Bailey nodded. “That’s it.”
Her eyes widened as she looked at Tom. “That’s why you look familiar. Ilovethat place. It sort of reminds me of Central Perk. You know, the coffee shop fromFriends? Sort of run-down and lived in…. Oh God!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I hope you don’t mind me saying that. I didn’t mean it was a dump or anything. Oh, Jesus, stop me now.”
“Yeah, you’d better take a breath and take your foot out of your mouth, Monica,” Bailey joked.
Tom chuckled. “I don’t mind the comparison in the slightest. Most people like theFriendscoffee shop so I’ll take it very much as a compliment.”
“I know, right. I always watched that show and thought how cool it would be to have somewhere like that to hang out with my friends.” She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “The coffee shop in our building is horrible. All draughty and echoey with fancy food.”
“Tom’s place is great,” Bailey said. “So much character—”
“I like the coffee shop in the foyer,” Brett interrupted. “There’s no fuss and bother. I just tap my order into the app and head on down when the order’s ready.”
Tom wanted to throttle Brett—not because he liked using an impersonal app to order his coffee, but for speaking over the top of Bailey.
“And,” Bailey wasn’t giving up, “the food is great at Take Two, and the atmosphere encourages you sit and relax and enjoy your meal.”
Tom’s chest swelled with pride at hearing Bailey praise his business. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought but it sure as hell made him feel good that Bailey thought he’d done well with the place.
“Exactly,” Monica said. “No one wants to sit in the cold foyer and it’s great to get away from the office for a break. Hey, Brett, maybe we could have one of our team meetings down there sometime?”
Brett looked like someone had spat in his beer. “Ah….”
Ryan had been chatting offside with some of the others. He appeared at Bailey’s side. “You guys still talking about work?”
“I was just suggesting to Brett that we have our next team meeting down at Tom’s coffee shop. Isn’t that a great idea?” Monica said.
Brett finally articulated his thoughts on the matter. “I don’t think—”
“Awesome idea, Monica. I can’t speak for Brett and his team but I reckon my team will do that. What do think, Bailey?” Ryan raised a brow at Bailey.
“I… ah… yeah. I think it would be fun. Good to mix things up a bit and get out of the office.”
Ryan nodded enthusiastically and wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders. “I’m trying to convince this guy here that he should apply for my job.”
“I’m not sure—”
Ryan cut him off. “Seems like he needs some convincing though.”
Tom was tempted to step in but he knew Bailey had no interest in the job, even if the money would help. Monica spoke up, red curls bobbing as she grinned at Bailey. “Bails, you should give it a go. You’re fabulous with people and everyone loves you.”
“Bailey? As Team Leader? You’ve got to be joking,” Brett said. “You wouldn’t want to do that anyway, would you, mate?”
Brett elbowed Bailey as he looked down at him.
“I… ahh….” Bailey looked from Brett to Ryan, the discomfort clear on his face.
“You still have time to think about it, buddy. Just don’t take too long ’cause applications close soon. Now how about another drink. This is a celebration, after all.” Ryan smiled, seemingly oblivious to Bailey’s discomfort, or maybe he was aware and just wanted to change the topic.
Brett wasn’t going to let it go though and appeared to relish the opportunity to poke Bailey. “You’re not cut out for it, Bailey. Just because you’re popular doesn’t mean you’d be any good at managing people. Managing a team takes more than being friendly and getting along with everyone. It means stepping out of your comfort zone and making tough decisions. There’s a lot of responsibility in delivering results and telling people what to do.”
Now Tom saw red. How dare Brett make assumptions about Bailey? He might be right about managing people taking a certain kind of person, but if anyone was qualified, it was Bailey. Tom gripped the handle of his pint glass so tightly he was surprised it didn’t snap off. His voice was terse as he spoke. “Managing a team for results is more about leadership, and not telling people what to do. I can’t think of anyone more suited than Bailey. Bailey has excellent leadership ability—”
Bailey put a hand on Tom’s forearm. “Tom, it’s okay.”
Tom knew Bailey didn’t want to make a scene, but Brett was such an arsehole that Tom couldn’t stop the flow of words. He sneered at Brett. “Perhaps you’d be better off spending a little more time worrying about your own leadership abilities instead of focusing on what Bailey is or isn’t capable of doing.”
Brett rolled his eyes and snorted. “Says the guy who works in a coffee shop.”
