Page 20 of Executives' Omega
I shook my head. “All the reports were delivered last week.”
He sighed, then stood up and snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it.”
“Hmm?”
“He’s scheduled for a vacation next month. Find out what he’s going to need early, what can wait until he gets back, and who to delegate critical tasks to while he’s away.”
“Won’t he think I’m doing that early?”
He winked. “You’re showing initiative.”
I made a face and an unsure noise but didn’t argue. “If you say so.”
He laughed. “You’ll be fine. You’d have needed to do it anyway, might as well get it done.”
“I guess…”
He smiled and shook his head. “You’ve got this.”
I licked my lips, not feeling like I had it at all, but not wanting to argue either. “Umm… can you at least tell me what’s going on? There’s nothing on the schedule.”
Another grin split his face, and he leaned on the counter again. “I guess you wouldn’t know. His birthday is on Friday, and we’re holding a surprise party.”
“Here?” I asked, jaw dropping.
He chuckled. “He might expect something outside of work hours. But who holds surprise parties at work?”
“What about his family?”
He smiled. “That’s who’s coming.”
“Here?” I repeated with a squeak, wondering about what kind of people they were.
“Yep,” he chirped, “and they’re bringing food.” He paused. “Probably too much food. We might have to let employees know later.”
“Why are they bringing food, instead of us catering?”
He laughed. “‘Lonzo’s family owns their own catering company, built it from the ground up when he was a kid. But they live several hours south of Valle Granja, so he doesn’t get to see them as often as he’d like. I offered to cater, but his abuela insisted that he needed good family cooking. Who am I to argue with that?”
“They drove several hours with food?”
He laughed. “Yes and no, they probably did prep before leaving, but I booked them time in a commercial kitchen today. So it’ll all be fresh, and delicious.”
“You really did all this for his birthday?”
He chuckled. “Linden and Zane helped. We’re a team, so we do things for each other. Been that way since college.”
I smiled. “You’ve been close for a while.”
He nodded. “That we have. We all meshed. Then they supported my dream, and because of how well it went, we all benefited. All of this…” he motioned around the space, “is because they believed in me. I cherish their trust every day.”
It was humble and honest.
“One more thing,” Brendan said as he stood again. “Call down to main reception before you meet with ‘Lonzo. Let them know to hold all calls or send them to voicemail until after lunch.”
I blinked. “Uh… why?”
He laughed. “Cause you’re invited to the party too.”
