Page 9 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
“Yes, so please stay.”
“We shouldn’t drag this out, Sara. A clean break is better.”
“Probably, but I need some time with you here to help with the management transition.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” She leaned forward. “While you think, answer some questions about the dealership for me.”
“Sure.”
“First, I need the details of the lease McKinley claims he holds on the backlot warehouse. Second, tell me what you know about the damage I saw on the lot cars.”
“What damage?”
“You mean you aren’t aware that some of our cars have scratches on the doors, trash inside, and who knows what else wrong beneath the hood?”
He crossed his right knee over his left leg. “I’ve been a little busy with Dad for the past few days.”
“There’s too much damage for just the past few days. I’m surprised the prep and body foreman didn’t notice. Who do you have working there?”
He glanced away and mumbled. “No one.”
“No one!” She shot to her feet and paced the length of the room. “How long have we been without a foreman?”
“I don’t know, a month or two. Dad was gone a lot — buying trips, the Mega Motors contract, that kind of stuff. I had to handle everything.”
Sara moaned.
“What’s the big deal? The guys in the prep shop know their jobs. We’re having a small cash flow crunch, so I let the foreman’s slot go empty for a while.”
She turned and stalked back to him. “The deal, Donny, is that we now have damaged cars and no way to account for the damage. The small amount of money you saved by not paying a foreman will be eaten up before half the repair work is complete. If Carson’s is having cash problems, they just got worse. Which reminds me. What were you thinking when you decided to lease the warehouse?”
He tightened his shoulders. A sullen twist pinched his mouth. “You’re angry about Josh McKinley.”
“Considering that he flaunted that Cadillac in my face, to say nothing of his uncle’s part in destroying our parents’ marriage, I’d say I have every right to be angry that you did business with McKinley. But that’s not what this is about.”
“Yeah, right.”
“By leasing that warehouse, you jeopardized the entire Mega Motors deal. We have nowhere else to put the shipment scheduled for December. According to you, we have insufficient funds to finance an alternative. Even if Carson’s did have the money, I doubt six months is enough time to turn any space into an acceptable RV showroom.” Defeated, she dropped onto the sofa. “Dad’ll have a fit when he finds out.”
Donny braced his elbows on his knees. He hung his head and rocked slightly from side to side. He made a truly sorry picture. “I’d better leave before I do any more harm.”
“Donny, I’m sorry. I let my worries get away from me, and I took my frustration out on you. Please, don’t leave now. You’ll be a tremendous help in bringing me up to speed.”
“I won’t go back to the dealership. You need a free hand there. I don’t think I could stand being cooped up here with Dad all the time.”
“Come in to work with me, just for a few days,” she pleaded.
“If I stay on for a while, what will you tell Dad when I go?”
“I’ll think of something. It’ll depend on his health.”
Donny snorted. “I’m not sure I’ll come back. You can’t make excuses for me forever.”
“It won’t be forever,” she protested. “He’ll be back at his desk soon.”
“You may want to discuss that with Doc Biggers before you start making any long-range plans.” Donny put his glass on the coffee table between them and stood.
