“Mommy says Uncle Sal is coming to town this week,” she said. “Is he going to spend the night? I like when he and Aunt Gemma spend the night.”
“But they have their own home here in Seattle too, remember?” Tommy asked her. “Uncle Sal still owns that apartment building we used to visit. He still has what we call a penthouse apartment in that building.”
Destiny didn’t understand what that meant, and Tommy could tell she was baffled. But she moved on. “But he still can stay with us,” she said. “I like it when he stays with us.”
“Then maybe he will,” Grace said. “Now finish eating so you can be ready to go.”
“Who’s taking me to school today?” Destiny asked. “You or Daddy?”
“Mommy,” Tommy said. “Daddy has to make a stop first.”
Tommy and Grace exchanged a glance. What now, she wondered.
“I’ve had quite enough of this, Mommy,” Destiny said, looking at her cereal.
Grace looked. Her cereal was only half-eaten, but it was enough. “Go get your book bag and wait for me in the Nursery.”
“Can I play a game while I wait?” Destiny asked.
“Yes,” Grace responded and Destiny, thrilled, ran to get her book bag. Nanny went over as Grace placed her breast back inside of her robe, and took TJ out of her arms. “Thanks,” she said.
When the Nanny and the children were gone, Grace looked at Tommy. “What stop?” she asked.
Tommy stood up. He was already dressed to go. “Some unfinished business,” he said.
“Do I have to tell you to be careful, or is that overstating it?”
Tommy thought about it. “I’ll be careful,” he said, kissed her on the lips, and left.
Grace watched him leave. It was never going to be without risks being married to him, she knew. But she also knew that the rewards far outweighed the risk every single day. And given the fact that Tommy was a Gabrini, that was saying something.
But she had to get to work herself. She got up, and made her way upstairs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Barry Nagarta stepped off of the elevator with Grace, and both were joking about their lateness. But both slowed their movement when they saw the pretty young lady waiting by the reception desk.
“What is she doing here?” Barry whispered.
Grace didn’t remember her name, but she remembered her face. The quieter one from the Sistas Lifting Sistas event. “Her ambition is showing,” she responded.
“Ambition is good, no?” Barry asked.
“Not that kind,” Grace responded as they made their way toward the reception desk outside of her office. Why in the world, she wondered, would this woman pop up uninvited to Trammel? Grace wanted to forget last night, not relive it.
Lisa McBride stood up immediately when Barry and Grace stepped off of the elevator. After that debacle last night, where Grace and Ellen Matanzas got into it, she wanted to make sure Grace knew which camp she was in. And specifically, she wanted to make sure Grace’s hunk of a rich husband knew. “Hi, Mrs. Gabrini,” she said with her best grand smile. “Hello, Mr. Nagarta.”
“Hello,” Grace and Barry said in unison, neither returning her smile even a little bit. At least not until they found out why she was there.
Lisa saw their puzzlement. She quickly identified herself. “I’m Lisa McBride. From SLS? You spoke at our end-of-year last night.”
“We remember you from the event,” Barry chimed in. “But we don’t understand why you’re here.”
“Oh! Well, Mrs. Gabrini, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated all that you said to us. And you were so generous with your time afterwards. We aren’t used to such blatant kindness. I also wanted to apologize for what happened.”
“You want to apologize?” Grace asked. “Why would you apologize? You did nothing wrong.”
“But as the student representative on the governing committee, I feel that it’s my obligation to let you know I felt, we felt, that Ellen Matanzas was wrong.”
Grace stared at Lisa. “Thank you,” she said.
Lisa’s smile increased, if that were possible. “You are so welcome!”
“I thanked you,” Grace said. “You apologized although you needn’t,” she added. “Now, what’s the real reason for your visit?”
Barry smiled. Grace had changed.
Lisa kept her composure. “I just wanted to show my appreciation primarily. The idea that I can have a conversation with the owner of Trammel Trucking just delights my soul. I never dreamed this could be me. Given my background.”
