29. Gus
29
GUS
“No.”
Carl’s voice is firm. Borderline cold, matching his features. Like he’s scolding a child rather than answering a counterpart his same age. One who technically outranks him.
“I brought you all the evidence,” I argue, pushing my luck.
His eyes go wide, sitting straight up in his chair. “No, Willa did. You were on administrative leave, remember?”
I wave off his correction, putting my hands on the back of the guest chair across from him and leaning forward. We both know it’s a technicality that Willa brought him the findings that acted as the catalyst for this meeting. It took a full four days, but we did it.
If anything, it was all Margeaux. She was the one who knew where to look, what files to pull, and then translated most of the legalese into regular-people speak.
Sure, I could help when it came to the tax ID and pointing Willa in the direction of the correct contact in accounting, but that’s it. Margeaux’s the reason we discovered it all. She and that seriously fucking sexy brain of hers .
“Details.” I shrug.
“Rather important ones.”
“I want to sit in on this,” I say, as if my desires were somehow unclear. Carl doesn’t budge though.
“No.”
“Don’t I have the right to face my accuser?”
Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Carl mutters something under his breath, and deep down I know the only reason he hasn’t kicked me out of his office is because we’ve been friends since the second grade. Doesn’t mean I’m going to back down. Nope. Not a chance.
We’re Tom Petty-ing this shit.
“This isn’t a court of law, Gus. This is follow-up to an employee complaint in a privately held company. The same rules do not apply.”
“It’s my company; I’ll just change the rules,” I throw out. One last-ditch effort.
Although, to be fair, that’s a pretty lame one. Because I’m pretty sure I don’t have those powers.
“Unless something has changed in the last few hours, pretty sure it’s still your daddy’s company,” he lobs back, giving me a look that only an old friend can. “And no, you can’t change this rule. It’s a state law. Forgive me for trying to prevent us from getting sued.”
That’s fair. I really, really don’t want to be sued. And as both an employer and friend, I greatly appreciate that Carl is looking out for that, and everything he’s done to help over the last week. I know he’s not only had Hayes’s best interest at heart, but mine and Margeaux’s as well. This whole situation put him in an awkward spot, and he’s done a damn good job at remaining professional through the whole thing.
“Georgia’s a right to work state.”
“You mean ‘at will’?” he asks, the two lines between his brow deepening in confusion. “Because not being required to join a union has nothing to do with this situation.”
Shit…
“Yes, at will. Whatever.”
“When all of this is done, we’re going to have a nice review of employment law and HR terminology.”
I flip him the bird. He knew what I meant; no need to be a smart-ass. He sends a single-finger salute right back to me, and I laugh. Thank goodness for old friends.
“Regardless of what it’s called, the important part is that we don’t need a reason to terminate.”
“True, we don’t,” he sighs. “However, as I have stated many times, this is America, and just because we don’t have to have a reason doesn’t mean they can’t sue. And termination isn’t the guaranteed outcome of this meeting.”
What?!
My eyes almost bug out of my head. He has to be joking. Termination isn’t the guaranteed outcome of this meeting? It’s the only acceptable outcome as far as I’m concerned. If he read the same things I did, then I have no idea how he would think otherwise.
“Carl, are you fucking kidding me?”
“Let’s just wait and see what she has to say. It’s called giving people the benefit of the doubt. Auggie taught me that one.”
Auggie taught me that one…
Oh…way to throw that back in my face. To be fair, he’s probably right. Giving people—especially our employees—the benefit of the doubt is a tenet of my father’s belief system, and something I would normally agree with him on. However, this is one case where I’m past that. There should be zero benefits left here.
He’s holding the proof in his hands.
Sucking in a breath, I count to ten, my own silent way of telling myself to calm down. I’m a lot more agitated than I realized, and that is not helping anyone. Carl, on the other hand, is as cool as the proverbial cucumber, hands folded on his desk, waiting for some kind of retort.
“What did I manage to teach y’all?” Auggie asks, sauntering into the office. “Something good, I hope.”
“Giving people the benefit of the doubt,” I mutter, nodding in greeting.
“Ah,” my old man drawls, a smug smile taking over. “That is a good one.”
Carl gestures toward him, only upping my annoyance. Yeah, yeah, I get it. Not what I want to hear, but I get it. I need to have confidence that this is going to go my way. No, I take that back. I do have confidence this is going to go my way.
