AllFreeNovel
Share Us
LUKE: I wish I was with you, instead of in this boardroom waiting to meet with John. Will have the rest of the season together. Love you. Give Leif a kiss and hug for me.
John finally arrived, and we spent the next hour going over business relating to Astra Investments, especially a new investor who wanted to join the consortium, Frank Campbell of Campbell Investments, Inc.
“I spoke with Frank, and he thinks we should move our headquarters to Austin, TX, as soon as possible. There's a lot of work being done in the aerospace industry and related technology. He thinks we should be there so we can meet with others in the industry. Meet our competition.”
“I don't know,” I said and frowned. “I always thought we’d keep our headquarters in New York and have subsidiary offices in Texas and California. That would workout best for me because of Alexa's university and job prospects.”
“Isn't she almost done?” John asked. “She's finishing her PhD, right?”
“Yes, she's almost done, but she also wants to work in her field, which is primarily located in New York, Washington DC, or in European capitals.”
“Campbell Investments is a big deal,” John replied, his eyes wide. “I thought you understood. Campbell’s investment would mean we could really start competing, and he wants to see us move to either California or Texas, but Austin is his number one location. I don't think we can accept his money if we aren't willing to go along with his ideas. He has a lot of experience in the aerospace industry.”
I sighed heavily. Of course, John was right, and Campbell Investments was a very big deal. In fact, it was such a big deal that it could mean the difference between lingering in obscurity as an aerospace company or hitting the big times and competing directly with other aerospace businesses like SpaceX. However, the prospect of moving family to Austin TX was not a happy one.
“I'll have to talk to Alexa about this, but I'm I not sure she’ll like the idea.”
John frowned. “You're wealthy enough that she could fly anywhere she wanted at any time at the drop of a hat,” John said. “You could have a house in Austin, a house in New York or Brussels or wherever, and still run the business out of Texas.”
I rubbed my chin and considered. Of course, John was right, and I was wealthy enough to have houses in multiple cities, but where would our home be located? That was what mattered. I wanted somewhere stable for Leif to grow up. I wanted to feel some sense of community where we lived. I wanted a good school, a good neighborhood, and a good environment for Leif to grow up in, and I wasn't sure about Texas.
“I'll talk to Alexa,” I said. “I know she’d like to stay in New York, and even talked about us relocating to somewhere in Europe, depending on where she gets a job, but that's a few years off anyway. Let's just say we'll play it by ear for now. See what Campbell really wants and what his bottom line is. When are we meeting with him?”
“This Saturday,” John replied. “I hope you’ll be there, and I hope that you and Alexa can attend the dinner and drinks afterward. Maybe you guys could stay in town and hire a babysitter for Leif so you can spend time with Campbell. I know he wants to meet with you and get a sense of who you are. He'd like to meet Alexa, too, I'm sure.”
“Of course, we will,” I said. “Of course, we can stay at the apartment, and get a sitter. Alexa will probably enjoy a night out.”
“Good,” John said and shuffled some papers. “It’s settled. The meeting is Saturday afternoon here, and then dinner and drinks with all our new investors.”
I nodded in reply, but a part of me didn’t like the prospect of deciding where to locate our head offices. I put it to the back of my mind. We had to secure the funding before moving our head office anywhere.
For the next hour, John and I went over the latest business numbers and statistics, and then I went back to my office when the meeting was done to get some work finished, because I only planned to stay the morning.
It was then that Elena Marakova knocked on my door. She popped her head in the office and smiled when our eyes met. I was surprised to see her in the office, and didn’t expect to see her, but she and Jack must have been in the city for the week.
“Elena,” I said and sat up, closing the file on my desk. “I didn't know you were still in city. Come in and have a seat. What can I do for you?”
She came in the office and closed the door behind her. “I decided to stay in town for the week, since we’re meeting on Saturday. I decided that some extra time spent here would be good, given some of the more recent developments.” She took the seat across from my desk crossing her legs and adjusting her jacket. She ran after hand through her hair and then licked her lips. I had the distinct sense that she was trying to appear attractive to me.
“New developments? John didn’t say anything to me I our meeting this morning.”
“I haven’t had the time to speak with him yet. I knew you were coming in today, and I wanted to be here so we could chat. How is your little wife doing? And your baby-what was his name Lee?”
“Leif,” I said. “Like Leif Erickson. You know, the Viking explorer.”
“You named your child after a Viking?”
I laughed. “Alexa and I are big fans of Vikings, the TV show. Plus, I have some Norwegian blood in me, and we thought it would be fun to name him something appropriate. As to Alexa, she’s doing fine,” I said, irritated with Elena’s reference to Alexa as ‘your little wife.’ That was something I would expect from a boomer, not someone of my own generation, but perhaps Elena didn't have a high opinion of motherhood.
I folded my hands. “Speaking of families, when are you getting married? Do you plan to have any children?”
Elena brushed her hair back. “If I do get married,” she said. “It will be only after I’ve secured my business future, not before. That ruined my mother's career chances, pregnancy and marriage, and I won't let it ruin mine.”
I shrugged. “I don't plan on letting it ruin Alexis prospects.”
She adjusted her position. “Employers don't look favorably at gaps in employment history,” she said, straightening her back. “You should make sure to tell Alexa that she should postpone working until she can make sure she doesn't have to take a break because of the baby. That's looked on as worse than taking a long gap after pregnancy and then returning to work full time. Prospective employers want to see commitment to the job and to the career, and don't care about family. I know this from experience and have heard HR professionals talk about when to hire women and when not to. My mother and my sister both suffered because they got pregnant and married.” She shrugged. “Just offering some friendly advice.”
“Well, thank you for your advice,” I said, slightly irritated with her attitude. “I'm sure everything will work out fine for Alexa and for Leif. I'll make sure it does.”
“Good luck,” Elena said. “You'll need it. Alexa will need it.
I sighed and checked my watch. “Was there anything else? I thought you said there were important developments.” I said, even more irritated. I reopened the file on my desktop to signal that on my part, the meeting was over.
“Yes, actually,” Elena said and stood up. “I don’t want to spill the beans, so to speak, until we can get together, the four of us. Jack wants us to meet for lunch and we wanted to make sure you and John attend since you’re both principals.”
I hesitated. I had planned on returning to the beach house as soon as my meetings were over so I could spend the afternoon with Alexa and Leif. I didn't want to change plans, but at the same time, I knew it would be important to attend the lunch since Elena hinted there were important new developments Jack wanted to discuss.
“We can’t meet here before lunch? It’s still only 11:30.”
“Unfortunately, Jack is in another meeting and can’t make it until 12:30 so he asked if we could meet him at the restaurant instead of him coming here. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”
“Fine,” I said. “I'll have to change plans, but I can attend. Text me when you're ready to go, and I'll meet you in the lobby.”
“Good, good,” Elena said. “I know that Jack really wants to get together with you and John to discuss this very exciting news. There's lots going on behind the scenes that we haven’t been able to tell you about. Really exciting developments. I'll text you when it's time.”
“Sounds good,” I said and gave her a smile. “I'll see you later.”
Elena stood and adjusted her skirt, and then smiled at me. “I look forward to it.”
