“She was, but we broke up last night, and she quit.”
“Let me guess—she wanted to get married.”
Yup. “She invited me out to eat last night and proposed. I turned her down.”
“That was fast. I’m not surprised she fell for you. You have a way about you that women seem to like.”
Love hadn’t played into Daisy’s proposal. Nope, she wanted a man to take care of her and had chosen him. Or so she’d strongly hinted. Little gold digger.
“I only met her the one time when I stopped by the new store to take a look,” Grandpop said. “She wasn’t your type. But you’re thirty now, and I could do with a grandbaby. I understand that after your engagement to Sammi fell through, you got scared about marriage. But that was several years ago, and you’re over it, so lose the excuses and start looking. It’s high time you settled down.”
Unwanted advice Blake ignored, but he couldn’t let his grandfather’s words stand uncorrected. “The decision to call off the wedding was mutual,” he reminded the man.
“Then what’s holding you back, boy?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kinda busy with the business.” Plus, having had a front-row seat to what happened when things ended in a good marriage had made him wary. When his dad had died unexpectedly some twenty years ago, his mother had gone off the rails. In his view, she still was. She’d been engaged multiple times and had recently signed her second set of divorce papers in four years. Currently, she was in an ashram in India, trying to find herself.
No, thanks. “Whitney’s pregnant with your first two grandchildren—twins,” he reminded Grandpop.
“And I’m thrilled. Two is a good start, but it’d be damn nice if you added to the gene pool, too. I’m 78 years old and won’t be around forever.”
“Don’t try to guilt me. You’re healthier than anyone I know.” Blake changed the subject. “So you think I have a type. Tell me, what would that be?”
“No idea. I haven’t met her yet. I ordered the lasagna for you. If you want the roast beef instead, I need to get the changed order in.”
He expected Blake to follow through on the dinner invite, and barring emergencies Blake always had. He owed the man a great deal. After his father had died, Grandpop, Blake’s maternal grandpa, had been a good role model for him and Whitney. He had a gruff side but was solidly behind them and loved them when their mother was wrapped too deeply in grief to pay much attention to them. He’d walked Whitney down the aisle on her wedding day and had also advised Blake on business issues and loaned him the seed money to open the first bike store. It’d begood to see him, and Blake really did need a break. “I’ll stick with the lasagna.”
“Excellent choice. I reserved a table for six o’clock and am playing bridge at seven-thirty. Don’t be late.”
CHAPTER 2
The second bad thing happened shortly after Vi stepped through the door of DD Telecom. There was no sign of the usual cluster of employees drinking coffee and chatting in the lobby before the company opened. Weird. Had she missed something? Frowning, she finally checked the messages on her phone.
An emergency all-employee meeting had been scheduled in the big conference room. That explained the multiple texts from this morning. The unease she’d felt earlier flooded back, and she hurried upstairs to the meeting room on the second floor. It was packed. Todd stood at the podium, his tie slightly askew and his blue button-down shirt strained across his middle-age belly. He raked a hand through his hair. Twice. Had to be bad news.
She found an empty seat next to Eric, a short-lived boyfriend from the IT section of the business until their amicable split almost a year earlier. Like all the guys she’d dated over the past several years, he was a nerd. In the worst sense.
The guy kept his shoes in a pile under his bed and left dirty dishes in the sink all day, both of which drove her nuts. What a slob. He also spent a great deal of time drinking and partying with friends, reminding her all too well of her parents before thedivorce. She had no interest in wasting her time and didn’t care if she never saw him again. But as they worked for the same company, she maintained a civil relationship with him. “What’s happening?” she said in a low voice.
“Brace yourself. Alan Ragen has bankrupted us. He was forced out last night and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.”
The CEO had donewhat? Certain she’d misunderstood, she gawked at him. “I don’t understand.”
Eric was about to say more when Todd adjusted the microphone. “I’m sure you have questions. So do I. I didn’t find out about this until late last night. Here’s what I know. Alan got himself into a dicey financial situation. He needed cash and stole it from the corporate account. I have no idea how he did it or why the accounting team didn’t catch on until a few days ago. All I know is, he’s gone and the company is in financial straits. We’ll be laying off half the staff, and?—”
Reaction was swift and loud. Angry voices roiled through the air, momentarily silencing him before he continued. “I’m every bit as upset as you are. If you’re laid off, you’ll be summoned to HR today to discuss your severance package and meet with a job counselor.”
This couldn’t be happening! Vi had never been timid and wasn’t now. She stood up. “What about our bonuses?” And her pay raise and promotion?
“That’s a good question, Vi. I’ve been told there’s barely enough money to cover payroll, let alone bonuses. That includes mine. The board of directors has chosen Tarleton Iglesias as our CEO. For those of you who don’t know him, he’s been with the company for six years and is highly regarded.”
Vi barely heard anything after the word bonuses. She crossed the fingers of both hands.Please, please don’t lay me off. An acrid taste, sharp with fear, made her wince. Her throat haddried up, and she reached into the smaller of the pockets in her purse for a breath mint. She gave Eric one, too, and he needed it. The mint helped with the bad taste, but not the panic flooding her stomach, the same unpleasant feeling that signaled the money woes she’d experienced throughout her childhood.
Besides helping Gran—if she didn’t have the money to permanently stay at the 709, where would she go?—there were bills to pay. The mortgage, car payment, et cetera, including Mr. T’s last vet bill for surgery to remove bladder stones, to name a few. Expenses her barely adequate savings account couldn’t possibly cover. Should’ve put more money away. Too late now.
“What do we do next, sue?” someone asked over the noise.
“We could, but unless the company has a way to pay, I don’t know that we’d get anything from it. Consulting an attorney can’t hurt. In the meantime, I’ll keep you informed.”
