“It is. The pay is too,” I reply. The job is a big responsibility, far more than I’ve had previously, but I know I can do it. I tell him all about it over dinner, and afterwards I read through the contract one more time before signing it and sending a text to Gabriel that I’d done so and would see him in the morning. As I settle into my narrow bed under the low ceiling, I feel a new hope for the future.
CHAPTER EIGHT
GABRIEL
I knock lightly on Charley’s office door and wait for him to answer before entering. I don’t want him to think we don’t allow some privacy round here. He’s currently perched on the edge of his desk while Jeremy, our IT guy, is going through setting up his laptop. Jeremy’s in his mid-fifties, a handsome guy with grey hair and kind brown eyes. He’s a friend of Austin’s, Linden’s father, and wanted a change of pace in his life. He moved out of the city and set up his own business in Blackwood Heath, and he came highly recommended, so I decided to give him a chance when I set up the equestrian centre. He supplies our computers and phones, has set up a network for us, and maintains the licenses as well as security, and so far it’s been good. As soon as I heard from Charley last night that he’d signed the contract I sent a message straight over to Jeremy.
“How’s it going?” I ask and both pairs of eyes look at me.
“Nearly done,” Jeremy answers. “Most of it I configured already. I’m just making sure it’s connected to your network.” He risesand moves out of the way to allow Charley to take his place. “You can log in now. We’ll check the authentication works and then we should be finished.” I take a seat at the table in the corner. The office is much the same as mine—a desk and chair, along with a round table and four extra chairs for small meetings. A couple of cabinets for paperwork complete the furniture. There’s a rug on the floor and a couple of polo prints on the wall, but the rest of it is pretty sparse, ready for Charley to personalise it however he wants.
As they finish up I watch Charley, taking my first really good look at him in nearly ten years. His face is scrunched slightly in concentration, and his eyes, the colour of early dawn, flick across the screen. His dark golden hair, almost curly but not quite, frames his face and the smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. How had I forgotten the adorable freckles? The dark red polo shirt he’s wearing suits his colouring. It fits snugly, hugging his biceps, and I wonder if he works out. He always was more built than me. Not originally, not when we were kids, but around sixteen he had a growth spurt and overtook me slightly in height and build. If he’d gone to my school they’d have made sure he was on the rugby team. He glances up at me as if some sixth sense alerts him that I’m watching. His eyes hold mine for the merest second before he pulls his lip between his teeth and looks away again. The effect it has on me lingers far longer, though, and I sigh wistfully for what might have been. Finding out yesterday when he told his tale that he’s gay didn’t come as a surprise. Maybe I’ve always thought he was in my head. Or perhaps that was me looking back to our teenage years through the lens of my own sexuality. Which I haven’t told him. I could have. I had the opportunity when he enquired about Andrés and Simon, but something held me back. It didn’t feel right to say anything straight after hearing how he’d been bullied by hisprevious boss. Now I have Charley back, I want his friendship more than anything else. I want him to feel comfortable here.
“Thanks, Jeremy, that seems to be working fine,” Charley says and stands. It looks like they’re done.
“Great, if you need anything just let me know.”
We both walk with Jeremy out to the staffroom. Andrés and Simon are already there making coffees.
“I hope you’ll be coming to the opening tournament,” I say to Jeremy when we say our goodbyes.
“I’ve never been to a polo game before,” he says.
“Don’t worry, most people don’t come for the game,” Andrés adds. “It’s the social aspect that’s important.”
I laugh, because whilst it’s true and Andrés was certainly known for being a playboy in the scene before Simon caught his eye, he takes playing polo more seriously than any other player I know.
“Well, in that case I can’t refuse.” Jeremy smiles, and I promise to send him an invite and all the details.
“Where do you want us?” Simon asks once he’s gone, and I turn to Charley. It’s his meeting. His decision. He blows out a breath in thought.
“Here, I think. It’s okay to have meetings here, isn’t it?” He turns to me, a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. A glimpse of the controlling environment he’s just escaped from.
“Wherever you like, you’re the boss,” I answer, and he responds with a small snort.
“I’ll just grab a notebook.” He dashes off back to his office and by the time he returns we’re all seated. He takes a chair and pauses, catching his breath.
“First of all, thank you for attending. I’m new so I’m just catching up, and the quickest way I can do that is to talk to you. Secondly, whatever Gabriel says, I’m not the boss. He is. I’m here to coordinate us all to make this centre run smoothly. You both have your areas of expertise and I’m not going to tread on anyone’s toes, just make sure we’re all working to the same goals.”
Andrés and Simon both hum their approval and I see some of the tension in Charley’s shoulders ease.
“We don’t have much time before the opening tournament so I’d like us to meet every week if we can, though my door is always open if there is anything you need before then.” He starts to go through a comprehensive list he’s drawn up. Some of the items we can fill in the blanks and he makes notes. But there are a few things I hadn’t thought of. He talks to Simon about the menu for the weekend, catering supplies as well as if he has enough staff. Simon’s already ahead of that, which I knew he would be. He discusses some of the logistics of having four polo teams and all their horses on site with Andrés. Then he turns to me.
“Marketing? How is this being promoted?”
I wince slightly, as I know this isn’t an area I’ve handled well. “We have a small company creating some of the material but not so much with the promotion. I haven’t found the right person or company yet.”
His mouth briefly forms a tight line and he flicks his eyes closed for a second. This is new. Is it annoyance or even anger at me? Then he opens his eyes and the look has gone.
“I know word of mouth is a good way of promoting in this industry, but it’ll only go so far. We need to appeal to a wider audience than that.” He’s right of course.
“We need a specialist, would you prefer in-house or an external company?” he asks and I shrug.
“Whatever suits us best.” It’s vague but I mean it. I think we need to find the right person first, I just haven't been able to yet.
He makes some more notes and then asks us if there is anything he hasn’t covered that we’d like to bring up. When there isn’t he closes the meeting. Simon goes off to his office to work, while Andrés heads out to the stables. I follow Charley back to his office. He sits and leans his elbows on the desk, running his hands through his hair. I lean against the door frame.
“You were impressive in the meeting. You’ve got your head round this already.”
