We pulled up to my place and he opened the door for me. "Thank you Mr. Winston. I don't know if Samantha told you or not, but I will be out of town for awhile. I have a flight scheduled to Colorado that leaves in a few hours, so I'll need a ride there. But you are in charge of the house while I'm gone. Please keep me posted. And please take that wife of yours on a well deserved date or two, I will have my secretary make a reservation at a place downtown, and I will not take no for an answer. You have been one of my best employees over the years, you've been there for me after my parents died, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you what that means to me."
I could see his eyes turn glossy as he began to speak, "I knew your mother and father very well, I have seen you grow up. I even see you as a child of mine. And I could not be more proud of the person you are. You have a kind heart and a stubborn attitude when it comes to graciousness. You won't let people say no to you when you're showing them your appreciation and care. You are one wonderful young woman, and I can't wait to see you as a mother and wife."
Now we are both crying and Mr. Winston pulls my shoulders towards him to envelop me in his embrace. I pull back slightly to look him in the eyes and say. "Mr. Winston. Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me. Now stop making me cry," we both chuckle, "and I really have to pack, or I won't leave on time. Oh, and I will be taking Anna with me, so you wont have to worry about her. Thanks again."
I hug him one last time and walk up the front steps to my massive home. I know it's just me and Anna living here in the house, but I got to design the whole house. The bigger the house the more designing. And plus, Mr. and Mrs. Winston were over at my house quite frequently. They came over for any reason, and it made it feel like I wasn't the only one living there. I loved them so deeply.
I had a little house built to the side of mine, as he wouldn't let me build anything bigger than a two-thousand square-foot home, for the Winstons. I figured if I built it on my property and said that it was a house for my driver, he would consent to living there. He's just as stubborn as I am. Maybe that's why we've always gotten along so well.
I open the door to the house and am greeted by Anna. "Hi Pumpkin, did you miss me? I missed you!" I say as I drop my bags and sit on the floor to hug and pet my baby. She lays down then rolls over in my lap so I can rub her belly. She sure knows how to get what she wants. "I love you Anna! I love my baby! Hey guess what?" She jumps up and starts wagging her tail as she tries to lick my face. I put my hand up to try to cover my face as I say, "Hey, take it easy, no kisses, we have to leave and I don't have time for a shower, you silly girl." Then I start getting up off the floor and wipe my pants with my hands trying to knock off any dirt from the floor. Something all of us girls do, even if you're on a clean floor, it's just a habit.
"Oh yeah, you almost made me forget to tell you. We're going on a trip to see Emma, Ryan, and all the horses! I know you love it over there, so I wanted to take you." And that was all I needed to say. Anna is a really smart dog, I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what I was saying. She got so excited, she even started barking at me and howling as she followed me up the stairs to my bedroom.
I walked right into my closet and pulled out three suitcases. Two for me, and one for Anna. Yes, I am that crazy pet owner, and yes I am proud of it. But seriously. Dogs are creatures of habit. You wouldn't change their food for a couple of weeks, or not bring their favorite toy they find comfort in, or even not bring their bed that smells like home and makes them feel safe. Everything I do for Anna is to bring her happiness. She was there for me when my parents passed away, and I will do anything and everything in my power to make sure I show her how much that means to me.
I always pack pretty light, but riding boots and jackets take up a lot of space, that's why I have two suitcases. An hour later, Anna and I are packed for Colorado.
My flight will leave in about an hour, and it takes thirty minutes in traffic to make it to the airport. So we will leave in fifteen minutes to be a little early, which means that we have time for a snack. Anna is free-fed so her food just sits out and she eats whenever she is hungry. She is not overweight by any means. If anything, she is almost underweight because she and I are so active. She has to eat food that's similar to puppy food. Really high in calories. Anyways, maybe I can get her to eat a little before we go. And I'll just stuff my bag with some paleo brownies and bars.
I've come to realize that paleo food is just one way God says he loves me.
"Alright, let's go Anna." She runs over to me and I attach her leash to her collar. Mr. Winston is already waiting for us, so I hand him her leash and he leads her to the car. I walk back in to fetch the three pieces of luggage and set them right outside the front door. As I turn to lock the front door, Mr. Winston grabs two of the bags and walks with them to place them in the trunk. I grab the last bag and walk down the front steps towards the car. I hand the bag to Mr. Winston and walk over to the open door of the car and climb in to sit next to Anna, closing the door behind me. I hear the trunk of the car close, then Mr. Winston walks to the drivers seat, starts up the car, and takes us to the airport.
We arrive at the airport and my Embraer Praetor 600 is waiting for me to board. She sure is a beauty.
Also, side note, I always hear about guys and their "toys," but there should be something said for girls too. Not sure what I'd do without them...