“Well, it is you,” Grace responded. “Never sell yourself short.”
“Don’t worry,” Barry muttered.
“You are so right,” Lisa said.
“And thank you for dropping by,” Grace said, as she began to move away from the reception desk.
“You’re welcome, ma’am, but . . .”
“Uh-oh,” Barry said. “There’s a but.”
Lisa found him especially rude, but she kept her focus on Grace. “I was wondering, ma’am, if you have a minute, if I could ask you a few questions. I really want to be a part of corporate America, you see, but I’m having such a hard time even getting an internship. At least in a major corporation. I was wondering if you can perhaps give me some pointers?”
Grace had so much on her plate that it wasn’t funny, and she was never too eager to encourage brownnosers. But at least the child made an effort. And she probably wasn’t lying about her internship struggles. “Come on in,” she said. “I only have a few minutes, however.”
And to the pure delight of Lisa McBride, she followed Grace Gabrini into her office. Grace glanced back at Barry. Barry was shaking his head. Grace still had a way to go in the change department.
Lisa was talking nonstop by the time she sat in front of Grace’s desk. Grace sat down too and listened to her. Then Lisa got to the point. “It’s not that I don’t have any prospects,” she said. “I can go and intern for some Mom and Pop company any day of the week.”
“But that’s not what you want?”
“No, ma’am,” Lisa was quick to respond. “Not at all. I feel as if I’ll be wasting my time at a small company. But with big companies, it’s not what you know but who you know. And I don’t know anybody!”
Grace leaned back. “So what do you want from me?”
“I would love an internship here at Trammel,” Lisa said with a smile. “Do you have an opening at the moment?”
“Not at the moment, no,” Grace responded. And then her desk phone buzzed. “Bear with,” she said, holding up a finger as she pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“Mr. Gabrini is on Line 29.”
“Thank you,” Grace said, and pressed button 29 on her desk phone. Then she picked up the receiver. “Hey. Where are you?”
“I’m just arriving at work,” Tommy said.
“So am I actually. TJ decided he didn’t want to part with me, after all. He had a crying fit. I stayed until he settled back down.”
“It was funny when Destiny said he was greedy.”
Grace smiled. “Yeah, it was. And your little comeback line! Too much information.”
“I know. But I couldn’t resist.”
“So what’s up?” Grace asked.
“I just got a call from Sal.”
“He’s still coming, right?”
“He is.”
“And Gemma still won’t be able to make it, hun?”
“No. She has a preliminary hearing or some such court business. But Sal’s still coming. And we can still take him to dinner.”
“I have a reservation at Silverdale, but I had Gemma in mind when I made it. Think he’d prefer somewhere else?”
“No, Silverdale’s fine. It’s classy. He can use it. And Diamante’s closed, at least for the rest of the week, after that craziness last night.”
“And Taste of Southern isn’t exactly Sal’s bon appetite. So I’ll keep the reservation.”
&nbs
p; “Good. Just wanted to say hello. Bye babe.”
“Bye, sweetheart,” Grace said, and they ended the call.
Grace looked at Lisa. “As I said, I really don’t have any internship positions available right at the moment.”
Lisa was disappointed, but soldiered on. “That’s understandable. Such short notice, right? But perhaps you can give me some pointers.””
“Such as?” Grace was keeping the onus on her.
“How can I get my foot in the door of corporate America?”
“It depends on how you want to get there,” Grace said.
Lisa didn’t understand. “Ma’am?”
Grace was blunt. “Do you want to work your way to the top, or sleep your way to the top?”
Lisa felt exposed. But she smiled that grand smile. “Work my way up, of course! I hate those females who sleep with the boss just to get ahead. And I know I come on strong as if I’m that type, but I promise you I’m not. I just want to be successful so bad, you know? I just don’t want to ever be poor again.”
