Page 4 of Come Ride With Me
Mica nodded. “I’m sure you do, Mr. Banyon. But I must have those documents to properly do my job.”
“And just why do you have this job, if I may ask? Why would they send in a numbers woman to come in here and go through my shop? I’ve run this place for the last three years and nobody has ever questioned me.”
He was angry, his bushy brows almost meeting beneath his crinkled forehead. Mica was certain he was correct about one thing—he had never been questioned about anything. She had no idea why her father had given this seemingly agitated man complete authority over his business, but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was what she was here to do.
“I understand and that’s why I need your help in making sure this company is around for another three years,” she told him calmly.
“Well, I’m gonna call Finksburg,” he continued. “It’s about time that man told me what’s going on. Do you know anything about Bell’s estate? Who’s in charge now and all that?”
Mica blinked. She’d thought about her decision to come into this business as an outside employee instead of as the new owner. Only she and Jiles Finksburg knew of the charade. The older man with the happy blue eyes had thought it a wonderful idea. The best way for her to get to know the business from its bare bones on up. He hadn’t, however, warned her about the man that stood in front of her at this moment.
“Mr. Finksburg nor I are able to divulge any personal information about the estate of Bellamy Anderson.”Her father.It still felt weird to call him that. She hadn’t had one all her life and then suddenly, she did.
“I’m still calling him and I plan to tell him that I have no intention of giving the personal financial files of this company to a…a…number cruncher who doesn’t look old enough to wipe her own ass!”
Mica let her arms slip slowly down to her sides. She looked Mr. Rude-and-Ridiculous in the eye and said simply, “You will fully comply with my requests or I will let Mr. Finksburg know that you are uncooperative and he’ll decide whether Bellamy Motors is still the place for you to work.” She was halfway to making that decision herself and was certain Earl wouldn’t like it if she did.
He opened his mouth to say something—another snide remark, or maybe he’d bark some order at her and expect her to fall in line the way Mica suspected he did with everyone else around here. But Earl Banyon did neither. Instead, his thin lips spread into a slow smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes increased, his bulbous nose raised slightly in what might be construed as a comical way—if one were inclined to laugh at this asshole of a guy.
“I’ll get you the paperwork. You hurry up and do your little review and, in the meantime, I’ll have a chat with Mr. Finksburg myself,” he said.
He moved to walk out of the office, which she was extremely grateful for, but Mica couldn’t resist the urge to get the last word.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Banyon. I’m sure Mr. Anderson would have appreciated you working so cordially with me.”
“He certainly would have,” Nash added as he stepped into the doorway to stand face-to-face with Earl Banyon. “Bell always had respect for the ladies.”
Mica looked from one man to the other. They were such a contrast. One was muscled, rugged, and handsome. While the other was thin, somewhat polished and rude.
“What are you doing up here? Don’t you have a bike to repair? Those bikers from the south aren’t gonna happy until they squeeze every dime out of that service plan Bell insisted on offering with their purchase. But they’re not making us any money so the sooner we get them out of here, the better.”
This was, of course, Banyon speaking in his raspy and annoyed voice. Did he take that same gruff tone with everyone he encountered? It shouldn’t matter to her one way or the other, but it did and Mica caught herself frowning at him.
“The service plan is a good idea. It gets us repeat business. And the MC clubs are repeat business,” Nash replied.
His eyes narrowed just a bit. And the only reason she knew that was because she’d been staring at him so intently. He was a shade or two darker than her, so that his skin was a deep walnut hue. His eyes weren’t a terribly descriptive brown, but they were perceptive and knowing. And why the hell did she care either way? She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as a dull ache began between her legs.
“The MC clubs? Are they customers?” she asked. His eyes, that ache, none of it mattered. This business had to come first.
“They’re thugs at best,” Banyon shot back at Nash. “Criminals at worst.”
“They’re riders,” Nash replied evenly. “That buy their bikes from Bell because he used to ride with a club when he was younger. There’s loyalty there so Bell developed a special service plan to offer each one of them whenever they purchased a bike from us. They buy often and they refer other bikers they know in and out of town.”
At least they used to, seemed to be Nash’s unspoken words. She surmised that from the tight way in which he’d clamped his mouth shut and the sales numbers she’d seen on a slow decline in the past years.
Nash looked over Banyon’s shoulder as he answered her. Mica held his gaze, totally interested in what he was saying and not just because of the intense physical reaction his now pensive gaze was provoking in her.
“Sounds like a good customer service idea. How does it pan out financially?” she asked.
“It doesn’t,” Banyon snapped. “And he doesn’t know anything about the finances here. All he does is fix stuff and he shouldn’t even be allowed to do that.”
“I’ve been working here since before you started,” Nash replied tightly.
“And I’ve been waiting for the moment when I could get you out of here,” Banyon answered.
The two men stood toe-to-toe in a stance that was reminiscent of two boxers in a ring. Mica cleared her throat. “Mr. Finksburg indicated that there are to be no staff changes at this moment. The company will continue to operate as it has been until we get a good idea of what, if any, problems we’re facing and how to fix it.”
She couldn’t help but feel triumphant when Banyon looked back at her with clear disgust. If there were any staff adjustments to be made, as she’d already decided, Banyon would be the one to go. But she and Jiles had discussed this late last night. It was best to keep everything as is for the moment, even if she’d just threatened Banyon a few moments ago.
