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I took a bigger breath. “You and your family are taking it from us, and it’s not fair.”
There, I’d said it. The unfairness of it all is what grated on me the most. Ernst had fucked everything up.
“That’s bull, and you know it.”
“Is it? We had a perfectly stable company, and all of the sudden it’s gone, and you’re talking about merging it with Smith’s. Smith’s? That name shouldn’t even be used in the same sentence with grocery.”
“If we hadn’t come in this week, the company would be shutting down today. You went to business school. No cash, no business—it’s as simple as that.”
“We have cash,” I spat. I’d checked a few months ago, and two million was available and ready for the Redondo store remodel, after we finished the Pasadena store. Ernst had told me the issue was with the bank.
“Hadcash. But not anymore. This morning there was only twenty-seven thousand in the bank.”
My mouth dropped open. It wasn’t possible. “You’re wrong. That has to be wrong.”
“I wrote a two-million-dollar personal check this morning to keep the company running.”
“You what?” I asked softly.
He slapped his forehead. “Are all you Stanford girls hard of hearing? The bank account was down to empty, and I wrote a check to keep things running.”
Processing this was impossible, and I only had one response that fit. “Thank you.”
He started the engine again. “Now, are you going to help me save the Rossi’s chain, or do I have to do it by myself?” He pulled away from the curb.
How could that much money go missing?“I don’t understand.”
He gunned it through the next light. “Simple. Your uncle—”
“Step-uncle,” I corrected him, which, judging by his expression, hadn’t been wise.
“Whatever… He flew too close to the flame and got burned. He was stupid.”
I wasn’t going to argue with that.
We passed another intersection.
I pointed. “It’s two blocks up on the right.”
“Which restaurant?”
“Park in the Rossi’s parking lot.”
We pulled in and parked.
I unbuckled and slid out of my seat as soon as he stopped.
“Wait up,” he said as he shut down the engine.
“Yes, boss.” I closed my door and tapped my foot while waiting by the side of the car.
After locking the big ride, he walked around to meet me.
“It’s this way.”
He put a hand against the car, blocking my path. “Hold it.”
I glared up at him. “What now?”
