Page 16 of Believing in You
His heart softened at hearing her sweet voice. At first, he was going to hang up and try again later, but at the last minute, he changed his mind.
“Nyla, this is Harrison. I received the lunch and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time anyone did anything so thoughtful for me. I appreciate your kindness, even though I don’t deserve it. Take care.”
He disconnected the call thinking he should’ve said more. Maybe even ask her out to dinner. Thankfully, before he fell down thatwould’ve, should’ve, could’verabbit hole, another knock sounded on his door.
“Come in,” he called out. When he glanced up, he was surprised to see his boss.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Royce Garrison said. Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Harrison assumed he must have a meeting with a client at some point in the day.
“May I come in?”
Harrison stood. “Of course. I would’ve come to you if I’d known you wanted to talk.”
Royce waved him off, then unbuttoned his suit jacket before claiming one of the striped, upholstered chairs in front of the desk.
“I just returned from a meeting and figured I’d stop by before going to my office. Do you have time for us to talk for a minute?”
Harrison reclaimed his seat and leaned back in his chair wondering what was up. They had a great relationship, but he couldn’t remember the last time Royce had come to his office. “Definitely. Is everything all right?”
“Everything is great. I just finished meeting with Yancey Jones, and we got the contract.”
Harrison grinned. This was a big deal. Jones had been stringing them along for months while he waffled between going with three other companies that all promised to overhaul his company’s current, inefficient computer network. Telecom Solutions was the best choice for them and would make the system more dependable, as well as user friendly.
“That’s great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without your help, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Royce draped an arm on the back of the other chair next to him. “I have a proposition for you.”
It would be hard to say no to whatever his boss asked of him. Royce had been there for him when trouble clouded Harrison’s life, and he’d been accused of an unthinkable crime. His boss stood by him and saved his job, his loyalty never wavering.
Harrison leaned forward. “What’s up?”
“I want you to run Telecom Solutions here in Chicago,” Royce said, a smile wavering on his lips.
Harrison frowned. “I don’t understand.” They only had one location, unless…
“I’m moving back to Cincinnati to join my family’s construction company.”
Jenkins & Sons Construction was well-known in Ohio, and the family-owned company was building a reputation of being the best in the Midwest. It had been started by Royce’s grandfather, Steven Jenkins, and when he retired, the granddaughters took over and expanded the business. Now, the company was mostly run by all the grandkids.
Royce often mentioned his cousins, and there were a ton of them who were all close. Still, Harrison was surprised Royce was leaving Chicago.
“What about your brothers?” Though Royce owned Telecom Solutions, his two brothers played major roles in the company. Why wouldn’t he have one of them oversee operations?
“They’re also moving back to Cincinnati. I’m not sure what roles they’ll be playing at J & S, but since my mother moved a few months ago, we’re all planning to follow her lead.”
Royce explained that Jenkins & Sons was adding a tech division that he’d oversee, and he sounded excited about the position. He also talked about how life was short, and family was everything. He wanted to live closer to his extended family and felt this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Harrison was happy for him, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t envy his boss and his relationship with the Jenkins family. That was something Harrison had always wanted, a large, close family who had each other’s backs. Something he would never get to experience.
“You know everything about Telecom, and I’d like for you to run it. That’ll mean a raise and a bigger office.”
“And more responsibilities,” Harrison added, and they both chuckled.
“Uh, yeah. That part.” Royce grinned. “Over the next few months, we can sit down together and see what this will look like going forward. Of course, you can promote or hire whoever youwant to fill your current position and any other positions you think will be needed.”
For the next half hour, they talked about the changes that were to come. Harrison welcomed the conversation, and it made him think even more about Nyla and what he wanted for his future.
He could learn a lot from the way Royce was making changes in his life, and it was past time Harrison did the same. And he knew just where to start.
