Page 6 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“Wow.” I shook my head. “Never thought it would get that bad for her. Surprised she didn’t just ask her father for help.”
“She would have, I’m sure, but her father is the one who pushed for the sale.” He reached under his desk and pulled out a bottle of water. After taking a long sip, he looked at me. “So, what’s the proposal?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard about the new studios built just outside of town?”
“Yes, of course. Talk of the town.” He paused. “You got the contract? So many people were clamoring for that. If I had been around sooner, I would have tossed my hat in the ring.”
“Yes, I got it, and it kicks off soon. I secured contracts to provide security for them for the foreseeable future. But, as luck would have it, I recently lost mylead guy. I need someone to help me train the new hires, and if you have any staff currently in need of work, I’ll gladly use them to fill the slots.”
“I definitely have guys, and they’ll be thrilled to hear about guaranteed work.” Raymond scratched his chin. He sure was a fidgety man. “A few of them are muttering about joining someone named Mitch. Apparently, he has a new start up, and he’s offering great rates for the guys.”
“Damnit, he works fast.”
He grunted at my outburst. “You know him?”
“My lead guy who left,” I answered. “That would be Mitch.”
“Oh, so you didn’t just lose a guy. You’ve been backstabbed.”
“I assume it has something to do with Rose’s company crumbling.” My mind went to work solving the riddle in front of me. “He sees an opportunity for himself. If he can undermine me and sneak in the backdoor with a ready-made team, I lose everything. I understand that now.”
“It would seem like, in a way, Rose has screwed both of us.” He fiddled with the bottle of water.
“It looks that way.” I nodded.
“Well, of course, we will need to discuss the details further, but it looks like this is a way to help us both out.”
“Might be.” My shoulders relaxed. I could tell by the way his eyes darted over to the stack of bills, Raymond was a smart man. He had bills to pay and wouldn’t shut down a perfect opportunity for petty reasons.
“How long do you need the deal to last?” He asked.
“Initially, six months,” I reported. “After that, we can revisit things.”
He scratched his chin. “I can hang around for that long.”
“Hang around?” I inhaled sharply.The last thing I need is another man running off and ruiningmy business!
“Like I said, I’m always moving.” He folded his hands in front of him. “This was supposed to be a sell and dump situation. Unless you have the cash to buy me out now, I’m going to have to stick around.”
“That I don’t.” I shook my head.
“It looks like we got a new partnership on the horizon.”
“Great.” I picked up a card from the desk with his information on it. “I’ll have my assistant send over everything you need for your full consideration.”
“Oh, and one more thing.” Raymond tossed his locs over his shoulder. “Try not to trip me again?”
I chewed my lip for a second then shook my head as I turned to leave. “I honestly can’t promise that.”
“Not even if I let you have the donut?” he called after me as I walked out of his office.
3
Maybe there’s hope
Ileft his office feeling both relieved and confident this arrangement would work out. In a way, my issues with Rose had turned in my favor. Would I forgive her for stealing my concept to begin with? Probably not. But this wasn't about her, or the past. This was about the future—and the future was looking great.
Considering how well the meeting went, you would think I wouldn't need that sweet treat. But as I left his office, I found myself craving it. Maybe it was the smell of it on his breath. Maybe it was because the conversation hadn’t eliminated all my stress. Regardless, I drove straight to another store, found a pack of those little pink donuts, and ate them on my way back to the office.
