Page 55 of Besties
“Have they contacted the police?”
I shrugged. “The cops don’t seem overly interested. They sent someone to check up on him, but there was no evidence of foul play, nothing to suggest it was anything more than a simple vacation.”
“And I hear a but there.”
“But his son didn’t know anything about it.” I sighed. I was about to say something, and I had no idea how Richie would take it. “When I first got to the office, they told me you were a good judge of character. You liked Dennis, right?”
He pursed his lips. “Yes, but—”
“No, no buts. Just go with what I’m saying. You liked him, yes?”
“I did. He was hardworking, seemed to be honest, pulled in record numbers for sales, and feedback from his customers was through the roof.” He narrowed his gaze. “In fact, we had a lot of referrals based off his performance.”
“Okay, does that sound like the kind of person who would do a one-eighty overnight and try to sabotage you?”
Richie tilted his head. “But—”
“No, no buts, remember? Go with what you know of him. Do you think he’s the kind of person who would do something like that?”
“No.” He sighed. “I can’t imagine him doing anything like that.” His gaze drifted to me. “And I was ready to believe the worst, because I wanted this mess to be cleared up.”
“So was I. I didn’t go in and point fingers—much—but I was certain that Dennis was spiking the ball on purpose.”
I got up and went into the kitchen to heat up the food. Neither of us had eaten since the previous night, and I was hungry. I took out the pasta that I had put away and popped it in the microwave.
“I can get that.”
Oh, Richie. Always thinking he needed to take care of me. It was heartwarming, but ultimately, I was the one who wanted to take care of him. “I got it. Just stay there and I’ll bring it to you.”
He leaned back and scrubbed a hand over his head. “So if not Dennis, who? Why? I mean, what do they hope to accomplish?”
The microwave dinged, and I pulled out the two bowls of piping-hot pasta and sauce, then sprinkled some parmesan cheese on them before I took them to the table. I put one down in front of Richie, and the other at my place before taking my seat again. We ate in silence, each seemingly lost in our own thoughts.
He put his fork down, pushed his bowl away, and folded his arms on the table. “You’re right, you know. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and I don’t intend to head down that path.”
Nowthatwas my Richie. The flare of his nostrils, the set of his chin, and the gleam in his eyes spoke of someone ready to do battle.
“First thing we have to do is contact our lawyers. They’ll have to get out in front of this as best they can. We’re also going to set up a press conference to deny the allegations. That’s going to be your job.”
I couldn’t possibly have heard what I thought I did. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You’ve seen the evidence, you know the facts, and like I said, I need someone I can trust. Besides you, I don’t know who that is anymore.”
God, I was only supposed to come on to help sell the product, and now he wanted me to get up in front of people and defend it?
“Write up what you want to say, I’ll have the lawyers go through it, and then you can knock their socks off.”
“Why not you?”
He regarded me thoughtfully. “You’re the new face, the one who just started with the company. If I get up there, people will just assume that I’m trying to cover our asses, but you? You can speak from the heart and tell them what you’ve learned in the last few months about the company, the people who are part of it, and your role in it.”
I bit my lip. Being part of the sales team was one thing, but I’d be alone up there, extolling the virtues of Richie’s company. His half-a-billion-dollar company.
“What if I screw up?”
Richie slid a hand over mine, squeezing gently. “This whole situation is a clusterfuck. You going up there and speaking from the heart can’t make it worse, but I think you’re the only one who has a chance to make it better.”
The amount of trust he was putting in me was staggering. If I said the wrong thing, I could screw him over for years to come. If I didn’t? Then he would stand back and watch his life’s work swirl down the toilet. There was only one possible answer here.
