28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter 28
Two weeks after Laurel’s wedding, Mason finally found what he’d been scouring the internet for—a vintage, seventeen-foot Airstream camper. The previous owner had gutted it before deciding it was too big a job for him to tackle, saying he’d rather be fishing than restoring.
Being gutted seemed the ideal situation to Mason. Linda wouldn’t be camping in it, and she didn’t need a small kitchenette, a dining table, or a bed. She needed space for shelves and display racks and storage. It seemed perfect to him, but he’d called Nica to confer with her before making an offer. He bought it without having seen it in person. The van was in Minnesota. After several more phone calls, he found a company to haul it to Bloomington.
He’d originally planned to meet his family over the Fourth of July weekend in Florida, but the camper took precedence. He wrapped his stint up in Seattle and flew back to central Illinois to do a walkthrough with Nica and to get her ideas before presenting it to Linda.
He didn’t know how Linda was going to react. He assumed she’d protest profusely that he’d bought something so expensive for her, but he hoped that she’d come around and see that he wanted her to pursue her dream, and if he could help, he would.
Worst-case scenario, if she hated the idea, he would resell the camper.
He could not wait to surprise her. He hoped it would show her he was supporting her dream to launch her own line of stationery products. She was the most important thing in the world to him, and he’d do whatever it took to make her happy. He hoped he’d be able to tell her he’d found a position in Bloomington next. Springfield was close, but not close enough.
Though Linda talked to and emailed Grady frequently, it was unusual to have face-to-face time with her boss, but she asked for a working-lunch meeting with him. She had a big announcement to make but she didn’t tell him that piece of information before the meeting.
She arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early and asked to be seated right away. She wanted time to organize her things before Grady arrived.
There was the contract for the building on MacArthur Ave, which Linda had redlined for Grady to review. It had taken weeks, but when they found that Grady’s offer had been accepted, even after Linda had turned it in late, Linda had cried with relief.
There was a list of suggestions submitted by his renters to review.
And finally, there was her resignation letter to give him.
She was nervous about giving him the letter, not just about his reaction to it, but about what was next for her. Going full-time on her side hustle was momentous. She was putting herself out there, and it felt like an enormous leap of faith. If she didn’t “make it” with this venture, would she be able to work for Grady again?
Linda didn’t hear Grady approach, and she shrieked when he slid into the booth across from her. “Yikes!”
“Hello.” Grady’s smirk told her he’d enjoyed surprising her. “Sorry to sneak up on you.”
She pulled her hand away from her chest as her heart rate slowed. “Hi. I was getting organized here.”
“You’re always prepared. It’s nice to see you in person. Nica and I had a great time at your sister’s wedding.”
“It was lovely, wasn’t it?”
“It was. Kind of fun to watch the dynamics between your two dates,” Grady teased.
“I just had one date!”
“Not from where I was sitting. I got to watch the two men assess each other over dinner. Lucky for you, they got along well.”
“Yeah.” Linda wasn’t so sure. After her first dance with Mason, she’d pulled Wyatt aside and apologized for putting him in an awkward situation. Wyatt rolled with it and said that though he was bummed, he liked Mason and understood her decision. “So, did you ever interview Wyatt for a job at the bank?”
“I did. He starts on Monday.”
“Wow. I hope it works out.”
“Time will tell. Now, let’s get to work. I only have an hour.”
They’d gone over all the normal business as they ate. The server cleared their plates, and Grady dropped his credit card on the table, ready for the check.
“Um, Grady. I have one more thing.”
She picked up the folder with her resignation letter and froze. This was even harder than she had imagined it would be.
He held her gaze, waiting patiently.
“I…” She felt the words choking her. “I’ve decided to focus on my side hustle, make it my career.”
Grady nodded, not looking surprised, mad, or upset.
Linda continued. “I can’t do that while I work full-time for you.”
She felt a pit open in the bottom of her stomach and wished she’d done this before she ate.
Grady nodded again and held out his hand. She passed him the folder. Grady took it and set it on the seat next to him on top of the other paperwork she’d already given him.
He smiled and leaned forward. “I’m proud of you. You’re going to do great things. How much longer do I have you for?”
“Three weeks?”
“All right. We’ll make that work. Can you write up a transition plan with all the open items you’re working on and recommendations on how best to hand them over? I’d appreciate it if you can close as many as you can.”
She smiled. “I have that list started. I’ll keep it updated until my last day, and we can go over it then.” She sighed in relief. “That was easier than I expected. Thanks, Grady.”
“I knew this day would come. Always plan for your contingencies.” He smiled, his green eyes twinkling. He’d told her that so many times. “And let me know how I can help you get your business off the ground.”
“I will. Should I create a job posting for an assistant?”
“Please do. Though I may have you hand a few things off to Wyatt in the meantime.”
“Grady! No!”
He chuckled. “Got to get you back somehow for leaving me.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Sounds about right.”