Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“Yes. All of them.”
Jordyn takes off her heels and runs. She’s getting a raise.
“They’re working, Aiden,” sputters my grandmother. “The store is packed. We can’t just shut down the main floor on a whim.”
My jaw bone is going to crack, my teeth grinding so hard. “You think it’s a whim to accuse someone of stealing?”
“Oh please,” snorts Brad. “I’m sure the girl is used to it.”
Roxanne laughs quietly at my father’s remarks, drawing my attention. “Mrs. Bunting. When did you run the inventory report and find the earrings were missing?”
She shifts uneasily over being the new center of attention. “Last night around five thirty. Before I left for the day.”
“And even though I was working upstairs until at least eleven o’clock and my personal phone is always open for calls, you decided the best thing to do was alert my grandmother about the issue. Is that right?”
“Roxanne has been working here since me and your father ran the store, Aiden,” says Shirley, as if that is an adequate explanation.
“Ran it into the ground, you mean,” I say.
The wind sails straight out of Brad, sending him into a coughing fit.
My grandmother’s teacup freezes on the way to her mouth. “Aiden, what has gotten into you?”
“It’s finally happening,” Leland whispers. “He’s losing his temper. Get the popcorn.”
Now that I’ve apparently brought the room to a standstill, I focus on the human resources director. “Mrs. Bunting, I might have excused the breach in protocol if you didn’t seem gleeful over an employee being falsely accused of stealing merchandise. You may keep your position through New Year’s and then I suggest you find another place of employment. You don’t represent this company in the manner it deserves. Or rather, that the employees deserve.”
Roxanne’s mouth drops open.
Shirley lurches in her seat, visibly indignant. I assume she’s going to complain about Mrs. Bunting being fired, but instead she says, “Falsely accused? The girl was in prison!”
“First of all, she’s done her time. And she came out with enough courage to try again,” I rasp, trying as hard as I can to keep my composure. “She didn’t take the damn earrings. I’ll bet my position at this company on that.” I hear a soft intake of breath and turn long enough to catch Stella’s bemused expression. Did she assume…I’d found her guilty? No. No way. “Second, Grandmother, I’m glad you noticed the store is packed, because it has a lot to do with Stella’s window and the attention it brought to Vivant.”
“Through the internet,” she mutters, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, through the internet. Where attention comes from, Shirley.” For the love of everything holy. “Look, either you’re in the business of judging employees based on their contribution to the store or you’re doing it wrong. It appears to be the latter, so I suggest you stay home from now on. Board meetings are cancelled until further notice. Merry Christmas.”
“You can’t just cancel—”
“Oh yes I can. I have a controlling interest in this company. Sixty percent, if you’ll recall. Those meetings are just to humor you.” Leland has produced a lighter from out of nowhere and is waving it side to side in the air like he’s at a Foo Fighters concert.
My father snorts, his expression finally losing some of its perpetual boredom. Resentment twists his mouth, instead. “You hold those meetings so you can remind us we would have declared bankruptcy without you playing the hero.”
I always suspected how my father felt, but to have it said plainly is a sock to the stomach. Anger and resignation help me recover. “You’re wrong. Today is the first time I’ve brought it up since I took over as general manager. I held those meetings thinking it might bring us closer together as a family. That’s all I ever wanted in coming back here. I wasn’t rescuing the store to hold it over your heads. Maybe in a way, I wanted to prove I was worth keeping around this time, but mostly, I was trying to be someone to you.” Something unknots inside of me like a ribbon, the sides fluttering free and fading into nothing. “But I’m no longer interested. Not even a little bit. Being something to you means being less to myself.” I shake my head. “Thank God you sent me to Edna.”
My father looks down at the ground sharply. If I happen to glimpse a hint of regret in his eyes, I don’t get any pleasure out of it. Sensing a presence behind me, I turn to find Stella standing in the doorway of the back room. If I didn’t know any better I would say she’s in shock. God, she’s so beautiful. But she’s staring at me like she’s seeing me for the first time. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
I don’t have a chance to ask because Jordyn is back, ushering members of the sales team into the small human resources office with the brisk efficiency of a flight attendant. Once the half dozen of them are packed like sardines into the room, I speak. “Listen up, everyone. I want to start off by saying no one is going to be penalized for coming forward. Understand? We’re smack dab in the middle of the busy season, after a long lull. It’s easy for merchandise to get misplaced. But I need you all to think carefully now, sort back through the last couple of days. Did anyone show two pairs of earrings and forget to lock them up? Or maybe had a customer accidentally walk off without paying? It wouldn’t be the first time—”