The next sixty days were less dramatic than the board meeting and more difficult than the plan had allowed for.
A cold snap closed the terrace. The boiler failed in the west wing, and we kept those rooms offline instead of paying for a rushed repair. One group canceled. Another doubled its booking. The design firm returned in February and brought a second client with them.
We held fewer events than I wanted and earned less than the board hoped. We also paid every scheduled hour and every overtime bill. The staff stopped asking whether our numbers were real. They started asking what they could do with them.
I was not made chief executive. Helen named me interim general manager, with a salary increase and the right to approve event schedules, payroll, and vendor contracts within the bank'
