“What do you want?”
“I wouldn’t mind a pay increase. Is that even allowed? Maybe not. This soon after Christmas, I think Shirley would gut me if I tried to make any more money.”
My jogging slows, turning into a much lazier pace so I can hear Buster over my own pounding heart. “You’re still mad I put my inheritance into the charity fund, aren’t you?”
“It was a lot of money.”
“Money we can do good with.”
“Like what?”
“Ensure all our workers are paid fairly, for starters.”
“Hey, no one goes underpaid on my watch.”
“I know.” I chuckle. “I actually saw there’s a charity we could link up with. I’ll send you the details when I’m back at my hotel room, but they strive to provide the prom experience and such for kids in end-of-life care. I bet they could use some jewelry.”
“Damn.” Buster chuckles. “Right for the heart. I’m in pain.”
“Worth it.”
“Hell yeah. Send me the info and I’ll see what I can do.”
My jogging takes me to the crest of a small bridge where a frozen river cracks subtly every few seconds. I pause here, jogging on the spot to keep the cold at bay. “Alright, what’s up?”
“I need you to send me the employment records for Angelic.”
“You don’t have those already?”
“Nope.” He pops the P loudly.
“Oh.” I’d asked Jimmy to send over all employee documentation the moment I arrived. “I’ll chase that up and get it to you.”
“Can you also make sure I have all the financials?”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Buster sighs. “I just gotta ensure I know everything so the right things are in place to protect Amber Ltd. should Angelic Jewels go into liquidation before the acquisition is finalized. Trust me, I know you want to make this work, whether it’s for the girl or for the business. I’m in your corner. I just need to make sure we do this properly.”
“Thanks, Buster.”
“Yeah, I know. Listen, are you flying back out here anytime soon?”
“No plans to. Why?”
“Hannah wants you over for dinner. She missed you at New Year’s. Everyone did.”
“Ah.”
“Look, nothing fancy. Just a family dinner. You owe me since you’ve robbed me of my retirement condo.”
“You’ll live.”
“Yeah, in a shitty apartment living on instant noodles while my fiancée busts my balls because I can’t afford her fancy facial treatment.”
“That sounds like a great idea, actually. You need some grounding.”
“I’m grounded. Look at me, I’m helping you with this pet project while our shareholders panic that the CEO fled the state. I’m fucking grounded.”
