Page 51 of Unexpected Ventures

I’m brought back to the present by Beckett clearing his throat.

I motion toward one of the chairs in my office. “Please, have a seat.”

He does as I do the same behind my desk.

I smile. “I know you’ve been here all day. Who have you met with so far?” Reagan told me that Beckett is considering working here. I was shocked. He sold his company to raise his young daughter a few years ago after his wife passed. He never has to work another day in his life, but he’s considering coming here. It’s hard to believe.

“I’ve met with Skylar Remington, Jade McGinley, and LeRond Bouvoir. After my time with you, I’ll meet with Carter and Reagan.”

“LeRond? Carter’s assistant?”

He smiles and nods. “He’s quite a character. I asked that I not only meet the high-level team, but an administrative level employee as well. Understanding the culture here is important. I believe you can best accomplish that by speaking with employees at all levels. LeRond has been here for fifteen years. That means something to me.”

“LeRond is great. He’s been with Carter that entire time.”

“I know. I find that very telling. It’s quite unusual for an executive like Carter to have the same assistant for so long. LeRond is obviously happy working here. He sang Carter and Reagan’s praises. Literally, he sang.”

I laugh. “That sounds like LeRond. Carter and Reagan are both beloved. They’re firm but fair and practical. I was here under Carter’s father’s regime as well. They’ve completely changed things for the better.”

“I remember him.” He scrunches his nose. “He was rather…unappealing.”

I let out another laugh. “That’s a nice way of putting it. I would have left if it weren’t for Carter and Reagan taking the helm.”

“It seems you would agree with everyone else that Carter and Reagan are as genuine as they outwardly appear.”

“Very much so. They’re in this for all the right reasons. Finding smaller businesses that need our backing to grow. Identifying the right opportunities and building businesses from the ground up. Tell me, Beckett, why doyouwant to work here? You could just as easily start your own company.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of my personal circumstances, but my wife passed in childbirth a few years ago, and I’m going it alone with my daughter.” I nod. It’s well known. “She’s just now starting school, freeing up some of my time. Enough time to work for someone, not enough time to run a business. They’re two very different beasts.”

“That’s for sure. I’m a single father myself. Reagan and Carter are very supportive of my circumstances. They’re product driven. They don’t care if you get there in your pajamas in the middle of the night.”

“That’s how it should be. That’s how I ran my business. How many children do you have, Dom?”

“Two. A boy and a girl. My daughter is seven, going on seventeen, and my son is three.”

He gives me a knowing smile. “My daughter is five going on twenty-five. It’s not easy.”

I smile. “I suppose not.” I divert the conversation back to business. “How did things go with Skylar and Jade?”

“Skylar was lovely. She’s intelligent, in a bit of an understated way. There is nothing understated about Jade though.”

I chuckle. “No, certainly not.”

“She’s got quite a mouth on her, and she’s young to have the title she does.”

“Jade is without a filter. Reagan is much the same, though ten years more refined. Jade is very young, but beyond her crazy demeanor, she’s incredibly good at her job.”

He nods. “She’s certainly impressive. She doesn’t lack for confidence. The artwork in her office was interesting to me. Very sophisticated. Not what I would expect from someone her age.”

“Her mom’s artwork?”

He looks shocked. “The artist is Jade’s mother?”

“Yes, that’s my understanding. She didn’t mention it?”

He shakes his head. “No. Her mother is quite talented. I met her at Reagan’s party. I have a few pieces of her artwork in my home.”

I never thought about it. I suppose the paintings in Jade’s office are nice. I personally don’t know much about art, but Beckett is well known for being a patron of the arts.

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