Good cop and bad cop

Me? I'm usually the bad cop. I'm the bad cop again.

The Hubs' boss spoke to him again. About what the Hubs and I were thinking after being told the basic scenario that might happen with the business.

Boss: Did you and Grace have a discussion?

Hubs: Oh yeah.

Boss: What's she think about it all?

Hubs: She actually brought up a bunch of concerns. And some ideas that I hadn't even considered.

Boss: Like what?

Hubs: The fact that if I'll be building up from scratch, then why not build in XX (my hometown).

Boss: In XX? Why go there? [stunned look on his face as he says this]

Hubs: Well, Grace mentioned a few things that'll put us in a good situation. Here, it's just me and her and the kids. We've got no family here. What brought us here was this job. In XX, we've got a whole support system. Her parents. Her two sisters and her two brother in laws.

Boss: But you'll be priced out of the market there.

Hubs: Actually, we wouldn't be. Grace's parents will be moving in with her sister, that gives us an opportunity to have a house that we can rent at a 'family price' while we save up for a large down payment. Plus, Grace is making almost as much as I am now.

The two discussed a couple other points. But the fact is his boss was basically at a loss for words. We had stumped him. That we did NOT have to stay here. That we could go elsewhere and rebuild the Hubs' career.

My concern was WHY my husband would show our cards this soon in the game. The supposed transition (if his boss decides to go that route) would finalize at the end of the year. But the Hubs told me that he wanted his boss to know that we have options. That if we were going to stay that they'd have to make it worthwhile. Because if the business transitions, that it'll result in a paycut.

I'm like WHAT? A paycut? For you? But you're doing the amount of work that it took TWO guys to do before you came! You don't cause any waves. No drama like the two guys before you. You work. You don't bitch and moan. And it would mean a paycut for you for us to stay here?

Okay. THAT is why he put our options out on the table. I don't care that he made me out to be the bad cop. That I'm the one he said came up with the out of the box thinking of leaving this place. I'm glad about it now.