Christmas at the Restaurant - Pamela M. Kelley Page 0,6
would. And I told him to expect that he’d get the counteroffer because they wouldn’t want to lose him. He didn’t believe me, because he’d asked for a raise before looking and they’d told him it wasn’t possible, that they couldn’t afford it. Suddenly they came up with the money and he was flattered enough to sleep on it, but in the morning he realized they’d lied to him and he wondered what else they would lie about, so he knew accepting this offer was the right choice.”
“I’m so proud of you, Emily. Hold on…” There was a knock at the front door as Jill went into her office and to the small wine refrigerator that she kept well-stocked with various wines—and for occasions like this, bottles of Veuve Cliquot champagne. She pulled out a bottle and a bag of plastic champagne glasses from her closet and brought everything back to the bull pen.
Billy was signing a charge slip for the stack of pizzas that had just been delivered. They’d ordered lunch in as Billy and Jill were leaving later that afternoon to fly to Nantucket for the rest of the month. And now they had something to celebrate too. Jill opened the champagne and poured a small amount into eighteen glasses, so that everyone in the company could toast to Emily’s first placement.
Everyone grabbed a slice or two of pizza and gathered in their big conference room. While they ate, Billy led a job order meeting, where everyone gave status updates on all their open searches and candidate interview activity. When they finished the updates, he grinned and added, “So, any other non-work news? How’s everyone doing?”
“I came in third last weekend in my first Iron Man competition,” Rick said shyly. Jill was impressed. Rick was in great shape, but Jill knew how tough the Iron Man was, a triathlon where they had to run, swim and bike. It sounded horrible to her, but she knew it was quite an accomplishment.
“Rick, congrats! That is amazing.”
David, one of their newly married recruiters, reached for his wallet and proudly pulled out an ultrasound picture.
“Some of you already know this, but Jenna and I just learned yesterday that we’re having a boy!”
The room erupted in a chorus of congratulations and back slapping. Jill caught Billy’s gaze and he grinned and raise his eyebrows. She knew what he was suggesting. He was dying for her to get pregnant. He knew not to mention it again though. She’d made it clear that she wasn’t ready yet. Although she’d known Billy for what felt like forever now, it was as friends and business partners. Being a couple and now a married one was new and Jill wanted to enjoy their alone time for a bit longer, ideally a year or two before they started to try for having a baby.
They decided to close the office early and gave everyone the afternoon off, which was unexpected and much appreciated by the staff. It felt like the right thing to do, since they were ducking out early and wouldn’t be there for over a month. They’d still be working part-time remotely though from Nantucket, so they could keep up with their current activity and hopefully close a few more searches. Thanks to technology, like Zoom group calls, they’d be able to still meet with the team for update meetings.
They’d brought their luggage with them to the office, so they could head right to the airport when they left. It was a clear day, cold but sunny. They had a smooth flight to Nantucket and landed a little before four. Mandy was there to pick them up and had the kids with her. Jill loved that Brooke and Blake were so excited to see her. She’d grown close to her niece and nephew during the year that she’d spent on Nantucket, when she and her sisters worked together at the restaurant. She’d been happy to go home to Manhattan when the year was up, but it had been a very good year and a wonderful chance to spend time with her family—they’d all grown closer and it had been a hard year in some ways for Emma and Mandy. Both were going through divorces and it helped to be there and support each other.
Jill was glad that Emma was so happy with Paul now and it sounded like Mandy and Matt were doing well. Both Jill and Emma wondered about that though. Mandy had married Cory soon after