Waking Up Married chapter 7
No one ever called Miriam Padalecki stupid. She was sweet, sensible but a mother bear if anyone dared to hurt her family. Which is why, after listening to Jensen explain the bid to buy her farm, she asks, “Is this some game to win Jared?”
Taken aback by her question, Jensen shakes his head. “No, ma'am. I care about Jared, but this is strictly business. Don't let his relationship with me color your decision. While it's true I wouldn't have come to your farm if I didn't know him, the land meets all of Mr. Morgan's requirements and the town could definitely use the economic boost this project brings.”
She studies him for a moment then says, “You know, he never brought anyone to meet the family before. I thought maybe he was afraid to be who he really is or he was afraid of what we would think. Now, I think it was because he was waiting to bring you by.”
Jensen shakes his head. “No, ma'am. Jared and I just met a few weeks ago --”
“I know,” she says, interrupting him. “Which shows how highly he thinks of you.”
Her statement makes Jensen shift uncomfortably in his chair. He doesn't know what else to say to keep Jared out of the negotiation. His gut is telling him that this is going to end badly.
“This Morgan Micro-what have you, are they a good company? Good people, I mean?”
“Yes, ma'am,” Jensen answers with such sincerity that she doesn't doubt him.
“Then, if he agrees to my conditions, you have yourself a deal.”
Jensen breathes a sigh of relief now that he's sure he has a deal. Smiling he says, “I'm sure we will meet any contingencies you want.” He takes out a pad of paper and a pen. “Let's make a wish list and I'll see that it gets done.”
Miriam pats his hand as she gets up from the table. She retrieves the pitcher of tea from the counter and refills their glasses. She's too busy thinking to hear Jensen's thanks. “I can ask for anything?”
Jensen nods. “Anything. It's my job to make you happy.”
She grins mischievously. “Well then, let's have some fun.”
Her requests are reasonable for the most part. She wants the entrance for the construction and the factory to be on the north end so traffic doesn't go past the farmhouse. A few of the other requests are odd, but manageable but then she adds, “What about you? You want anything?”
Unsure of what she means, Jensen looks at his still full glass of iced tea and says, “No ma'am, I'm fine.”
“Sweetie, you just helped me win the lottery. Are you sure there isn't something we can add that's for you?”
He thinks of Jared. The wish of 'I get to keep your grandson' crosses his mind, but instead he says, “Ma'am, closing this deal is enough to make me happy.”
Miriam shrugs. “Okay. Well, think it over and while you hammer out the details with Mr. Morgan, I'll call the kids. You can make the pitch to them tonight.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Jensen repeats, nervous about selling the idea to the entire Padalecki family.
Jensen gathers his notes and excuses himself to the porch to make his call.
“Jensen, tell me some good news,” Jeff Morgan demands sounding nearly as nervous as Jensen feels.
“If you meet her contingencies, the land is yours,” Jensen replies with a smile.
In his office in Denver, Jeff groans. Contingencies always end up costing thousands. “Well, let's hear them.”
“She wants the five acres surrounding the house and the entrance to the factory to be on the north end.”
Those buildings sit on land he wouldn't need, so he agrees. “Simple enough, done. What else?”
“Trees. You have to plant trees along the property line so the factory can't be seen from the house.”
Confused, Morgan wrinkles his brow. “Okay, trees. We can do that. What else?”
“You have to sponsor a team in every recreation league this year.”
Now, Jeff is shaking his head. “Is she serious? What does that even mean?!”
Jensen takes a deep breath. “Uniforms for a team in each the boys and girls little league, soccer league and the adult softball league.”
Jeff quietly thinks about this demand. “Does she know that those things are tax deductible?”
“She doesn't care,” Jensen explains. “If Morgan MicroDynamics doesn't sponsor the teams this year, before the factory is completed, there's no deal.”
Jeff wants to laugh, these are the strangest demands he has ever heard. “Okay, I'll have my assistant contact the city and make the arrangements.”
Jensen smiles. “There's more.”
“Of course there is. Let's hear them.” Jeff leans back in his chair but takes a note pad off his desk to jot down anything he thinks he won't remember.
Jensen explains the other small demands Miriam has insisted upon and Jeff finds the list as intriguing as it is entertaining.
Jensen is more nervous about the last item, than he is about selling the idea to Jared's entire family. If Jeff says no, it's could cost Jensen everything. “A job. For me, at this location.”
“What?” Jeff chuckles. “Are you serious?”
The man's laugh breaks Jensen's resolve. He can't go through with it. “The deal doesn't hinge on it. She'll still sell. I just, uh, yeah. I'll tell her it didn't work out.”
