34. Hallie
CHAPTER 34
HALLIE
“Are you sure about this?” Chase whispers, stopping me outside the conference room before I can walk inside.
“Yes,” I nod, looking him in the eye. “I’m positive this is the right move.”
He stares back at me hesitantly, and it looks like there’s a debate going on inside his head.
“Are you still thinking we should let them decide?” I ask, gesturing towards the conference room door with my head.
“No, but…” Chase exhales slowly and runs his fingers through his hair, looking contrite. “I’ve been a real piece of shit to you. You deserve this promotion based on that fact alone. You have absolutely no reason to be nice to me, and I can’t get over that in spite of my shittiness, you’re being beyond kind.”
I smile, stepping closer to him and resting my hand on Chase’s arm.
“I have no reason not to be kind,” I tell him. “We don’t have to be competitors, not when we’re on the same team. As the Winter brothers always say, they want the vineyard to operate as a family. You and I used to work really well together, and I think we can work that way again. Everyone wins this way.”
For a moment, it looks like Chase is going to continue to debate me on our plan, but then he gives his head a shake, letting go of his guilt and regret.
“Thank you, Hallie.”
“You’re welcome,” I smile. “Come on, let’s do this.”
All three of the brothers are already in the conference room and they look up from their conversation when Chase and I walk inside together.
“We were just saying it was a coincidence that you two wanted to have a meeting,” Scott says as Chase and I take seats at the table. “We were getting ready to set up a meeting with you both as well. We’ve reached a decision on the sales director position.”
“Oh?” Chase asks, his interest clearly piqued.
I can see there’s a part of him that wants to know if they picked him. He still thinks that his wife and his kids will love him more if he can bring home more money and jewelry and all the latest electronics. Or else, he wants to know if he’s the one they chose, so that if his family does fall apart, it won’t have been for nothing. Or maybe his ego just has something to prove. I’ve learned that Chase is a complicated person, more so than I gave him credit for, and it’s going to take some time to turn him into a team player, but I truly believe we can do it, and that the vineyard will be better for it.
“Unless you’d rather hear what the Winters have to say, I thought we’d tell them what we came here to say first…?” I say to Chase, waiting for him to finally decide what comes next.
He holds my gaze for a moment and then he smiles.
“Yeah,” he nods confidently, turning back to the brothers. “Would you mind if we went first?”
“Of course not, go right ahead,” Clay says, leaning back in his chair.
“Chase and I were reminiscing earlier about how well we worked together in our early days at the vineyard,” I begin. “We would share leads and bounce ideas back and forth and help each other with follow up. As the sales team started to grow and we all carved our territories around the country, and then around the world as we expanded even further, the team took on more of an every-person-for-themselves mentality.”
I see Lucas Winter’s eyebrows furrow and Scott nods as if he’s realizing what I’m saying is true.
“We’d like to bring the sales department back to what it once was so that it better falls into the vineyard’s family culture,” Chase adds. “We want to set an example of mentorship that raises everyone up, rather than pitting them against each other.”
“And we both feel that starts with the department leadership,” I say.
“What are you suggesting?” Scott asks, leaning forward with interest.
“Instead of promoting one of us, we would suggest that you allow us to split the job,” I tell him. “Chase and I would share the duties, the raise and the bonus. As co-sales directors, we would bring our individual strengths to the job, working to increase sales and profits, while also having time to mentor the rest of the department to provide education and experience to young associates. We’d like to expand the internship program to increase the number of interns that turn into new hires.”
“Which cuts down on time spent training new employees from outside the intern pool,” Chase pipes in.
“And most importantly,” I say, turning to Chase with a smile, “splitting the responsibilities ensures that we will get more work done for the vineyard and still allow us to have time for our families.”
Chase smiles back at me, giving me a slight nod before we both turn to the brothers, hoping we didn’t just make a huge miscalculation.
The room goes silent as Scott, Clay, and Lucas all seem to be thinking over what Chase and I just proposed. I take a deep breath as they gather together at the other end of the table, whispering with their heads close, talking too low for me to catch anything they’re saying. With each passing minute, I wonder if this was a stupid idea. Did I overstep in trying to tell the vineyard’s owners how to run their company? Should I have just let them choose for themselves who they wanted to run the sales department? All I know is it seemed like a good idea at the time, and I need to stand by the decision we made.
The fact is that the sales department has devolved into a culture of competition. I can see it in me and Chase, but also in the younger associates as well. We compete for awards and accolades, for promotions, for bonuses. We try to exceed our goals not because it’s what’s best for the company, but because there’s always a prize, always a reward, for being the best. I’m not saying that positive reinforcement is a bad thing, but it can be toxic when it affects the way coworkers treat each other.
And what’s worse is that when Chase and I were both working hard and competing with each other, we both let our personal lives dissolve, paying little to no attention to anything outside the office. Chase could have been spending more time with his wife and kids and I could have been taking actual vacations and meeting people. But instead, we were both so focused on money, that it became the only thing we cared about. If I had any chance of saving my family’s business, I would probably still be competing with Chase for the promotion, but it took the devastation of learning we were going to lose the camp to open my eyes to how I’ve been living my life.
When the brothers finally finish conferring, they move back to their spots around the table, each nodding at the others in agreement, smiling broadly and looking pleased. I feel my stomach tighten and I hold my breath, allowing myself to hope.
