he waited to hear why he was there.
“Noah,” William began, “My sons are going to be away for the next month. They’re leaving Thursday morning and taking their wives on a Mediterranean cruise that was a gift from Monica and myself.”
“O-kay…”
“We’ve been talking,” he went on. “And we’d like you to step in and oversee their top clients while they’re gone.”
Noah was fairly certain his eyes were comically large. “Really? Youallwant me to do this?”
Everyone clearly caught what he was really asking, and luckily, they all laughed.
Even Lucas.
“We’ve all taken time away from our clients for holidays and vacations,” Mac explained. “But this is the first time we’re going to be away for this long. You’re the strongest guy we have and while we’ll be sharing our clients within our own teams, we each have a few that require a little more attention.”
“You excel at that,” Jason chimed in. “I don’t want to say they’re difficult, because they’re not. These are the clients that prefer to call in at least once a week so they know exactly what their money is doing.”
“I can handle that,” he told them.
“Going through our lists, we each had two to three clients that we felt you’d be a better fit with rather than anyone else,” Lucas added, and Noah wondered if it physically hurt him to have to give him even that tiny bit of praise. “However, we weren’t sure what your current list of clients is like or if you even have the time to take on more—even if it’s temporary.”
“How many exactly would I be responsible for?”
“Seven,” Mac said. “Possibly eight. I’m still working some things out.”
Nodding, he worked out in his head what that would look like for him. Realistically, it could be as simple as an additional ten hours a week. His schedule wasn’t jam-packed so it wouldn’t require any overtime—and even if it did, it would be minimal.
“You’d also have all our assistants available to help you with anything you needed,” Jason said after a moment. “We realize we’re putting a rather hefty workload on you, so if you need someone to take on a few of the smaller tasks, Andrew, Kylie, and Joanne can handle it.”
“And the same goes for Sara,” William added. “Rose is now officially retired and this will be her first week going completely solo, but I think she’d be just fine if you needed her for something, Noah. Don’t be afraid to ask.”
The mirthless laugh was out before he could stop it. “Um…I think I should be more than okay with three assistants. If I need to get Sara involved, then maybe I’m not the right guy to help with this.”
“No one’s saying you’re not the right guy or that you’re even going to need the help. We’re just letting you know that help is available if you need it,” Mac corrected. “I know I’d be a little hesitant if someone told me I’d be managing eight extra accounts for a month.”
“I thought you said seven?” Jason reminded him.
He shrugged. “Changed my mind. I think Noah can handle them all.”
All four Montgomerys were looking at him expectantly and it was the first time in…well…three years that he felt like he had finally earned their respect.
Even Lucas’.
“This really means a lot,” he said, his voice gruffer than he intended. “I appreciate your confidence in me, and I don’t want any of you to worry about your clients. I’ll take good care of them.”
“Excellent!” William said as he shifted slightly in his seat. “Now, why don’t we go over all the accounts you’re entrusting Noah with, so if there are any questions, he can ask you directly.” He shifted again in his chair and seemed to grimace.
“Dad?” Lucas asked. “Are you okay?”
“What? Oh…I’m fine. I slept the wrong way and my back’s a little sensitive today.” He laughed softly. “It’s not easy getting old.”
After that, they spent the rest of the day discussing clients and making sure Noah felt comfortable with everyone’s accounts. It was a little overwhelming, but he also knew there were plenty of people available to help if he needed it.
It was a little after five when he walked out of the office. As he made his way to his car, he contemplated whether to pick up a pizza or go shopping for groceries.
With a weary sigh, he climbed into his car and knew he was going to do the practical thing and shop for groceries. With the extra work he was going to be doing for the next month, it would just be smarter for him to stock up on things he could easily pack up and take to the office for lunch.
“Probably going to be spending a lot of time at my desk rather than going out on my lunch break,” he murmured, but he wasn’t particularly upset about that prospect. Instead, he was thrilled to have this opportunity. He had a plan for his life and this was the first time in a long time that he felt like everything could work out. If things went well over this next month, maybe by the time everyone was back from vacation, they’d see he was someone who was a prime candidate for a promotion, and possibly a good choice to head up his own office, even just a small one. He wouldn’t be opposed to branching out somewhere outside of Charlotte. He wasn’t particularly tied to the area.
