“Did you consult with me at all before purchasing this?” he asked.
“No, Christian. I didn’t,” I said.
“You’re in charge of inventory and updates like that, yes. But, all finances have to be run by me.”
His good looks were slowly starting to fade as my frustration grew. Here would be one of the many issues we would struggle with when it came to this asinine plan of splitting the company in half. I could make decisions on inventory and purchase new items, but I couldn’t buy them? Was he fucking kidding me?
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good purchase, and one I would’ve approved, but having a set of eyes to red team a purchase helps to cut back on spending, which your father did a great deal of,” he said.
“Red team it?” I asked.
“It’s a newsroom term. It’s when a research team for a big story is split in half. One team investigates the story and pieces it together, then that team presents it to the red team. The red team knows nothing of the story, and they try to poke holes in it. It helps lend credibility before the story goes on air,” he said.
“Ah.”
“It takes after the term red blood cells,” he said.
“Gotcha.”
“Anyway, bring that along. We can try it out if she wants to, but all purchases, no matter how small, need an acquisition form I can either approve or deny,” he said.
“Sure.”
“Would you like to run the meeting today?” he asked.
“Actually, yes. I would. There was a format my father used that I think will help us, especially if she’s interested in all the charities my father donated to.”
“That’s what I was thinking. The meeting starts in 30. You want to ride with me or follow in your car?” he asked.
“I’ll follow. I’m going to run and get myself a late breakfast before I get back. And don't worry, I’ll use my money to get it,” I said.
“Stella, it’s my job to monitor expenses.”
“I know, I know. Come on, let’s get to this meeting,” I said
The client wanted to meet with us in a small coffee shop, which was perfect because I would need more of it. Christian and I sat in a couple of chairs, leaving the couch open for her, and she greeted us with a smile the moment she came in. We stood up and did our introductions before she went to go get us some coffee, and I couldn’t help but notice that she had a massive file with her.
“You think that’s all inventory?” I asked.
“Only one way to find out. You’re up, Stella,” he said.
“It’s so wonderful to meet you,” the doctor said as she sat down. “I’m so sorry to hear about your father.”
“He was a good man, but his company is in good hands,” I said, smiling.
“Please tell me you’re going to keep donating to all those wonderful charities,” she said. “I absolutely love that about Harte to Heart.”
“We most certainly intend to,” Christian said.
“I don’t believe we’ve met yet,” I said. “I’m Stella Harte.”
“Angela Laszlo, pleased to meet you,” she said. “So, I have all the files here that Mr. Gunn requested. How do we begin?”
“Well, let me take a look at your files, and then I can give you some background information on the company,” I said.
“Wonderful,” she said, smiling.
I tried to contain my excitement at the sheer amount of orders this woman would give us. She really was beginning this from scratch, and I looked back up at her and smiled with delight.