"Good time tonight, Jan. Great idea you had!"
I handed my friend three glasses and two bowls I'd brought in from her living room, and she dumped the ice and put them into her dishwasher.
"Jan always has great ideas, you know that. Hell, it's her ideas that keep us in business half the time!"
"You have that right, Thomas. Both you guys better remember that too come year end. All three of us better have good bonuses coming, or you two boys will be hangin' out to dry!" Gretchen giggled as she tried to sound tough.
I leaned back against the kitchen counter with a fresh handful of chex-mix and just smiled at the banter going on in the kitchen. It was just like any other day in our office, just this time it was at Jan's apartment on a Friday night. We'd had several of our front-line business contacts in for a fun evening here at home, and the night had been a complete success. Tom had jotted down a list of nine solid prospect calls to make next week from his conversations alone. The girls had decided our normal 'happy hour' gatherings at the local gin mill were getting too routine, and that an informal party at one of our places would be just different enough to create a good mood for conversations and business. The girls were right once again.
The dishwasher was soon running, and the last plastic bag full of trash had been taken down to the dumpster. Anita was just finishing winding the cord back on the vacuum. I slowly crunched an ice cube from the almost empty glass in my hand.
"There ya go, sis. The place looks as good as new", Tom said with a wink, "and no thanks to you either old man."
"Talk, talk, talk. While you were dreaming dreams I took three fresh orders. If it weren't for the ol' man we'd all be standin' in line somewhere."
And on it went. We had put together a great team over the years, and we knew it. As the conversation flowed along, I took time to just watch each of them.
I'd taken Tom on as a trainee almost ten years ago. He was somewhere between wife number two and whoever the next lucky girl would be. Two every-other-weekend teenagers and two households of bills kept him working hard. His hole card has always been his personality. Tom never met a stranger, never met a lady who he wouldn't flirt with, and rarely failed to make a deal. I'm not into men at all, but even I can tell the ladies all think he's good looking.
Jan was the office workhorse. Typical middle-aged divorcee who'd seen it all and done a lot of it herself, you just can't pull anything over on her. The youngest of Jan's three daughters is still in college, and home only about one weekend a month this time of year. Watching her working around her kitchen reminded me of the little mental crush I've had on her for a long time. Efficient. Funny. Way smarter than anyone ever gives her credit for (except me of course). I smiled. Like me, Jan's worked her way into her late-40's with some scars and road-wear. But damn, she's always had the best tits! I shook my head silently and fished out another ice cube to crunch.
Anita's the kid of the office. A thirty-something single gal with the live in boyfriend who's satisfied with the "fiancée" status. Guess he figures the engagement ring will keep the lady happy for another couple of years. She's waking up to him I think, but sometimes easier just to keep things status quo than to start all over again. Always find Anita "comfortable". Attractive enough to notice, but not gorgeous. Soft and curvy, definitely at the entry level of BBW status. Very bright, but standing pat with an Associates Degree. Conscientious, but not "work brittle" in the old fashioned sense. But she's becoming more "playful" the longer she's around us all.
Then there's Gretchen. Hard to figure this one out. I've never quite understood what exactly keeps her on our team. She's got all the talent, experience and credentials to be running her own office, or more likely running several. In the three years she's been with us, I've grown to trust her instincts enough to float new ideas past her. Unspoken clues lead us all to believe things are rocky at home with her upwardly-mobile and mostly-invisible husband. She's a taller lady, close to 5'9", and very well built physically. I'm the first to admire her anytime she walks by, but it's her attitude that makes her fully beautiful.
"So. What next?" Jan said as she dried her hands on the dishtowel hanging over the oven door handle.
"What next? We just put your place back in shape, hon! You should be sending us packing!" I responded with a grin.
