When Carol and Natasha walked into the restaurant at the Waldorf they had no idea who they would be meeting. They were both surprised when they saw Alphonso Mackenzie stand up and wave them over. He goes by Mack, but everyone knows he's the heir to the largest bed and breakfast chain in America. Over the past few years the big hotels still made money, but a lot of patrons wanted more quaint locations to spend their vacations. The chain that was started by his parents twenty years ago skyrocketed to near the top of the list of best places to stay.
"Miss Carter, you didn't tell me your boss was Alphonso Mackenzie when we spoke yesterday."
"Would it have changed anything?"
"No, I would have still wanted to meet with him. But now I understand the secrecy. It's not a hotel chain he runs. It's the largest bed and breakfast chain in the states."
"Mack insisted that I keep this somewhat quiet. The truth is he doesn't run the chain anymore. He does still retain ownership, though."
"That's true. I may have grown up watching my parents run the bed and breakfast. But a few years back I hired a team who had been in the hospitality business to actually run it for me. That's how it turned into the chain it is. Truth be told, I'm just a mechanic."
"Yeah, a mechanic worth ten billion," Carol says. "So why did you stop running your family business, Mr. Mackenzie?"
"Because you can't take it with you when you go. Please, call me Mack. I've donated a lot of the profits to help underfunded charities. But it's been twenty years since my parents opened the very first site. The location burned down in an electrical fire five years ago. Granted it had been closed for renovation. Now I'm having it restored, and I want to turn it into a museum, but with all the charm of the B&B it was. Would you be interested in consulting on the décor for the building?"
This question is a no-brainer. Carol and Nat both say yes. Helping with the restoration of the site would really help their firm. Especially with a high profile owner, word of mouth would spread like wildfire. Mack is pleased, after he had talked again with the other company he knew they weren't right for the job. They wanted to go modern, and high-tech. It wasn't what he wanted for the building. Natasha assured him that they would make sure the art that was placed would only enhance the charm of the building. For the eighty grand they were promised, they even decided to choose everything themselves. As the meeting ended all parties were happy with how the negotiations turned out.
"So restoration should be complete in the next month. Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Danvers, I look forward to working with you."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mack. We'll be in touch."
As they return to their office, the partners are beyond excited at the opportunity that just landed in their laps.
"Can you believe it, Nat? This is the type of job we've been waiting for. So yeah, I think we're going to that bar Friday night to celebrate."
"That's a no-brainer as well. But I think we should get started choosing the art right away. I want to hit antique shops, and small businesses. Those have to be the best places to start on this venture."
"Agreed. Wanda, Nat and I are heading out again. We've got a lot of work to do for this consultation. Why don't you take the rest of the day off. This one will keep us busy for a while."
"Thank you, Ms. Danvers. I'll see you tomorrow."
Closing up early, Natasha and Carol head out to separate destinations to begin their new assignment. As Mack and Sharon also part ways, now that she has met Natasha, she understands why Steve liked her so much. He'll be so surprised when they get them back together.