I know what we have. I know what was uncovered thanks to Margeaux and what it all means. And it’s not good. Discovering the root of the issue doesn’t leave any of us with the warm fuzzies. There’s some serious trust broken, resulting in a lot of processes that will have to be reviewed and reworked, plus training. For the entire company. An uphill battle for sure.
All that is secondary to having figured it out though.
Now comes the hardest part. Confronting the culprit and getting them to own up to their actions. All of their actions.
“Are we ready to get this started? Our guests should be in the conference room by now,” Auggie continues.
Standing up, Carl nods. “Ready if you are.”
“You joining us?” Auggie asks, turning to me.
“Not allowed.”
There’s no hiding the bitterness in my voice, even if I do mutter my words. Maybe I can convince one of them to call me, and I can listen in that way. Sure, that probably breaks a dozen other laws, but right now, I’m desperate .
“I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to,” Auggie says.
“Any number of reasons,” Carl responds. He doesn’t bother hiding his impertinence, nor does my father seem to notice. “Gus has broken enough rules these last few months.”
“We’re choosing to view that as growth on his part. Learning that sometimes, exceptions can and should be made.”
Thanks, Dad…
I lower my head, laughing to myself. Leave it to my father to drive home a life lesson in a moment like this.
“We’re hoping that from here on out, he can be a little more understanding, and maybe not quite as uptight.”
“Message received,” I comment.
“So, I don’t see why he can’t join us. He’s been taken off administrative leave after review, and this meeting isn’t directly in regard to that investigation, so his sitting in shouldn’t present any issues.”
“Auggie, I?—”
“My company, my rules, Carl,” he cuts him off.
Bingo!
“Why don’t we just invite Margeaux while we’re at it?” Carl mutters, circling the desk.
“If she’s interested…” Auggie remarks, not giving in to the sarcasm.
“She’s not.” I shake my head. I tried to convince her, but she wasn’t having it. “Said she thought it would be better if we kept it to those who were in the original meeting.”
“At least one of you is being mature about this.”
Biting my tongue, I gesture for Carl to lead the way. He doesn’t need to know that Margeaux has a plan of her own for confronting Teresa when all is said and done. That’s information best kept to myself here.
I follow him and my father down the long hall toward the legal department, as if on autopilot. I’ve made the journey more times than I can count, yet somehow this is different.
Stopping just shy of the last turn, Auggie turns to me, giving me a knowing look and a hearty nod. My heart leaps, my body suddenly on high alert.
It’s go time.
“Y’all,” Auggie greets, walking into the room like he was taking the stage at Rhythm and Brews. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’d been studying Dustin’s moves and was trying to do his best impression. “I apologize. I had a meeting run a little over.”
“Happens to the best of us,” Percy says with a smirk.
Silently, Carl and I prepare to take a seat on either side of my father, his symbolic right and left hands, letting our presence be known. The two on the other side of the table don’t say anything else, but Teresa’s expression when she sees me says it all.
I probably shouldn't take as much joy as I do from watching the smile slip from her face as we all pile into the conference room, one right after the other, like clowns unloading from a miniature car. Her complete lack of poker face betrays her, letting us all in on the fact that the only person she was expecting to join her and Percy in this meeting was Auggie.
And if seeing me walk in deflated her sails, then the sight of Carl made her hackles stand straight up. This was not the meeting she expected. Clearly she doesn’t know HR procedure as well as she thinks.
“Miss Parrish,” Auggie begins. “Last week, you met with Gus and Percy to discuss a vendor establishment contract for Sapphire Sands. Is that correct? ”
“Yes,” Teresa answers, her bright, kiss-ass smile plastered firmly in place. The same one she had at the start of our meeting.
“And during this meeting, you made the accusation that Gus was having an inappropriate relationship with an employee, that you felt resulted in favoritism. Is that correct?”
“He is. I provided proof.”
“I understand the nature of the complaint that you made in your discussions with Human Resources,” Auggie replies, nodding to Carl. “I’m verifying whether or not you made that complaint during the meeting I mentioned.”
“Yes, I did.”
“And why did you feel that was the moment to bring this matter forward?”
Teresa flinches backward, physically caught off guard by the question. “He’s breaking Hayes policy. That needed to be brought to light.”
“But why that moment?”
Auggie remains steadfast, his normal laid-back features stoic and trained on Teresa. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that look, and there’s no doubt she’s feeling the heat.
