She was like family. Unfortunately, this meant being treated like a little sister, which was also frustrating. She needed to convince them she was the best person for the job of CFO based on her business history. Not because of familial relations.
“Who called this meeting?” Cal asked between bites of his favorite cinnamon bun. “It wasn’t on my schedule originally.” As the oldest brother of the crew, he was the most no-nonsense, with a simple, rugged manner. He wore his usual uniform of old, ripped jeans, a white T-shirt, and work boots. His face was as rough as his appearance, from his hooked nose to his bushy brows and gunmetal-gray eyes, but he was always protective and held the wisest counsel she knew. He’d led the company along with his brothers when it was almost lost due to his father’s will, but now they stood together, bonded once again by affection.
“Not me.” Dalton had his legs stretched out and propped up on the opposite-facing leather chair. She held back a sigh at the lack of professionalism. “I have no issues to discuss.” As the youngest, he’d always been the wildest, and his woodworking talent was legendary. Stinging-blue eyes, long blond surfer-type hair, and an easy charm made women fall happily in line to warm his bed. Of course, now he was settled and in love with Raven. He’d grown and matured over the past year, and she had never seen him so happy.
They both looked at Tristan, who shrugged. Elegantly, of course. “I was told my calendar was rearranged just for this meeting.”
The final member in the crew, not related by blood, was Brady. He lifted his hands in the air. “Nope. Have no idea what this is about.” As the architect and a longtime family friend, he’d carved his own niche for himself in the company. With his dark Latin looks and commanding manner, he’d been essential to their success and easily held his own.
Time to gain control of this meeting and do what she came for.
“I did.”
All gazes turned and focused on her. She gave them a cool smile and flipped on her laptop so the first slide of her PowerPoint presentation flashed on the screen. After quickly distributing the stack of handouts, she stood at the head of the conference table. Already she took in Tristan’s fierce frown as he began flipping through the pages of her proposal.
“What’s this about, Syd?” Cal asked, finishing up his pastry.
“As you know, I’ve been working at Pierce Brothers a long time. I started as file clerk, worked my way up to secretary, then executive assistant. I’ve been in charge of accounting, marketing, and managing the office staff.”
Cal cocked his head. “You want a raise. You don’t need to hold a meeting for this. You deserve a pay bump.”
“I don’t want just a raise, Cal. I want to be promoted to CFO of Pierce Brothers. I want to be part of the board of directors.”
Dalton whistled. A grin curved his lips. “Man, this is gonna be good,” he drawled, taking a bite of a simple jelly doughnut.
Brady sat back in his seat, a thoughtful look on his face. Cal nodded, urging her to go on. She refused to glance over at Tristan. She didn’t need any negative energy affecting her presentation.
“I’ve been in charge of the accounts at Pierce Brothers for years, which goes beyond the standard accounts receivables and payables. Besides budgeting, I’m involved in negotiating with our local vendors for discounts and securing new jobs, and I have built solid relationships that keep productivity at increased levels. I’ve included a breakdown of the past quarter’s profit margin.” She brought up the graphs, which were also included in the work sheets. “As Pierce Brothers has evolved, the workload has doubled, and all of you are consistently in the field. I’ve been able to fill in the gap by being more involved in the design aspect. Three months ago, I secured a new contract with Grey’s Custom Flooring with a significant discount to our clients. I was able to do this because of my relationship with Anthony Moretti. Building up my main base of contacts keeps Pierce Brothers viable and able to keep offering unique materials to our clients.”
Cal tapped his pen against the desk. “I was impressed with Grey’s. The quality is top-notch, and they’ve been easy to work with. You did a great job.”
She gave a slight nod. “Thank you. I’d like to show you how those savings affected our bottom line.” She clicked steadily through the slides, breaking down each of her skills and leading up to the main event.
It was time to bring it home.
“I believe it’s time to move forward. We’re financially stable and ready to take on a bigger job with our redesigning and renovation projects.” Tristan glanced up, frowning. This was the delicate part of negotiations. She was stepping directly into Tristan’s territory, but it was time he realized what she could bring to the organization on her own. “I’ve been in talks with Adam Cushman. He’s been very interested in securing some homes in the Harrington area and on the lookout for an opportunity. I believe he’s finally found one.”
“Cushman?” Tristan narrowed his gaze. “He’s a big developer in New York City. I worked with him briefly. How is it you know him well enough to be involved in such a conversation without my knowledge?”
His voice was chilled, like one of those frosty mugs Raven used in her bar. Sydney fought a shiver, determined not to let him intimidate her. Not anymore. “If you remember, you were in a bidding war with him for the property on Allerton. He came into the office one day, but no one was here, so I took the meeting. You ended up winning the property, but he kept in contact with me regarding future opportunities in Harrington. We both hold a similar vision on developing more family-friendly homes with touches of unique design to court a solid middle-class income bracket.”
“What properties is he interested in?” Tristan flicked out the demanding question with a touch of impatience.
She gave a tight smile. “It’s there in the proposal you’re holding.” She clicked to the next slide of her PowerPoint, sketching out a block of houses. “He’ll be purchasing a total of eight houses on Bakery Street.”
Dalton stared at the screen, shaking his head. “Bakery? Those houses are in bad shape. Most of the tenants abandoned them, and no one’s been interested in renovation for an entire block.”
“Exactly.” She pushed the button for the next screen. “Adam has been able to purchase the entire lot and plans to renovate them all together, then flip them. This is the breakdown of approximate costs. We still need architectural proposals drawn up and design specifics discussed, but he’s on board and wants Pierce Brothers to take the job.”
Tristan studied the papers in front of him as if he were a lawyer about to take the bar exam. Brady scribbled notes in the margins, nodding. Dalton shot her a proud grin. It took everything she had not to smile back at his obvious admiration, but she kept her gaze focused on Cal.
“Ambitious,” he said slowly. “And brilliant. How’d you sell him Pierce?”
“I want to use local suppliers for the entire project. I convinced Adam to go local instead of using the main manufacturing plants. We’re concentrating on unique kitchen and bath features to appeal to middle income. Fenced-in yards, smaller-type decks, and appealing front porches for the lot.”
“Have you confirmed all our local suppliers will be on board with this?” Tristan demanded. “Many of them refuse to work with the bigwigs. They prefer local developers. Not city slickers, as they term them.”
“I’ve made initial contact and received definite interest. I’d meet with them and get everything in writing before moving forward.”
“Well done,” Cal murmured, still tapping his pen. “This is a huge job, Sydney. Do you have specifics?”
She clicked to the next screen, which showed an organized calendar of tasks, assignments, and proposed time slots. “This is the working plan, but of course it will be tweaked as we discuss further.”
“I would’ve appreciated a heads-up before this meeting,” Tristan clipped out. “I have another project in the works, and this will take up my calendar for the next several months. Why didn’t Adam reach out to me before this?”