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“Daddy.”
“No buts, sunshine girl. It’s my decision and I’ve made up my mind. Now, I hope you’ll work with me going on one last adventure but if you don’t, I’ll understand and I’ll put someone else in charge. Declan could do it.”
“Declan? Hell, no.”
“I trust him.”
“I hate him.”
He gave me a look, shaking his head.
I chomped on a bite of the cereal, furious with everything. My life. His life. The world sucked big time. “Fine.”
“Now, there’s a meeting this afternoon with the new crew if you can make it. I’ve already called some of the men. Declan is handling wrangling some of our riggers together.”
“Declan? That pompous asshole?”
He and I didn’t get along whatsoever. He’d believed Daddy would put him in charge, which had placed us at odds from day once when I walked onto the rig. Meanwhile, I’d looked for a reason to fire his ass, which I’d yet to find.
“He’s the best man for it, honey. He can rally the troops, so we know what we’re dealing with. I’m going to this meeting, so you don’t need to handle it alone. However, this is your baby. I know you can do this for me. For us. Won’t you?”
I hated it when my father put me on the spot like this. How could I say no to him? I gritted my teeth, pushing my bowl away. “Fine. Of course, I’ll help but I’m not going to like it.”
He laughed and patted my hand once again. “That’s my girl. You are the epitome of your beautiful mother in all ways. I couldn’t be prouder of you and what you’ve accomplished.”
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Xena had to let us know her two cents’ worth. Sighing, I shook my head. “What about Aiden?”
“It’s all worked out. Erin is going to take care of him.”
“And what about you, Daddy?”
“A nurse is going to come by part time to check on me. I’ll be fine. I’m getting stronger every day.”
It was bullshit and we both knew it, but I wasn’t going to tell my father he was losing his mind.
Maybe I was really the one doing that.
My father had a construction-style office in a rather bad part of town. It was where the books had been kept for years, my uncle allowing Pops to erect a small building on his construction site. They shared several employees even now, which had served to keep some of our best riggers as our combined employees. While the usual project had lasted four to six months, a few of them in the early days longer when drilling new wells, the pay wasn’t as inflated as with some of the bigger firms.
That allowed for a certain uneasiness within the ranks. Given my uncle’s construction firm paid equally well, everyone was happy and they weren’t forced to remain at sea for extended periods of time. However, times had been tough for everyone the last few years, my uncle included. That had left several men unemployed for longer periods of time.
I’d learned the rig we would be headed for was located in the North Celtic Sea fifty miles offshore. I’d done my research before the afternoon meeting, learning the Harrington Oil Field usually managed to grab as many as one thousand barrels a day, which wasn’t the largest offshore load in the world, but it was significantly higher than what our little rig had ever produced. Even with the fifteen percent cut Ben Harrington was taking, our share would be significant if we managed to produce even half that much.
However, that would take very skilled workers, and some of our guys were ready to retire, unable to handle the heavy volume and the tremendous workload. Others I would classify as drunks who barely functioned, also a product of the industry. While I’d been given full control of the operation, that didn’t include who I could fire. That had to be run by my dad and he was hesitant to fire the old timers or even the most offensive drunks because they’d been so loyal to him over the years.
I’d made a call and had been completely shut down by the bank. It had been worth a shot and I’d lost my cool, which was very much my personality. It had felt good to explode over the phone.
Then I’d gotten the news from the insurance company that the policy was still being challenged. I couldn’t afford to hire an attorney, which meant I couldn’t get the additional cash. Nothing was going my family’s way. Nothing. This contract work had to matter or there would be no choice left but to sell.
The saddest truth of all wasn’t just the financial crunch our little company was under but also the fact we had almost no one we could count on. I understood why my father continued to put so much faith in Declan Brady and Conor McCarthy, but they were the two men I’d had the most trouble with over the last few months. Declan hadn’t been with the company long enough to matter, barely eight months. Yet my father acted as if the man was the most qualified for the job. It was crazy.
Maybe I was just envious of the heightened trust factor, but it didn’t matter. Declan was a bad seed and I was determined not to allow him to have but so much control. I’d make it clear to him that he was to follow my orders. Or else.
You go, girl.
“You can do this. Hold your head high. Just do it.” The ugly whisper I issued to myself had a pleading sound. This felt like failure but maybe Daddy was right. Maybe it was time to snag what money we could and sell the business. I’d had thoughts of talking with my uncle, seeing if he wanted to purchase it, but family was first and I knew he couldn’t afford it.
