Chapter 16

Roy was at work at 7:30 the next morning after the holiday weekend. With the fire aftermath still demanding attention, he needed to “clear the decks” before his scheduled interview with Brian O’Callaghan. He was elbow-deep in paperwork when Anne arrived — again, earlier than usual.

“I wonder why?” Roy grinned to himself as he heard the outer door open.

“Morning, boss,” she called lightly as she walked past his office.

“Formality? That’s new,” he called after her, amused.

“Just cementing the chain of command,” she replied, her tone breezy.

“Making sure everybody knows their place, huh?”

“Including me.”

“Goodness. I strongly suspect it won’t last.”

He stood, walked to her door, and leaned on the frame. “Sit down, Anne,” he said more gently. She glanced up, sensing the shift in tone, and gestured him in.

“We’ve always had an informal relationship,” he said, “and that’s not going to change — no matter who takes the job. I’ve always appreciated that you’re not afraid to call me out when I get it wrong — I respect you deeply for that. Now, if Brian turns out to match the picture you painted last night, I’d hope you’ll build a similar rapport. At work, it needs to be respectful and honest. But those qualities matter outside of work, too.”

Anne nodded, eyes steady. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Roy gave a small smile. “Right. Once you’ve cleared anything urgent, I’d like you to start sketching out how you see duties being split between you as office manager and the new person. And for heaven’s sake, think up a good title for the role — I keep juggling options and not liking any of them.”

“As long as it’s not ‘minion’,” she said with mock gravity.

“No promises.”

He grinned, then turned practical. “As for the interview itself: I’d like to speak to Brian alone at first. Assuming he’s what we’re hoping for, I’ll call you in, and we can go over the duties schedule together. I’ll frame it as provisional — something to be shaped by experience.”

“Sure, can do.”

“Talk again at morning tea, unless anything urgent crops up.”

Promptly at 10, there was a knock on the door.

At Roy’s call, Brian O’Callaghan stepped in with a quiet confidence. Roy stood to greet him and took in his first impressions: tallish, maybe 178 cm, solidly built but not heavy, with a strong, open face. He had the air of someone who could carry authority without having to prove it. Roy liked what he saw.

“Brian — thanks for coming in,” he said warmly.

“Thank you for fitting me in so quickly,” Brian replied.

“Don’t thank me — thank my secretary,” Roy chuckled. “When she commands, I jump.”

Brian grinned. “Not quite how she put it in Hanmer.”

“I try not to give her too many opportunities.” Roy’s grin lingered. “We’ve got a good thing going here. Huge mutual respect. She’s been with me ten years and is basically the beating heart of Reliabuild.”

“If she’s the heart, then you’re the lifeblood — at least from how she talked about you,” Brian replied. “After hearing that and doing a bit of my own research last night, I’m not surprised at what you’ve built. And I have to say, hats off for how you handled that boy racer business. Smart and gutsy.”

As Brian spoke, Roy paid less attention to the compliments and more to the tone. There was no oiliness — the words seemed genuine. Roy found himself thinking of another recent moment when that word had come up. It was a good sign.

“Okay, flattery over,” Roy said lightly. “Let’s get down to it. Tell me what you’ve been doing the last few years.”

Brian reached into his briefcase and handed over a folder of papers. Roy gave it a glance, then set it aside.

“I’ll get Anne to file that later. Paper’s fine, but it doesn’t tell me who you are. That’s what I want to hear now — the real you.”

Brian nodded, unfazed. For the next half hour, he gave a detailed account of his working life — how he’d started as a general hand and built his practical skills quickly. He’d taken evening classes at what was then Christchurch Polytechnic to get management and accounting credentials, then grown into an all-rounder in the firm — juggling admin, logistics, and sometimes even hauling materials when needed.