“Is Kandi allright?”
“Yeah. She’s shaken, but allright.”
“Is she there? Put her on thephone.”
“She’s in the back trying to catalogue things. I’ll go gether.”
The line was quiet for a few moments before he heard a hesitant voice whisper into the phone. “Slade?” He could hear her voice shake with uncertainty as shespoke.
“Kandi, are you allright?”
“Yeah. Thank God you sent Aaron here to track this guy down. I don’t know what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been here. Slade, why would a perfect stranger want to destroy Mandisa’sstore?”
“Kandi, I don’t want you to worry about anything. Aaron and I are going to take care of this. He’s going to stay there with you until the store is up and running, and I’m sure you’resafe.”
“It will take weeks, even months for the store to be fixed. It’s a pile of rubble. We have stock coming in next week, but there will be no place to put it. I need to talk to Mandisa so we can figure out what we’re going todo.”
“No,” Sladebarked.
“Slade, whatever the terms of this bet you have going with Mandisa are, she has to betold.”
Slade massaged the back of neck as he quickly attempted to think up resolutions to thissituation.
“Kandi, we both know Mandisa will leave the moment she learns of this. She’s down here brokering a deal to expand her company. If she leaves now, she’ll never secure the funds for the expansion. You know how much that means toher.”
“Slade, she needs toknow.”
“Kandi, it’s a week. That’s all I’m asking. I’ll hire and pay for a crew to fix everything up. You handle the execution; I’ll cover the cost. Just don’t tell her anything about this until this deal is signed and she’s secured the funding she’s been trying toraise.”
“You’re asking me to lie to my best friend and my boss.” The pitch and volume of Kandi’s previously shaky whisperincreased.
“Kandi, please, a week, that’s all I’m asking. In a week, this deal will be done, and she’ll get everything she’s been working so hard for all thistime.”
The line was quiet for longer than Slade was comfortable with. He’d do whatever he could to keep Mandisa with him until he neutralized Bull. Neutralizing Bull was the only permanent answer to saving themall.
“A week, Slade. That’s all I can promise. If this deal isn’t done in a week, I’m calling her and telling hereverything.”
“A week is all I need,sugar.”
He closed the phone and shoved it back into his pocket, hoping to God his statement was true. He had one week to win over Mandisa and snatch his company back from Bull. Slade closed the empty stall he’d been cleaning and headed out of the stables. As much as he loved working his land, right now he had to exchange his cowboy hat for his corporate one. It was time to end this ugly saga with hisfather.
