The Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant #1)(28)

In her company as well as the larger firm she and Billy used to work at, the intensity level was always higher when the managers were in the office, and especially when they were actually ‘working a desk’ along with their employees. That was one thing that she and Billy were both in agreement on when they decided to start their company. They would never be hands-off managers—telling people what to do, but not actually doing it. They wanted to lead by example, showing them how to do it.

Jill wasn’t at her desk for more than a few minutes when she was asked to put out the first fire of the day. She sipped the last bit of her coffee as two of her employees peeked into Billy’s office first, and when they saw he wasn’t in yet, they walked back towards hers. That was understandable, of course, as they were now used to going to Billy first.

“What’s up guys?” Jill asked as Tony and Nicole hovered outside her door.

“We hate to bother you so early, but do you have a minute? It’s kind of important,” Nicole asked.

“Of course. Come in, have a seat.”

Once they were settled in the two chairs in front of Jill’s desk, Nicole glanced at Tony nervously and he began to talk.

“You know the MacGregor placement, the big one?”

“Of course, you both did a great job on that.” The two exchanged glances, and Jill guessed they’d run into an issue. There were so many moving parts to any placement, some more so than others, that you really couldn’t consider your work done until the person had actually started and stayed in the role for several months.

“Well, he’s due to start on Monday,” Nicole began. “Today was supposed to be his last day.”

Tony leaned forward and added, “His boss took him to lunch and presented a ridiculous counteroffer. Told him he’s important to the success of the company and they can’t do it without him. He’s incredibly flattered and confused.”

“He called you and told you this?” Jill asked, and they both nodded.

“He’s your candidate, right Nicole? Did you have a talk with him at the beginning about this?” Jill asked. It was what she trained all new people to do, to defuse the possible counteroffer issue from the outset. If people expected to receive one, it wasn’t usually as effective when it actually arrived.

“Yes. I told him to expect a counteroffer. I also stressed that they wouldn’t want to lose him and that this is very inconvenient for his company. He assured me that they’d never give him one because he asked for a raise and promotion a few months ago and they turned him down flat, said there was no money budgeted. And when he gave his notice, they didn’t do anything then, so I thought we were safe.”

“Then you can relax, he’s probably just flattered. If he’s smart, he’ll realize what’s going on.”

“So, what do we do now though?” Tony did not look at all relaxed.

Jill felt for them. She had been in their shoes many times and knew well the feeling of panic when something that was supposedly all set threatened to go south. She had a good feeling about this one though. It sounded like they’d done things the right way. Covering everything ahead of time was essential in smoothing over rough patches that developed.

“How did he leave things with you?” Jill asked Nicole who seemed a bit calmer.

“He said he was flattered and had to give their offer serious consideration. That it would only be fair. He’s calling me this morning.”

“Okay. Sit tight, then, and wait for his call. If you don’t hear from him by noon, call him. If you need to, remind him why he was looking and that in most cases nothing will change. He’ll likely be regretting his decision if he stays.”

Nicole grinned and then said, “I said all of that to him last night.”

“Great, then you should be good. If not, I’ll be here. Keep me posted.”

Jill walked them out of the office and then wandered to the kitchen to find more coffee, as she felt like she’d barely had a drop. As she was filling her mug, she sensed Billy before she actually saw him.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked softly as she turned to leave the kitchen.

“Tired. Maybe a little hungover,” she admitted.

“Well, you’re in good company. The day will go quickly. Before you know it we’ll be ready for after-work drinks.”





“Ugh… I don’t know about that.”

Funny how what she didn’t think was possible at eight-thirty in the morning, seemed like a good idea at the end of the day. By six, Jill and Billy, along with Tony, Nicole and a half dozen others from the office were at their favorite bar around the corner. It was a tiny place, just below street level in an elegant old hotel. They loved it because when they first opened the office, it was where they celebrated at the end of their first day, and they’d been coming back ever since.

The bar was small but plush, with soft leather-cushioned chairs, a polished cherry wood bar, and it was dark. The lighting was low, the drapes were deep burgundy and black suits dominated. From where they sat, taking up the corner of the bar, Jill could see people scurrying past on their way home from work. Well, she could mostly just see their feet, but she’d always loved the view, catching glimpses of some pretty spectacular shoes.

As usual, the hours slipped by even though Jill wasn’t drinking. She was too tired and admittedly still a little hungover from the extra drinks she’d had the night before. Soda water and lemon with a splash of pomegranate juice was her drink of choice. By nine, everyone else from the office had moved on and she and Billy were dining on burgers and fries. Jill rarely ate burgers, but sometimes they hit the spot.