Page 48 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
“I get it. Clients want to be treated like they’re worth every penny they pay, and the company wants to suck them for every penny they can. But I’m still hung up on the taking-credit thing. Doyoutake credit for your junior designers’ work?”
He shook his head. “No. But most of the seniors do. It’s the way the game is played.”
“Not in my book. That’s why I’m taking them with me to that meeting. Why visit twice when we can do it in one shot and cut down on the…?Oh man…That’s about billable hours, too, isn’t it?”
He shrugged, but his facial expression confirmed her thoughts.
A few minutes later the cab pulled over to the curb, and she said, “Why is everyone pushing client lunches? They’re not billable.”
She went for her purse, and Gavin pulled out his wallet.
“I’ve got it. Company expense.” He paid the driver and asked him to wait. Once they were on the sidewalk, he said, “Client lunches…Employees need to eat. What’s more advantageous for the company? That we eat while having one-on-one time with our clients, making them feel special, which equates to marketing for KHB, or that we shoot the breeze with each other in the break room?”
“Everythingis about money?”
He pulled open the door to the café and said, “Welcome to the world of big-city business, Cape girl. You want to know why I treasure my lunch hour?”
“Sure, but if it has to do with money, please lie to me.” She stepped into line beside him.
“We work our butts off from morning until night most days. Lunch is the only time we can put it all away and turn off the designer side of our brains. Let me ask you something. Why did you become a designer?”
“Why did you?” she threw back, giving her time to decide just how honest she wanted to be about her family life.
“I’ve always loved putting things together, whether it’s fashion—”
“I have noticed your penchant for nice threads,” she teased.
“Part of my charm.” He waggled his brows. “Clothing, spaces, fabrics. I love it all. Your turn.”
“I wanted to make mymark.”
“Mark?Like a Serena Mallerybrand?”
“Kind of. I didn’t have much growing up, and I always craved the basic things in life—a familyunit, a decorated bedroom, cute school supplies like the other kids had. My mom was never around, and my sister, Chloe, and I took care of each other. We created ourfamilywith friends and their parents, and we found ways to fit in. When I realized I couldn’t buy nice things, I began changingeverythingI could get my hands on, making it special. Making it my own. As a kid it was bedazzling a notebook, painting my room, or writing on my shorts to start a trend instead of following one. I worked as a teenager, scraped together every penny, budgeted it out, came up with plans months ahead of time to make sure I had a dress for the prom and all that silly stuff that seemed so vital back then. And since I couldn’t buy things to decorate, I lived vicariously through my friends and their families when they redecorated rooms in their houses. One day it all came together andclicked. I realized I hadvision, and I liked the nuts and bolts of bringing things to life.”
They ordered sandwiches to go, and she told him about working with Drake to open the music stores and the upcoming grand-opening celebration.
On their way out of the café, he said, “You do realize that this is a whole different world, right? You’ll get clients that you have full control over, but you’ll have a lot of Muriel Youngers, too. But don’t worry. You’re just starting out here. Those things you love might change.”
“No, they won’t. I know where my heart lies. In all the years since I started college, I’ve never once been bored or become disenchanted with what I do.”
They climbed into the cab and he said, “Then why did you leave your last company?”
“Bayside Resort? Because I helped them set up the entire resort from scratch, from the billing to marketing strategies. We designed every office, every cottage, everyroom. There was nothing left for me to do except help run the day-to-day operations. I wasn’tbored. I worked with good friends I’ve known forever, and I met new people all the time. But it was time for me to achieve my own success.”
“And you think this is it? Working for KHB?”
“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “It’s too early to tell, but parts of it, maybe. What about you?”
“This is a step in a ladder for me. I’m thirty-one years old.”
“Me too,” she said.
“Really? And you haven’t outgrown your cookie habit?”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I’ll never outgrow that.”
“Good. Some things should always be part of who you are. For me, it’s family. I know what I want to end up with. A wife who understands marriage won’t always be easy, because the last thing I need is a diva who has no idea what being a family really means, more reasonable hours, and—like everyone else—something of my own.”
