"Mr. Jacobs? I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time, sir."
"For you, Kristen? Anytime. Please come in and have a seat. Can I get you anything?"
"No thank you, sir. I...just wanted to share a concern I have with you. It won't take long. I promise."
"Kristen, there's no need to hurry. We're family here. Take whatever time you need."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that very much. It's just that, well, I've been back with the company for right at two years, and I'm still in the same place I was then. I fully understand that I chose to leave eight years ago to get married and as you know, I'd hoped to start a family, too."
"And you made a great choice, Kristen. Gil was a fine man. You had no way of knowing he would be...taken so soon. I'm sure that if the two of you had had more time, children would have followed. I certainly don't blame you for leaving and I've never held it against you."
Kristen Richards did not want to get emotional. She wanted to project confidence and strength, but hearing her late husband's name reminded her of his death and how they'd begun trying to start a family just three months before he fell ill four years ago. He'd been gone just over 30 months and coming back to Jacobs Enterprises had been a godsend for her. She needed structure in her life not to mention an income. Gil had a hundred-thousand dollar policy on himself making it possible for Kristen to live comfortably for a few years without working, but after six months she couldn't stand sitting home alone in their big, empty house.
Kenneth Jacobs had hired her back on the spot. She hadn't even interviewed. She'd simply walked in and said hello and the moment she told him she was thinking about coming back, she had her old job back. And now, two years later, she was still in that same old job. She'd worked her heart out and yet it seemed that no matter what she did or how well she did it, there was no movement up what other employees affectionately called 'Jacob's Ladder.'
She fought back the sadness that had tried to well up inside her, smiled, and pressed on.
"I know times are tough—economically speaking, sir. But I also know I've worked very hard for you and brought in quite a bit of business. I'll be turning 40 in a few months and I've decided to make work a primary focus. I am dating Geoffrey and you may be wondering whether or not I'm planning on getting married again and leaving. I can assure you, Mr. Jacobs, I'm not. Geoffrey and I are both professionals and have no intention of ever having children. We are also both dedicated to our careers and he fully supports mine. Yes, Gil is gone and no, we didn't have children, and I'll admit to having kept the dream alive—the dream of possibly finding someone else—until just recently. But that ship has sailed, and I've decided to make this my career. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong or what else I might do to earn your trust and possibly advance here...sir."
"Kristen, you've always had my trust. That's never been an issue. And yes, you have worked hard, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. And I thank you for letting me know you've decided to make work your top priority. Obviously, I have to ensure the business stays profitable while at the same time looking out for the members of our family. So with this new revelation of yours..."
Kenneth Jacobs didn't much care for computers and kept hard copies of anything important. He had an old-fashioned file organizer on his desk and reached for a manilla folder and handed it to Kristen.
"What's this, sir?" she asked as she leafed through the pages.
"That, my dear girl, is your opportunity for advancement. There's a small factory in Davenport, Iowa, that makes some of the best cookies anywhere. It's small in terms of the volume of product it produces, but it's done extremely well in terms of market share because the product is truly excellent. I've had Elmer Sutherland on this for over a year, and he just told me he's retiring in three months. I'd like you to go there and close the deal."
"Catie's Cookies," she said reading out loud. "I've eaten those since I was a little girl. My parents used to buy a tin of them every year around Christmas time. The cookies were delicious. So soft and full of flavor."
"Exactly. We need to convince the owner, Robert Sanders, to sell and let us move the factory back here. They're such a small operation, we can move their equipment and get it up and running back up here a lot cheaper than buying everything new. But the main concern is getting their recipes and their name. Once we do, we can combine their product with our existing product line. Then sales—and profits—will increase dramatically."
Mr. Jacobs paused then said, "Close this deal and I can guarantee you a promotion, Kristen."
"How soon do I leave, sir?"
"Well, today is December 21st. I need you there as soon as possible and we need this deal wrapped up and under contract no later than the 31st for tax purposes. But I need you to have the contract signed before Christmas, if possible."
"Okay. Yes, sir. I'll go home and pack right now and start getting familiar with their operation and everything in this folder. Thank you, Mr. Jacobs. I won't let you down, sir!"
"I have no doubt about that, Kristen. But I need to tell you there's another reason I chose you for this project."
"Sir?" she said wondering what this other reason might be.
"Robert Sanders is...let's just say...a man's man. I think you'll be a real hit with someone like him so please don't hesitate to use the um...substantial gifts the good Lord gave you. Do I make myself clear?"
Kristen Richards was indeed turning 40 in a few months, but she was still an unusually attractive woman. She had beautiful, long, soft, light-brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. Her high cheekbones and slender face went perfectly with the very full lips that framed a gorgeous, white smile. She kept herself in superb shape working out in the small home gym she and her husband spent many hours in during the three years they were married, and she looked a lot closer to 30 than 40.
Even a man Mr. Jacobs age, who had recently turned 78, couldn't help but notice just how attractive this still-young looking woman was, and he wasn't above using her for her looks if that would close this deal he'd been pushing hard for the last year.
Jacobs didn't need the money. He had more than he could ever spend in two lifetimes even if were a much younger man. For him, business was all about winning and winning was all that mattered at this point in his life.
"You do, sir," she told him fully understanding what he meant.
"Very well, then. Let Liz know to book you on the first flight out you can catch after getting yourself packed. And Kristen? I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
He turned away indicating the conversation was over so Kristen got up and stepped outside of the CEO's office and chatted with Liz.
"Good luck, dear," she told him. "Mr. Sanders is one of those small-town, old-school kind of men who'd rather go broke than sell out to a large firm like Jacobs. But I also know he's been under quite a bit of financial stress. Elmer did his best to leverage that, but just couldn't make it happen. Between you and me, your name came up as his potential replacement just last week so whatever you said must have tipped the scales in your favor." She smiled then added, "If anyone can get this done, my money's on you."
They agreed on a 2pm flight which, with the time difference, would get her in at 7:30pm.
"I'll give Robert a call and let him know someone new is coming. Who knows? Maybe this time he won't be grumpy and tell me not to waste my time!"
Kristen thanked her then took the elevator down to the parking garage, found her car and headed home. On the way she gave Geoffrey a call via Bluetooth and told him the news.
"That's incredible!" he told her. "Congratulations, darling. I'm pleased to know you'll be back in time for Christmas. I know you're as excited as I am to see The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve."
Kristen smiled but had to admit she wasn't exactly excited about sitting through a long performance she had little interest in watching.
Kristen was still a small-town girl at heart. Gil had made living in Seattle tolerable, but she wondered if she'd ever get used to the constant bustle and the impersonal way of life in a big city. Geoffrey loved Seattle but had his eye on Los Angeles or even New York and often talked about the day they would both be successful enough to make what he called 'the big move'.
"Oh, right. Yes, that sounds lovely. I see no reason why I won't be back. In fact, I hope to have this wrapped up in less than 48 hours. Liz has me flying back on the afternoon of the 23rd which gives us plenty of time."
"Perfect!" he told her. "I expect to be working until a couple of hours before the performance begins, but I will definitely be ready in time. I'll send the limo by to pick you up and I'll meet you there."
"Oh, okay," was all Kristen could think to say.
By now, she should be used to the way Geoffrey 'romanced' her. He sent flowers rather than delivered them. His personal assistant delivered gifts like jewelry along with a dictated note, and his idea of a romantic evening was a night at the symphony or ballet followed by what he called 'stimulating conversation.'
