"He runs a dance studio not far from Dylan's place."
Her eyes opened wide. "Oh, really?"
"Yes. Now, tell her what we talked about, Jill," Sam urged her friend.
"Well," Jill started, "Blake was selected as a choreographer for a new dance musical. He's been looking for a substitute head teacher to take his place for three to four months while he works on the project. There are two people on his short-list, and I believe he's seeing them this week for the final round of interviews before making his final decision. Now, Sam told me a little bit about you. I could mention you to Blake, if you're interested, and see if he wants to meet with you before he hires someone."
"There's more to this," Sam interrupted excitedly.
Jill chuckled. "Blake was in the process of opening up a studio in Melbourne when the musical gig came along. Because of that, he's had to put it on the back burner. But in a few months, it will be all systems go. I know he's already talked to a few candidates from Melbourne to take the lead when the studio opens. Who knows? He might consider you for a full-time position there if he thinks you'd fit."
"When can I see him? Tomorrow? Will he be available?" Kris asked, wanting to jump out of her skin in excitement. She'd been waiting for just this type of opportunity for a long, long time. While she was grateful for her office job, what she wanted to do was earn her living from dancing.
"I'll give him a call right now and see if he can slot you in."
While Jill gave her brother-in-law a call, Kris turned to Sam. "Thank you for mentioning me to Jill."
"Of course, honey. I told her you didn't join us for dinner because you'd rather dance, even if you're by yourself," Sam grinned.
Kris smiled enigmatically. If only her cousin knew what she'd been up to before she arrived home.
"I hope her brother-in-law has time to see me," Kris murmured as she glanced at Jill, who was deep in a conversation with Blake. Jill gave her the thumbs up, and she sighed with relief.
"He can see you at ten on Wednesday morning at the studio," Jill advised as she hung up.
"Yay! Thank you so much, Jill," Kris cried, giving Jill a massive hug. "I owe you dinner for this opportunity."
Jill laughed. "Don't mention it."
"Hey, you can take me and Jill to lunch at that restaurant we went to the other night with the guys," Sam said. "I believe Blake's studio is a couple of blocks away from there."
"Oh, that's a great idea, Sam," Kris answered, thinking about the tantalising fact that Trey's place was probably not far from the studio, either.
CHAPTER FIVE
Trey was in deep discussion with Dylan and Adam about their new games app project when his phone rang. It was his mother. He scowled and rejected the call, letting it go to his voicemail. Surely, she didn't have anything to say that he'd be interested in knowing.
He brought his attention back to the big computer screen on the desk in his home office, as Dylan continued to present his suggestions on how to position their latest project to the firms who were about to enter a bidding war for it. From what they could gather, this app might be bought for at least a million dollars more than the last one they created.
Their respective families still found it unbelievable that the three of them were running a multi-million dollar software development company from their homes. But he, Dylan, and Adam loved their set-up. When they needed to meet with clients, they hired a hotel conference room or a serviced office. But if it was only the three of them, they took turns convening in one of their home offices.
Even their team of employees worked from home. They met with them through video conferencing, and once every two months they'd take them all out to a nice lunch or a cruise in the harbour for some social interaction and group bonding.
The structure wasn't without challenges, but their company had grown exponentially year after year, and so had their bottom line. Their strong friendship, rather than being the hindrance to a successful business some people had warned them it could be, was the very thing that made everything tick. It made them more accountable and willing to work harder for each other.
His phone rang again and he let out a loud sigh.
"Do you want to get that, Trey?" Adam asked.
"Not really," he said but excused himself to answer it.
He walked to the window and gazed out unseeingly at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. "Hello, Mum."
"Hello, Trey. How are you?" his mother asked.
"I'm in the middle of a meeting. What's up?" he said rather coldly.
"I'm checking to see if you could join me and your sister for lunch? I believe Rebecca already sent you a text, but you haven't responded to her yet."