“She did. She didn’t even stay to hear my mother’s last letter read,” I said.
“That’s brutal. How do you feel about that?” he asked.
“It’s whatever. I’m kind of glad she wasn’t there for it. It was lunch that was the fun part,” I said.
“Lunch?”
“Yeah. I figured I could take her to lunch so we could talk about what the hell happened,” I said.
“I bet she didn’t like that,” he said.
“Nope. She got angry and accused me of assuming she couldn’t pay for her lunch, then started all this bullshit business powerplay fuckery. Wanted to pick the restaurant, went to the one place she knew I didn’t like. Shit like that.”
“That’s insane,” Todd said, chuckling.
“It is. Then, she berated me in front of the entire restaurant. Said I hadn’t ever achieved anything and called me lazy and kept asking me why the hell her father handed me the company. You know, she thought me and her old man had somehow connived this behind her back.”
“Wait, she accused you of being a lazy ass, and then accused you of being a mastermind?” he asked.
“Yep. She was irate,” I said.
“Obviously. But Christian, congrats. This is gonna be good for you.”
“You think?” I asked.
“You don’t think?” he asked.
“I mean, she had some points. She’s been educating herself her entire life on this subject. Her entire education and even her current career have been centered around one day taking over the company,” I said.
“So, she knows all the shit there is to know about it?” he asked.
“Yeah, I guess so. At least, she acts like she does. I’d hope with all the education and work experience she has, she would.”
“Then, give her a job in the company,” he said.
“Really? You think she’d just work for a company handed over to someone she found incompetent to run it?” I asked.
“Oh, shit. She called you incompetent, too?”
“Yep. Lots of words flew,” I said.
“Fuck, the money I would’ve paid to have been there,” he said, grinning.
“You think she’d go for a position in the company, though?” I asked.
“You’d have to pay her well. You know, cushion her sorrows with cash. But, if you gave her enough money and the right job, I’m sure as hell she’d take it,” he said.
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“Well, you said it yourself: she’d been grooming her entire life to be a part of that company. Phrase it in a way that makes it seem like she’s doing a service to her father, and she’ll probably do it.”
“And to think someone accused you of being an idiot,” I said.
“I’ve got my moments,” he said. “Find a job for her. If you don’t think it exists, sit down with whoever your father trusted as the accountant for the business and create one. That’s even better, because then you give her the option to pick and choose what she wants to do within the company.”
“That’s genius,” I said.
“Then, the company would not only have your intelligence and on-the-spot gut reactions, but it would also have her knowledge and creativity.”