Bro code, p.17
Bro Code, page 17
Shit. Maybe I should lie and say it was someone else, pretend that nothing physical has happened between me and Ava. I don’t want to show up to this meeting tonight with a black eye.
“Barrett. Answer me. Was she here?”
I shouldn’t have paused for that long. If I lied now, no way he would believe me. Brace yourself, Barrett.
“Yes, she spent the weekend here with me.”
“Son of a bitch.” Nick leaps off the couch and lunges at me and I duck out of the way. He takes a step back, cooling down and pulling himself together as he paces the room. “My goddamn sister, you son of a bitch,” he mutters through his teeth. “The one damn thing that should have been off-limits and you can't keep your dick in your pants.”
“I’m sorry, Nick, but it wasn't like that.” Actually, that's exactly how this started, when she caught me coming out of the shower…but he doesn't need to know that. “I've had a crush on her for a while now. Years. And seeing her again...things just kind of clicked. I can’t help how I feel. If I could control it, I would. Believe me. The last thing I want to do is fuck up our friendship.”
He stops dead in his tracks, then turns back to me, his squinty eyes sizing me up. “Really? You’re telling me if you could control it, if you could turn on a dime and suddenly not love my sister, you would?”
He's got me there.
“No. No, I wouldn’t,” I admit. “You’re right. I wouldn’t give her up.”
He shakes his head and takes his spot on the couch again. “Then I guess it must be something real.”
Things have calmed down enough that I decide to test my luck and grab a seat on the couch next to him. He doesn’t immediately reach over and strangle me, which seems like a good sign.
“So, how many times do you have to knee me in the balls until we’re even?” I’m only half joking, but it gets a smirk out of Nick.
“You've got to deal with something that hurts way worse, man. The wrath of Ava. She’s never going get over the fact that you’re the ringleader in this whole takeover business. I’ve never seen her this furious.”
“Has she said anything about me?”
Nick snorts. “How the hell would I know, she hasn’t spoken a word to me since I told her she'd be better off selling.”
“You told her I told you to sell?”
Nick wags a finger at me like he’s scolding a dog. “Don’t turn this on me. You’re the one who’s been getting it on with my sister behind my back.”
“I’m not getting it on with her, Nick. I love her.”
“Shit, that sounds so goddamn weird.” He makes a face, and shakes his head like he's trying to clear a visual image.
“Well then, this next part is going to sound even weirder.” I glance at my watch—three hours until the meeting, and it’s at least a three-hour drive. Fuck. “Help me get your sister back?”
Holding Nick’s coat out in front of me as a peace offering, I watch him think it over. The whole thing is crazy, and with the news I just dropped on him, I don’t expect him to help me, but twenty-plus years of friendship has to mean something, right?
He squeezes his eyes shut and takes in a long breath, then reaches out to take his coat. “Alright, let’s do it. I hope you’ve got one hell of a plan.”
“I don’t.” I give him a wicked grin and fastball him his keys. “But just like with every game we ever played, we’ll think on our feet and I’ll make one up on the way there.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ava
As terrified as I am for the meeting with Roland and my staff tonight, there’s a much tougher, infinitely more nerve-wracking meeting I have to get through first. The one with my dad.
How do I go about telling my father that, after he handed his life’s work over to me, I’ve let it fall to pieces? There’s no way he can be totally blindsided—he ran the factory for decades, after all. He knows the budgets back and forth, and as much as I have tried to hide my stress, I know he’s seen me practically pulling my hair out over every new disaster.
Somehow, we’ve made it this far without having to have a real discussion about the state of things at the plant. But there’s no avoiding it anymore. As I descend the stairs to the den, I repeat over and over again in my head that Dad gave me the factory for a reason—I’m smart and I’m strong. Still, I don’t know a girl in the world with the kind of strength to look her dad in the eye and admit she’s let him down.
“Daddy? Can I talk to you?”
He’s lounging in his usual spot, smack dab in the middle of the couch, a basketball game on the TV. When he hears my voice, he doesn’t so much as turn, just slides over and pats the cushion next to him.
We sit there side by side and watch the game for a few minutes as I try to figure out where I should even begin. Maybe I should’ve practiced in front of a mirror first or written a script. When the ref calls a time out, Dad leans toward the coffee table and grabs the remote, muting the sounds of sportscasters and sneaker squeaks.
“Big meeting tonight, huh?” he says, eyes still on the muted game.
“How do you know that?”
“I may not be running the plant anymore, but it’s not like the fellas and I don’t talk.”
Shit, I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Dad might already know more than I do about what’s going on.
“If you knew, then why haven’t you said anything to me?”
Dad sighs, leaning back into the couch. When he finally turns and looks at me, I brace myself for anger, at least frustration, but instead, his eyes are kind. He’s calm as ever.
“It’s not my company anymore, Ava. It’s yours. And I know you’ve got it under control.”
It’s my turn to sigh. “It sure doesn’t feel like it right now, Dad. I think this might be it for the plant. I think I’m going to lose it.”
