Chapter 33
Will
For the first time since Ella had come back, I was having a productive morning at work. It was only a week until Christmas, so we were all scrambling to finish the work we needed to before the four-day work holiday began. I always made sure my employees had ample time during the holidays to be with their families. Still, even being productive, the morning could have been going a little better. I was on the phone with one of my subcontractors, and it wasn’t the most pleasant of conversations. This was the side of my job that I really hated—the putting out the fires side of things. I had thought that when I finally owned my own company, I would be able to pay someone to do the dirty work, but I quickly realized that things got done a lot faster when the owner was involved.
My client who almost hadn’t taken the deal, the one who had liked my ability to take charge and tell it like it was, was being put at risk. The contract with the subcontractor was behind schedule, and it was not boding well for him. I didn’t like being an asshole, but when it came to that much money and time, I was going to have to do what I had to do.
“I don’t care what you have to do,” I said loudly. “Get this shit back on track. I want personal updates from you every few hours until we have secured this thing.”
I slammed the phone down and plopped into my chair, looking at the numbers and estimates on the screen. I realized quickly that I was going to have to spend some serious time over the next few days trying to salvage this entire project. A lot of money was at stake, but even more than that, our reputation in the business was teetering on the edge because of this client. I hit the intercom button and asked my assistant to come in.
“How can I help you?”
“This project is going to need all hands,” I said with a sigh. “I’m going to need to speak to the investors, the client, the software company on the ground, and the subcontractors. Here is what I need: one phone conference with each of them separately, and then one with everyone online, except for the client. Make my client’s call come after the team call.”
“Got it,” she said, writing quickly.
She left the room, and I leaned forward, rubbing my face. This couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time. Like I didn’t have enough to worry about with the new baby, telling Ella’s parents soon, trying to make sure Ella was staying sane, and attempting to reinvent our relationship through trust and being with her whenever I could. It felt like the universe was trying to pile as much as it could on my shoulders to see how much it would take to break me, but I was determined to keep moving forward.
I continued through the day, keeping on top of my game and going through the phone calls I needed to. Late afternoon, just between conference calls, I received a call from Ella. I had been hoping to hear from her, but I didn’t want to bug her, so I didn’t call myself. She sounded tired on the other end of the phone, and I wished she would just relax and get some sleep. No one would say anything to her. She was stubborn, though, and I knew she wasn’t going to sit down for anything.
“Hey,” I said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” she said. “Hungry again. How is your day?”
“Insane,” I said. “Big issue with a huge project that I now have to personally get involved with. Fun times.”
“That sucks,” she replied. “So, I have a hair appointment and some last-minute Christmas shopping that I’m heading out to do now, but after that I was planning on getting together with my parents at the apartment and letting my mother, at least, know about the baby. You were right. It needs to be done sooner rather than later.”
“Tonight? Are you sure we can’t do it a little later, or even tomorrow? I just have my investors breathing down my throat and all these calls—” I stopped, hearing nothing on the other end of the line. “Ella?”
She had hung up on me, and I really didn’t blame her. She had been calling for me to be a part of something with her and the baby, and I was already making excuses. I groaned and shook my head, disappointed in myself for not thinking before speaking. I had a serious issue with word vomit lately, and it made me wonder if I’d always had that problem and no one ever told me. I had screwed up badly. There was no way I was going to miss this. I had to figure out a way to multitask the hell out of everything and still get out with enough time to be there for Ella.
“Can you come in here, please?” I asked my assistant through the intercom.
“Yes, sir,” she said before immediately making her way into my office.
“I need you to call the client and tell him we need to see each other this afternoon. Not tonight, not tomorrow, but as soon as you can possibly put it together,” I said. “He can pick anywhere he wants to go. I don’t care. You just can’t let him say no.”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “What if I can’t get reservations where he wants to go? I know he can be a tad picky.”
