“Hey, man, I know you have a jobsite to get to, so I’ll get right to the point. I want to officially ask you if you’d be interested in taking the job out in Ocean Shores,” he says. Even though I was expecting it, I’m still a little shocked when the words come out of his mouth.
“Naturally, your salary will be adjusted to reflect your new responsibilities.” Mason slides a piece of paper across the desk with some numbers scrawled on it, including my current salary info. But my eyes nearly fall out of my head at the new salary he’s proposing.
“Holy shit!” I say and then clap my hand over my mouth, sucking in air between my fingers. “Sorry!” I blurt. “Wow, I, um… just wow. I wasn’t expecting this,” I say, stunned at the number on the paper in front of me.
Mason’s smiling broadly. “Truth is, Tyler, you’ve been due for a raise and a promotion for a while, but we weren’t in a position to offer it to you until we had this job and a couple of other big ones locked down. Hot Dam Homes has had great success over the last couple of years, and you’ve been a huge part of it. We want to show how much we appreciate your work, and this salary is more appropriate for what we want you to do. And we’re more than confident you can handle it.”
I sit there, dumbfounded, not sure what to say.
“Sam has agreed to take the other long-term position. Since it’s such a big job, I see you two working as partners. I know you guys will make a great team, and you’ll be able to learn a ton from him.”
I snap my gaze over to him, wondering whether he knows what happened between Sam and me on Friday night. I can’t tell from the look on his face, but if he knows anything, he’s not saying.
“It probably feels overwhelming, but I promise, no one’s throwing you out there to sink or swim.” He smiles. “Sam will be there to help you along, not as your manager but more like a senior partner. There’s just one thing though. You guys will need to be roommates if you want HDH to cover your housing costs. The property owner tells me there’s a guest cabin on-site that was recently renovated. I haven’t seen it, but he assures me it’s big enough for two guys to live in. I know you’re not big on the idea of roommates, but Sam’s easy to live with. He and I were roommates a long time ago, and it worked great.” Mason looks nervous, like this might be a deal breaker for me.
“Oh, um, that… I think that will work fine,” I say, still mostly focused on the paper detailing my new salary.
“Okay, good. Hang on a sec, I’m going to bring Sam in so we can chat about the logistics for a minute,” he says, grabbing his cell phone to send a text.
A minute later, Sam comes into the office, and he’s smiling, but I can see the tension lurking underneath.
He takes the seat beside me, and when I glance at him, he’s cracking his knuckles and nibbling on his bottom lip. My mind conjures up the feeling of him biting down hard on my lip the other night, how the pleasure mixed with a little pain was so fucking hot. I want him to be chewing on my lip instead of his own.Fuck, Tyler. Focus. Now is not the time.
“So, congratulations, you guys!” Mason grins, and then he gets a funny look on his face. “Wait, I just realized Tyler hasn’t even officially agreed to this whole idea. I’m so sorry, Tyler! I don’t want to pressure you if you need some time to think about it.” He looks slightly embarrassed.
I shake my head. “I’d be crazy not to say yes to all this. It’s a great opportunity. I’ll take the job,” I say, and Mason’s expression changes to delight, a big smile stretching across his face.
“Yeah? That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” He extends a hand across his desk, and I stand, shaking it awkwardly.
“I’m really glad you want to do this for us, with us,” he says, and I glance over at Sam, who’s also beaming at me, seemingly having pushed away his own nerves.
We chat for a few minutes about some of the details, but I don’t think I’ll be able to remember a damn thing, my mind swirling with thoughts about how my life is about to change and all the things I’m going to have to do to get ready for this.
“Okay, you two. I’ll let you work out the rest of the details together, but let’s talk tomorrow,” Mason finishes. “And thank you both again for taking this on. I think it’s going to be great!”
Before I realize what’s happening, Mason comes around the desk and wraps his huge arms around me in a tight hug.
I hug him back, trying desperately to swallow back the lump that has suddenly materialized in my throat.
“You’ve really earned this, you know,” he says, pulling back so I can see his face but keeping his hands on my shoulders. “You’re a valuable asset to this company, and I want to keep you around for as long as possible. I hope it doesn’t sound condescending, Ty, but I’m proud of you. You’ve grown a lot since you started here.”
No one has ever told me they were proud of me, and it hits me right in the chest. For a moment, I’m too choked up to speak.
“You’re gonna be great at this job, I know it,” he says, rescuing me from having to say anything. “I’m sure you’re going to have a million questions the second you walk out of here, so come talk to me or text me anytime. But let’s plan for you guys to be there in about two weeks, okay?”
“Right, okay, great, thank you. Thanks a lot, Mason.” I practically trip over my own feet as I race out of his office. I need a few minutes alone to process.
I’m still reeling when Sam pokes his head around the wall of my cubicle a couple of minutes later. I didn’t even make it as far as my own chair—I’ve just flopped down in one of the two chairs on the opposite side of the desk, staring at the paper with my new job details on it.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. I’m fine. I’m just surprised. I suspected he was going to ask me to go to Ocean Shores, but this promotion and the raise…” I shake my head. “Fuck, Sam, I just… I hope I’m up for it.”
His eyes soften, and he walks into my cubicle, sliding into the chair beside me.
“You’re totally up for it, Tyler. You’re going to be great.”
“Thanks. I just… It’s a lot of responsibility.”
