Page 85 of Here to Stay
“They called you?” I was not surprised that this jerk was already twisting the truth, but I did not get why Phil was privy to any of this. This was not exactly the type of thing that Sturm’s CFO needed to be involved in.
He lifted a shoulder then, his smile so wide I could see his molars. “I asked the contracts manager who handles all our charity stuff to keep me abreast of anything concerning.”
He leaned in then, his eyes glinting. “And what could be more concerning than a program that’s supposed to be helping the illegals getting them deported by mistake.” He threw his head back again, literally gasping for air from laughing so hard. “This is truly a Christmas miracle.”
I sat there stunned as he talked. How could people be like this? He was practically jumping for joy that a mother had been taken from her children.
“I’m calling to move up the board meeting to first thing tomorrow. I already checked. Everyone was already expecting to meet so we’re good to go.” He looked over his shoulder at the closed door. “I want to drop this bomb on them before the twins have time to spin this into another sob story. The bottom line is that these people are using our funds poorly and embarrassing themselves and us by association in the process.”
That was some world-class spin he was doing. As he talked, all I could think was that no matter how this turned out, people would get hurt, because Phil could not bear the idea of his executive bonus going to help immigrant families. I felt disgusted with him, with myself, and with all of us who routinely made decisions that hurt vulnerable people, with the excuse that it was all to serve a profit line.
“Do you need me to prepare anything in addition to my planned presentation for this meeting?” I braced myself for his answer.
His expression changed and I dreaded whatever poorly veiled threats disguised as instructions were about to come out of his mouth. “You need to come in there with those IPO numbers. They need to hear why we need to drop this nonsense and that now is the time to go into the stock market. This is the era of the billionaires.” His voice boomed as he spoke, his expression fervent. “Our brand is literally built on catering to the point one percent, and we cannot slow our momentum over this nonsense. You’re our expert. Give them the facts.” My back molars clamped together as his voice resonated in my office. Facts, as long as they were the ones that he agreed with.
He angled his head then, and pointed a finger in my direction. “The Twins have been talking you up to the board for months now. They won’t be able to take it back when you give your recommendation.”
In that moment I could hear Mitzy’s words from one of the promotional videos I’d watched in the last couple of months: “My grandfather started Sturm’s with a mission. Cater to the rich, so he could help those who needed it. The values of this company have always been centered on philanthropy and social justice. From day one.”
Phil stood up then and shoved his hands into his pockets. “We’re counting on you.”
Duke’s bitterness drove him to put Phil in as a puppet to fuck with the family’s legacy and as a way to push his sisters out. And now, I would be the pawn who would finally set all of that in motion.
I left the office feeling like my hours were numbered. The meeting with the board was set for the next day at 8:00 a.m. and I was supposed to go up there and convince the board to pick profits over people. I would stand up and tell the board that investors liked lean companies. That there were places where they could make cuts. That some of the foundation programs could be reduced. The twins had been subdued when they stopped by my office. Mitzy, as always, was frank and direct when she spoke to me.
She’d told me, “We know you came here to do a job, and we’re not going to put you in a position where you feel like you need to do or say anything on our behalf. We know you’ll do what’s right for Sturm’s.”
By the time they left my office, I felt like my spine was made of ice. I didn’t want to disappoint them; they’d been so good to me. But I had to think about my future at Davidson’s. If I fucked this up, I could kiss that promotion goodbye. Even without the plans for the move to Westchester, Blue and Sofia were depending on me. Fuck, even my parents depended on me for some things.
I could not afford to lose my job, which was why I’d told the twins I would give the report that the board had asked for, and that report was to move forward with the IPO. Then there was Julia. Just thinking about how disappointed she would be in me after this made me feel dead inside.
I hadn’t heard from her much more for the rest of the day, other than a few texts letting me know she and Gail were trying to contact the foster family who took the children after mom was detained and were talking with lawyers to see what could be done for her. My recommendation tomorrow would most likely leave her jobless and, worse, those kids she loved so much hanging. She’d hate me for it.I’dhate me for it.
As I drove to Julia’s place, I tried to breathe through the pounding in my chest. When I parked my car into a spot behind her building, my phone rang, and I saw Sofia’s number. We weren’t scheduled to talk for a few days, so I took the call right away, hoping it wasn’t an emergency.
“Hey, sis.”
“They almost took Blue today.” Her voice was more panicked than I’d ever heard and she was obviously crying. “She was with Ma while I was at work, and she walked out of the house and was roaming around the neighborhood when someone found her and called the police. Apparently Billy was sent home from a job for acting like an asshole. So she had a drink to appease him and forgot she’d taken her meds. She nodded off somehow while he was sleeping it off upstairs and Blue was on her own.”
I felt the anger, the rage, of again hearing about one more time my mother could not be bothered to choose anyone over my father. I was also frustrated with Sofia. I’d known that her plan to only leave the baby when Billy was out of the house was not foolproof. My father always found a way to fuck things up. But saying that right now would only make things worse. Again the thought that moving ten miles away would not be enough distance flooded my mind.
“Is she okay, is Blue all right?”
Sofia shuddered before speaking, and I could tell she was working hard not to start sobbing again. “She’s okay. Thank God someone saw her before she actually walked into the street. She had the iPad you got her for Christmas with her, so she was distracted. She could’ve just walked into traffic and gotten hit by a car, Rocco.” Her voice was shaking, and I felt myself get more worked up with every word. “The lady who found her called the police and they called CPS, not that I blame them. I should’ve listened to you, but I always feel so guilty for not letting Mom see the baby.” She was openly crying again, the fear clear in her voice.
“Dammit.” I wanted to tell her we should just leave our parents and their problems in New York. That we needed some peace. That we didn’t owe them anything. But instead, I let her talk, knowing this would just add to all the shitty decisions I would need to make in the next few hours.
“They interviewed me for so long. They left Blue with me since I only let Ma watch her for a few hours a week and we don’t live there. But they are opening an investigation; they’re coming to our apartment tomorrow for a home visit. They called the advocate that Julia hooked me up with and she talked to them. They’ll call you too, to ask about me and if I’m a good mom.” Her voice gave out then, and it was all I could do not to catch a plane back to New York just so I could beat the shit out of my father. “I was so scared, Rocco. I thought they were going to take my baby.”
“It’s all right, sweetheart. We’ll figure this out. No one’s taking Blue from you.”
Sofia had worked her ass off the last few years to get herself and Blue to a good place. The one thing still keeping her on the ledge of losing her safety and her child was my parents. They were like a fucking anvil, keeping both of us shackled to their toxic drama. I had to get Sofia and Blue away from them. They were perfectly capable of doing something to get Blue taken from Sofia and then tell her it was her own fault.
“Are you home tomorrow?”
She shuddered out another breath, before answering my question. “Yeah. I told my boss I needed the day. He wasn’t thrilled but he gave me the time off. But the day care doesn’t open again until after New Year’s. I may ask Evelyn, my neighbor, to watch her for the few days before school starts. She’s there with her girls and Blue loves them.”
I heard shifting and Blue’s muffled voice asking for something. Sofia spoke softly to her. I felt responsible for not letting Blue get caught up in the same bullshit we’d grown up with.
