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I can’t help but frown and look at him questioningly. “Collection of what?”
“People. I’ll explain. I was originally hired to work in the lunchroom at the company. It was an easy job I could do while I went to night school to get my degree. The meals are catered in-house every day, and I’d been acting as a busboy and sometimes dishwasher. One day Jameson’s phone must have fallen out of his pocket because I found it under the chair where he’d been sitting. Immediately, I told my boss that I had to take it up to his office because I knew he wouldn’t want to be without it for a minute. When I barged into his office all red-faced and breathing hard from running, he told me to sit down and have a glass of ice water with him. We got to talking and hit it off like crazy. Long story short… he ended up helping me get my degree in business with the stipulation that I would move out of the dumpy, unsafe boarding house I was living in and come work for him personally. I was skeptical at first that I was some kind of charity case for him until I discovered my job entailed long hours and plenty of hard work. The position has shifted some over the years as our needs have evolved, but I can honestly say that he’s not only my employer, he’s my best friend.”
I sense there is a lot more to this story and wonder why he was living in a bad place, but I’ve probably pumped him for enough information. If we end up living in the same—albeit huge—house together, I’ll have plenty of time to get to know him better. And anyway, it’s time to get back to Declan’s game. I seefrom my messages that they’ve scored another touchdown and conversion already.
Huh. Look at me, already assuming we’ll all be moving to Chicago to work at Jameson’s company. I have to remember—this isn’t just my decision alone. It certainly is tempting though.
While I’m watching the game, I’m also jotting down a list of groceries I need to have delivered before I can fix dinner. I fill out the form quickly and get back into the text group with my crazy family. We all love to gloat about Declan’s talents. It’s too bad Gracie’s games don’t end up on national TV.
Weston and Petra have finished cleaning up the kitchen, and they join us to watch the end of the game. That’s when Bing chooses to import some welcome information.
“In case you were wondering, JAH, Inc. doesn’t have anything in their bylaws that prevents employees from fraternizing with one another.” He chuckles. “If they had, Petra may never have been born. Anyway, there are a few couples of various configurations amongst the ranks. It’s a friendly company.”
We all smile and nod, and Petra snuggles closer to me, while Weston throws an arm around her shoulders and gently strokes my neck. He loves to maintain our connection. I truly have hope now that we’ll be able to continue what we’ve created, and my heart feels so full. I just wish it weren’t simultaneously breaking for Petra and Jameson. Still… a thought begins to percolate in my brain, and I make a mental note to discuss it with Weston as soon as possible.
After a sumptuous meal, Bing and Jameson retire to their suite at a local hotel. The three of us have a necessary conversation about our possibilities.
“Well, I for one am extremely excited about my personal possibilities with Jameson’s company. I have always wondered how a busy chef runs a restaurant and has time for a family. Asmuch as I love to develop recipes and fix meals on a relatively small scale, that’s always been a worry of mine. So, Petra, I’m devastated about your father’s illness and feel terrible that you’re having to get to know him under these conditions, but for myself, I certainly want to embrace the possibilities he’s offering me.” I look at Weston. “How do you feel about this, Loverboy?”
Weston is quiet for a moment and then speaks. “I… ah… agree with you, Callum. This offer to work with Jameson is the best and worst possible scenario all rolled into one giant ball of emotion for me. I wouldn’t mind leaving Carmel—even though I like it here and it’s always been my home. I will no doubt miss some things, but I can certainly see doing corporate consulting rather than having personal clients who frankly… ah… wear me down mentally. I think for my own mental health, this would be a terrific change, and I want to support Petra and you in everything you both do. I like Jameson and Bing a lot, so moving up there sounds interesting to me.” He looks at Petra. “It’s really your decision to make, Petra. I’ll go where you want to go. And Callum already seems ready to do it. I’m thinking we’ll all have to pass some kind of interview process once we’re there, however. The last word is Jameson’s, but there are other people’s opinions he’ll want to take into consideration, I assume.”
“You’re no doubt right about that,” she says. “Thank you both for being incredible about this. I know my dad has presented great opportunities for each of us. I also understand that we’re all going to be walking into an emotional minefield. I guess I have to make sure you’re ready to watch me fall apart when I ultimately lose the man I’ve dreamed of knowing my entire life—whether I admitted that or not.” She looks a bit sheepish and continues, “I know it’s going to be horrible in one way, but I also know I can’t turn him down. He needs me, and in getting me, he is also getting you and your talents. It seems like the best way tomake a good thing out of a terrible situation. My vote is to go up there one at a time and see how things feel to each of us so we can make the decision as a united front.”
The next day,Petra leaves with Bing and her father to spend a couple of days in Chicago, and Weston and I have the opportunity to start devising a scheme we’re both happy with.
Petra’s plan is to get the lay of the land as the heir-apparent to the company, so Jameson wants her to meet with several of his top employees. He doesn’t want any jealousies to plague her from people who might see her as an interloper, so he wants to make this transition very carefully.
