“Now a good time?” they ask, eyeing me and Jay with a smirk.
I adjust my shirt and clear my throat. “Yeah. Have a seat. Jay, I’ll see you later.”
“No, it’s okay,” Dayo nods. “He can stay. I’d actually prefer it.”
Oh god, that’s never a good sign: an employee wanting to talk to me with HR in the room.
I take a seat next to them and Jay unbuttons his dark blue suit jacket as he sits in the armchair next to us. Dayo crosses their legs and leans against the back of the couch, propping their arm on the back and resting their head against their fingertips.
“First of all, you two are cute,” Dayo says as Jay snorts. My cheeks grow hotter and the corner of my lip rises. “Second, I think it’s high time we talk about you letting go of some tasks.”
Oh.
“You know you have capable teams, Cora,” they say with calm confidence. “You need to release this chokehold you have and give us back the authority to make plans in the best interest of the firm. You have your fingers in too much, and it’s time to back up and let us take over. You need to focus on the bigger picture.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jay adds and I turn my head and narrow my eyes on him.Traitor.
“And you need to take vacation. More. Often. I’m seriously concerned you’re going to burn out.”
“I know,” I relent.
“No, you don’t. Because if you did, you’d be doing that.”
I huff. “Touché.” I know they’re right. I know over the last year I’ve wormed my way into too many projects, working on too much of the nitty gritty and not enough on the direction of my company, our aesthetic, and the community. Those are the things I should be focusing on.
If Dayo brought this proposal to me only a few months ago, I would have easily brushed it away. Or I probably would have agreed, then worked harder at trying to hide my involvement. But now… I know what it can feel like to let go when you trust people.
It’s freeing.
It’s impossibly freeing.
And what comes from relinquishing my control is life-altering.
“Am I wrong?” Dayo sighs.
“You’re not wrong. I do. I need to step back. I need to take more vacation.”
“And stop working on the weekends,” Dayo adds.
I furrow my brow. “Alright, baby steps.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Jay smiles.
Dayo nods to him. “How’s the CFO and soil engineer search going, Jay?”
“Good. We got the jobs posted this morning and already have several applicants.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” I chime. “Add Rafael to the list of CFO applicants.”
“Yeah? He’s interested?”
“Very. I’ll send you his resume.”
“Cool. I’ll get an interview scheduled.”
The other good news comes back to me and I turn my head to Dayo. “Oh, and we won the auditorium project. Maureen was just here and told me herself.”
Leaning forward, Dayo beams, grabs my shoulders, and shakes them. “What? Yes!” They pop up and head for the door. “I’m getting the good tequila. I’ll be right back.”