Dad lets the silence hang in the air for a good long while. I look down at my fingernails, but I have nothing left to bite at, the weeks of worry and indecision have taken their toll on my poor nails. When I look back up at Dad, I’m surprised to find him smiling. It’s a soft, sad smile, but a smile, nonetheless.
“I’m proud of you, kid,” he says, his tone warm and certain. “You’ve done good.”
Is he losing his hearing? How could he possibly be proud of me? I search his eyes for any sign that he might be kidding, but he seems sincere.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Dad,” I say, picking at my nails as a replacement anxious habit. “I’ve done anything but good. I’ve single-handedly run everything you built straight into the ground.”
“The guys at the plant might surprise you,” he suggests with a shrug. “They’ve surprised me before. This is more about them than it is about you. The whole business is about them. I’ve told you that since day one. Don’t forget that.”
“Of course not. I’ve never forgotten that. But even if I walk into that meeting with my head held high, everyone knows I’m going to walk out defeated.”
“That might be true, it might not be. But you don’t know until you get in there and give it the rest of what you’ve got.”
“I’m not sure how much I’ve got left.”
“You’ve still got some fight in you.” He slugs me lightly on the arm, like a coach preparing his pinch hitter to take the plate. “You know how I know?”
A knowing smile creeps across my face. “How do you know, Dad?”
“Because you take after me, sweetie. That’s how.”
* * *
The headquarters of Roland Enterprises look more like a spaceship than an office. The massive silver building towers over every structure in the area. Its giant windows and huge silver doors feel out of place in rural Indiana. When I walk through the extra tall automatic doors, there’s no front desk, no attendant to greet me, only a line of touch screen kiosks showing a map through this enormous building.
Toto, I don’t think we’re at the factory anymore. Lucky for me, the conference room is just down the hall from the big icon on the map that says, “You are here,” so I won’t have to get too deep into this place and run the risk of getting lost. It also means that, if necessary, I can make a quick escape back to my car if the meeting is a total disaster.
When I turn down the hall, I can hear the murmuring of my employees coming from a distance. Just hearing their voices brings a more comfortable familiarity to this place. I follow their voices to a set of swinging grey doors that lead to the site of this evening’s main event.
The conference room has been arranged so that the chairs are in rows facing a podium at the front of the room, making it feel more like a press conference than a meeting. How very like Roland to set up the room to put himself front and center, standing over everyone else. Most of the guys have shown up, filling the room with nervous energy and small talk about sports, the weather, anything but the issue at hand. Time to get this group focused.
I take a deep breath, and remember Dad's pep talk. Then I head straight to the front of the room, and all of the conversation dies down and a sea of anxious faces turns to look at me.
“Hey, guys, can we chat really quick before things get started?”
It stays quiet, and my belly fills with nerves.
You can do this, Ava.
I consider the podium, but instead choose a chair near the front of the room and turn it so I’m facing my staff. We’re all on the same level here.
“In the short time I’ve been in charge of this factory, a lot has happened that I admit I have not always handled correctly. I was trying to fix everything but not very good about asking for help when I needed it. When we needed it. And for that, I can’t apologize enough.”
I pause to glance up at the doors. No sign of Roland yet. Might as well keep going.
“There’s a lot that I have to learn from all of you about this factory, and if you are willing to give me that chance, I would be honored to have you teach me. This business has been around for a long time, and in that time it has grown so much. I know we have more growing to do, and I want to take on that challenge. You know how much I care about this company, and how much I care about each and every one of you and your families. I have since I was a little girl. My father built something truly incredible here, a real family. I ask you all to find it within you not to give up on our family just yet.”
“Truly inspiring, Ava.” The doors swing open and Roland struts into the room, his beady eyes boring into me. “Now, if we might get down to the facts.” His condescending tone makes me feel like a student who has been misbehaving in class while the teacher was gone, but I refuse to make myself small in front of him. I have to stand my ground and summon that fight I have still in me. This one’s for you, Dad.
As Roland approaches the podium, I swivel my chair back to its original position and walk to the front of the room, standing just to the left of him.
“What are you doing?” he hisses through his teeth.
“This is my company. Since you seem to have forgotten a podium for me, I’ll be standing up here next to you so that we can both address my staff, if that’s quite alright.”
He inhales slowly, then lets out a punctuated breath. “Fine. It doesn’t make a difference where you stand.” After clearing his throat a thin smile spreads across his face as he turns to face the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming today, gentlemen,” he begins, his voice dripping with a phony friendliness. “I’m deeply excited to discuss the potential of Roland Enterprises taking over your company. We are prepared to buy out the factory from Ava and transfer power within the next month, at which point I would hire you all on to help renovate the factory, no loss of jobs. We would move toward an automated system, which you would help to run behind the scenes.”
The doors swing open again and Barrett and Nick saunter in, leaving me to dig what’s left of my fingernails into my palms to keep from screaming. The nerve of them to show up to this meeting. Why are they here? To say, “I told you so” and rub salt in my wounds? So, Barrett can flaunt his betrayal in my face? And Nick can encourage the factory workers to side with Roland?
