"Good morning sleepy head," Brianna purred into Ken's ear as she softly rubbed her hand on the sides of his face. "It's time to get up and get moving."
"What time is it?" Ken asked?
"It's almost seven o'clock. I let you sleep as late as I could. The coffee is made and I'm finishing up breakfast right now." Brianna got up from where she had bent over the bed and went back into the kitchen.
Ken sat up on the side of the bed, and rubbed his face and hair, trying to get the blood flowing to his head again so that he could think properly. He needed to figure out what he was going to wear to the interview. He had not brought any nice suits, as he had not planned on needing anything like that for the weekend. He did have a brown striped polo that he could wear with some khaki's and his black leather shoes. That would have to do. He got up from the bed and made his way to the kitchen where the smell of coffee mixed with bacon was making his stomach turn flips from the anticipation of eating.
"Hey there. Just have a seat and I will have your meal before you in no time," Brianna said as Ken came through the kitchen door.
"It all smells wonderful honey. I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for me this weekend."
"That's okay," Brianna replied. "Go ahead and eat your breakfast so that you can get a shower and we can start for my workplace. Craig is going to expect you when the doors open at nine o'clock this morning."
They both ate the meal rather quickly, and as Brianna was getting the dishes cleaned up, Ken got his bath and got dressed. Brianna was sitting on the sofa when Ken came into the living room.
"Does this look alright for the interview? I didn't bring a suit this weekend because I didn't think we would go any place that would require one."
"Yes dear, you look great. Craig will understand the clothing situation. I think he just wants to get someone who is qualified in the shop and running things so that his time can be freed back up to run the company."
Ken crossed the room and gave her a quick kiss and then they both headed out the door to get into Brianna's car. Brianna gave Ken the keys as he held the passenger side door open for her, and then Ken got into the drivers side and started the car. It was a straight drive, and he had not driven one in a long time. It took him a few moments as he pulled out into the road to get the hang of shifting again, but it wasn't long before they were going down the street fairly smoothly. Brianna told Ken where to turn and soon they pulled up in front of the factory. It was a long cement block building that had been painted an eggshell white color. There was a door at the far end that was surrounded by 2 large windows on either side of it, and Brianna told Ken to park by the window at the end of the building. Her desk looked out onto the parking lot at that window, and she could keep an eye on the vehicle at all times. They went in to the building and a young lady greeted them at the front desk that was situated to the right of the front door.
"Good morning Cheryl. This is my boyfriend Ken," Brianna said as they walked into the lobby.
"Good morning to you both. The boss is already in his office, and he had told me to expect a visitor today. You'll need to wear this pass at all times so that you can have access to the plant."
Cheryl handed Ken a tag with a metal clip at the top and Ken hung it from the front left side of the fabric that opened up at the front of the neckline. Then Brianna and Ken went through the door that was directly behind Cheryl's desk and came into another office area. There was an L-shaped desk with a bunch of papers spread across it in stacks, and a monitor sitting on the far end of the desk.
"This is my office. It isn't much, but I don't need a lot of things to work with. The file cabinets and the computer are probably the most important things that I use on a day to day basis."
Just then Craig appeared at his door way. "Ken, welcome, come into my office please. Brianna, I need the logs from the weekend. Would you please step out to the plant and get them for me?"
"I would be glad to," Brianna replied. Then she headed towards the front office.
Ken followed Craig into the room behind Brianna's. It was a very spacious office. There were pictures on the walls of the plant in various stages of growth through the years. There were some other pictures on the desk that Ken guessed were family. He recognized Wendy in her teen years in one of the pictures. The desk was a solid oak desk, massive in size, but with an elegance in the carving and style that did not make it seem out of place. There were two chairs in front of the desk, and Craig motioned for Ken to be seated.
"Well, I will just get down to business, Ken. I need someone to run the shop that is comfortable dealing with employees and dealing with the public. The shop is basically an outlet that sells the parts that we make here at the plant wholesale to local companies in the area, as well as on the internet to other firms scattered throughout the country. You will have a secretary to help you keep up with the paperwork, and to keep the menial tasks off of you. Her name is Sarah, and she has worked for me for six years now. She knows her job well, and without her during this transition time, I would have been in desperate trouble. She will be glad to help you get settled in, and I've instructed her to be available to you at anytime and to help you with anything until you get the hang of the business. So tell me, how long have you been a supervisor where you're working now?"
"I have been a supervisor for a little over ten years now. I started with the company as a production line worker, and as the opportunities for advancement came along, I jumped right on them. I've been with the company for a total of seventeen years," Ken answered.
"Do you have to deal with the public on your job?" Craig asked.
"No sir, but I have no problems working with anyone, and I think that you will find my "people skills" are top notch and professional."
"Great. I do need to ask you one thing though. This concerns me a little bit. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, and I certainly can't make you. But it would ease my mind to know the answer. What happens if you should break up with Brianna? Would you be moving back to Florida? And if you stayed with my company after the breakup, could you work with her, as you'll be dealing with her when you call into the office with any reports or questions?"
"I don't mind answering that at all. For starters, I don't ever see myself even thinking about breaking up with her. I love that woman very much, and I look forward to hopefully spending the rest of my life with her. But no matter what, when it comes to business, I'm all business. My professional life will never be affected by my personal life, no matter what. Let me assure you that I am willing and capable of handling any situation that arises, either with Brianna or the public."
"That is what I wanted to hear. Brianna talks about you a lot, and I feel like I already know quite a bit about you. It's all good; you don't have to worry about that. When could you start to work here? I understand you will need some time to get your things in order back in Florida. And I expect you to give your notice at the place you are working now. It is only fair to them."
"Well, I can start here within the month. I will give them a two week notice, but I will tell them that I will be willing to stay as long as a month to give them time to find my replacement. The company has been really good to me, and I do not want to leave them in a bind," Ken replied.
"Okay, that sounds great to me." Craig pushed a button on the desk and Cheryl's voice came over the intercom. "Cheryl, I need you to bring me a new employee packet, with a manager's addendum attached."
"Yes sir, right away," Cheryl replied. In just a moment she came through the door, followed by Brianna close behind.
