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“Oh… yeah, of course.” I try to act blasé but I don’t know whether or not I pull it off. From the look on his face I don’t. “Just erm… on the phone, cancelling plans you know how it is.” I let out a laugh, but it’s too weak to really pass off. “Same old, same old.”
“Yeah well…” Grant hands me the two coffee drinks that I made earlier, snapping me back into action. “That’s what you get for being one of the best legal minds in the country.”
“What… what do you mean by that?” I can barely stand to look at him because he dazzles me so much. “Best legal mind?”
“Well you are, aren’t you? One of the best I mean. I was just saying to Tatiana…” I have to really struggle not to shudder at the mere mention of her name. “That I have some real tough competition in you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you beat me to the partner position at all.”
I smile weakly at him, soaking the compliment up like a sponge. The thing is, I am an amazing lawyer, that’s the reason I’m being considered for partner so soon. That’s why I work my ass off all the time. There are reasons that this is worth it.
“Thank you, Grant, that’s… nice of you. Of course, I’m not really your competition, but still. Thank you.”
“Oh, you are. But I don’t have time to stand around flattering you all day long. Or all night long, what time is it again?” I laugh at his pitiful joke. “I best get back, and judging by the temperature of those drinks you had too. I’ll see you later, I’m sure.”
“Yep. See ya.”
When he gives me a warm grin I feel some of my confidence return. I’ll prove Robyn wrong, she won’t be able to get rid of me once I’m a partner. It’ll all be just fine. I clutch the drinks tighter and I walk with a bounce in my step back to Mr. Thomas. Yes, I’m still annoyed that I’ll have to spend most of the time explaining things to him again, but it’s all just small cogs towards my end goal. That shining star, the title partner.
“Right, Mr. Thomas,” I declare with a grin. Going out for a coffee was definitely a good idea. I have a new spark again. I can face him with a genuine interest. “What do you need help with?”
Chapter Three – Evan
Just as I finally give up and I start gathering up my things to go home, hours after I probably could have left, the phone at my desk rings out. Ally has already left, she’s almost always out the door at five o clock on the dot, so it’s up to me to decide whether or not it’s a call I want to take. The answering machine is on, I could just take a message in the morning, but there’s something inside of me itching, unable to just let it go. Screw it, I need to know who it is.
“Hello, Evan DeBroils speaking.” I’m almost panting with desperation. “How may I help you?”
“Evan, it’s Barry.” My heart sinks as I hear my accountant’s firm tone. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days. You’ve been very difficult to speak to.”
I gulp noisily. I can’t tell him that I informed Ally that she needed to field all his calls and make excuses for why I can’t speak to him because I don’t want to face the impending truth. I know it won’t make any difference, I’m sure things will happen regardless, but by burying my head in the sand I thought I would buy myself some more time. Now, I’m stuck facing it.
I should have let it go to voice mail, I think sadly. What an idiot.
“Oh, Barry. Sorry, you know Ally. Sometimes she doesn’t realize when people are making essential calls…” Maybe I should feel guilty for sullying Ally’s name, but I don’t.
“Right, well. I do need to speak to you. Is now a good time?”
No! Make an excuse. Run away… but I know I can’t. I need to work out what I can do.
“Sure.” I fall wearily back into my office chair. “I can talk.”
“I won’t take up too much of your time, I just need to discuss the financial situation with you.” My eyes fall closed as guilt threatens to consume me whole. “As you know, things are not good. They haven’t been good for a very long time. As I tried to advise you, you expanded at a pace that was much too rapid and now you are hemorrhaging money and you don’t have to focus to start making money back because there is just too much for you. There have been threats from investors and the banks…”
“I’ll just put more of my own money into it,” I interject quickly, needing to make all these horrible thoughts stop. It’s easy to lose my confidence which often borders on arrogance, when I have this heavy reminder that I’ve failed. I knew this was coming. “This is my fault so I’ll foot the bill…”
“Quite frankly, you can’t.” Barry is firm with me. “That won’t work again. You will end up bankrupt yourself, and as well I know you cannot allow that to happen.
“Then I will restructure…” I run my hand through my hair and tug at the ends with stress. “I’ll close some of the offices, make the operations smaller, get things back to how they used to be…”
“That is coming much too late, Evan, I’m afraid that just isn’t going to work.”
A thick silence clings to the air which makes the ice-cold terror bolt through my system. I’ve seen the numbers, I knew that things weren’t good, but it’s starting to sound like Barry thinks I don’t have any options. I don’t want to hear that! I need answers and fast.
“Look, Evan.” Barry sighs. “I don’t want your firm to go to auction. I know what the stakes are for you and I also know how hard you’ve worked. The last thing anyone wants is for everything to go belly up, but you need to be realistic. Maybe it’s time you find a buyer…”
“No,” I shoot back quickly. “The company is mine. I’m not getting a buyer.”
“I know that’s your opinion, but I don’t want you to lose everything. I can’t see any investor worth his or her salt getting involved with a business that has such a poor structure. You know?”
My heart races painfully in my chest and my head starts to spin. It can’t end like this, it just can’t. I absolutely refuse to accept it. “Are there any other options?”
