Once You Go Back. 21
Previously, Buckey settled into life on the isolated Georgia estate. On a long, hot night walk, he solidified a vision of the garden and met a stray dog, Bella. Working toward that vision, he bonded with his small crew and learned the culture of the absent MissK’s company from her West Coast staff. Read Previous Chapters.
“The West Coast side of things is a business,” said Joyce the Voice. She called from MissK’s California office daily. “You, on the other hand, are a cost center.”
I’d never met her. Joyce was in my pocket and in my ear. She was an accountant for the firm. She told me how to get credit cards, store accounts, how to hire, how to spend money, and do paperwork. Today, she taught me a new term, “cost center.”
I replied, “In my previous business, we didn’t use that phrase ‘cost center.’”
Patient Joyce said, “My point exactly. You are not in a business anymore. It's my job to make money. It’s your job to spend it. MissK, as you call her, trusts you to make good decisions.”
“So basically, you buy what you need, and I’ll track it all,” she continued. “We’ll get along just great. If you never, ever, ever call me, Miss, you can spend money as long as what you’re buying contributes to making her new dream garden come true—everyone will be happy.”
“What’s my budget?” I asked, like a good employee would.
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