I had expected his attire and wanted to match his style with a look from The Row myself with somewhat contemporary and sleek British style. I had my trusted Richard James double-breasted grey suit on with a pale blue cotton shirt. No tie. My feet were guarded by a pair of chukka boots in suede from the same shop. I was ready to sign the deal and start the project.
The last time we had seen each other had been at the funeral, and, outside the family, he was the first person I notified of my intention to sell the house. I didn’t think he was happy about that, but he was a professional and I was the owner and his client. The client was always right.
“Ready?” he asked, putting down his phone and shaking my hand.
“Let’s get it over with.”
When we went in, we were greeted by Jared’s assistant, an attractive young woman in black pants and a tight white blouse that complemented her upper torso rather nicely, who was waiting for us in the hall.
“The team is upstairs. Mr. Shannon might join us today as well,” she said.
Mr. Goldberg and I looked at each other. It wasn’t planned but wasn’t unexpected either. We had discussed the probability of that on the phone the day before, along with the content of the agreement we were supposed to sign today.
“It’s an honor to finally meet him,” he said to the assistant.
I don’t think he really felt that way, but he was a polite man and had to say something.
“Right this way,” she said, showing us to the elevator.
Once again, we found ourselves in the meeting room with the same long table and some delicious looking hors d'oeuvres and a variety of beverages. I didn’t remember this abundance at our last meeting, but it was nice to see this sort of hospitality. Someone obviously wanted to keep us fed and happy while finalizing the deal. I would rather see an ice bucket with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and, perhaps, some Beluga Caviar.
The team was ready indeed. Half a dozen men and women, mostly in their thirties, with their laptops and serious faces were waiting for us in the room. We shook hands with everyone. They were all wearing smart casual outfits and the pair of us looked a bit overdressed and much older.
“Shall we get this show on the road then?” I said with a smile, rubbed my hands and sat down at the table.