Page 9 of The Charmer

"Listen, I’ll put all my cards on the table. I don't micromanage my team."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her blue eyes were stunning—not like the sky but more of an aquamarine.

"It means that when one of my employees tells me there is a problem and they have a solution, I simply tell them to solve it. I don't ask how they do it. I trust that they’ll take care of it. I wasn't aware of the details of this case."

She gave me a smile, but it was sardonic. "That must be nice."

I frowned. "What?"

"Having other people handling everything for you."

"You run this alone?" I asked, glancing around the store.

"I have a small team, but I do know absolutely everything that goes on around here.”

“My assistant simply chose the option that would make sure we got everything on time.”

“But that's just it,” she huffed. “I told your team that we were already rebuilding your order. We were halfway done, actually."

That sucked. It meant she was sitting on those costs and inventory.

"I assume that my team simply considered changing suppliers to be a safer option."

Georgie laughed, looking down. Her blonde hair had been tied up yesterday, but now it was loose. It almost reached her elbows, and it was so thick and luscious that I wanted to find an excuse to get closer to see it better.

"You know, we've been working on that float for over sixty years. Ever since my grandmother signed a contract with your grandparents."

"I didn't know that," I admitted, "nor have I ever looked at the contract."

"Right. It's all just another task for you. Something that isn't even in your purview, right?"

"Exactly." Not that I liked how that sounded. I was involved and treated people right, but I was ready to agree that I dropped the ball on this and it never should’ve happened.

Keeping her head down, she told me, "But here's the thing. This is my life's work. Once word got around that you dropped us, others followed suit, and now...”

She didn't need to finish that sentence. She was in deep financial trouble. Sure, the insurance would've covered whatever was damaged by the flood, but if she'd already started working on replacing what was lost, she was in the red.

"Georgie, I have a proposition for you."

She snapped her head up, looking at me. Fuck yes, there was hope in her eyes! She was even more gorgeous than before. I wanted to get close to her, but that was not an option. This was strictly business, nothing more.

"Starting with the next Carnival season, you’re in charge of our float again."

Her face instantly exploded in a smile.

Fucking hell, that smile would light up the entire damn Quarter.

"Oh my God, that would help so, so much."

"You have my word. I'll have my assistant get back to you next week with all the details. It's far too late to do anything about this year, unfortunately."

“It's helpful to know that I can count on you for the next season." She bit her lower lip. "I'll make do with this one. Tourists are going to start arriving in droves anyway, and we're ready for business." She pointed around the shop.

I couldn't imagine anyone being able to make a living out of selling books, beads, masks, and whatever else she had hanging around here, but I didn't say that out loud. I didn’t like to flaunt my status, although sometimes I did it without realizing.

She moved her hips from one side and then the other, and then did a... was that a pirouette? Yes, it was. The change in her demeanor was incredible.

"Oh, I can't wait to tell everyone else on Monday. They've been expecting me to tell them that we’ll close our doors after this season ends."

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