Page 1 of Wishing for Love

PROLOGUE

“What do you mean you can’t get me the shipment next week?” Phoenix Westerly asked. He pushed his fingers through his brown hair, messing it up more than normal. How had life turned out this complicated when he thought everything was going to fall into place?

“Sorry, Phoenix,” Scott said on the line. “I have some staff out sick and other open positions. I can’t get it done on time.”

“Not my problem,” he snapped. “I’ve got a lot of money tied up in this. You signed a contract and you’re going to stick to it.”

“Now, Phoenix,” Scott said. “Don’t be that way.”

Scott was a salesman and trying to lay on the charm, but he’d long since built a solid wall against bullshitters. “It’s my money on the line and a lot of customers I could lose.” If he didn’t lose the online customers then he might lose the contract he’d signed with a department store and that might be the end of what he was just trying to build.

“I know,” Scott said. “But it’s hard to find workers.”

“Again,” he said, “not my problem. I supply you with the materials. All you need to do is make the damn product. I wentout on a limb to give you this business when I could have gone elsewhere.”

This was what he got for trying to save a few bucks. Maybe he should have gone with a bigger outfit that charged more, but just getting started over a year ago, he was attempting to maximize his profits.

Guess he didn’t know as much about being a businessman as he thought. He should have stayed in the lab.

“I know,” Scott said. “And I appreciate it.”

“Have people work overtime,” he said firmly. “I’m serious. I’ll get the lawyers involved.”

He hated sounding like a dick, but he was starting to sweat over this. His business couldn’t fail when he’d put everything into it. He’d taken the risk and left his nice stable job when maybe he shouldn’t have.

“That’s your choice,” Scott said. “But it’s not going to solve the problem this week.”

He didn’t need Scott to point that out to him either. It’d be more money he didn’t have to fight this and it still could cost him customers and this contract in the end.

“Scott,” he said. “Get it done and get it done on time. I mean it.” He wasn’t going to add that he was looking elsewhere for future production. That would just make Scott drag his feet more.

“I have other customers too,” Scott said.

“You should be putting me in front of others. Make it a priority. If you don’t get this order done on time then I’m going to lose customers resulting in less work for you. You said I was one of your biggest customers, so think about that.”

There was silence on the other end. “Let me see what I can do and get back to you in a bit.”

“You do that,” he said, slamming his phone down. Guaranteed he’d get a call in an hour or two that Scott workedhis magic and got staff to cover shifts and now his shipment would be on time.

It was like this game that happened every few months and he was tired of it.

Phoenix opened a few of his spreadsheets and started to look at the numbers some more. If he could come up with more money upfront, he’d be able to maybe get a different manufacturer. It’d be cheaper if he could get a larger order, but the last thing he wanted was inventory sitting around too.

It shouldn’t be this difficult.

When his phone rang again, he didn’t notice the number and was going to let it go to voicemail but decided to answer instead.

“Hello,” he said.

“Is this Phoenix Westerly?”

“It is,” he said. “Who am I speaking with?”

“This is Jennifer Skye, I’m a coworker of Maryn Stevens. She was just in a car accident on her way to a showing. She called me to take over but then asked if I could call you to get Elsie after school. They were taking her to the hospital and she isn’t sure how long she’ll be there.”

Maryn was his best friend from college. Elsie was Maryn’s five-year-old daughter. He looked at his watch and knew he had several hours before Elsie had to be picked up.

“I’m on my way. Text me the hospital they are sending her to.”

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