Grace stared at her. There was some sincerity in her eyes. Maybe she had judged her unfairly? But then she thought about what Tommy told her, and Reno and Trina, and Sal and Gemma, and Uncle Mick and Roz. Trust your gut, they all told her. No matter what. Your gut won’t lie, Tommy added.
And her gut had already made clear that this girl was bad news.
“The only advice I can give to you,” Grace said, “is that it’s good to want success. But be careful. Success at any cost never lasts.” Grace stood up. “I hope that helps.”
Lisa felt awful. This wasn’t going the way she had hoped at all! She stood up too. “Okay. Well. Thanks for the pointers.”
Grace was smiling too. “You are so welcomed,” she said. “Have a nice day.”
Get lost, in other words, Lisa thought with a smile, as she made her way out of Grace’s office.
When Tommy finally arrived at work, he called his secretary into his office. By the time his secretary grabbed her iPad and quickly hurried in, closing the door behind her, he was standing behind his desk reviewing a stack of mail.
“Yes, sir?” she asked eagerly as she stood in front of him.
“Shelby James is dead,” he said without looking up.
The secretary’s entire demeanor changed. “Dead? Shelby? What do you mean, sir?”
Tommy looked up. “I mean she’s dead. She was murdered at my restaurant last night. You told her I would be there.”
The secretary fought back tears. “Yes, sir,” she admitted, “but only because she seemed so desperate. This guy had been stalking her, you see.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Was he the one who . . . did that to her?”
Tommy nodded. “It would appear. He committed suicide afterwards. He left an incriminating note.”
The secretary shook her head. “And Shelby’s dead. Poor kid. She had so much to live for. I told her where you would be because she said she needed your help. You do understand that, sir?”
“I understand what you did, yes. But that doesn’t make it right. She could have been lying. You could have informed my assassin of my location. My wife and children could have been with me that night. They could have become casualties of your decision to tell my business to somebody who hasn’t been a part of my life in years. When I hired you I told you not to discuss my whereabouts with anyone. That’s why I fired my previous secretary. She talked too much. That’s why I’m firing you. Clear out your desk and leave,” he said.
The secretary was stunned. “I did something I should not have done,” she said, “but I don’t see how what I did is worth getting fired over.”
“That’s not your call. That’s my call. And I made it.”
The secretary was livid. “That’s why I hate dealing with Gabrinis! Your brother is the same way. When I worked for him he used to always overreact to everything. As if everybody’s out to get him. I thought you would be more professional.”
But Tommy was unrepentant. “Get out of my office before I kick you out,” he said.
She stared at him. “I still don’t see where I did anything worth getting fired over,” she said. Then added: “But I’ll leave,” as if she had a choice. She left.
Tommy exhaled. And pressed 7 on his desk phone. “Security, I need you to send somebody up to escort my secretary off of the premises.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, and Tommy ended the call. And then sat down. After that shooting last night, and what happened to Shelby, he was beginning to feel stressed.
But within minutes, knocks were heard on his office door. And then the door was opened.
“Hi, Tommy!” It was Vicky Shumer, a young woman he knew.
“Hey,” he said.
“Got a minute?”
“No.”
“It won’t take long. I promise.”
Tommy thought about Shelby, and how she had needed his help. Was Vick in danger too? “Come on.”
Vicky smiled and walked in. “I knew you would say that. Because you’re a good guy, Tommy!”
“So what’s up?” he asked.
“I asked your secretary to give you a buzz, but she said for me to go you-know-what myself. She’s quite angry.”
“She just got fired.”
Vicky smiled even greater. “Really?” She made her way behind Tommy’s desk. “What for?”
“Talking too much.”
She leaned against his desk. “That’s a bummer. Especially in our line of work.”
Tommy smiled. “What do you mean our line of work? You’re a model.”
“And you’re a model lover. That’s what I mean. And that’s why I dropped by.”
“Meaning?” he asked.
