Page 3 of Small Town CEO Grump

“Hello, Addie,” I said, turning around and trying to hide my annoyance.

I had asked her several times not to open my door or walk in without being invited, but I finally gave up and realized that it was just the way she operated. Aside from her tendency to barge into my office, she was an excellent assistant. She had been working in the real estate business since before I graduated from college, and she never let anything slip through the cracks.

“Jenna Nichols,” Addie said.

“Jenna Nichols?” I asked, confused.

Addie nodded. “Yes. Jenna Nichols. She is the Office Manager in the Oceanview office. You asked me to find her name for you. I’ve written it down here, as well as her email and phone number.”

“Oh, that’s right,” I said, reaching out and taking the slip of paper that Addie was handing out to me. “Thank you for finding that for me.”

“Sure,” Addie said, looking at me curiously. “Can I know why you want to know?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not exactly sure,” I explained, honestly. “I have a few ideas running through my head, and I may need to talk with her more to figure out what I want to do.”

“Okay…” Addie said.

I could see that she was trying to get more information from me, but I wasn’t going to say more to her until I knew what I was going to do. I was the CEO, and I knew that any plans I made would affect a lot of people other than just myself. I also knew that even a rumor of making a change would spread quickly and cause confusion, which is why I was being so vague.

“Well, if there’s anything else you need, let me know,” Addie said, sighing and turning to head back to her desk. She was disappointed but also seemed to accept that her prying wasn’t going to work.

“I will,” I said. “Thanks again.”

Once she was gone I turned and looked out the window again. The sun was setting, and lights were turning on all across the city. I absolutely loved the view, but it didn’t stop me from feeling restless.

I had to make a major decision, and I knew that I needed to make that decision sooner rather than later.

I realized that I was fairly certain of what I was going to do, but I just had to run through what it would look like. Knowing that I would think better if I was outside and moving around, I walked out of my office, told Addie I was taking a walk, rode the elevator down to the lobby, and then walked out of the building and headed towards Central Park.

I loved the bustling streets of New York, and I was happy that I was surrounded by such a diverse group of people. However, that day I was not in the mood for people watching, and I didn’t want to interact with anyone. I kept my eyes on the pavement and determinedly headed towards the entrance to the park.

Once I walked through the gates, I allowed myself to look up from the grounds. I took in the lush trees, the emerald grass, the winding pathways, and the iconic benches. I couldn’t help but smile at the groups of people gathering, and I noticed that at one table sat a small child who was an impressive chess player and had amassed quite a crowd.

I spotted my favorite bench in the distance, and I was relieved to see that it was empty. For as long as I could remember I loved that bench. It was shaded and private, and looked out over an open field. I sat down and got comfortable, and then finally said aloud the words that had been going through my head for weeks.

“I need to get out of the city. And not just for a vacation. I need to make a major change.”

The minute I spoke these words I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I knew that this is exactly what I needed to do. I was starting to feel as if I had somewhat lost sight of what was important, and I knew this would help me get back on track.

I knew the way people talked about me. I knew the things that they said when I wasn’t around and I saw the way that they looked at each other when I walked into the room. I could see that they were afraid of me. Sure, they respected me, but more than respect there was fear.

I also knew the reputation I had. I knew that people were aware that I had a short temper, and I knew that they were always afraid to set me off. It wasn’t as if I yelled, or got violent or anything. I just knew how to use my words in a way that would cut people to the core. And whenever I thought I needed to do it, I didn’t hesitate.

And I thought back to the previous months, I realized that I had been doing this a lot more than I used to. It was a sign that the stress of my life was getting to me, but I knew that it wasn’t too late, and that I could make a change. I had worked really hard to get to the position that I was in, and there was no reason for me not to take advantage of it.

I closed my eyes and pictured my home in Oceanview, North Carolina. It was a spacious homeset on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Although I had owned it for six years, I had not been there in close to a year, and even the last visit had only been for a week. When I first bought the house I spent almost every weekend down there, and spent at least a month there during the summers. However, the more I grew the business and the more entrenched I got in life in the city, I just couldn’t break away to go to the beach.

I also knew that our building in Oceanview had an extra office. When I had purchased that property I had it in the back of my mind that I would be able to work out of there sometimes. Although I had never done it, no one else had taken that space. Considering that the majority of my work was done over the phone and via emails, there was nothing stopping me from working from there now.

I decided that I would spend four days a week working in the Oceanview office, and then one day working out of the Manhattan office. This would allow me to make the in person visits that I needed to make. I also reassured myself that it was only a little over an hour flight if I absolutely had to get to either place, and it would be a welcome change.

Feeling a lightness that I had not felt in years, I took out Jenna’s phone number and called her. I waited impatiently as the phone rang for a third time. I did not feel that it was a good look for our business to have to have customers wait for more than two rings, and I made a mental note to bring this up with Jenna.

Thankfully, before the fourth ring, I heard our call connect.

“Executive Realty, this Jenna,” the voice on the other end said, sounding a bit distracted.

“Hello Jenna, this is Ryan Jackson.”