Stella looked like a little kid swinging her feet while seated on one of the high chairs at Rusty’s bistro table. “I take a nap for a few hours when the sun starts to rise. I usually go back down late in the afternoon, so I’ll be fresh for the night,” she said casually. “You can observe a lot of things at night, like the fact that Kirsten has been staying here. I guess you two are hot and heavy now. Are y’all gonna walk down the aisle one day now that it’s legal?”
“It’s not like that. I already told you I’ll have to go back to Baton Rouge when my time here is up, and it won’t be long.”
“You act like Baton Rouge is on the other side of the globe. It’s a hop, skip, and a jump once you get off the backroads and onto the interstate.”
Rusty tucked her hair behind her ears and frowned. “My life there is very busy. I’m not going to have time to hop around.”
“Then why’d you come here in the first place if you’re just gonna go back and work yourself to death again? That’s dumb.” Stella furrowed her brow. “What’re you working so hard for? What is it you want?”
“I want my company to grow. There are areas we need to expand into, and I have to be there to push to make sure we do.”
Stella shook her head. “I still don’t see why you won’t make time for Kirsten. A person needs more in her life than just work. You’re just like my Paul, he would never stop. What he gained was never enough. We could’ve had a real nice house instead of that tiny cracker box across the street, but no, that would take away our nest egg. That egg cracked during the recession, and we lost a lot of it. Then he died a few years after. Poor fool had worked himself to death for nothing.”
“Stella, I don’t want to get into your private business, but are you all right financially?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, truly. I have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life. You’re missing the point. Paul and I both could’ve lived just fine on what we have, but he’s not here to know that, now is he? Why’d you ask me that question? You wanna try to take care of me?”
Rusty opened her eyes wide and shrugged. “I could offer you a very low interest loan if you needed to fix things up around your house.”
“You’re good people, Achmed. I don’t care if you look just like a terrorist with that dark hair and eyes.”
“Well, thank you, Irish potato head. Hopefully, one day, you’ll accept that my family is Argentinian.”
Stella smacked the table with her hand. “Speak Spanish.”
“I can’t. I learned just enough in school to say hola.”
“How come you don’t speak the language of your people? I can speak mine,” Stella said and quoted a line from a Lucky Charms commercial.
Rusty laughed. “My mom told me that when my great-grandparents moved here legally, they learned English. They wanted to be Americans, and they taught their kids nothing but English.” Rusty squinted and said, “I think it was sort of a rebellion thing because their parents disowned them when they moved here. At least, that’s how I remember Mom telling the story a long time ago.”
“I’m still gonna call you Achmed.”
“I’m used to it now,” Rusty said with a smile.
“Rusty, why is this door unlocked?” Kirsten called from the living room.
“Why did you open a door that doesn’t belong to you?” Stella said loudly.
“Oh, great,” Kirsten said as she strolled into the kitchen. “You’ve infiltrated this house too.” She shook her head and grimaced as she gazed at the coffee cups sitting on the table. “Rusty, you gave her something to drink? That’s the same as feeding a stray dog. She’s gonna be around here all the time.”
“You look like hammered poo,” Stella said with disdain. “Your eyes are all dark underneath, your skin is pale.”
“Mom said the same thing before I left her house, and I have to know, who takes a hammer to poo?” Kirsten quipped with a grin.
“Okay, I’m leaving. It started to smell in here the second you walked in.” Stella made a face when she noticed that Kirsten and Rusty were gazing at each other with smiles. “Yeah, it’s definitely time for me to leave. Thanks for the coffee, Achmed, and I’ll see myself out.”
“Thanks for dropping by, potato head,” Rusty called after her.
“Pet names, coffee.” Kirsten sucked her teeth and shook her head. “This looks bad, Rusty. Do I have to compete with Stella now for your time?”
“You’re delirious, you must really be tired,” Rusty said with a laugh.
“I was hoping to grab a quick nap, and I wondered if you’d like to join me.”
Rusty stood with a grin. “I definitely will, but you can’t expect anything more than sleep.”
Kirsten took Rusty’s hand and led her to the front door. “Let me show you how this works. You flip the bolt and the door is locked. Don’t let me find it ajar again, or there will be consequences.”
“I’m shaking in my shoes.”
Kirsten continued leading Rusty to the bedroom. “Let’s discuss the performance bonuses you mentioned before. I think we can both agree I’ve been performing very well.”
“Wow, you really are delirious.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Kirsten followed up on Stella’s theory about Tom Portman being the peeper and looked into his past. He had no arrest records, not even a moving violation. The only court record she found was a divorce six years ago. Kirsten dug even deeper and found Tom’s ex-wife’s social media pages and combed through them to see if she had anything disparaging to say about him but found just the opposite.
On his birthday, his ex had posted an old picture of him sitting behind a huge birthday cake and had written beneath it, Today is Tom’s birthday, and though I know he doesn’t care much for the Internet, I still wanted to send out warm wishes for him here. Happy Birthday, Tommy, may all your dreams come true. Nevertheless, Kirsten had Bryan keep an eye on Tom, and there was nothing to report. Tom would go out each evening for his walk around eight. He took the same route every time and stopped to chat with a few people during his stroll.