“Like I said, anywhere he wants to go,” I replied. “You make it work, and if you can’t, come get me, and I’ll move heaven and earth to get us in wherever it is. One day I’ll have clients who like diners and cafés.”
She laughed. “That’ll be the day I finally say that I love my job. I swear, I spend half my time trying to get reservations. All right, I’ll send over a message to your computer with the time.”
“Perfect,” I replied.
Later that afternoon, I found myself sitting at one of the premier lunch spots in the city, thinking about how much I’d had to “donate” to the company in order to get a table. This restaurant was seriously on a six-month waiting list, and that was just for lunch. Dinner was like a year. Either way, I had the client in my grasp, and I might just be able to make it to meet Ella before she had to tell her mother on her own.
“The fact that your company promised all of these things and has yet to deliver is very concerning to me,” he said, ranting and raving about the delay. “This was a lot of money to invest, enough that I would expect you to be on time if not ahead of schedule. I’m starting to regret that I made this investment in the first place. I’m considering sending the contract over to my attorney to see what it will take to back out of it.”
“You can try, but I assure you, with the team I have, there are zero loopholes,” I replied with irritation. “I’m not sure what you would like me to do. I have clearly stated that I would absorb the cost of the delay and get rid of this subcontractor as soon as I have secured a reliable replacement. It’s business as usual, and even more than that, it’s technology. Delays are the name of the game. Furthermore, as the owner and CEO of this company, I’ve got more than my fair share of crap to deal with on a daily basis. I set up this meeting as a courtesy, but you’re a businessman and you know how this works. I will not, nor do I have the time to, hold your hand during this. This will be the last courtesy lunch I extend, and I can promise you that your threats of legal action do nothing but piss me off and slow down the process. Like I said, delays happen. It’s part of this business and every other business out there. You above anyone else should know that.
“When these things happen, the sign of a good company is the fact that they are on top of it, and we are. I’ve already gotten rid of the people causing the hold up, and everyone knows that if they get in the way, they can get the hell out as well. As far as I’m concerned, we’re doing exactly what we’ve been contracted to do, if not more. Quite frankly, if that isn’t good enough, you’re more than welcome to contact your attorney, but I can promise that if you do, I will stop this project in its tracks and wait until the attorney tells you there is no way out and then restart. You will not only have lost money on the project and the attorney’s fees, but it will take even more time to get what you want.”
I stood up from the table and put cash down to cover the lunch and drinks. I buttoned my suit jacket and pulled on my wool overcoat, done with the conversation. The client sat there with a calm look on his face, watching as if I were going to fold. I had zero intention of folding. I meant every word I’d said. This project was going to happen one way or another, and all this asshat was doing was slowing down the process with his idle threats.
“There will be no more negotiation on this,” I said, looking down at him.
“Wait,” he said as I turned to walk away. “There’s no reason to be hasty here. I agree that contacting my lawyer will do nothing but slow down the process, and that isn’t what I want. By you being completely open and honest, you’ve engendered great trust in me. I appreciate the fact that you were straightforward instead of trying to kiss my ass. I can see no one walks all over you.”
“This is my company and my life,” I stated. “I cannot allow anyone to get in the way, no matter how big their checkbook is or how intimidating they may try to be. I have crossed all my t’s and dotted all my i’s.”
“I can see that.” He smiled. “That is why I hired you in the first place. I would rather have a warrior on my side than a wimp. You, sir, are definitely a warrior.”
I liked that he saw me that way, as strong, independent, and motivated. I could only hope that Ella started to see me that way as well. I shook the man’s hand and left the restaurant, realizing I might not have time to get back to the complex to meet Ella. I looked down at my phone, but she hadn’t returned any of my calls. It was more than frustrating, but I was frustrated with myself, not with her. I turned and looked at the traffic as I climbed into the car, hoping that this wouldn’t be just another roadblock in my attempt to make Ella and our new baby part of my small but mighty family. I hoped she could forgive me for this.