Kate busied herself going over commercial real estate lessons, including state laws, city ordinances and other relevant information she'd need to impress Patterson's people when she met with him Thursday. She didn't return to her office and by Wednesday night, she no longer worried about the other realtors' perceptions of her working with Patterson.
Thursday afternoon, Kate dressed in a cream, twill button-front blazer with a knee-length navy split skirt. She definitely wanted the 'dress to impress' look. She looked in the mirror prior to leaving for The Riviera and felt she had accomplished her goal. She gave herself time to fight traffic and arrived with plenty of time to spare.
Just as she texted Matt for his ETA, he entered the lobby. "Katherine!" he announced from across the lobby. "C'mon; this way," he motioned. Kate stood and walked in his direction, putting her phone in her handbag.
"We're going to one of the private dining rooms upstairs," Matt told her as she approached. Kate followed Matt to a door marked "Private".
On the other side of the door, a young man dressed in a suit stood behind a podium. Behind him, a carpeted staircase with an ornate, dark wood railing on one side and intricately-carved wooden panels lining the opposite wall.
"Your party, Sir?" he asked.
"Patterson. Two guests, Matt Anderson and Katherine Ross," Matt replied.
The man looked at a notebook on the podium to verify the information. "Yes, Sir. Please proceed. It'll be the first door on your left at the top of the stairs," he told Matt. Then nodded at Kate as she passed him, "Ma'am," the man softly acknowledged. Kate smiled back at him.
While ascending the wide stairs abreast of each other, Matt asked, "Ready?"
She took a deep breath nearing the top and confidently contradicted herself in a whisper, "Do I have a choice?"
"Nope," Matt softly replied as he opened the door marked "Patterson Party".
They entered the room seeing several men in suits standing near a small bar on rollers where a bartender made drinks. Kate immediately recognized a man from the back; Jay Patterson. He had a hand in his pocket, holding a drink with the other and speaking to two other men. She'd never met him before tonight. She had seen photos of him and heard many stories about him, but she definitely knew it was Patterson.
"Here we go," Matt whispered as he led Kate towards Mr. Patterson. About ten feet from Mr. Patterson, he turned and watched as they approached.
"Matt! Long time. Good to see you!" Mr. Patterson greeted. Kate stood by Matt with her hands in front of her; handbag over her shoulder.
"Yes, it's been over a year; I believe," Matt responded. "Mr. Patterson, this..."
"Kate, I presume?" Mr. Patterson interrupted, looking at Kate.
"Uh, Katherine. Yes; good to meet you, Mr. Patterson," she responded, offering her hand to shake his. Matt rolled his eyes upon hearing Kate correct Mr. Patterson. Yet, Mr. Patterson likes people with a fighting spirit. Kate certainly just showed some balls, as it were.
"Jay. Please; call me Jay," he replied, shaking her hand gently. He looked at Matt, "That goes for you, too, Matt. Call me Jay," Jay smiled at them both. "Look, it's a few minutes early. Please, help yourself to the bar. Anything you want. Excuse me while I return to these two gentlemen. I'll make introductions at dinner. Again, please, help yourself," he stated.
Matt offered his hand towards the bar and they both approached and ordered. Kate was mesmerized by Mr. Patterson. He wasn't that old; maybe mid-to-late 40s. He was a handsome, slender man with dark, wavy hair; maybe 6'2 with brown eyes. He wore a double-breasted navy pin-striped suit with a blue and yellow diagonally-striped tie. She watched him standing; talking to his colleagues. He stood with confidence and spoke with a slight smile.
"Katherine," Matt motioned, pulling her away from the bar and others. "Swift move," he said with a slight glare.
"What?" she replied.
"That's Jay Patterson. If he wants to call you Kate, for God's sake, don't correct him," Matt said in a hushed voice, staring at her. "He can open doors for you. He can stuff your bank account,
"IF"
you do well with him," he added.
"But...I go by Katherine at work," she replied, then paused, looking at Matt staring at her. "Oh...um, yeah; sorry," she replied, taking a swig of her drink. "I may need another drink before dinner," she said under her breath, staring back at Mr. Patterson.
About that time, Kate spotted a shapely blonde woman wearing a black, split-skirt suit with white trim and white buttons approaching. The woman smiled at Matt and Kate, holding out her hand.
