at the dining table, working on my laptop at the same time.
An hour later, she came out and joined me, wearing a strappy camisole and short bottoms. She carried a folder to the table and set it down. “So, I have some good news. I think I may have found an apartment.” She pulled out the page and set it in front of me. “It’s supposed to be available in a week, but I talked to the owner and worked something out. He said I could reserve it.”
I took the paper and checked out the details. The place was nice enough, but it was farther away, an extra two blocks. It would take her twenty minutes to walk there and back every day. I shook my head and handed it back.
She looked at me blankly. “Deacon, it’s a nice place in a nice neighborhood.”
“It’s too far if you’re going to walk every day.”
“I don’t mind walking.”
“What about one of the buildings right next door?”
She stared at me for a while before she released a faint chuckle. “Deacon, I could never afford one of those places.”
“Well, I know how much is taken out of my bank account every month for concierge services. There have to be hundreds of people who live in this building, and based on what I suspect your salary is now, you could negotiate much higher pay.”
She stared at me blankly, as if she didn’t follow my suggestion.
“When was the last time you got a raise?” I never asked about her finances because I’d be annoyed if she ever asked about mine, but I wanted her to have everything she deserved. I’d be happy to buy her a place, to take care of her completely, but I knew she was independent and preferred to stand on her own two feet. It was one of the reasons I respected her, loved her. I liked that she didn’t need me for every little thing. It made me realize she liked me for me—no other reason.
“Uh…” She brought her hands together on the table. “A couple years ago.”
“And how much was it?”
“I think five percent…”
I’d been working for myself since I graduated so I didn’t know all the procedures for negotiating raises, but I knew she had a lot more power than she realized. “Matt and Anna are nice, but they are nothing compared to you. You’re the one running the show. You’re the one who makes this building so appealing. You work late hours, weekends, and never make mistakes. You could ask for a much higher salary.”
She shook her head slightly. “I was recently fired because of transgressions I take full responsibility for, and I think it’s unwise to ask for a raise after that.”
“But he should have given you a raise a long time ago. He knows you’re too polite to ask, and he’s taking advantage of that. He’s gotta make a million dollars off you every single month in fees alone.”
“Yes, but he’s the one who owns the building.”
“But you’re the single biggest reason people want to live here. Yes, the condos are nice, always updated, are in a great location, but there are condos everywhere. You guys have turned it into a resort where we get to live. Ask for the raise.”
“Even if I asked, he would only give me five percent—”
“You go in there with the number you want. Tell him to take it or leave it.”
Now her eyes widened in disbelief. “He could replace me with someone for a fraction of the cost.”
“But we both know he’ll never find anyone who can hustle the way you do. That last person he hired didn’t even last a month. I had a signature from every client in the building saying they would leave if you weren’t reinstated. Use that to your advantage.”
She sighed quietly, starting to fidget with her hair.
“He’s still making a killing even if he pays you double. He just sits on his ass at his beach house and cashes the checks. His life wouldn’t change.”
“But he gave me a chance in the beginning, and that was really generous. I was really young at the time, but he took the chance.”
“And you’ve paid him back a million times over. Look, you could leave and start your own company.”
“I have a noncompete clause—”
“That only lasts so many years.”
“Deacon—”
“Ask him for the salary you want, and then you can move in next door.”
“Geez, that would be a lot of money…”
“How will you know unless you try? I’m