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“You’ve what?”
“You heard me, Chelsea.”
She looked at her mom who shook her head sadly, then back at her dad. “You’re bringing someone in to help me, or to take it over?”
“To help you. You can’t deny that the numbers aren’t looking good.”
“No! I can’t. But isn’t it about more than that, Dad? You’ve always said that Hamilton-Groves is more of a family than a business. I’m trying to take care of my employees, like family. And you let me take over Zosca so that I could experiment. You know I’m trying to create something new, a more boutique style label. I’m never going to have the kind of economies of scale that Cameron enjoys with Hamilton-Groves. You have to remember that. You’re not comparing apples to apples.”
Her dad shook his head sadly. “At the moment, I’m not, no. Cameron runs Hamilton-Groves as a business, and, because of the success that business enjoys, he is able to take good care of the employees. Zosca, on the other hand, is not being run as a business. You’re trying to put the horse before the cart. You need to establish the name, the brand, the profit base before you can indulge in taking care of everyone.”
Chelsea blew out a sigh. “So, you’re bringing in some bean counter to take over?”
“No. I didn’t say that. I’m bringing in a consultant to help you turn things around.”
Chelsea shook her head. “What if I don’t want any help?”
Her dad gave her a stern look. “It’s already arranged. We’ll be meeting with them on Monday morning.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. She hated this. She wanted to run things her way. She knew she could do it. It wasn’t as though she was failing. She just … She looked up and met his gaze. She knew the look in his eye. There would be no further discussion on the matter. She could rant and rave, argue or wheedle and it would get her absolutely nowhere. His mind was made up. She nodded. “I’ll see you Monday morning then.” She turned on her heel.
“Chelsea!” called her mom. “Don’t be like that. I thought you were staying for supper.”
She turned back and went to kiss her mom’s cheek. However mad she was, she couldn’t just storm out on them. She loved them too much. “Sorry, Mom, but I don’t think that’d be much fun for any of us, would it?” She turned to her dad. “It’s best if I go home. I’m a bit too emotional tonight.”
He nodded his agreement. “Call me if you want to talk about it. Otherwise, I’ll see in you the boardroom at nine on Monday.”
She nodded.
“And, Chelsea?” he called as she started to leave.
She turned back around. “I really am sorry that you’re sad.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck. He stood to hug her, and for a moment she relaxed. They might disagree, they might fight, they might have very different priorities in life, but he loved her, and she loved him.
~ ~ ~
Cole Hamilton shook his head as he watched his daughter leave.
“I wish you’d waited until after dinner,” said Madeleine.
He smiled at his wife. “You know full well none of us could have enjoyed a meal with all that hanging over our heads.”
She sighed. “I know, but now we won’t see her for the rest of the weekend.”
“It has to be done. She’s doing a good job, in some respects. She’s creating a good brand, a good reputation, and excellent wines, but she’s not keeping her eye on the bottom line.”
“Whenever I talk to her she says she is. It’s just not her main priority.”
Cole blew out a sigh. “It has to be! She’s running a business. I admire her values, but she can apply them in life, not business. She has to make money before she can throw it into her good causes and high ideals.”
“I know.”
Cole pursed his lips. “And she has to learn the difference between good causes and lost causes.”
Madeleine smiled at him. “I agree; I’m glad Adrian is out of the picture. He was definitely a lost cause.”
“A lame duck, if you ask me. I’m hoping if she can learn to be a little more realistic in business, she might carry that through to her personal life and make better choices there, too.”
