16
The exclusive University Club was located atop the Energy Plaza Building in north San Antonio. At an early age, Juliet heard her dad tell her mother that memberships to the exclusive business club opened up rarely, becoming available only when the board of governors voted to increase or a member passed on, leaving a spot to fill. He’d also raved about the food, claiming the cuisine and service could not be matched.
When Juliet learned Alexa Carmichael had secured a membership, she’d secretly hoped to be invited at some point. Even though she was inundated with work after being gone for a week, she’d jumped at the chance to join her boss for lunch.
The minute they stepped from the elevator, Juliet took in the dark wood-paneled walls, the carpets with the club’s logo woven into the design, the blue and gold draperies that adorned windows showcasing the San Antonio skyline.
Her boss stepped to the concierge desk. “Alexa Carmichael. I believe I have the Club Room reserved.”
A suited gentleman pointed a white-gloved hand. “Welcome, Ms. Carmichael. This way, please.”
Juliet followed Alexa past the main dining area where guests sat at linen-draped tables, sipping from water goblets garnished with mint leaves and lemon curls. The air smelled of cedar and smoky meat aromas.
Suddenly, she was starved.
“I hope you don’t mind that I had Muriel book us a private room. That way we can talk freely without the risk of being overheard.” Alexa grinned. “Don’t let all this pomp and circumstance fool you. That dining area has as many gossips as you might find in any senior citizen’s bridge club.”
Once they were seated, one waiter passed elegant board menus, another placed napkins on their laps. Alexa ordered grilled quail served with roasted red bell pepper sauce. Juliet studied the menu and selected jumbo shrimp served over fettuccine pasta with lemon beurre blanc.
Alexa fingered her silverware. “This morning, I sensed you were more than disappointed by my budget decision.”
Juliet looked up, feeling a little like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights. “Oh?” Inside, she groaned. She normally didn’t take a passive-aggressive route, preferring to own up to an honest expression of her feelings. But something about the way Alexa looked at her left her feeling like a fourteen-year-old. “I mean, yes—of course I was hoping for a different outcome. But I understand decisions have to be made. Sometimes those decisions aren’t popular.”
“Exactly.” Alexa paused while a server placed a basket of hot bread on the table. “As you move up at Larimar Springs, you will face more of these situations yourself.”
Did she just hear Alexa indicate she’d be moving up in the corporation?
“Frankly, between you and me, Frissom provided the miscalculation. He should’ve taken the entire hit this morning. Unfortunately, for the reasons I stated in the meeting, our rapid expansion will not tolerate cuts to the operations area.” She reached for the basket and pulled a piece of sourdough bread from under the linen napkin. “Except for the staffing resources I indicated.” She offered the basket across the table to Juliet.
She nodded and took the basket.
Alexa stopped buttering her bread and leaned close. “Look, I’m going to be entirely frank here. I hated to decide the matter counter to your counsel. I understand the food safety issue. Given recent news stories, believe me, I do.”
Juliet listened intently and pulled a dark squaw roll from underneath the linen napkin.
“You see, this is the thing,” Alexa said. “An opportunity for this kind of quick growth comes along once in a lifetime. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined the relationship with Water Circus would blow up like this, especially given how relatively new we are to their vendor roster.”
Alexa placed her butter knife on a small plate. “Larimar Springs has a chance to go big, especially with Montavan capital backing us. We can’t afford even a slight mistake.” When she looked back at Juliet, her eyes almost glistened. “But—if we do this right—well, Larimar Springs pops into the realm of Nestle, PepsiCo, and Perrier. Our name would be internationally recognized. We’d have divisions across this country.” She leaned back in her chair, flush with excitement. “Everyone on the executive team would be wealthy. And you, Dr. Ryan, would be vice president, directing an operation twenty times the size of what you currently oversee. You’d have your pick of speaking opportunities at conferences and science forums—worldwide.”
Alexa took a bite of her bread, letting her words sink in.
As the waiters served their entrées, Juliet took the bait and let herself imagine the world Alexa had just painted. Her eyes darted from the expensive art on the walls of the exclusive members-only club and the small team of waiters scurrying to serve them, to the woman across the table who clearly believed in her and had just extended an invitation for Juliet to ride her business meteor as it launched into a wide world of possibility.
More importantly, Juliet imagined soaring past her own father’s career trajectory. She let herself dream of the look on his face when he learned of her incredible success.
“Don’t worry, Alexa,” she promised, smiling with renewed confidence. “You have my full support.”