She was walking at a reasonable pace. The click clack of stilettos on granite floor, echoed in the great lobby. Absently she pulled the collar of her pinstriped coat tighter, it was chilly – grand but chilly – all the while inside her mind; a turmoil of thought and scenario. In the car during their transit, Jeff had gone over and over again – what NOT to say and what MUST be said. “Hello, Terri Crest to see the Duo”, she voiced to the tall thin receptionist who smiled a most warm and welcoming smile. Terri smiled back – it was difficult not to.
“Ohh yes Mrs Crest, they’ll be waiting for you in the board room. Would you like to relax in our coffee lounge until they’re ready?”
“Yes thank you, I would like that very much.” She let out an almost silent sigh; relieved, thankful for a moment of breathing time before the meeting.
After handing Terri an envelope, explaining that everything she needed was sealed inside, the receptionist lead her to a coffee lounge where a pretty waitress took Terri’s order, flourished a smile and hurried back to the kitchen to ‘make it so’.
It wasn’t long at all before the waitress returned with Terri’s coffee, toasted fruit bread together with fresh seasonal fruit arrayed on a white platter. Sipping on the strong dark brew, she opened the envelope and perused the material inside. Just as she had finished the last of her coffee the receptionist returned to escort her to the room where she would meet with the men who would soon choose to either help make or break her ideas for a family business opportunity.
The doors opening into the board room were slabs of dark red wood engraved with the emblem of the firm and as they opened Terri began to feel very small and insignificant. Inside the great big ‘board room’ a great table surrounded with numerous black leather chairs took centre place, and relief flooded her as she was ushered through a side door into a smaller room. In ‘her’ meeting room, she was greeted by two men, Bill and Ben, the business men known in the business world as the ‘Duo’. One whole wall was window creating a bright warm environment and as she took the seat offered her, she could feel the tension release from her neck and shoulders; at last her smile was genuine and deep inside she knew she was safe. As she spoke into each pair of warm, friendly eyes, Terri became aware that these were the people she could and eventually would trust. She began to dream articulately and soon Bill and Ben’s gentle smile grew warmer as her passion for the future touched the only ears that mattered…
