It was about a half hour drive to the new office and I was running a bit behind, but I wasn’t too bothered. Ronnie would wait; what else could he do?
The last several days had been a whirlwind in so many ways, but having managed to gather together a crew in such a short time, be it still very much an unknown quantity, was pretty miraculous. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d say it was meant to be.
I pulled the car door shut just as my phone rang; it was the kid.
“Hi… um, Mr. Starke. It’s Tim Clarke. You hired me… on Friday. You told me to call you this morning, remember?”
“That I do, kid. Do you have a car?”
“I can borrow my mom’s.”
“Never mind. Give me your address and I’ll pick you up. Can you text it to me?”
“Sure.”
My phone beeped. That was fast. I put the address into the Garmin on the dash.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Can you be ready?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be ready.”
“Okay.”
What a difference between this kid and Jacque. Maybe I can help him to get a little confidence.
The kid lived in East Ridge on Wynnwood Road. I was still on Gunbarrel so it wouldn’t be too much of a detour, but the traffic was heavy and I was going to be really late.
“Call Ronnie,” I said.
“Calling Ronnie Hall cell phone.”
The phone rang four times before he answered. “Hey, sorry,” he said. “I just got finished signing the lease. There was another guy here wanting the space so I had to act. I hope that’s okay.”
“Works for me,” I said. “Listen, I have to swing by and pick up the geek. I’ve also hired a secretary. She said she’d start this afternoon.”
“Fantastic! Is she lovely?”
I smiled. “Gorgeous, but I don’t think she’s your type.”
“If she’s gorgeous, she’s my type. What’s your ETA?”
“Traffic’s a little heavy… say thirty minutes.”
Ronnie sighed audibly. “I need coffee, Harry. Meet me at Starbucks?”
“No… Yes, okay. Let’s do the one on Brainerd Road, but on your way, stop off somewhere and buy a coffee maker, and some Dark Italian Roast and all the fixin’s.”
“You got it, boss. Call me when you get close.” He hung up.