James cleared his throat and instructed Jennifer on what she could expect. These were old men who believed in the old way of doing things. They were hesitant to make changes. Even with their impressive age difference, the one common denominator these men would have in common was money. They understood that talk. The meeting was just to wet their lips about the services they offered.
Jennifer was every bit of inquisitive about New Jersey being the place James used to call home so many years ago, but she stayed focused to the business and tapered her questions. James still ntoiced her wondering eyes about the slowness of the suburb.
He wondered briefly what she would think about him coming from such a no name place. Seriously. No one but those from Summit really knew about it. This close to the New York, many only knew about Jersey City and Newark; but there were several little townships that branched out from those larger cities where many affluent individuals decided to live. Many communted to New York for work, just like any other border metropolis hovering close to statelines, like Chicago.
Timothy was waiting for the duo when they arrived. From the looks of it, ABC Training owned the entire building and leased the bottom floor to other businesses. This company had real potential for sure.
The new CEO was a thin, lanky man with silver hair. He wore a suit with a peppered hankercheif and greeted James like he was an old friend. With Jennifer, he held her hand with both of his meaty palms and kissed the back delicately. It was a bit of a southern gesture, but James wasn't going to judge.
"And who might this beautiful woman be?" Tim asked, smiling mischeiviously. She answered him with a polite grin and locked hair behind her ears.
"Jennifer's worked with me for the past five years. Her work within the company is beyond replaceable at this point," James said confidently. Jennifer grinned at him.
"Let's talk about your needs, shall we?" James tried to steer the conversation quickly.
"Well, hold on, Mr. Melone," Tim said with a frown. "Are you in a rush?"
Jennifer turned to James and smiled. After glancing between Jennifer and Tim, James forced himself to relax and shook his head.
"No. Not at all."
Tim beamed. "Alright. Let's go for a walk then. I'm so grateful and pleased that you flew in so quickly to speak with me. I appreciate it a lot."
James nodded. "Not a problem at all."
"You know, James helped us get noticed back in the day," Tim mummbled.
Jennifer's brows pinched together. A smile drew at her lips and she looked between Tim and James.
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.
"Youth sports," Tim clarified. "As a young man, James sponsored the start of a regional league."
"Really?" Jennifer's eyes were wide. "That's incredible."
James cleared his throat uneasily, and watched Jennifer. He had always been careful to keep his personal life and interests separate from work. There was a certain type of vulnerability that came with letting someone discover who you really were.
"What's more impressive is the slots he held each year on the training teams for scholarships," Tim nodded and turned to James. He planted a large palm on his back.
"I don't think I understand." Jennifer glanced in between the two men.
Clearing his throat again, James gestured around the area they stood in. "Summit is ranked as the 16th-highest per capita income in the state. Out of the county, about 30 percent are in poverty. I wanted to help the 30 percent." Jennifer nodded with understanding, her eyes widened as she watched James.
"And you used sports to help the youth?"
With a weak smile, James shrugged his shoulders. "I read a lot of studies. I found results that seemed to suggest innercity kids lacked drive because they had no concept of the choices they could make."
"The reality of the real world," Jennifer nodded eagerly in agreement, "that being born poor didn't mean you had to stay poor."
"Exactly," James smiled at her. Jennifer's eyes darted across his face. She seemed to struggle with words to say, but in the end, she fell silent and turned her back to Tim and James.
"It didn't help everyone from union but it did help," Tim said emphatically. He reinforced his words with another strong pat on James's upper back. For a thin popsicle of a man, Tim had a considerable amount of strength in his swing. James arched his back to get the older gentlement to release his hold.
"So tell me," James said with a forced cough, "why consider New York now? After so many years? I looked through your balance sheets and fiscal reports. You could have made this move five years ago and made several billion by now." With a tired sigh, Tim turned to James. It seemed like he was finally ready to get to business.
They spent the next thirty minutes walking along the well maintained grounds of the complex. Hidden behind the building face was a luscious garden of trees, brush, gazeebos and flat, green grass. Tim explained that many companies would benefit from allowing their employees time to go outside and bask in the sun.
As the number one corporate team building company of choice, they had to model their own suggestions. Everyone leasing within the building benefited from the beautiful grounds. Two gazeebos were designated for smoking and four more were just for relaxing and passing lunch breaks.
"It's not quite the Googleplex," Tim joked, "but I think we've got a pretty good start."
They passed another 20 minutes with Tim. He gave them a tour of the building and came to understand the needs they had and wanted to create with an office in New York City. That meant future trips to the East Coast. The more they spoke, the more apparent frequent travel was becoming as a requirement to fulfill a contract to satisfaction. As time passed, James caught himself watching Jennifer periodically.
She said very little, but took everything in, listening closely. She grew tense the moment it became apparent that a contract with the company would mean more trips.
It was after four before they ended the meeting and Tim walked them curbside to the escort vehicle. There was more small talk and catching up about the economy and state of the small town. Afterwards, they said their goodbyes with another polite hug, back slap, and a kiss on the hand from Tim to Jennifer. Ever the professional, Jennifer smiled and took his compliments with style.
Jennifer stepped into the car first and slid to the driver's side door. James climbed into the vehicle next, and with a few more waves, and good wishes, shut the door with a loud sigh. He turned to Jennifer quickly, and looked her over.
"What do you think?"
Jennifer crossed her legs lazily and looked over her nails.
"How do we have time for a contract like this, James?
He nodded quickly. "I know what you're thinking. We have Seogen and Carnal first."
"With everything needed for damage control, I just don't know if we should spread ourselves so thin," Jennifer said softly. She avoided James's eyes.
It would be no big deal to right the time crisis he set up in Colorado. He was actually looking forward to a potential East Coast contract. He loved that side of the States, their beaches, greenery, and slow way of living; and more than anything, he loved having an excuse to visit New Jersey and come back home.
"And I don't think hiring a bunch of staff will fix the problem. If we expand too fast internally, we're likely to pick the wrong candidates," Jennifer continued.
James nodded. She had a point; but, all her worry was based off an event that he more or less fabricated. James decided to put the conversation on hold. There was one last thing he wanted to do before they left New Jersey, and if he were being honest with himself, he was pretty stoked about it.
Chapter Ten
Back to Reality
"I'm pretty hungry," James announced loudly. He was getting ready to segue to his surprise. Jennifer nodded weakly, but didn't respond. "I'd like to take you somewhere before we get something to eat."
Jennifer's face drew blank. She met James's eyes, but remained silent.
"Is that okay?" James asked, searching for validation. He itched to give the driver the new directions. Lowering her gaze, Jennifer shrugged with hesitation. She crossed her arms over her body, and then as an afterthought, drew a seat belt across her lap to buckle.
The driver met James's eyes in the mirror. He was waiting for direction. Glancing to Jennifer, James hesitated. She slipped a hand into her purse and checked her phone. After staring at it for a moment, she looked at James and held his gaze. She supplied him with a weak smile.
James turned to the driver again. "Baltusrol Place please," he nodded as he gave the instructions and turned his attention back to Jennifer. "What's wrong?" He asked softly.