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Chapter Six
One Month Later
Zsanine was so happy. Her relationship with Zander was beyond resplendent. Every day, they grew closer and closer, and their love for each other grew by leaps and bounds, as though it were fated. Her business, St. Laurent Cleaning Services, was doing exceptionally well, too, with new clients coming every day. Zsanine had to expand her employee base to keep up with the demand, and it was great. Although she was busier than ever, she and Zander always made time to connect, whether on the phone or in person. He was as busy as she was, his real estate business expanding along with the successful management of the businesses his family owned. Personal time was, of course, the aim, but in the absence of that, a telephone call would do.
Working in her main office, which had been rare as of late, Zsanine attended to some of the paperwork on her desk.
“A call for you on line two.”
“Put it through,” Zsanine replied.
“St. Laurent Cleaning Services. How may I help you?” Zsanine answered the phone the same way her secretary did. Consistency in professionalism was essential to her, and she modeled that expectation of excellence from the top down.
“Yes, I am looking for Zsanine St. Laurent, the owner of the business,” the caller said.
“This is she,” Zsanine answered. “Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
“Oh, I’m so glad it’s you,” the caller replied. “I am Claudine Smith, a realtor here in the greater Las Vegas area. You came highly recommended from an associate, Mr. St. Clair.”
“Oh yes,” Zsanine replied. “What can St. Laurent Services do for you?”
Referrals were not uncommon. Referrals from Zander were not uncommon. Their businesses dovetailed each other in a number of ways, so Zander passing on her company’s information to a prospective client was not unusual. Zsanine worked with many realtors, and they referred private and business clients to her all the time. She’d built a positive reputation for herself, and that reputation reaped certain benefits.
“Well, we have a new development that we’re very excited about,” Ms. Smith explained. “And we are looking to partner with a cleaning service for the model homes immediately and then to be a beneficial service to families that buy in our development.”
“So, I take it you would like to schedule an interview of some sort to see if our company can meet your needs?” Zsanine inquired.
“That’s exactly what we’re looking for,” Ms. Smith agreed. “We would love to meet with you as soon as possible. Will this afternoon work for you? I know it's not a lot of advanced notice, but we want to get things underway as soon as possible as interest in the development is peaking sooner than we expected.”
“Hmm,” Zsanine replied. “Let me put you on hold for just a minute so I can check in with my secretary and review my schedule.”
“No problem,” Ms. Smith replied. “Take all the time you need.”
Although it sounded like an incredible opportunity, Zsanine would not forsake a previously scheduled client to accommodate a last-minute ask. She also didn’t want to appear so eager that it read as desperation to a potential client. It was better to be busy and desired than to be available with no requests for service.
“Thank you so much for your patience,” Zsanine said as she opened the line again. “Would four o’clock p.m. be alright with you?”
“That’s perfect,” Ms. Smith replied.
She continued by providing Zsanine with the address, and they ended the call with closing salutations. Zsanine held her excitement until after the call had concluded. After a little bit of a personal celebration, the first person she wanted to share it with was Zander.
“Hey, love,” Zander greeted after answering the call.
“Hey, babe,” Zsanine replied. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“It’s never a bad time when I get the chance to talk to you.”
Zander never ceased to remind Zsanine just how important she was to him. He could be in the middle of doing something important, yet, he paused and made time for her, even if it was only a moment to say he would call her later. That kind of consistent consideration mattered.
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Zsanine gushed. Her mood had been good before the call. Talking to Zander made Zsanine’s mood great. “I wanted to share something with you.”
“What’s that, my love?” Zander inquired, genuinely interested.
“A great opportunity for a new development,” Zsanine smiled. Zander felt that smile through the phone.
“That’s wonderful. Have you set a meeting?”
“We have,” Zsanine answered, “for later this afternoon.”
