Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
J ill ordered a glass of chardonnay as soon as the flight attendant came through the cabin.
She’d worked the lunch shift that afternoon, then quickly showered and changed and raced to make a five thirty flight.
She was meeting Billy for dinner and spending the next day at the office.
Fridays were usually a quieter day, and Jill knew that her presence would hopefully kick things up a notch.
The JetBlue flight from Nantucket to New York was just over an hour, and she was looking forward to relaxing and calming her nerves.
She was actually nervous about seeing Billy, which was ridiculous since they were so close, but her new feelings for him were confusing and exciting and terrifying all at once.
Billy had never really given her “that vibe” before, the one you get when you know a guy is interested, but she would have thought it strange if he had, given that they were such good friends and business partners.
She’d never given him the slightest inclination of interest either, so she knew she had to do this carefully, to test the waters first.
She actually thought it might help that she was working in Nantucket for a while.
Having some distance from Billy and the day-to-day environment of the office would give her some privacy and also the necessary time to sort out her feelings.
She also hoped that Billy might miss her being around and perhaps be open to seeing things in a new light.
The first step in her plan was going to take place that night.
She was meeting him for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Rosa Mexicano, at the Upper East Side location.
The restaurant was dark and cozy, and the upscale Mexican food was delicious.
Jill wore her favorite dress. It was a deep ruby red and flattering with a formfitting cut that was a bit shorter than usual and showed off her legs, and she was wearing a pair of very cute high heels.
She’d blown her hair dry just before leaving for the airport, and it fell in fluffy, layered waves just past her shoulders.
She’d kept her makeup light, just a coat of rich black mascara to make her lashes lush and her eyes pop and her favorite glossy rose lipstick that had magic lip-plumping abilities.
She wanted Billy to notice her in a new way tonight.
Jill took the last sip of her wine as the plane started its descent. Within minutes, they were on the ground, and after jumping in a cab, she was at the restaurant right on time. Billy was already there, waiting for her at the bar.
“Hello, gorgeous!” He pulled her in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Have a seat and a margarita. I think we have a few more minutes until our table is ready.”
Jill settled herself in the seat next to Billy and took her coat off.
When he saw her dress, Billy whistled softly and said, “You look fantastic. Nantucket seems to be agreeing with you.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I can’t wait for you to visit soon. Remember, we have several guest rooms at Grams’s house.”
“I’m counting on it. Not next weekend, but maybe the weekend after, if that works for you?”
“I’ll plan on it. So fill me in on what’s going on. How are things?”
For the next twenty minutes, just up until they were called for their table, Billy filled her in on what was going on in the office, how the month was looking, and what issues he needed advice on.
The minutes flew by as Jill realized that even though she was connected via the internet and phone, she was still missing the pulse of the business and being up on the day-to-day operations of the office.
She and Billy spoke a few times a week, and it didn’t feel like enough.
“We need to talk more often.”
“Well, it’s not like you’re down the hall. Things are different now,” Billy said.
“I know, but it’s a work in progress. If we talk more often, I’ll have a better sense of what’s going on and how I can help.”
“Okay, let’s make a plan then to connect at least once a day, to debrief and say hello.” Billy lifted his margarita, and Jill did the same, tapping her glass against his.
The hostess came a moment later and led them to a cozy table for two, tucked away in a secluded alcove. Jill sunk into one of the plush oversize chairs that were more like mini sofas, covered in a soft brushed suede.
Once they were both settled, Billy flipped open his menu. “So on to more important matters. What are you going to have?”
Jill was about to answer when the waitress appeared and told them about several specials. When she left to get them another round of margaritas, Jill said to Billy, “Too many choices, and they all sound good. What are you getting?”
“Well, the guacamole to start, don’t you think?
” That was a given, as they always ordered it.
The server made it table-side, crushing fresh avocados in a stone bowl, along with tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno to taste.
Jill loved watching them make it, and it was how she’d learned to do it herself as well.
“I’m going to have the chili rellenos, I think.” She’d had them the last time she was there and had been craving the plump peppers bursting with gooey cheese and raisins and sauce ever since.
“I’m going to try the seafood enchiladas. Just to be different.”
The food was amazing as usual, and when they finished, they adjourned back to the bar for Mexican coffees, a mix of liqueurs, coffee, and fresh whipped cream.
Jill had a warm glow going by this point and a hint of courage. She found herself laughing more than usual and touching Billy’s arm to make several points. He seemed a bit confused by her behavior.
“Do you want to come back to my place for a drink?” she asked as they walked out the front door.
Billy raised his eyebrows and said, “I think someone has had her limit. Let’s get you in a cab and home. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.” He touched her arm gently and guided her into the nearest cab. “I’ll catch the next one.” They were going in opposite directions.
“Okay. I am kind of tired.” And she was suddenly bone-tired. The week had caught up with her. Just going home and going to bed was very appealing. Tomorrow was another day.
Morning came way too quickly. Jill drank several glasses of water and was halfway through an extra-large dark roast coffee when her cab pulled up in front of the office.
She’d had more to drink the night before than she usually did, and it was just enough to ensure that she wasn’t at a hundred percent. And she needed to be.
The office was starting to buzz a little as she walked through the hallways and toward her office.
People were arriving, settling in, and a handful, the early risers, were already on the phone.
Heads turned in surprise when she walked past, as her appearance was not expected.
Fridays were generally the most laid-back day of the week, but Jill knew that with both she and Billy on the floor, that wouldn’t be the case.
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 toward 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 but 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, feeling like she’d barely had a drop. She was filling her mug and 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 and dark but plush, with soft leather-cushioned chairs and a polished cherrywood bar.
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.
“Nothing like a greasy burger to soak up any lingering alcohol effects, eh?” Billy said before taking another bite.
“It’s not fair that you don’t seem the least bit hungover.” Jill picked up a fry. They were dusted with olive oil, salt, and rosemary, delicious on their own but better still with ketchup.
“You’re just jealous. Tell me, why is it that you haven’t had a single bite of that burger yet? You always eat your fries first.” Billy was just about done with his.
Jill smiled. “Are you still hungry? I’ll be lucky to finish half of this.” She put half of her burger on his plate. He often finished what she couldn’t eat.
They chatted easily as they finished eating.
Jill had worried that she’d been too flirty the night before, but Billy didn’t seem to think anything of it.
It was like it had never happened. And as they laughed and chatted, she realized that maybe she’d been fooling herself.
She and Billy were the best of friends, and it was clear that he didn’t see her in any other way.
She must have been temporarily out of her mind to think otherwise.
If anything was going to happen between them, it would have happened by now.
She told herself that it was just that she hadn’t dated anyone in so long.
And maybe it was time to do something about that.
Time to find someone to get her mind off her nonromance with Billy.