“We love the idea,” Scott says without further delay. “It’s perfect, and frankly, it’s an obvious solution to a decision we’ve been dreading having to make.”
“So obvious, we don’t know why we didn’t think of it ourselves,” Clay adds, shaking his head.
“Having two co-directors, especially the two of you, who everyone already looks up to and comes to for advice, is the perfect way to run the department,” Scott continues. “And we love how sharing the promotion embodies the Winter brand and the culture we want to be a part of.”
“We can’t commend the two of you enough for coming up with this plan,” Lucas tells us. “We gave you no incentive for you to share the promotion, but you put the good of the company, and the good of each other, above your own self interests. What better way for Winter Brothers Vineyards to demonstrate that we are true to our values than through our leadership? We want you to truly feel like you are part of a family here and that this is a place where we all work together. You are setting an example for everyone else, and we appreciate and admire your dedication. Well done, both of you.”
“So…that’s it?” I ask in disbelief. “We both have the job?”
“That’s it,” Scott nods, still grinning. “We will have the contracts drawn up immediately.”
As we stand up from around the table and shake hands, it hits me how happy and relieved all three of the Winter brothers look. I knew they had been having a hard time deciding who they wanted to promote, but I hadn’t considered they were dreading having to choose between us. Now I can see that they’re pleased they don’t have to make the choice. Maybe this was the most obvious solution after all.
Chase and I walk out of the conference room together, heading back down the hall to the sales department.
“Hallie, I don’t know how to thank you for this,” Chase says in the hallway outside his office.
“We did it together,” I remind him.
“No, this was all you,” he says. “It was your idea, and you really sold it to them just now. Everything you said really hit home for everyone in that room, especially me. I want you to have my share of the bonus. It’s the least I can do.”
I feel my jaw drop and for a moment I don’t know what to say. The back of my brain starts to calculate how far that money would go for the summer camp, wondering if maybe we can set up a payment plan with Rupert Sinclair that wouldn’t involve taking out more loans. But then I give my head a shake, pulling myself back together.
“That’s not necessary,” I tell him. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
“But you deserve the bonus, and so much more,” Chase replies. “You saved my job, and quite possibly my marriage. It’s the least I can do.”
I look into his eyes, and I can see what this gesture means to Chase. It’s about more than the money; it’s about doing what he thinks is the right thing for someone else, rather than only thinking of himself.
“Thank you, Chase,” I say softly. “It’s very generous of you, but I will only accept on one condition.”
“Name it,” Chase replies eagerly.
“That we work together from now on,” I say. “We do just what we told the Winters we wanted to do. No competition. No trying to one up the other. We’re a team now.”
“Don’t worry; I’ve learned my lesson,” Chase says to me. “It’s a deal.”
No longer feeling the mostly self-imposed pressure to work late and respond to every single email and item on my to-do list in one day, I decide to leave work right on time so I can surprise James at his shop. He mentioned that he was going to be there late working on a personal project he had some ideas about, so I’m hoping I can tear him away for happy hour drinks. Even though I got some bad news from my family, the situation with Chase took a crazy turn today and I think we’re both going to be much better off because of it. That’s certainly something worth celebrating. Besides, even if my parents have resigned themselves to losing the camp, I’m not going to give up on it just yet. I might still be short on the total amount needed to repay Rupert, especially with the loans my parents had to take out, but the bonus money isn’t nothing. Maybe there’s still something that can be done.
Parking in the small lot behind the shop, I hop off my Vespa and remove my helmet, fluffing my hair as I head in through the back entrance. I was assuming James would be in the workshop working on his new piece, but I don’t see him when I step inside. Propped up on two sawhorses is a gorgeous piece of wood that catches my eye, and on closer inspection, I see that it’s actually several wavy boards that have been fitted together to make one long surface. I run my hand over it, marveling at the craftsmanship, impressed with what James was able to make.
As I’m admiring James’s work, I hear voices coming from the store front and I realize he’s probably with a customer. With a smile, I start to push open the door, wanting to see James in his element, but I stop short when I hear the other man’s voice.
“I’m not sure what Mark has up his sleeve with that damn camp of his, but now that you’ve cozied up to his daughter, you can give me all the intel. It should be a smooth transaction, but Mark is smart, and he has a crazy attachment to that camp—not that I’ve ever understood why. He’s not going to make it easy for me to get that land back, but with you getting information from the daughter, I’ll be one step ahead. Well done, James. Well done.”
I stagger backwards a step, feeling like the wind has been knocked out of me. My stomach churns and I’m sure I’m going to be sick. This is the exact scenario I was afraid of when I first found out that James was Rupert Sinclair’s son. I talked myself out of it, thinking it was crazy, but now it looks like I was right. This was all part of some elaborate plan to get information from me about my family. James was targeting me this whole time, using the retreat as his opening to get closer to me. I can’t believe that I fell for it, especially when I had every reason not to trust him. I let myself believe he wasn’t the person I thought he was, but it turns out I was right. James Sinclair is just as cruel, selfish, and unconscionable as his father. He was just using me to make money off of my family and I fell for it.
Holding my breath to stop from crying, I turn and run to the back door, hurrying to get as far away from this place as I can.