“After all,” he tells us, “Petra may realize her talents are in other areas and won’t ultimately want to be the CEO. That doesn’t mean she can’t own the company though.” He chuckles at his own observation. “Or we may want to completely restructure the company. The possibilities are endless.”
After Petra’s successful trip north, it’s Weston’s turn. And he also gets to spend a lot of time evaluating the company as they evaluate him. All goes well, and he comes back ready to take on the challenge.
It feels odd for Petra and me to be here without him, but we have the opportunity to fall more deeply in love the way Weston and I did while she was gone.
And then finally, it’s my turn to travel to Chicago on my own, and I leave plenty of meals for Weston and Petra to heat up while I’m gone. When I meet with the staff of people in charge of advising the prospective restauranteurs, they are skeptical of me at first. I talk a good game, but I can tell I’m not convincing anyone that I’m old enough or know enough to handle such aresponsibility. No one seems ready to accept me until I throw down the gauntlet. I tell them all to meet in the lunchroom the next night for dinner and bring their significant other. I promise to wow the socks off of them with an original and nutritious dinner that will seem as sophisticated as anything they’ve ever tried. I get plenty of snorts, and “Sure, kid” types of answers, but no one wants to turn down the possibility of an exquisite meal or, conversely, the means for bashing the boss’s possible new addition to his “collection.”
Anyway, I barely sleep that night because of all the plans I have to pull together on short notice. Jameson kindly offered Bing as my new temporary assistant, and Bing rises to the occasion masterfully.
The upshot? It works. They rave. I’m in.
Forty-Four
Weston
I am soexcited about this employment venture. I hadn’t actually realized how down I often felt after a client session when someone was terribly depressed until I stopped having to do it over and over. So now I’ve farmed those clients out to my colleagues, and hopefully everyone will be happier and better matched—most of all me. Working on building something new and great is so much more personally rewarding. I hope that doesn’t sound selfish, but helping to create a place to relax and enjoy Callum’s masterpieces is a wonderful plan. I’m so proud of him, and I’m thankful to Petra’s dad for creating this opportunity.
And speaking of Jameson, we’ve all been living in Chicago now for a month. I thought we’d have to watch the poor man get worse and worse. He’s such a great guy, the idea of that gave me more than one sleepless night, believe me. But he doesn’t seem to be feeling any worse at all. In fact, his color is better, and he hasn’t been napping several times a day like he did the first few days we were here. I am afraid to mention this to Petra becauseshe’s grown so fond of him. We all have. He’s definitely filling in as a father figure for me, and I don’t mind admitting that. I guess I needed one more than I realized.
Moving into the mansion was a trip. The three of us have our own wing. It’s gorgeous, but it’s going to take us a while to put our own stamp on the look of our quarters. Right now, it’s kind of old fashioned, and I sort of miss the basement and movie nights at my house. That couch provided us with some fond memories. But the sitting room is nice, and the bedroom has a new Alaska king bed that Jameson kindly installed for us. It’s even roomier than what we used to have, even though we still like to sleep in a big mound of intertwined arms and legs. Plus, we have the run of the rest of the house, and it has a wonderful gym and game room. Callum naturally loves the kitchen and spends a lot of time in there tinkering with recipes. He has his own kitchen at the office where he can experiment to his heart’s content, and everyone has learned to readily volunteer to be his taste testers. He’s become quite popular. Petra and I were happy to see that he had no trouble giving notice at his job in Carmel. He’s as excited as can be for this new experience.
Here in Chicago, Dave has a new best friend. He took to Storm like they were meant to be. The retrievers have always had their own bond, and Gus and Goliath certainly enjoy Storm’s company, but for whatever reason, Dave won’t leave the big guy alone. Storm is sweetly tolerant of the mini Aussie. I was glad to see that the house—mansion—had a huge yard for them to explore and enjoy. Jameson is pleasantly tolerant of having a houseful of dogs. He adores them, actually.
I haven’t put the house up for sale, and I’m not sure yet what to do with it. It’ll be a great place to use when Callum wants to visit home, or maybe if we just need some time to get away. I may decide to rent it out and make some money that way. We’ll see. There’s no rush as long as the property is maintained, andthe HOA doesn’t come down on me for ignoring it. I’ve been able to hire a caretaker with my new-found affluence. And speaking of affluence… the three of us are happily making huge salaries that we previously only dreamed of. I’m not even sure what to spend it on, and Petra and Callum seem to feel the same way. What a goofy “problem” to have.
Before we left Carmel, we took a space heater out into the garage and went through all of the boxes from the storage unit again and determined that nothing of importance was hidden in the old clothes. Questions to Jameson about the jewelry confirmed that it was as junky as I’d thought. We loaded up our cars and dropped it all off at the charity shop that raises money and provides shelter for abused women.
Callum had an interesting notion that he and I are discussing off and on when we get the chance. We need to figure out timing and logistics. And we need to speak to Jameson.
I love the idea.
