CODY
“I’d say that went well,” Robert commented once the conference room door was closed by the secretary, Anika.
“Not bad at all. Last I heard he was going to be signing with a different management company, how did you convince him to sign with us?”
“It was you, Cody.”
“Me?” I repeat, a bit shocked by the comment. “I don’t even know the kid except what was sent to me yesterday.”
“I’m only telling you what he said to me. I guess he has met a few of your clients and the scouts have been talking about you too. Believe it or not, you’re a name in this game, Cody.”
“That’s…wow that is pretty great.”
“I’d say so,” Robert clapped me on my back before walking to the opposite side of the table where his laptop was. “I guess it is time we start talking about the next steps.”
“With Seth? I told him I would be in touch with him leading up to the draft. Did you want to take lead on this instead? I thought the whole reason I was here was because of that.”
“I’m not talking about Seth, I’m talking about the next steps with the company. You’ve got talent with these young athletes and we need to take advantage of that. All these rules are changing with colleges and endorsement deals. We need to get you on the road and meet some of these potential stars. They don’t want somebody like me or Harry representing them, they want a cool guy representing them. That sure as fuck isn’t me.”
“I like the sound of that, Robert. School is starting up again in about a month. I’ll start looking into the top athletes around me and start talking to them about signing with a management company.”
“That is a good idea, but first I want you to visit some of the schools in the South. Alabama, Arkansas, and here in Texas are where we’re going to find those stars. I have a list of the top 50 football players in each state and I think you need to start meeting with them. Anika has this great idea to put together some weekend experiences that we could invite them to.”
“I thought we agreed that I would focus on the area up near me.”
“Listen, Cody,” he closes his laptop and folds his hands in his lap, “I know that this job is not a typical nine-to-five, but I’m not sure this remote thing is working that well.”
“You haven’t had a problem with it before. At least not anything you mentioned. I’m getting the same shit done that I would do in an office here and I fly out every now and then if I need to meet with a client.”
“When I agreed to the remote work I thought we were talking a few weeks. You’ve been there for close to two months. We have too much going on here for you to be there full time.”
“I told you that I wanted to work there. You said it was okay.” Originally, I didn’t know what my plans were, but as I spent more time with Blair and Hayes, I realized that back home in Strawberry was where I was needed. Not just needed, but it was where I wanted to be. Just a few weeks after working there I told Robert exactly that.
“Listen, Cody, this is just business. I gave you the chance to spend some time in your hometown, but now I need you back here. I need you to be set up in Houston so we can set up meetings and conferences and I can send you off to a new client at a moment’s notice. I feel like you’re not seeing the positive in this.”
“Of course, I’m not seeing the positive. I specifically told you that I needed to spend more time at home, not here. You agreed to that. You knew that my son needed me there to help him recover and my ex-wife did as well. How can you say that this is a positive? I’ve been meeting with a realtor about selling my condo here, for crying out loud.”
“You might be playing a larger role in this company, but I’m still your boss and I suggest that you watch your tone with me. I would also suggest that you call your realtor back and explain that you’re not planning to sell. Or do sell and get a different place, either one is acceptable.”
“This is insane,” I close my own laptop a bit heavy-handed and start packing my things up. “I’m not prepared to be back working here. We had an agreement and I don’t appreciate you going back on it.”
“The first rule is business is to never take just a man’s word for it, Cody. You should know better. Your remote work agreement was working and now it isn’t. I give you plenty of vacation time that you can use to fly back and see your son, but you need to start wrapping things up there and heading back here.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” His entire face scrunched up as though he had never heard somebody tell him no before. “We aren’t in negotiations here. Take some time to think about what I am offering and we can talk about it over coffee in the morning when you’ve had time to calm down.”
“I won’t be here in the morning, Robert. I only made arrangements to be in Houston for this meeting. Once we were done, I was flying back home.”
“That isn’t going to work, I need you here for planning meetings tomorrow. Did you not hear that you’re going to become the face of this company for the younger generation? I feel like you’re missing that in this temper tantrum you’re having.”
“This isn’t a tantrum, Robert. This is a man who is standing up for himself and making a choice for my family. The choice I made was to be there for people who deserve my presence in their lives. If you can’t accept that I want to work from Strawberry, then we have something bigger to talk about than me being the future face of this company.”
“What are you saying, Cody? I’m giving you the chance to think long and hard about what you’re going to say to me next.”
“Robert, I appreciate the opportunity that you gave me all those years ago. You saw a skill-set that I didn’t realize I had and because of that, I’ve been able to be successful in a job that I have mostly enjoyed.”
“You sure don’t sound appreciative,” he scoffs.
“Maybe,” I continue, “but I really am. We both know that I am successful enough at what I do that I can do it from anywhere in this country. If you’re not willing to let me work remotely while representing your company, then I regret that I won’t be able to represent you anymore.”
“You’re making a huge mistake, Cody.”
I shake my head, “I’m not. For the first time in a really long time, I think I’m making the right choice. If you need a written two-week’s notice, I will be more than happy to give you one, but this is the verbal one that I am giving you right now.”
“Normally when an employee gives me a notice I just go ahead and let them go. I don’t have time to deal with two weeks of you doing nothing but being a pain in my ass, but for you, I’m going to give you a chance to think this through. Without this company, you’ll have nothing. Your contract comes with a no-compete clause so you can’t get hired by another management company and your clients all belong to me. You will essentially have nothing to your name. Once you realize the outcome of this choice, I suspect that you will change your mind.”
I shake my head again, “No, Robert, I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve never made such a clear choice in my life. For once I’m thinking about my family and not my career. If you cannot value that, then I cannot work for you. Goodbye, Robert.”
With nothing else left to say, I grab my briefcase and walk out of the conference room. I know that I made a rash decision that could come back to bite me in the ass, but I’ll figure something out. This wouldn’t be the first time I had to find a new career path, at least this time I’ll do it with the two most important people in my life beside me.
YOU ARE READING
Strawberry Wine (Strawberry Inn Book #2)
RomanceAt just 17, Blair and Cody were high school sweethearts with big dreams. They were both headed to university on athletic scholarships when a positive pregnancy test changes everything. Coming from two traditional families, they get married right aft...