“He’s fucking an employee!” she exclaims, her voice rising in pitch as her body lurches forward. Catching herself, she sits back, inhaling deeply to regain composure. “It’s inappropriate and unfair.”
“The nature of Gus’s relationship with Miss Finnegan isn’t a factor of today’s discussion, as it’s a part of a confidential HR matter that has now been resolved. Although I am still curious as to why you felt that the right moment to discuss whatever concerns you might have about said relationship was during the discussion of the Sapphire Sands contract. ”
Boom.
Teresa shifts uncomfortably in her seat. The room stills, the only sound filling the air coming from the vent above us, making the silence louder than cicadas in the dead of summer. We all wait for what feels like forever, each second that passes growing longer and longer.
“It needed to be brought to light.”
You fucking said that…
Auggie nods. Slow, steady, like he’s chewing on the answer, trying to digest it. “Well, it’s out in the open now. So, we can continue the discussion about Sapphire Sands.”
“Gus shouldn’t be here. He’s on leave,” she states, not bothering to hide the disdain in her voice.
“He’s not, actually. As I mentioned, the confidential HR matter regarding him and Miss Finnegan has been resolved, and they have both been cleared to return to work as of this morning.”
Teresa balks, swallowing hard. Yup, take that.
Is that the wrong attitude to have? Sure is. Especially as executive vice president. But after everything she’s put us through this past week—shit, everything she’s put Margeaux through since she started—there’s no love lost here. And I’m not obliged to think kindly toward her.
“And since this matter still falls under his purview, it makes sense to include him in this meeting. Truthfully, it was only escalated to me while he was out because it involves a lot of money. Because you see, Miss Parrish, that’s why we have these questions about Sapphire Sands—because money has gone missing. A lot of money.”
Teresa swallows hard again, the muscles of her throat visibly contracting as her gaze shifts between Carl, Auggie, and me. She’s nervous. Whatever this tactic is, I need to learn it. It’s something I think must come naturally to my father, but not so secretly I’m hoping there’s a technique he can pass on.
Because, damn.
“Teresa, here’s what we know,” Percy says, opening a folder and sliding it in front of her. “This is the Sapphire Sands vendor establishment contract you wrote up last year. We are unable to find any requisition for it. Nor are we able to establish any record of this company. I don’t know what’s more notable—that the name used was after Bea Kennett’s brand or that there isn’t a tax ID number, something I would have thought you, my tax law specialist, would have double-checked.”
Flipping the pages, he lands on the last one, carefully pointing to his signature at the very bottom. “Now, this looks like my signature. So much that at first glance I figured it must be and the fact that I didn’t recognize the name of the company was simply proof it was time to retire. But then, after Gus’s urging, I looked at the date. I was out of the office that week, since Carly was giving birth. The signature was forged and dated on the day of my youngest grandchild’s birth.”
And there it is. The nail in the coffin.
“Miss Parrish, from where I sit, you have a couple of choices,” Auggie picks up. “You could deny everything. Although, I should disclose that we have done our due diligence here and have traced that some of the early payments made to Sapphire Sands Restoration went to an account that was opened at the Pitman Dean branch over in Tifton in both your name and that of Ryan Hannaway, who maybe not so coincidentally works in our accounting department.”
Eyes going wide, the color drains from Teresa’s face fully, and that’s when I know. Really, truly know.
Even with all the evidence, all the paperwork and numbers before me, there was still a doubt. A small worry that she’d deny it. That she’d find a way to get away with it. Say it wasn’t her and come up with a plausible story as to why. But no. There’s no faking that visceral of a reaction.
We have her. Dead to rights.
“Or,” Auggie pushes on, “you can be fully transparent with us. Both options will result in termination, and we will pursue legal action. However, you have our promise that if you are cooperative, we will not be as harsh as we could be.”
“It was Ryan’s idea,” she says.
“I do have to interject to remind you at this point that you do have the right to consult a lawyer if you wish,” Carl says.
“I am a lawyer,” she spits.
Not a very good one…
I hold back my glee. Now is not the time to celebrate. An employee is sitting in front of me admitting to embezzling from us. The more Teresa explains, the more of a mess I see laid out before me, the mountain of work to fix the holes in the process growing before my eyes. It’s going to be a bear of a project.
But I have the best partner in the entire world. An e-commerce experienced, MBA wielding, law-degree toting Cajun princess. And I know she’ll be by my side through all of it.
Still, this feels like a win. One I can’t wait to tell Margeaux about.
One hurdle down. Forever to go.