Backing You Up

by Weston Parker

  I walked into the conference room that was buzzing with conversation. The blinds had been pulled already. I closed the door, plunging me into the bowels of hell. I faced my critics from the head of the table. If I was going down, I was going down with dignity.

  “Good morning, everyone,” I greeted as I stood in front of them. I liked the vantage point. It gave me a slight edge. “Thank you all for coming today. I think we all know why we are here. Shall we get started?”

  I took my seat, folding my hands and resting them on the table in front of me. I had a flashback to a time when I was in the fourth grade and got caught cheating on a test. The somewhat wrinkled faces and graying heads were all looking at me.

  “I’m Carl, the head of the board of investors,” the man to my right said.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Carl.”

  He grunted in response, setting the tone for the meeting. “We have some concerns,” he said. “First, let me be the one to extend our condolences. Most of us were at the funeral and the wake. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet at that time. I understand you weren’t there.”

  I kept my expression blank. I would not let him shame me because he didn’t like the way I grieved. “I’ve been here every day,” I pointed out. “Let’s get to those concerns. I think we’re all very busy and have things to get to.”

  “I’m a straight shooter, which is why I’ve been elected to this position,” he started.

  I said nothing. If he expected me to congratulate him, he would be waiting a while.

  “We have some concerns about your readiness for the position,” another man said.

  I looked at him. “And what would those concerns be?”

  “You’re a young woman with no experience,” Carl stated.

  “Are you implying my gender is an issue?” I asked. “Or is it my age? I feel like I should tell you I can do little to change either.”

  He didn’t like my sarcasm. I didn’t care. “Those are not our issues.”

  I smiled, nodding. “Then why don’t we get to the issues that you do have? Issues that are within my control.”

  “The fact you are green and have zero experience is an issue,” he shot back. “The fact you have never run a company before is an issue.”

  “I don’t begrudge the fact you are a seasoned man. I would expect the same from you when it comes to my youthfulness. And no one has run a company until they have. Look at the numbers the company is producing. Don’t look at me, the young woman. I would hate to think any of you are stuck in the dark ages and believe women are not as capable as men.”

  “That’s not it,” the other man said.

  “Tell me your concerns, and if you address my age or gender again, I will consider this meeting over.”

  He cleared his throat. “Our concern is exactly what I stated earlier. We are not confident you are ready to take on such a big endeavor. Maybe in the future with some experience…” He shrugged. “As we understand, you just started working at the company in the last couple of months.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not entirely true. I started working fulltime directly under my father in the last couple of months. I have been working at the company for more than half of my life in one capacity or another.”

  Carl didn’t look impressed by my revelation. “With Rogan’s resignation, we do see it as a step in the right direction—”

  I held up my hand. “What did you say?” I asked, my ears buzzing.

  “I said, now that Rogan has resigned, we are more confident work will come first, but we know he was a valuable asset to the company. We are worried customers are going to lose confidence with him gone.”

  “Gone?” I repeated, wondering what the hell I’d missed.

  “Yes,” he said, clearly growing frustrated.

  I stopped him again. This had gone too far. I was not going to let Rogan take the fall for something that truly was none of their business. “Carl and the rest of you, let me stop you right there. Rogan is excellent at what he does. You thinking you just scored a win by getting him out of the company is foolish. You were sent our last two monthly financials. I know you saw the three-percent increase to the profits. I’ll let you do the math and figure out what that translates to in dollars. I might be younger than what you are used to, but I am also more eager. I have fresh, new ideas that will take this company to the next level.”

  “It could be a fluke,” Carl said.

  “It’s not a fluke,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “Furthermore, my personal life is just that. I will not ask you for permission. I don’t have to explain who I date. If Rogan was my boyfriend, fiancé, or even my husband, that is my business. He isn’t a thug. He isn’t a criminal. For you to suggest you have an opinion on my dating life is comical. This is my company. I inherited this company from my father because he trusted me to run it the way he wanted. My father trusted me. You should as well. If you can’t trust me, I guess that’s your problem. I will run this company and I will run it the way I see fit and I will make those of you who keep your money in the company very rich. If you choose to pull your funding, that’s your decision. Now, if you will all excuse me, I have a business to run.”

  I got to my feet, ignoring Carl’s protests. I was long past giving a shit what he had to say. I wanted to find out what the hell was going on with Rogan. No one told me he quit. Beau had some explaining to do. I started to walk out when one of the men who had remained quiet at the opposite end of the table got up and followed me out.

  “Miss Mallet,” he said.

  I took a deep breath and turned to look at him. “Yes?”

  “Good job,” he said with a smile.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That passion you just showed, that’s what we wanted to see. We wanted to know you wanted this company. We needed to see you fight for it. I don’t have to tell you that your generation has a bit of a reputation as being entitled. We wanted to make sure you were willing to work hard and didn’t expect things to simply be handed to you.”

