The next morning, Jeff and Valerie were awakened by the screaming of their alarm. Jeff reached over and cuddled Valerie in his arms and held her close to his chest.
“Good morning, Ginger Snap.” Jeff smiled.
“Don’t look at me. I still don’t have any makeup on, and my hair is a rat’s nest.”
Jeff knew there would be no convincing Valerie, so he tried for a compromise.
“Baby, how about if I put the coffee on and bring you your cup? How does that sound?”
“Good, don’t look at me.” Valerie was firm.
The coffee pot’s little beep announced the beginning of their first cup of courage. Jeff poured the aromatic brew into their cups and took Valerie’s down the hall. When he got to the bathroom door he knocked gently.
“Baby, your coffee is on the nightstand by the door. Be careful, it’s fresh out of the pot.”
He set the cup down and started getting dressed. In a way, he was all right about going back to work, but in a larger respect, he wanted to be with Valerie. He finished dressing and was putting on his shoes when his phone buzzed.
“Hello, this is Jeff.”
“Hey Jeff, it’s Andy. I know you don’t want to come in today, but I know you are. Good news. Over the weekend, Percy and Ray came to terms. From my understanding, Percy is going to invest some cash into the company and become Ray’s right-hand man.
Ray is going to hire someone to take Percy’s place. This is great. Thirty men will still be employed, and a new man will have a job. We are having a meeting at ten-thirty in the hall for the announcement. I wanted to give you a heads-up. Give my sincere thanks to Valerie for her part.”
“That’s just amazing, Andy. Thank you. I will tell Valerie.” They ended their conversation.
Valerie came out of the bathroom and asked Jeff, “They can’t wait another forty-five minutes for you to be on the clock, so they call you at home. Gosh!”
“Valerie, that was Andy. Over the weekend your uncle and Ray came to an agreement. Andy called to thank you for asking your uncle to talk to Ray. So, he wasn’t calling me, he was calling you and I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Sweetheart.” They kissed and started out the door to go to work.
When Jeff got there, Andy was waiting for him, smiling.
“Nice to see you up and around,” Andy teased.
“We did have a wonderful time, thanks. And thank you for the good news. I’m sure the guys will be happy. Are you still having a meeting about the job ending?” Jeff wanted to know so he could plan their real honeymoon at the cabin.
“Jeff, the way I see it, the job should be completed by December tenth. That is almost two and a half months early. The guys kicked ass. So, I’m going to have them come in the following two days just to tie up any loose ends. That way, I can confidently say the job is completed and guarantee their bonus pay. Then on the fifteenth, I will call everyone in to give them their bonus and Christmas bonus. They should be happy.” Andy had pride in his voice.
The meeting with the plumbers was a rousing success, as was the full company meeting. Everyone went back to work with a smile on their face. Jeff pulled out his phone and called Valerie. Jeff could almost see her jumping up and down.
The rest of the week went off without a problem. Everyone seemed to be trying to get everything done sooner. Not a bad deal, even though Jeff would have to stay until he was sure everything was done.