Page 42 of Caught in the Axe
Huxley leaned forward, his shark eyes narrowing. “It’s a good offer.”
“Bill,” Lila said softly, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “It’s a bullshit offer.”
All eyes immediately focused on her, and she shrank back almost imperceptibly. She stopped herself quickly, straightened, and eyed me. I gave her an encouraging nod, and that was all she needed to continue.
“The tables on page eleven are based on faulty data.” She opened the prospectus and pointed. “These are not the numbers we prepared and supplied to you this week. You’ve undervalued the real estate, overestimated the tax burden, and neglected to include any of the federal subsidies.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to hide a smile as every faceon the other side of the table fell. It was all the confirmation I needed to know that they’d known what they were doing. Huxley’s face had gone red, making him look positively constipated.
Watching her school them filled me with a joy I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced. Rather than being dominant or pushy, she calmly flipped through, page by page, and carefully eviscerated them.
They’d been under the impression that they could throw together sloppy numbers and bully us into a deal, and now they were discovering just how wrong they’d been.
“The automation plans and cost-cutting suggestions on page twenty-four are positively delusional. The timber industry is the lifeblood of this region. Most of these jobs cannot be automated. Reducing output is not the answer and will not bring you any closer to profitability.”
Tad sat back, thankfully keeping his mouth shut. The man was probably grateful that we were doing his job for him. Though he’d been just as negligent as the rest of the bunch, he was sitting on our side, so though his mouth was fixed in a straight line, his eyes were bright with glee as he watched the opposing counsel angrily argue with us about twenty-first-century technology.
“Have you ever cut down a tree, Bill?” Lila asked, tilting her head sweetly. Damn, she was good at this. Not only had she affected a gentle expression, but she’d tempered her tone, making her sound even more harmless. She was leading him straight into a deadly trap.
“No.” He scoffed. “And it’s William.”
Of course, he hadn’t. This guy had probably neverseen a tree up close that hadn’t been maintained by full-time gardeners at his country club.
“Hm.” She tapped her pen on the desk. “Then you should probably leave the ‘innovation’ to the professionals. Now, are you ready to talk about the machinery list? Because it’s woefully incomplete, and the assumptions are flawed.”
With her head cocked slightly, she waved a hand dismissively in their direction. “You should probably take notes.”
When she was finished, every one of them was red-faced and sweating.
She looked as fresh as a daisy and positively serene when she flashed her best pageant queen smile and asked. “Any questions?”
Damn, I’d never been so attracted to a woman in my life. Lila could completely destroy me.
And I would gladly let her.
Chapter 14
Lila
Ilaughed nonstop the whole way up 95, gushing and crowing about how things had gone.
I’d never experienced this kind of high before. One that made me feel like I was flying. Not only had I used my brain to completely shut those guys down, but Owen had encouraged me to. He’d backed me up and urged me to speak up about the errors and omissions I’d found. He’d let me take the lead, and not once had he tried to take over.
When we left Lovewell this morning, I’d assumed I’d sit quietly beside him and take notes. I anticipated being the pleasant scenery I’d been trained to be my entire life.
The last thing I’d expected was to take any sort of lead. But taking charge? Speaking out? Calling out those fancy lawyers for their shoddy work?
I was still giddy.
“You think they’ll submit another offer?”
He kept his focus on the road as he hummed, considering my question. While the meeting today had shot lightningthrough my veins, Owen was calmer than usual. “I honestly don’t care either way.”
I frowned, and for the first time since we’d left the meeting, my spirits dipped. “But the sale.”
“You were right. Their plans are stupid.” He glanced over at me, twisting his hands on the steering wheel and making the leather creak. “They clearly don’t know what they’re doing. If they buy us out, they’ll sell everything for parts and screw it up. Not to mention the job loss.”
I sat back, watching the wheels in his head turn. The Owen I’d met two weeks ago had been desperate to sign on the dotted line and get out of town as soon as possible. I wasn’t sure he’d even thought about the implications of a sale.