“I hear you just had another kid. A little boy.”
Tommy hated when ex-lovers mentioned anything about his family. “That’s correct.”
Vicky shook her head. “Why, Tommy? You’re a field man. You play the field. You gave all of us a little piece of you, and it worked! Why would you do something as boring as have yet another kid? And to have it from that plain jane.”
“Careful, Vick.”
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful, babe, you know I’m not. But you’re the most gorgie man on the planet! Why settle for her and kids when you can have this?” She immediately lifted her dress over her head, revealing bra-less breasts and her panty-less bottom.
Tommy stood up angrily.
“This is what you can have, Tommy! Why settle for her?”
She attempted to thrust her nakedness against Tommy, but he not only pushed her away, but grabbed her dress, and her arm, and began hurrying her toward the exit.
She was shocked. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“You walk in here and disrespect my wife,” he said as he dragged her. “You disrespect me,” he added. “You want to be a striptease?” He opened his office door and slung her and her dress out of his office. “Then tease somebody else!” he yelled.
Security was standing at his secretary’s desk, as she cleared her desk. Both were amazed by the naked woman suddenly upon them.
“Get her out of my building too,” Tommy ordered.
“But Tommy!” Vicky pleaded.
But Tommy slammed his door. He had been going too easy on these clueless motherfuckers. That was over.
CHAPTER NINE
The next day on the outskirts of Seattle, a meeting Grace felt would be a waste of time anyway was over before it really began. The union reps were purposefully unreasonable, and Grace knew they would be. Forty dollars an hour minimum? They knew that wasn’t possible. She’d go bankrupt if she agreed to those kind of numbers! But it was contract negotiation time for Trammel’s employees, and everybody were aiming for last minute concessions. The vote on the final agreement wasn’t until next week, and Grace had already agreed to meet with all of the reps in Pittsburgh ahead of the vote. But that didn’t stop the local reps from angling for more. They failed, as they probably kne
w they would, and Grace left.
But as soon as she pulled out onto the highway, and began to make her way back to her office, a police car suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere and turned on its lights. At first she thought she was in their way and needed to pull over to the shoulder of the road so they could pass by. But as soon as she pulled her Lexus SUV over, they pulled over too.
Grace’s heart began pounding. She hadn’t been speeding because she’d just merged onto the highway. What was going on?
But when the two officers got out of the patrol car and began walking toward her SUV, their hands on their holsters, she knew whatever was going on, it was serious. And she got serious too. She quickly pressed number 1, the code for Tommy’s cell phone number, and listened while it rang.
Tommy was in the board room at the Gabrini Capital meeting with Peter Grant, his efficiency expert and member of his board of directors, who requested the meeting. Tommy was at the head of the table, his legs crossed, as he listened to complaints about his acquisitions.
“Ten in the last year,” Peter said. “Even you would have to agree that’s excessive, Tommy. We can barely keep the paperwork straight.”
“What are you saying?” Tommy asked. “You aren’t up for the job?”
Peter smiled. “I’m not saying that at all. I’m up for the job. I just think we need to change our approach. Stop acquiring so many businesses and shore up the ones we’ve already acquired.”
Tommy saw weakness, not sensibility in Peter’s argument. Something else was going on. “Why can we not do both?” Tommy asked him.
“We can,” Peter admitted, “but for efficiency sake I don’t think we should keep acquiring more and more. I think it’s time for a moratorium on more acquisitions. Until we get it together.”
Tommy frowned. “Get what together? GCI is thriving. What are you talking about?”
“We can be more efficient, that’s all I’m saying.”
“We are as efficient as we can possibly get,” Tommy shot back. “That’s what I’m saying. Now either you’re telling me you and your staff can’t keep up with the workload, which is one thing, or something else is at work here. Now which is it? Because this bullshit about more efficiency is bullshit.”
Tommy Gabrini: Every Which Way But Loose Page 7