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“I think it’s my third, actually.”
“You better tip, then,” he jokes.
I raise my drink to him. “Always do.”
Doc bobs his head at something behind me. “Hey, Mr. Botsford,” he greets.
“Good afternoon, Doc.”
Kingston slides onto the stool next to mine.
“Can I get you something?” Doc asks him.
“Oh, no,” Kingston says. “I’m here to talk to Oli. Thank you.”
“Flag me down if you change your mind.”
Doc wanders off; a man who knows when to make himself scarce.
I take a deep breath, waiting a moment before looking at Kingston. Still, after all these years, as a full-grown man, I dread a look of disappointment on Kingston’s face.
To my surprise, he smiles.
“You’re part of the picture now, aren’t you, kid?” he asks.
I snort. “I should have stayed in the back.”
He exhales. “I come bearing news from the board.”
“Great,” I say, not really caring. “Where’s Paige?”
“It was a near unanimous decision that you be fired. Effective immediately.”
“Where’s Paige?”
“Ira escorted her out an hour ago,” he says.
I take a sip from my beer, swallowing bile along with it. “I guess that’s that, then.”
“I’m not done yet,” he says, his tone more upbeat than expected. “Before we could formalize the decision, a cadre of very organized senior managers descended on the boardroom and demanded that we reinstate you or else they and their entire staffs back home would all walk. Today.”
I pause, genuinely surprised. “Why?” I ask.
His lips twitch. “I guess the prospects of Ian Botsford, Company Liaison offended them very deeply.” He smiles. “You’ve got a lot more friends in this company than you think you do, kid.”
“And they all just happened to organize and descend on the boardroom at just the right moment, huh?”
Kingston shrugs a shoulder. “Quite the coincidence,” he says.
“Quite.”
“The board re-voted and, under the new credible threat of over a half-dozen locations across the country shutting down in protest of their prior decision, they decided that they could overlook one minor workplace indiscretion, as long as you agreed to a period of probation. And you will, of course, attend an anger management seminar for your violent outburst.”
“So, then, I’m not fired?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, you are not.”
“What about Ian?”