The peeper had gone into hiding again; a couple of weeks passed without incident. Kirsten took Terry’s bait house idea and ran with it. She was quietly orchestrating a plan and had someone in mind to pose as bait.
The deal that Kirsten and Rusty had struck was going well in a sense. It was supposed to be a sexual relationship, but Kirsten spent every moment of her free time with Rusty. They had lunch together most days and dinner every night. They even had a standing TV date to watch and make fun of the goofy ghost hunters. To anyone who didn’t know about their arrangement, it appeared that Kirsten and Rusty were seriously dating.
On Rusty’s thirtieth day of exile, she received a gift from Neil. He unblocked her access to the company server for her. She nearly banged the keys off her keyboard going through every report she deemed important. She read some of them three times to fully comprehend what she was seeing. Smart Shopper was doing just fine and had expanded into two new territories. Rusty should’ve been thrilled by what she saw, but she couldn’t accept that it was all done without her.
All sorts of irrational ideas assaulted her mind, the most prominent was that Neil had doctored the reports to hide that the company had gone straight to hell. Rusty had to see for herself if what was being reported was real. She threw some things into her computer bag, grabbed her keys, and dashed out to her car.
Stella banged on Rusty’s passenger window before she could tear out of the driveway. Rusty lowered it and said, “Stella, I can’t visit right now, I’m in a hurry.”
“Are they having a meat sale at the market again?” Stella asked excitedly.
“No, nothing like that. I have to go.”
“Well, wait. I need to talk to you about something important. I think we can help Kirsten snag Tom, but you can’t tell her anything about it.” Stella waved a hand. “I’ll lay it out for you when you get back. Want me to drop by in an hour or so?”
“What about Kirsten?”
“Tell her I’ll call her. Step away from the car.”
Stella jumped out of the way when the engine revved. Rusty backed out of the driveway and took off in the wrong direction. Stella shook her head angrily. “You’re making a big mistake, Achmed, but hey, I’m not gonna cry for you, Argentina.”
*******
It was four thirty when Rusty strode into the lobby of the Smart Shopper office building wearing sneakers, shorts, and an old T-shirt with her hair in a ponytail. The receptionist smiled and said, “May I help—Ms. Martinez?”
“Is Neil in?” Rusty asked as she continued on to the hallway that led to her office.
“I don’t believe he’s left for the day,” the receptionist called after her.
Rusty got a few odd looks as she passed open office doors. When she entered the atrium surrounded by the administrative offices, Neil’s assistant stared at Rusty as though she were a ghost. “Neil, where is he?” Rusty asked.
Neil nearly ran out of his office, his expression showing complete shock. “What are you doing here?” he asked, sounding confused.
“I’m still the CEO, am I not?” Rusty said curtly before she strode over to her office door and unlocked it.
Neil followed her inside, practically on her heels. “Rusty, what’s going on?”
“You tell me.” She sat at her computer and switched it on.
“I don’t understand.” Neil pointed at the seating area in the corner of Rusty’s office. “You and I sat over there and made a deal. You were going to take a break for a month, then work remotely for a while.”
“Tell me the truth, why did you want me out of here so badly?”
“Because you were going to die if you didn’t change your ways.”
“I logged into the server today, those numbers aren’t right. I was looking at a dummy system, wasn’t I?”
“What?” Neil asked, completely taken aback. “Are you actually accusing me of trying to mislead you?”
Rusty didn’t answer; she was too busy pulling up reports. Neil closed her door and paced back and forth with his arms folded, waiting for Rusty to see the truth herself. Minutes passed as Rusty stared at the screen.
“They match what you saw back in Ancelet Bay, don’t they?” Neil asked.
Rusty sat back with a sigh, unable to believe what she was seeing. Smart Shopper really was doing better without her.
“Answer me,” Neil said. “Are they the same?”
“Yes,” Rusty admitted with disdain.
Rusty had only seen Neil explode once, and it was after his brother backed into the door of the very first nice car he’d ever bought. That fit paled in comparison to the one he released on Rusty.
“How dare you! How fucking dare you! I am the one person on this planet who has always had your back. And you come in here and accuse me of fudging numbers? I’m damn proud of what the people of this company and I have accomplished while you were away. You should be thankful and impressed, but no, you come in here all full of piss and vinegar and accusations. I have been trying to tell you this gently, but here are the cold hard facts. Our people don’t need to be browbeaten to do their jobs. Morale has improved while you haven’t been here belittling and micromanaging. All I’ve had to do was drop in on occasion and check on things, and I do that once a week. That’s right, I’ve been in this building maybe half a dozen times while you were out.”
Neil threw himself into a chair and said, “You don’t get it, our roles have changed. We have very effective managers when they’re allowed to do their jobs. What you and I need to do is mind the bottom line, and every now and then, audit the operation, and fine-tune where it’s needed. We decide when and where we want to expand, then someone else makes that happen. If you feel the need to drive yourself into an early grave, then buy a pet project company, but do it without me. I’ve spent the last twenty years living and breathing this place, worrying the hair off my head. I’m going to have a life now.”