  “Not a chance,” I told him. “I am going to make this company bigger and more profitable than it has ever been.”

  He grinned. “I certainly like the sound of that. I have a daughter your age and another one just getting ready to go to college. I hope she turns out like you.”

  It was one of the best compliments I had ever gotten. “Thank you. Now, I’m sorry to run, but I wasn’t just being dramatic. There actually are some things I need to take care of.”

  “Good luck,” he called after me.

  I barely heard him. I was on my way to see Beau. I hoped I could catch him before he left. I knocked on his office door and found it empty. I then walked over to Rogan’s office. It looked just the same as it always did. He didn’t really have anything to make it very personal, not even a plant. I couldn’t say if he had cleaned it out or not.

  Frustrated and angry, I walked back to my office and slammed the door closed. Someone had some serious explaining to do. I grabbed my cell, not wanting to use the business line to call Rogan. He didn’t answer, which really didn’t surprise me. I put the phone down and tapped my fingers on the desk.

  “What do I do?” I whispered.

  In that moment, I felt more alone than I ever remembered feeling in my entire life. The men I counted on for support and advice were all gone. Oakley was gone. My dad was really gone. Now, Rogan was gone. I hated feeling so dependent on them, but I was.

  I didn’t want to do this all by myself.

  Chapter 33

  Rogan

  I drove out to the yard. I wanted to talk to Granger face to face. Things were happening fast. I had to keep moving. If I stopped and thought about the way things were going, I would be pissed. Pissed and sad at the same time. I pushed aside the thoughts. I didn’t want to think. I needed to do. To keep moving.

  In many ways, I was glad I didn’t have a lot of friends or family to say goodbye to. It would have made it so much harder. I was a bit of a l
oner and I never realized just how much so until it came to plan my goodbyes.

  I parked my truck and made my way into the office first. “Hey, pretty lady,” I said to Vida.

  She looked up from her computer screen. “What brings you by, handsome?”

  I smiled, doing my best to appear all right. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye? I heard you were on vacation. Are you actually going somewhere? I hope somewhere cold and snowy. Isn’t it hotter than the dickens out there today?”

  I nodded. “I am going somewhere, but it isn’t going to be cooler, and it isn’t a vacation.”

  She tilted her head to the side and then began to shake her head when she understood what I was saying. “Don’t you dare say it.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to. I wanted to say goodbye in person.”

  “Rogan Leal, I refuse to accept your goodbye. You take yourself right back to the office and get your butt to work.”

  I offered her a small smile. “I can’t do that. Not anymore.”

  “Why? What happened? Did that young little upstart fire you? Did you do something?”

  “She didn’t fire me,” I said, choosing to only answer that one question.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did you two break up?”

  “We were never dating,” I said. “It was a rumor. A very poor rumor that has caused a lot of suffering.”

  She waved a hand. “Rumors come and go. If I believed half the stuff I heard, I would be in my cellar with a tinfoil hat on.”

  “This one is different,” I told her, being completely serious.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I’m sorry, Vida. I’m going out to talk to Granger.”

  “Oh my,” she gasped. “You’re serious?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  She got up and came around the desk before throwing her arms around me. “I’m going to miss seeing you. We’ll have to get together soon. Don’t you dare be a stranger.”

  I winced. “If I come back down this way, I will let you know.”

  “What? What does that mean?”

  “I put my house up for sale. I’m moving on.”

  She looked crushed. “I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you luck, but you damn well better come back and see me now and again.”

  “I will,” I promised. We both knew I wouldn’t be back. I was leaving, and coming back would be too difficult.

  I walked out of the office and headed across the gravel. Granger saw me coming. I saw the look on his face. He knew.

  He said something to the guys before meeting me at the door. “What the hell?” he said.

  “I wanted to let you know I’m out of here.”

  “What does that mean exactly? Did they fire you?”

  “No, I quit.”

  “Fuck me. This seems like a lot of hype over nothing.”

  “It might be, but it isn’t nothing anymore.”

  He blew out a breath, shaking his head. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m heading to Dallas this afternoon.”

  His mouth dropped open. “Why in the hell would you go to Dallas?”

  “Because there are job opportunities there.”

  “Just stick around and wait for this to die out,” he said. “It will. You know it will.”

  “Sticking around only prolongs the inevitable. I can’t be the reason Cora fails. There are always going to be rumors. I can’t bring that kind of shit onto her. Like you said, I can’t stop looking at her. Whenever she’s around, I’m watching her. People are going to notice.”

  He put his hands on his hips. “What is the problem?” he asked. “I guess I must just be too damn stupid to get it, but I don’t. So what? You two are hot for each other. Why does it matter?”

  “I told you. People are going to think I’m using her or think she’s just playing around instead of running the company.”

  “Who the fuck cares what people think? I know you sure as hell never cared before.”

  “I don’t care, but I care that it hurts her credibility. I won’t do that to her. I won’t do it to Ben and his legacy. I’ll find another job. It’s time for me to go.”