They take seats in the back, and I pretend not to notice them, focusing instead on whatever drivel Roland is spewing as he fields questions from the crowd. Luckily, the men are giving him looks of uncertainty. I knew they wouldn’t buy into this. Any factory employee who hears the word automation knows what that means—you won’t need as many humans to run a facility that’s automated.
“Maybe it would help to hear this from someone who understands you a bit better than I do, one of your own. Barrett, didn’t you grow up in the area?”
I refuse to give Barrett the satisfaction of looking at him, but I can see him nodding out of the corner of my eye.
“Would you mind telling these fine gentlemen about what this takeover could provide for them and their community?” Roland gestures at the podium, inviting Barrett to take the reins.
For fuck's sake. I feel like I'm going to hurl.
After everything we shared together, his betrayal hurts ten thousand times more than losing the company from right out under me.
I can feel Barrett’s piercing gaze on me as he steps up to the front of the room, but I still refuse to look him in the eye. How could he? It’s one thing just to have the guts to come to this meeting, but to speak? To put the final nail in the coffin of my family’s business? I wish I could disappear. That, or strangle him.
Roland steps out of the way, taking a seat to allow Barrett to take the stand.
“It’s true, Mr. Roland offers a lot of great ideas for this factory,” he begins. Tears spring to my eyes and I frantically try to blink them back. The least I can do is go down with a little grace.
Deep breaths.
“Well, a lot of good ideas about turning it into a storage facility that is.”
What?
“Roland Enterprises plans to automate the factory completely within the year this is true, but the automation will not be to assist you in doing your jobs. It will be to turn the building into a storage warehouse. No production, nothing but back stock and machines that sort the inventory, eliminating all of your jobs in a year’s time.”
Roland jumps to his feet in protest. “Barrett, that is quite enough. Ava, take the stand from Barrett, it’s your turn to speak.”
“You will address her as Miss Saunders, show some respect, Roland. Now, why don’t you take your seat while I break down the fine print for these gentlemen?”
Roland’s jaw tightens, his eyes wide and manic. “I don’t think you want to do that, Barrett.”
Barrett turns to me, sees the shock in my eyes, and offers me a sweet, apologetic smile. “Oh, I know I do, Roland.” He gives me a wink, then squares his shoulders with the podium again, looking out over the crowd and launching into his speech.
“The Roland Enterprises takeover would be an excellent move for Mr. Roland here, but the impact on the staff and the community overall would be overwhelmingly negative.” I peek over to check if he’s reading this off of something, but the podium is empty. He’s doing this off the cuff.
“I am confident in saying that Ms. Saunders is more than capable of running this plant, but she cannot do it without all of you. In fact, if the company shifted some of you into more management-based roles, allowing you to offer more insight from a mechanical standpoint, I suspect the factory could increase its efficiency and its profits in no time at all. All it would take is some legal help to restructure the company.”
My eyes are welling up with tears again, but this time, they’re tears of absolute joy and disbelief. This seems too good to be true, like just another Barrett fantasy, but a quick pinch of my arm ensures me I’m not dreaming. Barrett Wilson, teen heartthrob turned corporate lawyer, is abandoning his own client to side with me. No doubt losing his job and his accelerated partner track.
“Ava has an excellent business model,” Barrett goes on. “As a corporate lawyer, I can speak to the fact that there are few companies left that really prioritize their employees. You’re lucky to have a boss like her. And if you have a good thing…” He pivots back to me, his intense blue eyes locking with mine. “You shouldn’t let it go.”
From the back of the crowd comes one slow clap, then another, until the whole staff is on their feet applauding Barrett’s speech, calling out “well said!” and “hell yeah!” When I spot Nick standing and clapping with the best of them, the tears spill over onto my cheeks. I guess Dad was right. Sometimes, people can surprise you.
The moment is next to perfect until Roland leaps up, silencing the crowd with a loud “Wait, wait, wait!”
“This is ridiculous!” Roland barks. “Company restructuring? There isn’t a firm on Earth that this company could afford with their current deficit.”
“I’m sure they can find someone to do the work pro bono,” Barrett says with a smirk, waving Roland’s criticism out of the air. “In fact,” he says, glancing at me over his shoulder, “I think I know just the guy.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Barrett
“You got a lot of nerve, Barrett.”
Mr. Roland stomps up to the podium, cell phone in one hand and briefcase in the other. His head looks like an overripe tomato. I knew I’d royally fuck myself and piss a client off someday, I just didn’t think I’d be so happy about it.
“You’re finished,” he hisses, stretching one arm over the podium to shove his phone in my face. My boss’ name glows bright on the screen above the ticking clock indicating the length of the call. “I’ve had the senior partner on the line from the second you went off the rails up there. Maybe you’d like to tell him about your little eruption.”
I snatch the phone out of Roland’s hand and press it up to my ear. “Hello?” Mr. Lyons’ gruff voice is almost entirely drowned out by the chaos of the room, all the factory guys high fiving and rushing Ava to congratulate her. I don’t blame them. I’d be doing the same thing if this asshole hadn’t stopped me first. I cup my hand over my other ear to quiet the room a bit. “Sorry, could you say that again?”
