"You haven’t brought a girl home since you were in college. I think that's a pretty big sign that you need help in that department."
"I don't. Do me a favor. If that's the only reason you want your friend Marlow to bring her niece, tell her not to."
"Too late. I've already invited them."
I groaned.
"Be civil when you're there," she ordered.
"I’m not making any promises."
"Jake!" She was using her sternest voice. It never worked.
"I've got to go, Grandmother. I'm going to keep you updated on the search for the CEO."
"Yes, please do. And I’ll send your assistant Natalie's details."
"Yes, do that as well."
I set my jaw. I couldn't see a way out of this without hurting my grandmother's feelings. I had one weekend a month to myself, and it looked like it wasn't going to happen this time around.
I sat behind my desk, checking my emails. The recruitment company sent me another profile to look at. I scanned it quickly. The guy had previously held the position of director in a financial institution. Why the hell would they bother sending him to me?
Instead of replying to the email, I called Danielle, the person who had signed off on it.
"Mr. Whitley," she said, sounding stunned.
"Danielle, do me a favor. If you can’t find any suitable candidates, don't send me any. I don’t have time to waste."
"Yes, Mr. Whitley. I’ll be honest with you. We’re grasping at straws."
"Then don’t send me anything until you come up with something better. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. You have all my requirements, and if you need to adjust the offering, I’m willing to negotiate. Would that help you improve your search?”
“It might. To be honest, Mr. Whitley, there just aren’t a lot of experienced advertising CEOs looking for employment. Knowing we can offer more will help with the search. In fact, I’ll begin contacting existing companies’ CEOs to see if we can draw them away.”
“Now we’re talking, Danielle. Let me know how that goes.”
I hung up the phone quickly. If there was one thing I hated, it was people wasting my time. I understood the job market was difficult; veterans were either happy with their jobs or starting their own companies. The newer, less-experienced candidates weren’t even an option. I wanted to be understanding with Danielle, but she needed to know what my expectations were. If their company couldn’t do the job, I’d find someone else.
As I was about to open the email Ben just sent me, I saw another message come in. My grandmother had copied me on the information she sent to my assistant.
Hi, Betty. Hi, Jake.
Attached is Ms. Natalie's phone number. You can contact her for anything you need to make any travel arrangements. She’ll go with Jake to Martha's Vineyard this month.
Betty burst through my door a minute later.
"Yes?" I said curtly. Betty was not a gossip. I wouldn’t tolerate that. But I was sure this correspondence got her interest up.
"Did you see the email from your grandmother?"
"Yes."
She seemed positively panicked. "And who is going to tell her that she's made a mistake?"