  “Well, this is just a bunch of bullshit. You have helped build this company to what is. You can’t be forced out.”

  “I’m going willingly before I am forced out.”

  He spit on the floor. “This is some back-assward shit. You know half these guys are only here because you are up in the high tower. Once you leave, they are going to go. They are not going to stick around. They were loyal to you.”

  “Don’t let them do that. They need to be loyal to Cora. She will do right by them.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “One taco lunch does not buy loyalty.”

  “You told me it did,” I countered.

  “That was before. Now, I’m pissed.”

  “Don’t be pissed. Hell, if you want to make changes, get yourself promoted. Cora knows you. I know she would be more than happy to bring you up the ranks.”

  He spit again. “So I can get fired too?”

  “I didn’t get fired. I’m leaving because I chose to.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Bullshit. That’s all I have to say about any of this. Bullshit. You deserve better.”

  I understood his anger. I felt the same way, but ultimately, it was up to me. “Take care of yourself, Granger.”

  “She’s going to come looking for you,” he said. “I don’t know a lot about much, but I saw the way she was looking at you. She’s not going to let you just get up and walk away from her.”

  I shook my head. “She won’t find me.”

  “What about your house?”

  “It’s going on the market today or tomorrow. I signed with a realtor yesterday.”

  “No shit!” he exclaimed. “Damn, man, why are you running?”

  “I’m not running, but I’m not sticking around. I’ve got an apartment waiting for me. I’ll have a job by the end of the week, I’m sure.”

  “But you put so much work into that house,” he insisted.

  “I did and it’s going to be worth a lot more than I bought it for. If I don’t find what I need in Dallas, I’ll keep heading north or maybe west. I’ll have the means to do it.”

  “Have you talked with her about this?”

  I looked away. “No.”

  “Because you know she’s going to tell you to quit being a dumbass and get your ass back to work.”

  “She might say something like that, but it isn’t going to change my mind. I know what is best. I’ve also been strongly advised on what is best. As much as I hate it, I know it’s the right thing to do. She’ll get over it. We didn’t have anything between us anyway. It was a quick fling and now it’s over. Cora needs me out of the way so she can focus on her company. She’s got a big job to do and I can’t be a distraction.”

  “I thought you were like the right-hand man or something like that?”

  I shrugged. “I used to be, but she’s got Beau. She doesn’t need me. She can do this on her own.”

  “Well, fuck me,” he groaned. “I’m going to miss you but I’m also thinking your ugly ass will be back. You can’t stay away from me.”

  “Lord help me if that is true.”

  I pulled him in for the traditional bro hug before walking across the yard. It was strange to think it was ending the way it was. I remembered my first day on the job. It seemed fitting my last day on the job would be in the same place. I got into my truck and looked up to find the guys standing outside the warehouse and waving. I smiled and waved back before starting the truck and leaving.

  I headed home for the last time. The weekend had been hectic. I’d kept myself busy finishing up a few projects and meeting with a realtor who was going to handle the sale of the home. He was confident it was going to go fast. I was only taking what I could fit in my truck. The furniture didn’t mean shit to me. The realtor said he would have a donation truck pick up whatever I di
dn’t take.

  I walked into my house and could already feel the emptiness. I didn’t live there anymore. All the blood and sweat I had poured into the place to transform it from the dump it was to what it was now had been worth it. I didn’t regret the time or energy. It had kept me busy.

  I moved into the kitchen, dumping the contents of my refrigerator and freezer into a heavy garbage bag before hauling it out to the can. I went back inside and began hauling out the boxes of clothes and the few personal items I had. With my truck loaded, I went back inside to take one last look around.

  I didn’t think of myself as the sentimental type, but I was feeling pretty emotional in that moment. The life I’d built for myself in Houston was over. I walked through each room, checking to make sure nothing important had been left behind. I shut off the lights and said my last goodbyes to the place.

  I climbed into my truck and pulled out of the driveway for the last time. When I pulled into my usual gas station, it was another last-time moment. I went inside to grab some snacks for the road trip.

  “Hey, are you going camping?” the clerk asked, nodding at the full bed of my truck.

  The guy had been working at the gas station for as long as I’d lived in the house. “Nope. Moving.”

  “What?” he asked with surprise. “Didn’t you just tell me you had finally finished the renovations on your house?”

  “I did and now it is up for sale.”

  “Well, hell,” he said. “I’ll miss seeing you around here. Good luck to you.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, taking the bag of goodies. “I’m going to need it.”

  I walked out of the gas station, started the engine, and hit the highway. I was putting it all behind me. Cora, Oakley, and the company were all part of my past. It didn’t feel real. I didn’t want it to be real. Clearly, what I wanted and what I was getting were two very different things.

  I heard my phone ring and glanced over at the screen. It was Cora. I couldn’t talk to her right now. Granger was right. I knew she would try and talk me out of leaving.