“Hey boss?” Brien had taken to calling me that even though I told him Rae was just fine. “Looks like we have company.”
For a heart-pounding second, I thought maybe Marco had come by again. But the man who walked through the door was anyone but Marco.
I stood. “You didn’t even tell me you were coming,” I said, putting a happy face on even though seeing Jerry was anything but a happy moment.
“Thought I’d surprise you,” he said, as if it was a pleasant thing and a grand surprise. “Sorry about last week. Work emergency.”
Jerry hugged me like some long-lost daughter. Honestly, I wasn’t usually so uncharitable, but he really was the worst. At least he could have the decency to look like a villain. On the shorter/stockier side, bald with glasses, he smiled nearly all the time. At first glance, he looked like a cross between your favorite uncle and a smart businessman.
But I knew better.
His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, and behind it, the guy was as deceptive as they got. He wanted two things. Money and power. He’d bulldoze anyone who stood in his way of reaching either of those things. Probably even his own mother. All with a smile on his face.
“How’s Dad?” he asked, waving to Brien.
“Good,” I said, fully aware Jerry knew every bit of our history. “How’s Julie and the kids?”
“Everyone's good. No complaints here.”
Brien had reached us. He and Jerry shook hands. “How’s the de-leafing going? We giving the grapes a chance to mature?” Jerry asked.
He talked to Brien as if Jerry had a clue what the defoliation process looked like. While they caught up, I grabbed my laptop.
“Do you need anything?” I asked Jerry, re-joining them. “You must have gotten on the road early.”
“I’m good,” he said. “Should we head into the office?”
“Sure.”
Of course, he made a beeline for the desk, sitting behind it as if he were the king of Westeros. It was going to be impossible not to roll my eyes. Dropping his duffle and briefcase beside him, he stood, took off his suit coat and sat back down.
“You know you’re not in the boardroom up here?” I teased, trying to lighten my tone. “Haven’t seen a suit since I came. One of the perks of the job.”
I wore, as all of the Sunset employees did, a tee with our logo, and a pair of jean shorts.
“Mmm, not sure about that. Have to set yourself apart.”
And so it began. I could say, ‘Maybe you could do that with how you treat the employees,’ or ‘If you need a suit for that perhaps this is the wrong business for you.’ Instead, I stayed silent. This time.
“I’m thinking we catch up and then walk the property? I’m only here until tomorrow, so we have a lot to discuss.”
“Tomorrow? That’s a long way to drive for one night.”
Jerry seemed surprised. “Drive? I flew up.”
Of course he did. “Ah, so...ok. Let’s do it. I’ve already introduced myself to most of the staff—”
Jerry cut me off. “I wanted to talk to you about that. We might want to think about re-titling Brien to give you his title.”
I blinked. “Operations manager?”
“Maybe we could call him the grounds supervisor? I know he does more than that, but...” Jerry shrugged.
The fact that he wanted to talk titles, as if that was the most important discussion to have any this point, said everything I needed to know. About his priorities. And my role here.
“I was thinking more like co-owner,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.
“Oh.” He sat back as if contemplating that taxed his overly small brain. “Technically speaking, your dad is the co-owner of Sunset.”