by Penny Avis
‘Any previous projects with either party?’ Alfred asked, running through the standard list of questions.
Meredith shook her head.
‘Any conflicts of interest or client relationships that need declaring?’
Meredith paused for a second.
‘No, none,’ she said.
Finally Alfred was finished with his questions. ‘Okay. I think that’s everything.’
‘Can you get that sent in as soon as possible? We need approval back by Monday ideally.’
Later that day, Meredith spoke to Ryan on the phone.
‘I can’t believe they liked it,’ she said.
‘I know,’ said Ryan. ‘But it does make a lot of sense when you think about it. Beau Street’s a great business.’
‘Obviously I’ve not said anything about us. We’ll have to be really careful from now on. No emailing me anything personal at work, no cute voicemails, just business talk. Okay? Not unless you want me out of a job.’
‘That’s the last thing I want. I can still use your personal email, though, right?’
‘Yes, that’s fine. Work can’t see that. Look, let’s see where this gets to. There’s a reasonable chance that Beau Street will tell you guys to bugger off and it’ll be game over.’
‘Yeah, maybe, but let’s hope not. I’d really like to come back over.’ Ryan paused for a moment. ‘I can’t stop thinking about you and that shower curtain.’
And she couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d made her feel.
‘You can still come, deal or no deal,’ she said.
‘I know, but it’s so much easier to arrange if I’ve got a good reason to be over. I can get the other guys to cover for me, not to mention that the whole trip is then on expenses. And you’ll need to come over here too. Keep the board up to date, that sort of thing.’
Meredith had to agree that it would be much easier.
‘Look, as soon as I get the green light, I’ll be in touch with the CEO, and let’s see what he says.’
That evening Meredith sat in her flat with a glass of wine, mulling over the day’s events. Ryan was sailing pretty close to the wind using his business trips as a cover for seeing her. And although it did make things easier, at the back of her mind she worried that it made it too easy for him. What if Beau Street said no? Would Ryan still make the effort to see her if he had to spend his own money and take time off work? Mind you, did it even matter? Yes, he made her feel amazing and he had been the perfect antidote to her surgery, but they’d only seen each other twice. It was hardly the basis for a long-term relationship. And on the plus side, it was possible that Equinox’s approach to Beau Street would be successful, which would be a big help for her at work. The other leads she’d managed to drum up were proving difficult to convert. The CEO of the medical services business hadn’t returned her call, and she was having problems getting through to the management team at the German hospital business, who seemed to be permanently tied up in meetings. That was where her father had always been so useful. Not only could he get her contact details, but he could usually find someone to get her a warm introduction. This deal could be just the break she needed. Meredith sighed. Why did things have to be so complicated?
She rang Daisy, who had a typically forthright answer:
‘Because you can’t do business with people you’re shagging. Even I know that, and the only bank I’ve ever been in is one with a cash point.’
Meredith knew she was right. ‘Well, I’ll just have to hope it doesn’t go anywhere.’
‘That doesn’t sound very likely to me, but what do I know?’ said Daisy. ‘Won’t someone at Beau Street recognise you?’
‘No, I really don’t think that’s likely. They must have thousands of patients and I’ll be dealing with top management, not the doctors.’
‘Would you be in more trouble if they did?’
‘No, I didn’t even work for Clinton Wahlberg then. It would just be totally, bloody mortifying. The last thing I want is anyone at work finding out about my surgery. Anyway, I’m sure it will all be fine.’
‘Hmm, if you say so,’ said Daisy.
‘Look, the more important point is that Ryan is only interested in making the deal happen so he can spend more time with me, which is all a bit scary. What if I decide I don’t like him?’
‘But I thought you did like him?’
‘Well, I do now. But for how long? It’s what happens next that worries me.’
‘You’re bloody bonkers,’ said Daisy. ‘You must the only person I know who’d worry about a relationship going wrong when it’s still going right. What’s the matter with you? He sounds like a great bloke, he’s gorgeous and you fancy the arse off him. So just get on with it. The future will sort itself out.’