As Winston pulls up to the side of the airplane, Eric, my pilot steps out of the jet to greet me. Surprisingly, Eric opens the door of the car and greets me, "Welcome Miss Roberts, it has been a long time. I'm glad to see you. And Anna. Always a pleasure." He reaches down to pet her.
"Eric. It's good to see you as well. I haven't needed to travel for work, and well, I don't really take vacations. So that's why it's been awhile. But that just means that you get to spend more time with your family. How is your new addition?"
"You always remember everything," he says with a laugh. "We are all doing wonderful. Zach turns six months old next week and Catherine has had an exceptional recovery. Thank you for asking."
"Of course. I love hearing about your family, especially when all is well. So, are you ready to brace the October weather of Colorado?" I ask in an almost sarcastic tone.
"Yes," he chuckles, "you really weren't cut out for Colorado were you?"
"I was for two months of the year, sometimes three. June, July, and August. It's such a beautiful place, and it's really easy to be active there. All the outdoor activities all year long. But I've had enough of the cold!" I laugh as I start lead Anna up the stairs of the airplane, with me following closely behind. I look up and see William, Eric's co-pilot. I almost forgot I had two pilots now. When I bought my next Embraer airplane, it was larger than the last and required two pilots instead of just one. "Hey William, it's good to see you as well. How's your fiancé?" I ask as I start to ascend the steps to the airplane.
"She is doing very well, she's excited for the wedding. You know it's only one month away?"
"I didn't know that, you never told me a date. Well, you must be very excited. It's a very happy time for you guys."
"Thank you Miss Roberts, very happy indeed." He then turns to the cockpit and gets settled in for the flight.
As I get to the top step, I turn around to yell, "Thank you Mr. Winston, and don't forget what I said, take care of that wife of yours" I give him a smirk with a wink and proceed to enter the plane. Eric, Mr. Winston and I all break out into laughter as the airplane gets closed up and is ready to leave.
I sit down on the couch in the back of the plane with my legs stretched out across it. I laid a blanket down by my legs so Anna could sit with me without scratching up the seats with her nails. "Come on Anna. Up." I say as I pat the blanket. She perks up and gladly takes the space by my legs. I pet her and give her some kisses. Then I reach out to my bag and take my laptop out and start working. Even though I'm on "Vacation" as a CEO most of the time that means working outside of the office. A business owners' vacation at its finest.
Before I start working, I realize that I need to text Samantha and have her set up a dinner for Mr. Winston and his wife. I get that all written down in a text and have her send the details to the Winstons.
I start off my work by going through my emails. It looks like it's the usual stuff I have to sort through every day. I keep scrolling, and something catches my eyes. One of my employees might have found our new addition to the company. We've been brainstorming for new ways of expansion in Roberts & Co. through recent weeks. My team has worked their butts off, and I think it might have paid off. They found an older gentleman, Mr. Rodder, who is potentially ready to sell his hotel chain. He has hotels in ten different countries and all major cities in the United States. The issue for him is that he is getting way too old for this line of work, has no heir to pass the business to, and most of his hotels are really run down and are in need of renovations. With the amount of work that needs to be done, we should be able to purchase the chain for a really good price. Mr. Rodder's potential sale is not something that everyone knows about. We had gotten a tip from one of my employees cousins who works for Mr. Rodder. So we really need to jump on this opportunity. I email everyone and set up a meeting for tomorrow. I'll video chat in and we'll get this deal settled.
Well that's exciting, I have something to look forward to upon my return.
Nothing else to do until tomorrow. And we land in thirty minutes. I'll take a quick nap and go for a ride when I get to the ranch.
Forty minutes later, I am woken up by Eric gently shaking my shoulder. "Miss Roberts, we have arrived, and your car is waiting for you right outside the plane."
"Wonderful, thank you Eric." I stretch, rub my eyes, then begin to I collect my belongings. "Where's Anna?"
"Oh, she's already waiting for you in the car. And they should have just finished placing your luggage in there too," Replied Eric.
"You guys always treat me like a queen," I chuckle, "Well, I best be on my way, I'll see you in a few weeks." I start towards the door to step out of the plane.
"Bye Miss Roberts, have a good vacation" says Eric. "Yes, have a good time. Bye Miss Roberts," chimes in William.
"Thank you, I will!" I say as I step into my car. Ah, the smell of fresh leather. "I missed you baby" I say to my car, because who wouldn't say that to their Porsche Cayenne GTS. I always leave it here in Colorado even though it is my favorite car. Maybe I should get one in Texas. Or have this one sent to Texas. Decisions, Decisions.
"Are you ready to go?" I ask Anna who is sitting in the seat protector hammock in the back seat. She just wags her tail at me and smiles adoringly. Gosh, I really love my dog.