“Why am I just now finding out you fired one of my staff?”Her eyebrow was raised in question, and she clearly didn’t care that I was in the middle of a phone call.
“Need me to call back later?”Harry asked, amused.
“No.”I told him, then to Tiffany, “I seem to remember you telling me that you wanted to fire Riley.Am I supposed to believe that you now have a problem with it?”
She didn’t back down.“Are you always this difficult?”
“Are you?”I countered.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to give you two some space?A room, maybe?”Harry cooed in my ear.
“Shut up,” I told him.
“Excuse me?”Tiffany had fire in her eyes.It should have angered me.It absolutely shouldn’t have my skin tingling.
“If you don’t mind, Tiffany, I’m in the middle of something.We can discuss this later.”My tone was terse, but it felt like a dangerous tease, a ploy to get under her skin, revenge for the way she’d so quickly and easily gotten under mine.
She rolled her eyes, then left, shutting the door behind her.
“You know, if you really want to talk to someone who understands the local bar trade, I know who you could talk to,” Harry said.
I closed my eyes.“Please don’t say it.”
“Tiffany.”He sounded far too happy with himself.
I released a long sigh.
“Did you hear me?”Harry asked when the silence dragged out.
“I heard you.”
“It’s not the worst idea.”
“Define worst.”
Harry laughed.“You said it yourself; she’s smart, capable—”
“Incorrigible, sarcastic, confrontational.”
“Look.If it’s really going to be that bad, you can do this on your own.You have before.”
“Yes, but back then, I was the one with insider knowledge, while Piper …”
“Hmm.”
“At least she won’t put you in the same position Piper did.”I could imagine all too many positions I’d like to be in with Tiffany, none of which were professional.I got back to the matter at hand.
“I’m still not sure it’s a good idea.”
“You could be right.But you should think about it.I know you’re not her biggest fan, but she knows what she’s doing.I could see that, and I barely even know what I was doing.Considering what you’re like, I thought you’d pounce on her.”
His phrasing was unfortunate.“I’m not denying she’s a skilled worker.And I,” I paused, “can admit that I may have judged her unfairly before I came here.I should have given you more credit than to assume you could be walked over like that.”
“Yes, you should have.But I appreciate you saying that.And you know,” I already hated what was coming, “you should give her a second chance.She works harder than anyone else at that bar.”A fact I’d already observed.“Except maybe you.”
“We’re nothing alike,” I said, beating him to whatever conclusion he was about to get to next.
“Sure.”He sounded unconvinced.I banished the possibility from my mind.It would only complicate matters that were already complicated enough.
But dammit, he was right.I needed someone who knew what we were up against and who I wouldn’t have to worry about undermining the bar’s interests.I might dread working in proximity with Tiffany, but as long as I maintained a professional distance, perhaps it wouldn’t end in complete disaster.
