A hearty laugh echoed over the line. “I’ll be hearing about this until retirement and beyond, won’t I?”
“Absolutely.”
“At the risk of you biting my head off, I dare say you sound happier and more relaxed than yesterday. Did you attend the art tour yesterday morning? I thought you would appreciate that.”
“No.” He explained to Grant about the overbooking yesterday and the change of plans that ensued. “All worked out. I went on the ruins tour instead and met a lovely elderly couple. In fact, I had dinner with them tonight and just returned from playing chess with the man. I wanted a rematch after he beat me last night.”
Grant scoffed. “What is this? Your plans changed and you didn’t freak out? You even made impromptu plans.”
“You’re funny. I am capable of doing that, you know. I do all the time with work.”
“But not socially. Not since Crystal…” Grant trailed off.
“I know,” he admitted. “I’m trying.”
“Keep trying. You’ll get there, but it will never be the same. Don’t expect it to be, or you’ll miss out on opportunities.”
“Speaking of opportunities.” His gaze darted to his laptop screen. “Did Brownstone show up in London? I can’t find much news on the summit.”
“All right, I have another confession. Brownstone never had any intention of showing up in London, at least not that I’d been made aware of. They’re hanging their heads low right now after their disastrous testing.”
James sighed. “Are there any other secrets or lies I need to know about? If so, fess up now please.”
Grant hesitated too long.
“What is it?” James prodded.
“Remember when we talked last year about the potential of moving headquarters from New York to DC?”
“Yes.” A knot formed in James’s stomach.
“I put in an offer on a building this morning. It’s already been accepted.”
“What?” Paralyzed by the abrupt change, he fought for control. “We agreed to table the move until we knew for certain that was best for the company.”
“You’ve seen the analytics, James. With the level of government contracts we’re doing, headquarters in DC makes sense.”
“Why didn’t you tell me first?” Yes, you’re the boss, but I thought this was a plan we had together.”
Grant cleared his throat and spoke in a calm voice. “Our realtor knew the property was coming on the market and the company who owned it needed a quick sale to finance otherventures. I had to act quick, but I didn’t want to upset your vacation.”
“The vacation I didn’t want?” His anger from yesterday returned as the floor fell beneath him. “Will the New York office remain open?”
“For now, yes.” When Grant spoke again his voice was full of compassion and understanding. “I realize this won’t be an easy change for you. If need be, I’ll put you in charge of the New York office temporarily so you can make this change gradually, but I’d really like you to consider coming to DC.”
“And if I don’t?”
“We’ll cross that bridge later. Will you at least pray about it? The sale will take thirty days to finalize, and we’ll need another thirty days after that to set up shop. That’s two months to prepare.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he ground out through gritted teeth.
“Yes, I do. Moving means ending another connection to Crystal and selling the house you bought together with dreams of starting a family. I’d do anything to change that outcome for you, but I can’t.” Grant’s voice, filled with empathy, made it hard to stay mad. “Grief doesn’t have a one-size-fits all solution, and nothing about the process is easy, but maybe a fresh start in another state will be beneficial.”
James leaned forward, resting his forehead against his palm. “Give me time to adjust and wrap my mind around this. I’ll come around.”
“Fair enough.” Grant cleared his throat again. “I know you, and I know you’re not happy with this news, but try not to let this deter the fun you can have this week. You deserve a break.”
“I’ll try.” He sat up and took a deep breath. “Call me tomorrow and fill me in on the summit news.”
