“Nope. Today’s on me. Get out this door now,” she said.
We took her car and drove into town, where we parked in front of our favorite nail salon. I could already feel the relaxation coursing through my veins at the idea of a decent leg and arm massage. Wine and Dine was the newest addition to the salon and spa services around the area, and what they offered was hard to refuse. If you purchased enough services, you got a complimentary glass of wine as well as a snack plate.
And my stomach was starting to roar to life.
“So, tell me about these interesting couple of days,” Daisy said as we soaked our feet.
“Christian came by the house yesterday,” I said.
“Please don’t tell me you bit that poor boy’s head off again,” she said. “You reamed him in that restaurant.”
“No. I apologized for a couple of the things I said.”
“Wait a second. Stella Harte apologized to someone?” she asked.
“Don’t be a bitch. He came by to offer me a job in the company,” I said.
“He did what?” she asked.
“Yeah. Senior vice president of the entire thing.”
“Well, that’s good, right? That’s practically owning the thing like you wanted in the first place,” she said.
“Not particularly. He’s going to have me running the back end of things. You know, control of the warehouses, creative ideas, running around with the patents, licensing operations, things like that,” I said.
“So, what’s wrong with that?” she asked.
“It’s only half the company. Christian’s still got control of the most important part.”
“Come on, Stella. He just handed you half the company.”
“And the entire thing is supposed to be mine,” I said.
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit unreasonable?”
“Not in the slightest. He’s still in control of finances, payroll, negotiating contracts, and all that stuff that puts my father’s business on the map. He’s still the face of things,” I said.
“And why does that bother you?” she asked.
“Because Christian admitted to me again that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He told me he wanted to hire me because I was prepped for this job, and he wasn’t. He hired me because he’s desperate, and I’m not running that company for him while he gets all the glory,” I said.
“So, that's all this is to you? Glory?” she asked.
“No. Fuck, do you even know me at all, Daisy?” I asked. “This isn’t about glory. Not by a long shot. Though, it probably is for Christian. I get the sense he’s doing this because of something his mom said to him in her letter.”
“What did his mom say to him?” she asked.
“Don’t know. But, I get the sense that it’s fueling this little desire of his. But, we all know what happens to Christian’s desires,” I said.
“What happens to them?”
“They fizzle out and crash into the ground. I’m not allowing that to happen to my father’s company,” I said.
“Look, just be careful, alright? Christian’s an intelligent man. Much more intelligent than you give him credit for. Don’t think he doesn’t understand you’re still feeling this way,” she said.
“Well, I’m intelligent as well. I can sidestep this, position myself well in the company, and then have the paperwork ready for when I can usurp him.”
“It’s mutiny, I tell you. Mutiny!” Daisy exclaimed playfully.