On Monday morning, Jeff was sitting in Bob's office responding to e-mail when Bobby came in with a big smile on his face. Jeff was surprised to see him.

“How are things at Oak Ridge?”

“Fine for now,” Bobby said.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I have a surprise for you.” He paused. “Do you have lunch plans today?”

Jeff looked down at his phone. “Yeah, I'm supposed to meet with—”

“Cancel it.”

“What?”

“Cancel it. Guess who's coming here to meet us?” Before Jeff could respond, Bobby made the announcement. “Ted Marchbanks.”

Jeff sat back in his chair. “How did you manage that?”

“I called my buddy down over at Chimney Rock Golf Course and he gave me Ted's number. I spoke to him last night and I was right. He's bored. Said he was intrigued.”

“That is good news.” Jeff smiled. “Did you tell Clare?”

“Yep. She's free. Twelve fifteen at Maria's.”

“Maria's? Do you think we might want to go someplace a little more . . . good?”

“If he's a fit for our culture, he won't mind.”

“You're right. I'll see you at twelve fifteen.”

The restaurant was about half full, which constituted a busy day at Maria's. Jeff arrived early and asked for a booth in the back. A few minutes later, Bobby and Clare came in and found their way to the table.

“He's late. We shouldn't hire him,” Jeff said with a very serious look on his face.

Bobby seemed stunned. “Wait a minute.” He didn't seem to know what to say. “Maybe he's just—”

Jeff interrupted him. “I'm kidding. Sit down.”

Bobby laughed. “So how long are you going to make me pay for the quitting stunt?”

“As long as you're here, my friend,” he laughed. “As long as you're here.”

“Okay boys. Let's focus a little.” Clare sat down in a spot where she could see the door. “So what do we know about Ted?”

Bobby didn't hesitate. “He was an executive at a company that was almost four times our size. His division alone was as big as we are. He's been involved in everything from design to build to renovation, and he understands how to cut through local bureaucracies, which will be huge for the hospital project.”

Jeff and Clare were clearly impressed.

“Wait a second,” Bobby caught himself. “We can't hire this guy. He's going to have my job.”

Clare laughed and patted Bobby on the back. “We'll always have a place for you at VB.”

At that moment, the front door of the restaurant opened, letting in a blinding ray of sunlight. Out of that light stepped a man who appeared to be an angel. Then the door closed, and he became just a man again.

Wearing nice jeans and a blazer, Ted Marchbanks looked to be ten years younger than his fifty-six years. Looking around the restaurant, he spotted Bobby and headed for their table.

All three executives stood to greet him. Bobby spoke first. “It's good to see you, Ted. Thanks for meeting us on such short notice.”

They shook hands.

“I was surprised and intrigued by your call yesterday, and I'm honored that you'd think of me.”

He then turned to Clare. “I think I met you once before, Clare.”

She seemed puzzled. “Really?”

“Didn't you attend a lunch event over in Novato a few years ago? They brought in a speaker of some kind, on leadership. You were with Bob and a few other people from your company.”

“That's right,” she remembered. “The North Bay Builders' Association meeting.”

“If I remember correctly,” he continued, “it was a snoozefest.”

“Yes, it was. Some professor from an Ivy League school who didn't really connect with the construction crowd.”

Ted changed the subject. “By the way, how's Bob doing?”

Clare answered, “He's at home waiting to have surgery in a couple of days. If all goes as planned, he'll be fine. But he's not coming back to work. In fact,” she turned toward Jeff, “this is our new CEO, Jeff Shanley.”

Jeff shook hands with Ted.

“I hear you're new to the industry, Jeff.”

“That's right.”

“Well, you're working with great people here,” he motioned to Clare and Bobby, “so you'll have an easy time getting up to speed, I'm sure.”

“I agree,” Jeff replied. “And maybe you'll be able to help me, too.”

Ted smiled. “Well, that's nice of you to say. I don't know that I'd have anything new to offer, but you never know.”

They sat down at the table, and for the next hour and a half had a delightful and informative conversation covering everything from the industry and the job to the local economy and the nuances of building a hospital wing and a hotel.

Ted was relaxed, bright, and focused. He certainly didn't seem like someone who was ready for retirement.

Clare was curious about that. “Why did you retire, Ted?”

He hesitated. “I don't know. I guess after doing what I'd done for so long, it seemed like I should take advantage of the fact that I could afford to retire. My kids are grown. The house is paid for. My wife wanted to travel more. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“But?” Jeff prompted him to finish the story.

Ted smiled. “Well, there's only so much golfing and antiquing and traveling you can do. I really liked the process of building things. I like the problem solving. I suppose I underestimated the benefits of the work itself.”

Clare pressed him further. “Why didn't you go back to North Bay?”

He hesitated again. “As much as I enjoyed construction, that company was getting a little too big, and a little too . . .,” he paused, searching for the right words, “bureaucratic. I've come to realize that it was time for a change, but maybe not retirement.”

“Makes sense to me,” Bobby declared.

Ted looked at his watch. “However, I am still technically retired, and if I don't make it home to help my wife clean out the garage, then boredom will be the least of my problems.”

They laughed politely and thanked Ted for his time. After he left the restaurant, they stayed to debrief.