Meredith laughed. ‘And that’s your professional opinion, I assume?’
‘It is,’ said Daisy nodding wisely.
‘Oh, God, I don’t know,’ said Meredith with a sigh. ‘It’s all moving a bit quickly. I’m expecting to get the formal okay from my boss on Monday, and the next step after that is getting in touch with Beau Street. Once I do that, the rollercoaster will have officially left the station. And I’ll be on it for the ride, whether I like it or not.’
‘Well, Ryan might turn out to be the perfect guy for you. So stop worrying. Just take it day by day, see what happens.’
‘I hate that expression, “taking it day by day”. How else am I meant to take it? In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s how time works,’ said Meredith.
‘Ha, bloody ha,’ said Daisy. ‘You know what I mean. Just chill out a bit.’
Meredith knew Daisy was probably right, but the thought of someone putting so much at stake just to see more of her was pretty daunting.
The email from Nick arrived late Monday afternoon. He had approved the deal, subject to Meredith agreeing a fee with Equinox of at least one per cent of the deal value. Meredith drafted a formal proposal letter addressed to the board of Equinox and sent it directly to the CEO, Lawson Green, copying in Ryan. She needed to be careful to follow the expected protocols. At the end of the email she wrote:
I would be more than happy to come to Chicago and discuss these terms with you in person, should you prefer.
Meredith really hoped that wouldn’t be necessary, but she knew she had to offer. She’d need to meet Lawson at some point, but it would be far less hassle to see whether Beau Street were interested first.
Fortunately a trip abroad wasn’t necessary. After several emails back and forth, haggling over terms, Meredith worked late into the night and finally struck a deal with Lawson. Although he had been copied in on all the emails, Ryan hadn’t commented once, which pleased Meredith. She wanted it to be clear that he hadn’t set the fee Clinton Wahlberg was getting – just in case.
Meredith spent the next day preparing to put in her call to Charles Sutton, the CEO at Beau Street. She’d had plenty of experience at making these types of approaches and it had taught her to be prepared. If Charles did decide to engage with her, she would need all the facts at her fingertips. As was often the case, when she finally rang he was on the phone. She left the standard message about having ‘an interesting business opportunity to discuss with him’ and hung up.
As she waited for his return call, she sat back in her chair and surveyed her office. Her pin board was as empty as the day she had started and her walls were bare; she really did need to make the space seem a bit more welcoming. She surfed the internet, looking for ideas for pictures she could order, and stumbled across an article entitled How to Feng Shui Your Office to Create Success. Apparently, having gently flowing water in your office could yield amazing results; the article recommended a small, table-top water fountain with a gentle bubbling sound or, failing that, a picture of a flowing stream placed on a northern wall. It also said that earth-tone colours, like terracotta, were best for building client relationships; round or oval tables were best for problem-solving; and to energise personal relations
hips, pictures of loved ones should be placed in the southwest area of your desk or office. Meredith looked down at her rectangular, grey desk and snorted with laughter; she’d never heard such rubbish. She didn’t have the first clue which direction her office faced, nor did she care. Maybe she should tell Ryan she was putting a picture of him ‘in her energy corner’, just to wind him up.
Laughing to herself, she clicked to his picture on the Equinox website. Just looking at it was enough to make her heart leap; his piercing blue eyes seemed to be gazing directly at her and she could just make out the definition of his now-familiar muscular shoulders under his shirt. As she stared at the photograph her phone rang, making her jump guiltily. She quickly closed the page, as if the person on the end of the phone might have been able to see what she was looking at.
‘Meredith Romaine.’
‘Hello, Meredith, this is Charles Sutton from the Beau Street Group returning your call.’
He had an old-fashioned but authoritative tone to his voice. Meredith took a deep breath.
‘Hello, Mr Sutton. Thank you very much for returning my call. As I explained in my message, I’m a director at Clinton Wahlberg in the healthcare team. I’d like to speak with you on behalf of a client of mine – a US-based cosmetic surgery business.’
