“Ok, I’ll bite. What project operations would I be vice presidenting?” Sam asked with restrained sarcasm.
James laughed and the sound reverberated through his spacious office. “Well, I have the offer letter directly from Logan McCoy. This is a relatively quick relocation offer. He wants you up there by the end of the month. At the very latest three weeks from Monday.”
Damn, that certainly was quick. Three weeks didn’t sound like a sufficient amount of time to get anything transferred, but she was definitely interested in hearing more.
She leaned back further in the comfortable guest chair, crossing her jean clad legs at the knees. “Does this offer letter give me a job description? I would at least like to know what I’m considering. Vice President sounds terrific, but along with the title comes a lot of responsibility, and I need to ensure this is the best fit for me and for the company.”
“Understood. And I’m not asking you to take this lightly. I have scheduled a video conference for you and Logan this afternoon at his request. He would like to introduce himself and provide you with more details to consider.” James said coolly.
He stood from his seat, walked around to the front of the desk and perched on the edge. Once situated, he simply stared back at her as though waiting for her rebuttal. “Sam, you’re a tremendous asset to this company, especially to this office, but this is an opportunity for you to take on more of the leadership aspect for one of the largest projects in this company’s history.”
Sam noted the fatherly tone in his voice. During the ten years she had worked for him, they’d become close. He respected her and her work and in turn, she had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Over the years, James had offered some thought provoking advice, and to this day, his direction had never led her astray.
After all, she had been young and inexperienced when she joined the company, but through years of blood, sweat, and yes, a few tears, she’d managed to make a name for herself.
Sam was confident in one thing – if James said this was an opportunity she shouldn’t pass up, well, then she had to pursue it further.
Sam’s stomach churned, both with excitement and nerves. She was extremely flattered she had been requested for the position, but her sheer nature didn’t allow her to jump at opportunities just because she was offered them.
She was content in her current role. Both challenged and stimulated by her work, not to mention, she’d developed a strong rapport with the people who worked for her. However, this was the chance to oversee from a different perspective and she felt her heart flutter from the curiosity.
“Ok, so say this position is perfectly suited for me, and I accept it. Where does that leave the current projects I have here? What about my team?”
“We have some potential candidates for your backfill directly from your team. Obviously we would want you involved in hiring your replacement. It may require some travel back and forth between here and Dallas for a couple of weeks, but I think that should be manageable.”
James continued to speak, but his expression softened somewhat. “I’m looking for your input on your team, and I’d like you to review a couple of external candidates that we have. Either way, we will need to hire from the outside, either to replace you or to replace the person who replaces you.”
Sam couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he was so sure she would take the position. She wished that she could be as sure as he was.
“So, what time is this vid-con and can you send me the job description so I can review it?” It didn’t get past her that he still hadn’t given her the information she wanted most.
“Conference call is at one o’clock. Logan’s assistant will call you a few minutes before to set it up. And, just to clarify, this isn’t an interview for the job. He wants you for the position. I discussed this with him several times over the last few weeks.”
“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to wait for his call.” Sam stood up, grabbing her backpack and coffee. “Oh, and I hope he’s a better salesman than you are.” She said with a smile.
Chapter Two
Logan McCoy stared at the resume and employee record that sat on his desk. This candidate undoubtedly had the background to get the job done. He didn’t doubt that at all.
Especially not after talking to James Banten.
The man seemed like a proud father doting on his daughter when it came to Samantha Kielty, and since Logan and James had known each other for quite some time, Logan knew he wouldn’t be given the run around.
What he didn’t know was how everyone would react to bringing Samantha onboard. She had been with XTX for approximately ten years, but Logan had experienced what happened when he recruited people from the smaller branches.