Jeff can hear the change in Jensen's voice. The deal is still standing but the job inquiry was serious. “Jensen, you know I can't afford to pay you what you make at McDowell and we don't even have a department similar to what you do. I can't --
“Yeah. I get it. You're right. Don't worry. Like I said, she'll still sell.” Jensen feels nauseous at his foolishness. He silently prays Morgan won't mention this part of the conversation to McDowell or he'll definitely be out of a job.
It occurs to Jeff exactly what Jensen was willing to risk to ask him for that job, so he asks, “Why would you want to leave McDowell?”
Jensen fears answering this could end his career, but it's the only way to get everything he wants so he plays his best card. “Honestly, I love my job with McDowell Group, but I've accomplished all I can there. I want a new challenge. And, I hate to admit this, but my marriage has no chance if I stay in L.A. I can't ask Jared to leave his family behind, and I can't come here unless I have the guarantee of a job.”
“I'm sorry to hear that, kid. From experience, I can tell you that one person shouldn't give up everything for the other. It's not healthy,” Jeff replies. He taps his pen on his notepad before adding, “I'll look at the numbers and see what we can do.”
“Thanks, Jeff. As soon as you confirm the other contingencies --”
“It's a done deal, Jensen. Obviously, we can't begin the landscaping, but my assistant, Gloria, is on the phone with city hall to begin the sponsorships. Get me the numbers we need and we'll get started on those, too.”
Jensen feels a huge weight lifted from him. “I'll get you those numbers before the end of the business day and I'll call you after Mrs. Padalecki tells her family.”
Miriam tells Jensen that her four children and their spouses will be there by six that evening, which allows Jensen just enough time to get the information Jeff Morgan needs. As he drives to city hall, Siri reads a text from Jared. Forgot I have softball double header. Won't be home til nine. Let yourself in.
Jensen groans. He doesn't want to leave without explaining himself, but he doesn't have enough time for Jared now that the deal has been made. Remembering the divorce papers, Jensen decides he can drop them off with a quick note and call Jared once he has more time.
Now, standing at Jared's door, Jensen doesn't know what to write. He can't tell Jared about the deal until Miriam has told her kids. He can't write 'don't sign the paperwork', that idea definitely requires an actual conversation. Shit, he thinks, I can't sit here all day.
He turns the envelope over and writes: don't have time now. I'll call you. J He reads it over. “Crap, that's terrible. That's not what I should...” he mutters to himself. He's about to scratch out his note when his phone interrupts his musing. It's Danneel. “Shit!” he says to no one. “I forgot to call the damn office.”
He slides his finger across the screen. “Danneel, doll face, what can I do for you?”
Danneel is silent for a moment, then she slowly begins to speak. “That sounded like Happy Jensen.” She pauses. “Please tell me you're 'Happy I just made a zillion dollars Jensen' and not 'Happy I just got laid Jensen'.”
“What if I'm both?” he grins, getting back in the rental car and starting it in order to get some cool air.
“Sweet Jesus. She was willing to sell?!”
“And Morgan was happy to buy,” he answers with his trademark easy confidence. He can hear Misha in the background praising some deity Jensen never heard of and it thrills him that his team is so happy. “Hey, don't crack open the bubbly yet. We still have work to do.”
“Yeah, but we're not going to Detroit or Cleveland in the winter. That's reason enough to celebrate,” Misha says into the phone over Danneel's shoulder and whoops into the air.
Jensen can picture their happy and relieved expressions and he smiles. Maybe it's good that he's not leaving them.
As he's sitting in front of Jared's house giving them directives, his happiness begins to ebb. The Morgan project is basically done which means he's going to have to find another multi-million dollar client for McDowell Group and start all over. Spend six more months jumping through hoops for McDowell and the client.
Jensen wonders just how little money he needs to quit McDowell and prays that Morgan MicroDynamics will consider offering him something close to it.
Back at the Padalecki farm, Jensen reviews the paperwork from Morgan MicroDynamics. Once Jeff saw the various maps of the land, he agreed to the price and all of Miriam's contingencies. All but one, that is. Jensen tries not to let his disappointment show. He knew there wasn't much chance of Jeff hiring him, but that hadn't stopped him from hoping, from making plans to tell Jared, or from imagining a life in this small town.
He shakes the defeat from his mind. Right now, he needs to make sure that Miriam's family understands that they got the best deal he could get them.