The one place where Rusty felt truly at home had changed seemingly overnight. She felt like a visitor. Her whole sense of purpose vanished in a heartbeat.
Neil glanced at his watch and stood. “I have a date with my wife tonight, and for a change, I’m not going to be late. Stare at that screen until your heart is content.”
After the shift change meeting, Kirsten stopped by the bakery with a craving for croissants. She wasn’t sure what Rusty was cooking that evening, but baked goods were always a great complement. The flower shop was next door, and Kirsten picked up a bouquet. When she arrived at Rusty’s, she was a little surprised that her car wasn’t in the driveway and figured she’d run out to get something. Kirsten pulled her phone from her pocket and was about to call her when Stella appeared next to her door.
“What’ve you done?” Kirsten asked as she rolled down the window.
“Achmed asked me to give you a message. She left for Baton Rouge this afternoon, said she didn’t know when she would be back, but she’s gonna call you.”
Kirsten blinked rapidly behind her dark glasses as what Stella had to say sank in. “Thanks for letting me know,” she said and picked up the box of croissants. These will go good with your coffee tonight. Take these flowers too.”
“She didn’t take anything with her but a bag, so don’t you worry,” Stella said kindly.
“She didn’t tell me she was leaving, either,” Kirsten said numbly, thinking that Rusty had done it on purpose, instead of saying goodbye.
*******
Rusty was too embarrassed to leave her office after Neil’s tongue lashing because she was sure that everyone on that end of the building heard it. She stayed until everyone left, so she wouldn’t look like a dog slinking out with its tail between its legs. The biggest source of her shame was accusing one of her closet friends of lying to her because of her pride and her need to be needed.
She left the office a little after eight with a wave at the security staff, who stared at her oddly. The streets looked the same as Rusty drove to her condo, but they didn’t feel like home anymore. As she opened her door, the air that met her was warm and stale. She switched on lights and went straight to the thermostat and dropped it down a few notches. After that, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
She sat on her sofa and stared out at the lights of the city. She knew she needed to call Kirsten and explain everything, but she didn’t think she could bring herself to admit that she’d lost her head and acted like a complete fool. She sent a text instead that read: Office emergency, will explain everything later.
Kirsten’s response was immediate. Are you okay?
Had Rusty been in Kirsten’s shoes, she would’ve demanded more of an explanation. Kirsten responded with concern, and it made Rusty feel even lower. She sighed as she typed out her reply. I did something really stupid today, and I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it.
Maybe if you got it off your chest, you might find that it’s not as bad as you think, Kirsten wrote back.
“Oh, no, I can assure you, it’ll sound worse,” Rusty said aloud but called Kirsten anyway.
“Hey,” Kirsten answered, her voice sounding dull.
“Have you ever made an ass of yourself so bad that you deliberated moving to Siberia?”
“I’d hide my shame on a tropical island instead.”
“I logged into the server today and took a look at the reports expecting to find not exactly disaster, but a drop in performance and sales. Everything I saw looked so good, I actually thought Neil had pulled one over on me. He’d told me before that things were going good, but I didn’t want to believe him,” Rusty said with a deep sigh. “So I got into my car, drove here, and accused him of being a liar
. The company has done just fine—no, it’s done better—without me. Please don’t tell me to focus on the silver lining.”
“I was going to say that would’ve knocked my ego into the dirt too.”
“Smart Shopper has been a part of me my whole adult life. It’s the one good thing I can say that I’ve done. I’ve raised it like a child, and now it doesn’t need or want me anymore. Neil said morale improved after I left. I’m not the leader anymore, I’m a problem.” Rusty raised a hand and let it drop on her sofa. “I don’t…know what to do.”
“Where are you—at the office or at home?”
“I’m at my condo.”
“Don’t do anything. It’s never good to make decisions right after a shock. Give your brain a chance to reset overnight. You’re smart, Rusty, and you’ll find a way to make the best out this situation.”
Rusty bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry about leaving and not telling you why.”
“Oh, you’re in big trouble for that one,” Kirsten said with a laugh that didn’t sound genuine. “When Stella told me you said you didn’t know when you would be back, that was my shock for the day. I knew you were going to eventually leave, but I thought you’d at least tell me goodbye.”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly, I—”
“I know that now, and it’s not the time to talk about us, or rather our deal, tonight. Take a hot bath, go to bed, and when you wake up in the morning, you might have a better handle on what you need to do.”
Rusty swallowed hard. “All right, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. What’s your condo look like?”
“It’s in a high-rise building by the river. It has three bedrooms, a big kitchen, and living room.”
Kirsten was silent for a moment. “Does it feel good to be home?”
“Not after everything I just told you.”
“No, I mean, do you like it there? Is it comfortable, your home?”
It was Rusty’s turn to be quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
Rusty Logic Page 18