‘Oh yes?’ said Charles, sounding intrigued.
‘They’re looking to expand into Europe and believe that your business is potentially a good strategic fit. They would like to know whether you’d be interested in opening discussions with them, to see whether you have any common ground.’ Meredith was deliberately using soft, neutral language. Charles didn’t fall for it.
‘They want to take us over?’
‘Well, that’s an option, but at this stage they’re more interested in just opening channels of communication with you,’ said Meredith. ‘Some sort of partnership could benefit both of you.’
‘Who’s your client?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say at the moment, but I can tell you they’re a leading US player. They’re happy for me to reveal their name, but only once you’ve confirmed that you’re open to talks. They’re very impressed with your business, from what they’ve seen so far, and are very keen to meet you.’ Flattery was always a helpful door-opener.
‘I’m not sure why we would need them,’ said Charles. ‘Our business is doing very well by itself.’
‘I don’t think that anyone is suggesting you need them. It’s more a case of sharing expertise, as they’re right at the cutting edge of all the latest procedures and techniques. Plus, they’re a well-capitalised business with plenty of money for expansion.’
‘I see,’ said Charles. There was a short pause while he digested Meredith’s words. ‘Who do they want to meet? I wouldn’t be keen to make the wider management of the business aware of this, not until we know whether it has any merit.’
‘Just you would be fine. My client has given one of their senior management a mandate to act of their behalf, so any initial discussions would be between the two of you,’ said Meredith.
‘So if I agree to meet your client, can you tell me who they are now?’
‘Yes, I can.’ Meredith knew she was taking a bit of a gamble, but felt it would probably tip the balance. She followed up with one of her favourite lines to dissuade people from playing games: ‘I’m sure you are a man of your word.’
‘Yes, then, okay, I will meet your client, at least for an initial discussion. I can’t promise any more than that,’ said Charles.
‘My client is the Equinox Practise and the person who would lead the discussions on their behalf is senior surgeon Ryan Miller. He’s also one of the executive management team of the business.’
‘I’ve heard of them, obviously. I can’t say I know that much about them, but they do have a good reputation,’ said Charles. ‘Very well, then. Ask Mr Miller to get in touch with my assistant, and I’ll let her know to expect his call. By the way, how did they hear about us?’
‘We undertook an acquisition search for them and Beau Street came out of it very well. You came top in most of their priority areas,’ said Meredith.
Plus you gave me a great pair of breasts and a new nose.
After the call, Meredith leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head and took a deep breath. The rollercoaster had left the station.
Chapter 7
The next day Meredith went to brief Nick on her call with Charles Sutton. She took Alfred with her, to make notes and follow up any action points. Nick’s office was in the corner of the floor above Meredith and spoke clearly of seniority. It was twice the size of Meredith’s and had proper wooden furniture, instead of the standard grey melamine. There was a large rubber plant in the corner and a separate circular meeting table, which made her smile: perfect for problem solving. On one wall was a large, brightly coloured abstract painting that probably belonged to the Clinton Wahlberg art collection, unlike the reprints that were on most other walls. Meredith didn’t really like it, but thought it was probably one of those pictures that Daisy would rave about. Meredith knocked politely on the frame of the open glass door.
‘May we come in?’ she asked as Nick looked up from his immaculately tidy desk.
‘Of course.’ Nick gestured towards the round meeting table. Meredith and Alfred sat down as Nick got up from his desk and joined them, carrying his coffee with him.
‘How did you get on with Beau Street?’ Nick asked.
‘Well, they’ve agreed to initial talks, which is great,’ said Meredith.
Nick nodded approvingly. ‘That’s a good start. When?’
‘I’m setting up for them to meet early next week. Ryan Miller from Equinox is flying in this Friday, so he has time to prepare.’ And spend the weekend with me, she thought.
‘So he’ll be here for the weekend then?’ Nick asked.
Meredith jumped. Had she been that obvious?
