Thomas: Out front.
Shit.I race through the kitchen and grab my briefcase off the counter before throwing my shoes on. I’m in the elevator within two minutes, but still slightly later than I wanted to be. Good thing I always plan on being early, so I’m never late.
Thomas has the back door open and ready by the time I step out of the building.
The second I’m in, he shuts the door and walks around to the driver’s seat. “Good morning, sir. Where to first?”
“Family Farms headquarters. Jake will be up working on the farm already.”
Thomas maneuvers the car out onto the road, making his way out of the city. Headquarters is literally Jake’s family farm. They raise cattle along with tilling farm land that they’ve had for generations.
Thomas locks eyes with me in the mirror. “Are you worried, James?” All I can see is fatherly worry.
“Not at all. But it is always good to reach out directly to the people you work with. Remind them that they aremore important than the contract they signed. Jake is level-headed. He will be able to see what games Taylor is playing. I just need to make sure he’s still confident in us.”
It’s true. I’m not worried. I have a plan, but Jake took over from his grandparents two years ago. He’s young. Level-headed but young, so I need to make sure our deal is still desirable. Thomas doesn’t ask any more questions as we make the trek to the farm.
When the SUV crunches across the gravel road, I slide my laptop and notes back into my briefcase. Farmers like to do business differently than city businessmen. It’s not about the paper and pen. It’s personal. Everything is a conversation and keeping your word with the legal documents coming in last.
Thomas turns down Jake’s long driveway, and I scan out the window at the miles of land Jake owns. Thousands of acres for farming and cattle. It’s not something an average person gets up and starts. You have to be born into it or have a shit load of money and resources, which isn’t common.
Jake spots us from the field and turns his horse in our direction, galloping to the vehicle.
“Stay in the car, Thomas. This shouldn’t take long.”
Jake isn’t the type of person who understands letting a driver open doors for you. I don’t really enjoy it either, but Thomas has been a driver forever and likes to stick to the old ways.
I step out of the SUV and wait for Jake to reach me. His black horse is massive the closer they come.
“Whoa.” Jake stops the horse then pats his neck before dismounting. “James. It’s been a long time. I didn’t think we had a meeting scheduled.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt. I know you’re a busy man. I just wanted to come check in with you.”
Jake laughs as he walks the horse to the gate near us and loosely ties him. “Let’s take a walk.” He turns before making sure I’m following, which I do. We make our way to his main barn where he likes to conduct business. His cowboy boots echo off the ground as he walks. He set up an office out here, so his home can stay private.
I close the door behind us as we make our way to his large conference table. “Coffee?”
“That sounds great. Thanks.” I take a seat as he fills two mugs.
He slides a mug to me before sitting in the seat across from me. He places his hat on the table then takes a drink. “I’m assuming this visit is about that Taylor guy.”
“We did hear about that, but this visit is more to check in with you. See if you need more from us. We’ve been doing business with your family since the start of my company, and my first priority is your farm.” Jake sits, quietly sipping from his cup, while his dark eyes take in everything I’m not saying. “I’ll take care of Taylor. It’s my next stop actually. As I’m not convinced the story I’m hearing is true, but if he offered you a betterpackage that is of interest to you, I’d like the opportunity to make a counter offer.”
Jake sets his mug down with a chuckle. “Shit, James.” He looks up at his rustic ceiling. “You know I don’t like dealing with city people. And that Taylor guy. Well, let’s just say he didn’t get the warm welcome he was looking for.” He takes me in, calculating his next words. “I wouldn’t mind readjusting our contract though, since you’re here.”
“I figured you’d enjoy that.”
We dive into his business needs. He wants to expand his cattle and get his reach a little further, but given his family was my first contract, I will always keep their rates lower. Which is where Taylor will never be able to compete because any company he works for will never be willing to take as deep of a cut as I do with Family Farms.
“Great. It seems like you’ll be ready to dive in when you get your new designer on board,” Jake says as he stands. “That timeline should work great for my production too. I’ll be moving the cattle to a different field soon, so I’ll be busy until that’s done.”
I get up from my chair and reach out to shake his hand. “Sounds great. I should have some designs sent to you within a couple weeks at most. You can get back to me whenever you’re done with your work.”
“Perfect.” He places his cowboy hat back on his head, and I follow him out of the barn. “I wouldn’t worry about Taylor if I were you.”
“Why’s that?” I ask.
Jake shoves his hands in his jean pockets. The wind is picking up, the temperature unforgiving today. “He isn’t grown enough to be making business decisions. He had no idea the farm had changed hands, no knowledge of current prices, and just an overall bad attitude.” He shrugs.