"You must be Kate. I'm Mikki; Jay's wife. So good to meet you," she said warmly. She then looked at Matt and shook his hand, greeting him, "Long time, Matt." Matt nodded and smiled. She put a hand on Kate's upper arm and lightly stroked it. "I've heard a lot about you. Jay's hoping you can help our real estate group with the local market here in the metropolitan area," she smiled again, looking deeply into Kate's eyes.
"Um, sure, I'm going to give it my best shot," Kate mumbled, taken a bit off guard by Mikki's beauty and charm.
"Great. Listen, we'll have a lot to talk about after dinner and in the coming days. I just wanted to introduce myself," she added, then walked over to her husband.
Kate watched Mikki walk away. She was about 5'7, late 30s, her dark blonde hair was in a semi-short, tangled pixie cut. She was fair-complected with gray eyes. She wore sparkling earrings; which Kate correctly presumed were diamond.
"Give it your best shot? That's all you could think of?" Matt asked looking at her with his head tilted.
"Shit. I know...she caught me off guard," Kate mumbled.
Matt breathed deeply. "Katherine. You need to get a grip and get it quickly. These people are the highest of the high rollers. They don't have time for people who get caught off guard. You need to be on your game one hundred percent of the time with them," he whispered sternly. "They're here to make money. You need to understand that right now or you won't work with them in the future," Matt added with encouragement and a bit of frustration in his voice.
Kate stared back at Matt, biting her lip for a few seconds in silence. She then downed her drink and went back to the bar. Matt watched her go to the bar and order. He began to have second thoughts about Kate, but still held confidence she'd be fine.
Kate returned to Matt with a new drink. As she reached Matt, she glanced at Mikki who was looking at her, then Mikki looked away. Kate stood next to Matt eyeing the small group of people gathered. A total of twelve, including Matt and her. She took a sip of her drink when she heard Mr. Patterson call everyone to take a seat.
Everyone sat at the table while Mr. Patterson remained standing and started the introductions. When he introduced Kate, she could see Mikki eyeing her and smiling. This time, Kate felt a slight blush come over her. She looked away from Mikki pretending to listen to the rest of the introductions, but she definitely felt Mikki's eyes upon her.
The Patterson's offered three meals from which to choose; chicken, steak and fish. Everyone ordered their meal choice and drinks. After the waiter left, a gray-haired man stood and introduced himself as Thomas Howard; one of the lead consulting realtors of Patterson Holding, Inc. He proceeded to show a projected map on the wall, outlining the eastern half of the city where the old industrial district still stands, although some of the buildings had already been demolished or renovated. He gave a brief presentation outlining the overall project, marketing strategy and sales objectives.
After dinner, Matt and Kate schmoozed with Jay, Mikki and members of the real estate group. Kate asked specific questions about the zoning plans for the old industrial district. Jay seemed impressed by Kate's prowess and depth of knowledge of the current market.
A few of the attendees departed when Jay and Mikki interrupted Matt and Kate's discussion with one of their staff. "Kate, if you're available tomorrow, I'd like for you to meet with Mikki at the house. She has some information that will be helpful for you," Jay stated, looking at her with a smile.
Kate looked at Jay and could see how he became successful. He definitely had the charisma and charm to win over almost anyone. "Sure. I'd be glad to meet with her tomorrow," she replied to Jay, then looked at Mikki. "What time do you prefer?" Kate asked.
"Is mid-morning, around ten, okay?" Mikki answered.
"Sure. Ten's fine," Kate replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Great. Do you have a card? I'll text you the address later," Mikki said.
Kate reached in her handbag for a card and handed it to Mikki. "Thank you," Mikki said, then followed with, "Kate...I know you like to dress nicely and I think that's a wonderful and successful trait, but tomorrow, please come as you are. My house is a home; not a board room."
Kate gave her a puzzled look for a second. "Don't be confused, Kate. Whatever you wear around your house is fine for wearing around my house," Mikki told her, hoping to alleviate any questions.
"Um, sure. Okay," Kate responded with a touch of curiosity.
"Sounds good. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow," Mikki stated.
"Matt, you and Kate are welcomed to stay and have some more drinks. Otherwise, I think this concludes tonight's dinner. Please, feel free to mingle and drink or call it a night," Jay said looking back and forth between the two.
Matt and Kate shook hands with Jay and Mikki and thanked them for dinner and the opportunity to work with their real estate department. Both passed on having another drink and went downstairs to the lobby.
While descending the steps, Matt quietly said, "Wow; I guess we're in. This was no interview. There are no other agencies involved."