‘Yes, he will. It, um, may be something to do with wanting to get over his jetlag, or perhaps he has other business to attend to. I’m not really sure.’ Meredith shrugged and tried to look nonchalant.
‘Great! Could you invite him to the cricket on Saturday? We’ve got a corporate box for the test match at Lord’s and a couple of people have dropped out. I don’t like having empty seats, plus it would be a great chance for me to meet him. You’d need to come too. Can you make it?’
Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t exactly how she and Ryan had been planning to spend Saturday, but at least Nick hadn’t read her mind!
‘Yes, I can, but I don’t know what his plans are, so I’ll have to email him.’
‘Well, obviously,’ said Nick, laughing. ‘I wasn’t expecting you to say “yes” on his behalf!’
Meredith forced a laugh too and then quickly changed the subject. ‘Alfred will be helping me get a briefing pack ready for Mr Miller; make sure he’s got all the information at his fingertips when he meets Beau Street.’
Alfred jumped at the mention of his name and sat up expectantly.
‘Yes, we’ve got most of the way through the pack we’re preparing for him. Everything you wanted to know about the Beau Street Group but were afraid to ask,’ said Alfred, looking rather pleased at his attempt at humour.
Meredith smiled to herself. He’d have to work a bit harder than that if he wanted to impress the boss with his personality and wit.
‘Thanks, Alfred. I’m sorry you can’t join us at the cricket,’ said Nick. ‘There aren’t enough tickets, I’m afraid. Assuming that, um, what’s his name again?’
‘Ryan Miller,’ said Meredith.
‘Assuming that Mr Miller can join us,’ said Nick.
‘That’s okay,’ said Alfred. ‘I’ve got a ton of work on anyway, so I’ll be in the office on Saturday,’
‘Don’t overdo it,’ said Nick, looking concerned. ‘The last thing we need is our VPs getting burnt out.’
He has no idea, thought Meredith. Half the office would probably be in on S
aturday. How else did he think they met deadline after deadline?
After the meeting, Meredith rang Ryan to tell him about the cricket invitation.
‘Sounds great! I don’t know the first thing about cricket, mind you, but I’m sure it’s not that much different to baseball. Anyway, when in Rome, as they say. You can tell your boss that I’d love to come, thank you.’
Meredith felt a pang of disappointment that Ryan didn’t seem to mind that they would have less time to spend on their own, but pushed it to the back of her mind.
‘Okay, great. We need to be there for lunch. Shall I meet you at The Brook Hotel?’ she asked.
‘My flight’s in pretty late on Friday, so why don’t I just meet you at this Lord’s place? I’ll probably just have a lie-in on Saturday and go to the gym first.’
That suited Meredith. Give her time to get ready.
‘I’m really looking forward to seeing you,’ said Ryan.
Meredith smiled. ‘Me too.’
Not long after Meredith put down the phone to Ryan, she heard raised voices outside her office. Through the glass panel she could see Lars Hanssen standing over Alfred’s open-plan work space. Meredith got up and looked out of her office as Lars threw a spiral-bound document onto Alfred’s desk.
‘Not much point giving me this now. It was a bloody embarrassment, giving them some story about our IT systems being down. Next time you’re going to miss a deadline, I’d appreciate more than an hour’s notice!’ Lars glared at Alfred furiously.
‘I’m so sorry, Lars, really I am. I thought we’d finish in time, but I guess I just misjudged it. You didn’t exactly give me much notice,’ said Alfred.
‘Well, don’t tell me you can do something if you can’t,’ snarled Lars. ‘Next time I’ll get someone else to help me.’
Lars spun on his heels and marched off, leaving a stunned silence behind him. Alfred turned back to his computer screen as if nothing had happened, and after a few moments those sitting around him did the same. Meredith returned to her office and sat down. She hadn’t been working with Alfred for long, but she was surprised that he had missed what sounded like a pretty important deadline. But Lars should’ve known better than to shout at someone in the middle of the office. That was hardly the way to deal with it. Or maybe it was here? Meredith wanted to go and see whether Alfred was okay, but she resisted. It was none of her business.