Chapter 2
The family had gathered together, the ones in the area and talked about what was to be done with the business and their mother. Someone would need to be hired to help take care of her while Gemma and Leanna were working and Marcel had to take over the business side of the company.
Callahan Meats was one of the largest in Texas and even though he had been working for the business his whole life, Marcel had only been in the offices once before. Elna had been an accountant, so she had naturally taken over the business when her husband died. Now it was on Marcel to be that type of person, the business type, the one in the suit and he wasn’t sure that he could be. He would have to try though, there was no one else.
He tried to tell himself that it would only be for a time, but the fact was that Elna was getting older and she may not come back at all. If she did, it was going to be a while. So he tried to make the best of it, spending his last weekend on the ranch, riding and trying to get everything taken care of.
There was still the question of if he was going to stay in the city, the commute just too much to do every day. That meant that he would only be home on the weekends, so he had to pack up a few things to take with him as well. It all spelled out to be a long week and by the time it was Monday morning, he was ready to go, having stewed on it all weekend, unable to actually enjoy his last couple of days at home. Conroe had been his home for a long time and he wasn’t looking forward to changing that.
As he drove into the city, the lanes of traffic got wider and it seemed like everyone started to get in a rush. It was strange to be back there after so long and it was a place that he hadn’t wanted to go to. Following the directions from his GPS, Marcel found the huge ten story building with his family name on the side and moved towards the front entrance.
The only good thing about never being there before was that no one knew who he was. He was able to move around freely, getting a feel for the place and the people he would be working with. Going up to the top floor, he walked around the hallway and then moved into his mother’s office. It was there that he was finally questioned of his intent to be there.
“Can I help you Sir? This floor is not for guests.”
He turned around to the tall, raven-haired beauty that had spoken to him. Marcel had never met someone who had taken his breath away, but she did and he was unable to answer. He just stared back at her aquamarine eyes.
“Are you okay Sir?”
Marcel shook his head that he was. He could tell by her expression that he needed to say something and stop being a twit, but it was harder than it sounded.
“Yes, sorry. I um, am here to take over for Elna.”
“Are you now? And you are?”
“Her son, Marcel. Nice to meet you…”
“Davina.”
“Nice to meet you, Davina. You are my mother’s assistant?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure who was going to be taking over for her. You are going to have your hands full. She was a very busy lady.”
“I know. She told me to get with you about all of that, so I guess we are going to be working together.”
She just looked down and then back up. “I have a schedule for you, let me just print it out and then we can go over the meetings we have planned. If you don’t think you can do something or you have questions, just ask and I will do the best I can to help you out.”
“Thank you.” It was heart felt. There were many things he had been worried about, but he felt like he was in good hands with Davina. The only problem that he could see, was working with such a beautiful young lady and not being affected.
“No problem Mr. Callahan. We are all here to help you in whatever way you need.”
His mind went to somewhere it shouldn’t have and he looked away slightly embarrassed. “I appreciate it. I am more used to cows and horses. This is actually the first time I have worn a suit since my father’s funeral.”
“Well, if you don’t mind me saying Mr. Callahan, it looks good on you.”
***
Davina wasn’t expecting Marcel. She was expecting a middle-aged man that was a little soggy in the middle like the rest of the men in upper management. She had known Elna for years, knew that she had many sons, but not one like him.
He was soft spoken for such a large man and even though he was out of his element, it appeared that he had it all under control. It was admirable the way he had acted in the board meeting. They had tried to take advantage of his newness, but he didn’t give them an inch. He had his own mother’s plans and Marcel was not going to let anyone deter him from her plans to expand. The board wanted to wait and since Elna was out of the loop for a while, they were hoping that her replacement would go along with what they wanted.
They hadn’t been expecting him either. By mid-day, he had already pissed off as many people as Elna could manage and Davina was gaining more respect for her new boss. She invited him out for lunch and they talked a little bit about Elna. The two women were really close and she hadn’t been able to get down to the hospital and see her.
“I was hoping to go this weekend, but then something came up and I was forced to stay in town.”
“Well, she would love some company, I am sure of it. She will be at the hospital until tomorrow and then she will be sent home.”
“Who is going to stay with her in the condo?”
He shook his head. “No, she is going home to our ranch in Conroe. My sister and sister-in-law will help out and I am sure we will hire a nurse for the rest of the time. It is a good place to heal, quiet, relaxing, not like this place.”
Marcel looked out the window of the small sandwich shop down from the company. It was not hard to see the difference when the fast paced city life was on the other side of the glass. The people were all together, herding like cows, yet with less of an inclination of where they were going or what their purpose was.
“I will try to get down there this evening.”
“You can go see her now or tomorrow morning if you want. As long as I have that schedule of yours, I am sure I will be okay. I have never seen someone so precise on details.”
“Well, you know how your mother is.”
He nodded and took a look at the rest of his afternoon. He was not looking forward to anymore meetings, but he had one more before the day was out. Marcel had one more boring meeting to sit through while numbers and projections were the main reason for everyone being there. He wondered if any of them had ever seen a cow that wasn’t packaged for their consumption and he bet that they hadn’t.
“Yes, so go see her and let her know that the family business is fine.”
“I will, if you are serious. It is strange not to have Elna around. I have been working with her for several years now.”
“You barely look old enough to be out of school.”
“Well I am twenty-five, so plenty old enough Sir.”
“How long are you going to call me Sir? Call me Marcel, please.”
“Okay Marcel. We need to get back to the office though. The man you are meeting, Mr. Johnson is always twenty minutes early and expects you to be there.”
Marcel nodded and motioned to the server for the check. He was already ready for the slow life where he had more than twenty minutes to have lunch. There was always another meeting and when he looked at the rest of the week, it was more of the same. The man was already ready for the weekend where he could go back to the ranch and ride his horse.
“Oh, I was going to ask you if you knew where my mom kept her keys to the condo?”
“Um, I think I have a spare set when I would bring things to her. It’s at my house, but I can bring it in later if you want. Take you over there and show you around.”
“Thank you Davina. You have been a godsend.