“I don’t see how it’s possible though.” Mandy was always the voice of reason. “Jill runs a multi-million dollar business in Manhattan and you live clear across the country, and I’m just a stay-at-home wife and mother. I really don’t see how this could work.”
“First of all, you’re not ‘just’ a stay-at-home mother. Look at all those incredible charity events you’re always pulling together. Not everyone can do that. And I don’t have to live in Phoenix, especially now that I’m getting divorced.” Emma turned her attention to her other sister. “And Jill, you’ve said many times that you could work from anywhere, that all you need is a laptop and a phone.”
“Well yes, but…”
“So, theoretically you could work from here?” Emma pressed.
“Theoretically, I could,” Jill conceded. “But it would be difficult.”
They were all silent for a moment, and then Mandy leaned forward in her chair. “But not impossible.” She was obviously warming to the idea.
“Besides, New York isn’t far at all. You could probably get back there once or twice a month if you wanted to,” Emma added.
“There’s three of us,” Mandy began. “We can split our time up, so we won’t have to always be there together.”
Jill was surprised that Emma and Mandy seemed to have done a complete turnaround on Grams’ crazy idea. Her ears picked up a faint buzzing sound and realized that somewhere deep inside Mandy’s purse, her cell phone was ringing again. She sighed. It might be nice to have a break from the constant grind, and it would only be for a year.
“So Mandy, are you saying you want to do this too?” Jill asked when the waiter arrived with their salads.
Mandy took a bite of a scallop before answering. “Oh, these scallops are amazing.” She paused for a moment, savoring the flavor. Then she put her fork down and spoke, her tone serious. “Yes, I want to do this. Grams wanted it for us, and I can’t help but think that the timing is a good thing, sort of meant to be. I’ve been thinking for a while now that I wanted to do something, maybe find a part-time job now that the kids are a bit older.”
“Okay, so what do we do now then?” Jill asked.
“I think you and I should still fly home as planned,” Emma began. “I really only need a few days to get things settled, pack and fly back. I can go back in a few months to take care of anything I missed. How much time do you think you’ll need?”
“Well, Mandy’s right. Manhattan really isn’t that far, so I should only need a few days too. Especially since I’ll be going back more often.”
“Where do you think you want to stay?” Mandy asked. “There’s plenty of room with me, or of course there’s Grams’ house. It has four bedrooms, and you’d be just a short walk from Mimi’s Place.”
“I’d love to stay at Grams’ place I think,” Emma decided. “With that many bedrooms, we could each use one as an office too, if we like.”
“Works for me,” Jill agreed.
“I’ll call to schedule a meeting next week with Ray and Paul to go over everything.”
“Okay, then it’s settled.” Jill lifted her water glass. “To Mimi’s Place.”
Emma and Mandy clinked their glasses together.
“To Mimi’s Place.”
Jill strode into her office at a quarter to four.
“I’m so sorry about your grandmother. How are you doing?” Amy’s face reflected concern and care. She was a stellar receptionist, in her mid-fifties and was so naturally kind and caring that she had a calming effect on everyone from nervous candidates to Jill and Billy and the rest of the staff.
“Thank you, I’m doing okay. Is Billy in?”
“He’s in his office with Tony and Nicole. They seem excited about something.”
Jill headed back to her office, which was down the hall from Billy’s. As co-owners, they each had a corner office with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city.
As she walked through the office, various employees offered their condolences. The energy level was high as usual. Everyone was either on the phone or tapping away on their keyboards. Jill caught a glimpse of the ‘board’， where everyone tracked their placements for the month and saw that the overall number was up considerably. They must have closed several deals in the last few days. She dropped her bag and coat in her office before going to see Billy.