Business Proposition

This week's posts are a little shorter than usual, so I feel a bonus post coming on sometime soon! 
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I woke up before my alarm on Monday, not that I had slept well to begin with.  I dragged myself out of bed, figuring there was no sense in laying there any longer, and got into the shower.  When I got out of the shower, I had a text from Brody wishing me a good first day at the new job.  I smiled and texted him back quickly before getting dressed.  After I was dressed, I decided I didn't like my outfit and changed.  And then I changed again.  Finally satisfied, I dried my hair and put on makeup.

I got to the new job 15 minutes early and sat in my car playing on my phone for a few minutes, not wanting to set too much of a punctuality precedent.  Finally, I realized I was being ridiculous in my typical fashion and just went inside.  I was quickly ushered to the HR office to fill out piles of paperwork.

After paperwork I got a tour and was shown my office before my orientation with Kelly, who was one of the people that had interviewed me and would be my supervisor.  She explained the way schedules are structured, and that everyone was required to keep Saturday hours two times a month.  You then get two flex days a month to take off whenever you wanted, though they encouraged people to make those days consistent when possible.  I asked when most people took their flex days, and she said that some people chose to take the Monday after their Saturday off, and some took the Friday or Monday off their off-weekend off to have three day weekends every other week.  Saturdays were 5 hours, but you were still paid as though it was 8 hours, and you could arrange the actual hours however it worked best for you and your clients.

I got 30 minutes for lunch and pulled out my phone as I was walking to a nearby coffee shop to grab something.  I had another text from Brody: "Dinner tonight?  I want to hear all about your first day."  I called him and we made plans to meet for dinner near his office, since he was going to be stuck at work late again.

The rest of my afternoon was policies and procedures and meeting people whose names I promptly forgot.  I was completely overwhelmed and had a headache by the time they sent me home for the day.  I really hate the first few days at a new job.

I went home and changed into leggings and a long sweater, then curled up on my couch with a mug of tea and my Kindle.  I needed to unwind my brain after stuffing it full of policies and names and schedules.

At 7:30 I touched up my makeup and pulled on boots and my coat and drove downtown to meet Brody.  He wasn't at the restaurant yet, so I sat at the bar and ordered a drink.  A couple minutes later, I saw him walk in, talking on his phone.  He saw me and headed over to the bar, kissing me quickly on the cheek before wrapping up his conversation and hanging up.  "Hi, gorgeous," he said, turning his phone off and sticking it in his pocket.  "Sorry."

"Don't be," I said, kissing him.  "How was your day?"

"A better question would probably be 'How is my day?' because I'm going back to work after we eat," he replied with a grimace.  He looked so tired.  "But I want to hear about yours first."  I filled him in on my day, telling him about the schedule and the people.

"I think I'm going to take three day weekends with my flex days, at least for awhile," I said.  "I think having three day weekends every other week sounds better, even if it means I work 6 days in a row on the opposite weeks."  Brody agreed.

"So tell me about your day," I said when I was finished with my first day recap.

"Well, I did get an interesting phone call today," he reported.  "It was the call I was on when I got here, and it was someone that I went to college with.  He lives in San Diego now and has a marketing and PR company out there.  Their client base is generally artists and musicians, but he heard about my work and is interested in partnering with me."  He looked excited.

"So what does 'partnering with you' mean?" I asked curiously.

"Essentially, he's interested in me potentially opening an office out there, connected with his company."

I grinned, knowing that one of Brody's goals was to open offices in other places.  "That is awesome!" I said excitedly.

Brody nodded, but then frowned.  "Unfortunately, we're just not in a good place to be doing that right now.  He wanted me to come spend a couple weeks out there, and I just can't be out there for that long right now, not to mention I'm barely keeping my head above water just running this office."

"So what, it's just not an option then?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I gave him a rundown on the current situation here, and he told me he remembers very well when he left his partner and was on his own for the first time a couple years ago.  He wants to come out here and see what we do, and we'll talk a more reasonable timeline if he likes what he sees."  The smile was back on Brody's face and I smiled back.

"I'm proud of you; that's really exciting!  You've worked so hard and it's so cool that other people are noticing," I said.

Our dinner came, and we chatted about random things while we ate.  After Brody paid, we walked to the door together.  He walked me to my car and slipped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.  "I know that dealing with my job hasn't been easy for you," he said when he had pulled back.  "And hearing that I might be opening a new office halfway across the county in the near future probably isn't much fun, but your excitement and support tonight really meant a lot to me."

I smiled at him and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.  "You're right, it hasn't been easy, and I'm definitely a little nervous about what it means to have you opening a new office, but I really am happy for you because I know it's what you've been working for.  And I know that you're trying hard to minimize work interruptions during our time together, and that helps." 

"I am, because our time together is important to me.  I love you, Liv."

"I love you too," I replied, kissing him again.  He pulled open my car door for me and we went our separate ways, me home and him back to his office.

I was laying in bed at 10:30, almost asleep, when my phone rang.  I looked at it in confusion and saw it was Brody.  "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, I'm so sorry, I know it's late.  But do you think I could crash at your place?  I'm just leaving the office and I'm not sure I'd make it home."  He sounded exhausted, and I wondered what time he had gotten to the office this morning.

"Of course," I said, sitting up.  "I'll unlock the door, just come in when you get here."  I yawned as I walked downstairs to unlock the door.  I flipped the deadbolt and slid the chain out and went back upstairs.

When Brody got there, he slipped quietly into the bathroom and a few minutes later slid into bed next to me.  I was half asleep when he curled around me and whispered, "Thanks, sorry I woke you."

"Don't worry, I'll let you make it up to me later," I replied sleepily.  He laughed and kissed my cheek.

"I'm sure you will," he replied.