Page 52 of About Last Night
Tristan tried to wipe the icky mental images his father had just implanted from his mind.
‘Great, well love to…?’
‘Susie.’
‘Susie, yeah. Have a good trip back.’
‘Will do.’
His father rang off and Tristan put the phone down and stared at the wall.
What had he done? Something crazy and very unbusiness-like. But it felt good. It felt like the right thing to do.
Getting up, he strolled to the door, feeling invigorated with a new sense of purpose.
He needed to find Lula and tell her what was happening.
He found her in one of the small offices, taking some quiet time after her show and she looked at him with a wary expression on her face as he entered the room. His heart turned over as he wondered what sort of reaction he was going to get when he told her the news.
He hoped a positive one, but it was hard to tell with Lula. She always managed to surprise him.
That was one of the things he liked most about her.
Lula’s heart rate picked up as Tristan strolled into the room. She sat up straight, attempting to compose herself for whatever was about to play out.
After giving him the cold shoulder since theincidentin his office the day before, she wasn’t sure what state their relationship was in any more. Or whether she’d still have a job by the end of the day. After all, the last time she’d stood up to her boss, she’d found herself unemployed.
The thought of him firing her now, after all they’d been through, made her feel sick. But more than that, the idea that he might give up on what they had and waltz back off to Scotland drained all the spirit out of her.
She’d had to draw the line with him though, otherwise she was just some sap he’d used and left behind and she wasn’t prepared to be that girl. Not any more.
He perched on the edge of the sofa she’d been lying on and blew out a low breath before speaking. ‘I just spoke to my father. He wants to shut the station down now that Jez has gone.’
Her heart nearly stopped at the unexpectedly awful news and she sat up so quickly her neck clicked. ‘What! Why?’
‘It’s a long story which involves my father being useless and naïve, but before you panic,’ he held up a palm, ‘there’s a solution.’
Her heart rate slowed a little. ‘He’s going to put it on the market? Or whatever you do with a company.’
He shook his head and frowned, fixing her with a steady stare. ‘No one’s going to want to buy it in its current state, the debts are too large and it doesn’t make enough profit for it to be a going concern.’
He paused and a cold chill ran down her spine.
‘So, what does that mean?’
His face was devoid of any expression. This was pure business. ‘The best thing for the station is for me to buy it and keep it until it breaks even, then look at finding another investor or buyer for it.’
‘Will you hand over the day to day managing to someone else?’ she asked hopefully. Perhaps she could deal with that, if he was going to be more hands-off.
But she could tell from the look on his face that he didn’t want to do that. He loved running the station. She’d seen first-hand how he thrived on the buzz of the place and how much better it was running now he was in charge.
It was good for him and he was good for it.
‘It’s probably best if I keep managing it too.’
She took a deep breath. ‘How long will it take for it to break even?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll have to look at streamlining the staff and there may need to be lay-offs, but based on the initial sums I’ve done, maybe years.’
