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professional manner?”
    I
laugh. “Kestrel Hart here.”
    “That’s
better.”
    “Why
the hell should I bother when I know it’s you?”
    Kolson
laughs. “I’m just checking.”
    “You
need to get your ass down here. The real estate is going to make you giddy.”
    “I
don’t get giddy.”
    “Yes,
you do. When it comes to real estate.”
    “Wrong.
Cars make me giddy. So do horses.”
    “Whatever.
I’m serious, Kol . This place rocks. I can assure you
there will be an explosion in your pants.”
    “The
only thing that causes an explosion in my pants is my wife.”
    “Keep
that shit to yourself, man.”
    “You
brought it up, not me.”
    “Get
down here. I seriously can’t wait for you see the gem I’m buying. Kolson, I’m
telling you. This place is amazing.” I tell him the address of the house and he
pulls it up on the internet. I still don’t tell him about kooky chick.
    “It
looks sweet, man.”
    “Yeah,
but what you’re not seeing are the views from the top floor. The fucking harbor
is amazing. You can even see Fort Sumter. This is it for me. I am in love.”
    “Yeah,
this doesn’t sound like the Kestrel I know. You’d live in the back of a barn.”
    “That’s
what I’m trying to tell you!”
    He
makes a harrumph sound. “So, can we talk a little business here?”
    “Yeah,
I need a finance geek here. Soon. The southeast is loaded with a shit ton of
opportunities.”
    “That’s
what I want to discuss. Jack’s coming down. We need to hire someone and fast.
He can’t be going back and forth and neither can I. We have too many things to
handle up here.”
    This
is excellent news for me.
    “When
is he coming?”
    “So
today is Thursday. I’m pushing for him to fly out Tuesday. Meanwhile, we’re
opening up the search. I have someone I think may suit, but we’ll see.”
    “You
don’t have anyone who wants to transfer, do you?”
    Kolson
laughs. “Are you trying to steal my employees already?”
    “Hell
yeah. It would be a hell of a lot easier to have a seasoned employee here to
help rather than to having to train a newbie.”
    “Point
well made, Kestrel. I’ll take a look around.”
    “Good.
All right. I have to get to work. Call me later.”
    “Will
do. Watch out for that coffee.”
    Before
I could respond, he ends the call. I’m a little surprised Gabby didn’t jump on
the phone. I get back to my spreadsheets and prospecting and Shayla walks in.
    “Good
morning, sir.”
    “Shayla.
How are you today?”
    “Fine,
sir. There’s coffee in the break room if you’d like some.”
    “Oh,
thank you.” I stand to go retrieve a cup.
    “I’ll
bring you some, sir.”
    “It’s
Kestrel, remember?”
    “Yes,
sir, Kestrel.”
    I
think I may have to give up this ship.
    “Shayla,
I’m not opposed to getting my own coffee. I didn’t hire you to fetch me
things.”
    “But
you did hire me to keep things in order around here and make your job easier. Bringing
you coffee is one of the things that makes your job easier.”
    Holding
my hands up in the air, I say, “You win.”
    “Black,
sir?”
    “Yes,
ma’am.”
    She
laughs. I am determined to get her to drop the ‘sir’ thing.
    Moments
later she delivers my brew. Let’s see how this is. She waits, as I taste. Definitely not Starbucks.
    “Well?”
    “Honest?”
    “Yes!”
    “It
needs to be strong, and I mean really strong, to suit me. I’m a coffee addict.”
    “Shall
I remake it?”
    “Yes,
but let me show you.”
    She
takes me to the coffee maker and it’s not the best, but certainly not the
worst. She bought Starbuck’s coffee and a grinder. I show her how much and her mouth
scrunches up into a skewed look of horror.
    “I
know. Really, really strong.”
    “Isn’t
your stomach going to rot away?”
    “I
certainly hope not.”
    As
the coffee brews, we talk about her family. Her oldest son is a junior at the
College of Charleston. Her youngest, a daughter, wanted to go away to Clemson
University, which is in the