“I'm sure you all remember Jared's friend Jensen,” Miriam says with a nod toward Jensen. “He's here to talk to you tonight as a courtesy to me.” There's a quiet murmur from those gathered in the room, but they are silenced with a look. “Before he begins, I want to remind you all that this is my decision. You are only here because I respect your opinion, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to it. My mind is already settled. Jensen is here to present you with some facts so that you know everything that went into my decision.” She turns to the man standing next to her and nods, “Jensen.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Padalecki,” he says as he moves to take her place in front of the family.
“Your town is dying. There are four boarded up store fronts on Main Street and I don't know how many other businesses are closed or close to being closed. Your best and brightest move away upon graduation and don't return to raise their families here. Soon, this will be just another ghost town.”
“I know none of you want to give up the gorgeous family farm. You grew up here, you were married here, your children were married here. That's why keeping the house, the barns, and the five acres it sits on are part of this deal.”
He distributes rough sketches of the factory and its location on the grounds along with the price per acre and Miriam's conditions. “You want that tradition to continue for your grandchildren as well, but with nothing in town to keep them here, your children are going to need to move elsewhere.”
“The factory Morgan MicroDynamics wants to build on this land will employ two hundred people directly. From managers to line workers to engineers in research and development. This number does not include the construction process or any support staff. Nor does it include the higher demand for services in your town; grocers, doctors, teachers. Morgan MicroDynamics is going to require more.”
It's a good deal. He knows it's a better price than they'd get for farm land alone, but Jensen braces himself for their arguments.
There's a moment of bustling, people talking quietly amongst themselves and then Jensen hears a question he hadn't expected.
“Is this why you're dating Jared?” Sherri Padalecki is glaring at him. “Did you go to the wedding and everything else, just so you could get this deal?”
The vinegar in her voice makes Jensen step back. “No! No, I didn't even have Morgan as I client when I met Jared.”
“So you're saying this has nothing to do with you and Jared?” Sherri's voice is steely and full of doubt.
Jensen takes a breath. “It absolutely does not. Do I think it will help Jared? Yes. The same way it will help the rest of the town. Does it help me? Yes, because my job is to find a location for Morgan's factory. But other than that? This has nothing to do with Jared and me.”
Sherri squints at him for another minute. She doesn't look pleased with his answer. But, since she can't think of another argument, she nods in acceptance.
There are a few other questions and Jensen handles what he can and promises to get answers for the ones he can't. By the end of the meeting, Jensen has arranged an appointment for Jeff Morgan and Miriam Padalecki to sign the necessary paperwork.
Arriving home after his double-header softball game, Jared sees no lights on in his house. There's no rental car parked in his drive which means no Jensen. He wishes he wasn't so disappointed. Their plans, well his plan, wasn't set in stone; he knows that, but he'd been looking forward to seeing Jensen. Which he realizes is stupid once he sees the paperwork tucked against the door.
He tosses the envelope onto his coffee table and flops onto the couch. Thank god Jensen is sensible, Jared thinks to himself. At least Jensen isn't trying to force a one night stand into something more. They are not going to have a relationship, Jensen's career wont allow it and, Jared reminds himself, they've only just met. Sure, they get along well, but once Jensen finds the land he needs, he won't be coming back to Jared.
Suddenly hit with exhaustion, Jared grabs a beer and heads for his shower. All he wants is to wash off the hours of sweat and dirt coating his body and sleep.
It's late and Jensen has to make the drive into San Antonio to catch the red eye to Los Angeles. He knows he doesn't have a minute to spare if he hopes to make the flight, but his instinct tells him to call Jared. Jensen doesn't have time for the conversation he wants to have, but he needs to tell Jared about the deal himself.
The call goes straight to voice mail and Jensen considers that a blessing. “Jared, hey, it's Jensen. I've got to fly back to L.A. tonight. I, uh, found some land for Morgan. And, before you hear about it from someone else, it's your grandma's farm.” He pauses because there's a lot more he wants to say, needs to say, but he doesn't want to leave it on voice mail. “I'll call you as soon as I can, okay?” He hangs up hating that he sounded like a nervous kid and wondering if it was stupid to care what Jared thought.
In the morning, Jared doesn't want to get out of bed. He has the day off because there aren't that many houses that need painting in his town, and he had hoped he'd be spending the day with Jensen. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be something that will happen, so Jared reluctantly stretches and gets up.
He gets his breakfast together and goes to eat it in front of the television. When he pushes the envelope Jensen left to the side to make room for his giant bowl of Cheerios, it slides to the floor.
