Patricia Kay – You've Got Game (страница 5)

He almost smiled. She might be a snob, but she wasn’t stupid. “Thing is, I’m a little busy today. The cooler was on the fritz for two hours earlier this morning, which backed everything up, so now we’re behind. Added to that, we’re installing a new outer-bagging machine, and that’s put us even more behind. So this is a real bad time. Maybe you and I could reschedule?”

“I’m sorry about the problems. However, I only dropped into your office as a courtesy,” she said, rising. “I actually came to meet my staff.”

He frowned. “Staff? You don’t have a staff.”

She stared at him. “But Nan had a secretary—her name was Stella, I believe—and I know there were at least two clerks the last time I was here. And the bookkeeper.”

Nan Mackey was their former business manager, the one Lorna was replacing.

“Stella quit when Nan left. She was pregnant. Stella, that is. And the two clerks were temps. We were in the middle of inventory the last time you were here. Phyllis, the bookkeeper, telecommutes, only coming in at the end of the month or for meetings.”

“I see. Well…have you done anything about replacing Stella?”

He shrugged. “No. I figured you’d rather hire your own secretary.” Someone you can count on to help sabotage me. “Not take someone I chose for you.”

She nodded. “Yes, you’re right, although I would have much preferred to have Stella, since she would have been a big help to me. I don’t suppose there’s anyone else here who might fill the bill?”

“Nope. Not that I know of.” He looked at Karen. “You know anyone who aspires to the office, Karen?”

She frowned in thought. “I could ask around. Maybe Rita?”

“I can’t spare Rita. She’s my best line-supervisor.”

“Yolanda?”

He shook his head. “Not Yolanda, either.”

Karen shrugged. “Well, they’re the only two I can think of.”

“Sorry,” he said to Lorna. “Maybe you’d like to bring someone over from the Morgan Hills plant.”

She just looked at him. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Hey, you’re one of the owners. You can do anything you want.” Whether it’s kosher or not.

For a moment, she didn’t answer. Then, coolly, she said, “Can we step into your office, please?”

“I only have a few minutes.” He walked over and opened the door, motioning her through. Then he closed it firmly behind him. “Have a seat.” After she was seated, he perched on the edge of his desk, knowing that height always gave an advantage. He waited. If she had something to say, let her say it.

“Look, Nick, can we call a truce?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just what I said. Let’s agree that we don’t much like each other. That’s fine. I don’t need for everyone to like me. However, we do have to work together, so can we also agree to be civil and courteous to one another?”

“Sure.”

She seemed taken aback by his ready agreement. “Good. Then you’ll not be making any more remarks like the one you just made in front of your secretary, right?”

“What was uncivil or discourteous about that? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

Now she bristled, sitting up and tensing like a cat ready to strike. Her eyes, normally an icy blue, blazed. “No, it wasn’t the truth. When have I ever thrown my weight around?”

“Could it have been when you and your brother decided you’d replace Nan without consulting me or even asking me if I had a problem with it?”

That took the starch out of her sails. “I…” Her voice trailed off, and she sank back in her chair. Her gaze met his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Bryce hadn’t consulted you. And you’re right. He should have. We both should have.”

Nick shrugged. “Apology accepted.” He stood. “But you really should have called before coming over today, because I’ve got a full schedule. If you want to look around on your own, though, you’re welcome to do it. But if you can wait till Monday, I’ll show you everything you need to know to get started.”

She nodded. “Fine.” She stood, too. “Seeing as how I have no staff to meet, I guess I’ll wait until Monday. In the meantime, would you ask Karen to find a temp for me until I can get someone hired?”

“Why don’t you talk to Karen about that? That way she’ll know exactly what you want.”

“Okay. I just didn’t want to step on your toes.”

“No problem.”

Nick watched as she walked out of his office. She might have tried to disarm him with an apology, but she was a tight-ass if he’d ever seen one. No wonder her husband had left her. Nick could just imagine the way she’d lorded it over the poor guy and made him toe the line. No man with any pride could live like that.

Well, she’d met her match now. Nick wanted to keep his job, but he wouldn’t grovel before Lorna Hathaway in order to do so. And the sooner she knew that, the better.

But even as he told himself this, he felt the stirring of a grudging admiration for the way she’d handled herself today. At the very least, having her at the plant promised to be interesting.

Damn, damn, damn, damn.

Lorna mentally kicked herself for not calling Nick before going to the plant, but mostly she was furious with herself for not doing her homework.

She should have known the only “staff” she’d have would be a secretary. Why hadn’t she thought to check before opening her mouth? Instead, she’d just assumed that the people she’d seen on her last trip to Houston were permanent employees.

You know what they say about making assumptions, don’t you?

Now Nick DeSanto not only didn’t like her because she was part of the Hathaway family—at least she thought that’s why he didn’t like her—but he probably also thought she was lazy or careless or worse—stupid.

Well, it was her own fault if he did, and she would have to work doubly hard to correct that impression.

And topping everything off was the glaring omission Nick had pointed out—that neither she nor Bryce had asked him if he would have a problem with her taking the business manager’s job. In Nick’s shoes, she’d be furious. She’d think that they didn’t value him as an employee, which she knew wasn’t true. Bryce had recently told her he considered Nick DeSanto the best of his seven plant managers.

Lorna sighed.

Not exactly the best way to begin. Not the best way at all.

Nick never got home Friday night. He worked straight through until Saturday morning when they finally got back on schedule. He was exhausted and was sure Cal Lopez, his production manager, who’d also worked a twenty-four-hour stretch, was equally exhausted.

That was the trouble with running at full production capacity. There was no wiggle room, no way to make up downtime from equipment problems. As it was, each of the ninety nonoffice personnel put in anywhere from fifty to sixty hour workweeks. For months now, they’d been running three shifts a day, ten hours per shift.

So when they had a serious problem on the line, they lost money, because some orders could not be filled.

Nick knew it was time to expand the plant, and he was pretty sure Bryce Hathaway knew it, too. Soon they would have to discuss the pros and cons, and Nick imagined Lorna Hathaway would have to be included in the discussions.

But that was a problem for another day.

Today, after getting at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, the most complicated decision he intended to make was where to take his date for dinner tonight.

Lorna tried on ten different outfits before she decided on slim black pants and a sheer rose-colored blouse worn over a deeper rose tube top. She wished she hadn’t agreed to go on this date. She’d never yet had a blind date that was more than bearable. Why had she allowed Claudia to pressure her into saying yes?

Staring at herself in the mirror, she wondered what this Jonah person would think when he saw her. She knew she was too tall and too skinny. And she had no boobs. Well, not enough to speak of, anyway.

“I’m not sexy,” she muttered aloud.

Tonight’s date probably imagined she looked like Claudia, who was sexy. Well, he was bound to be disappointed, and then the evening wouldn’t even be bearable.

It would be miserable.

I’ll call Claudia and tell her I’m sick.

Lorna was halfway to the phone when she knew she couldn’t do it. First of all, Claudia wouldn’t believe her. And then she and John would be put in the really impossible position of having to lie to John’s friend.

Lorna sighed heavily and headed into the bathroom to put on her makeup. As she tried to decide whether to tie her hair back loosely or leave it down, she told herself that no matter what happened tonight, this was the absolute last time she’d ever allow anyone to talk her into a blind date.

Yes, she wanted to meet men.

And yes, she knew she’d have to go through the dating ritual no matter how much she hated the entire scenario.