As he retrieves it, he sees the note Jensen scrawled on it. Reading it, he wonders why Jensen didn't call last night. He munches down a spoonful of cereal and grabs his phone. “Hmm, three missed calls,” he says to himself. Two are from his mother and one is from Jensen.
The first voice mail is his mother sounding bitter. “Jared, it's your mother. Call me.” Jared whistles. Not when you sound like that, mom.
He skips the next message from his mom in favor of listening to Jensen's about buying Grandma's farm and heading back to L.A.. He slumps back into the couch as the tumblers fall into place. The message explains why his mom sounded angry, why Jensen dropped off the papers and why he didn't stay. Jensen doesn't need him anymore.
It stings. Jared isn't happy that whatever he and Jensen had is over, but he tells himself it was just a fling, a one night stand that lasted a few extra nights. It was not a relationship. He should feel happy for Jensen; the guy had been worried about losing his job and now he won't. Jared tries not to remember how he had spent yesterday daydreaming about Jensen losing his job and moving back to Texas. He sighs and wonders if it's too early to call Jensen and congratulate him.
With his body still on Texas time, Jensen wakes up before his alarm. He figures it's for the best since he had been gone for over a week so he has plenty to do. He opens his curtains to admire the view from his apartment; the view of the parking lot and the building next door. He chuckles as he remembers how impressed he was with Jared's house and how Jared hadn't believed him. He should take a picture of his view and send it to him, he thinks. Next, he's grinning stupidly as he takes the picture and types my gorgeous view.
It's as if a thousand thoughts hit him at once. Jared had sent wedding pictures. He should print one for his desk at work in case McDowell visits his office, which he probably will because of the deal. The deal. He has a ton of paperwork to prepare. He has meetings to schedule. He has new clients to find. He needs coffee desperately.
Jensen allows himself time for the Keurig to make his coffee and turn on his laptop. He opens his email and prints the picture of him and Jared at the wedding. He looks around his apartment for a suitable frame and the only one that's right has Mackenzie's graduation picture. “Sorry, sis,” he says as he slides his new picture over hers.
He goes back to sort his email into 'work: must open now', 'work: lives depend on this', and 'stuff I actually want to read', when he finds an email from Jeff Morgan.
Jensen stares at the screen. The message was sent to his private email after the meeting at the farm. His heart thunders at what those facts could mean. His finger hovers over the mouse button. Not knowing the contents of the email means there's still hope. Reading the email means that he needs to get back to the real world. He swallows and practically winces as he clicks to open it.
Re: The Last Contingency in the Purchase of the Padalecki Farm
Jensen,
Obviously this could not be addressed in the purchase offer. Morgan MicroDynamics would like to offer you the position of …
Jensen whoops and doesn't read any more. It doesn't matter, it's a new job. It means being less than a four hour drive from his family. It means blue sky, green grass and fresh air. It means no more Malcolm McDowell and working 24/7. Best of all, it means moving to a town where there's at least one guy willing to date him.
Jensen spins in his chair. He sure nothing will wipe the smile from his face. He claps and rubs his hands together as he reads the rest of the email. Morgan wants him to be his expeditor for a third less pay than he's currently making. It's a third less without his commissions. Okay, Jensen thinks. It's a bit of a damp towel, but cost of living is much less and, he smiles looking at his newly framed picture, it has great perks.
He replies to the email accepting the position immediately.
However, if he's leaving McDowell, he's going to do it right. He checks the time, but decides to call the one person he confident can handle the job. “Hey, Danneel, I know it's early, but I want to take you to breakfast.”
On the other end of the line, Danneel groans. “Fine. Give me an hour.”
At breakfast, Jensen convinces Danneel that she'll easily be able to take over his position. Their department is in order, the team is perfect, and McDowell wouldn't risk losing clients to replace her. Her job is safe, he assures her.
Which is when she reminds Jensen that the moment he tells McDowell about his new job, he'll be fired. Jensen mulls that over for a minute before toasting her with his coffee. “Here's to my last eight hours at McDowell Group.”
When he gets to the office, Jensen schedules an appointment with McDowell for the end of the day. Then he spends his day finishing everything for the Morgan deal and discreetly packing his office.
It's difficult for him not to smile as Malcolm McDowell loses his temper and calls him every name in the book. There is no pleading for him to stay. There is no offer of more money. There's just yelling and empty threats and Jensen biting his cheek to prevent himself from laughing.
He's wiped his laptop and his phone, but as he's returning them to human resources, he sees a text from Jared: Congratulations and thank you for helping my grandma. Jensen hurriedly forwards it to his personal account to remind him to call Jared when he gets home.
Chapter 8