“Either way’s fine, Lid. Have fun. Be safe. I have a date with a tub.”
Lidia’s face flushed with relief. “Cool. I’ll text you later!” Bottle of water in hand, Lidia strode to the door.
Lizzie felt a flicker of annoyance—George taking her sister out without a word—but not enough to stir real emotion. She shrugged, thinking about their last interaction, the awkwardness, the confusion. She really shouldn’t be surprised. At this moment, the only thing that could break her heart was if the hot water stopped working.
The next few weeks, Lizzie’s focus shifted to accounting: It was rigid, uncreative work that involved spreadsheet after spreadsheet, and the savings were in pennies and in days-of-cash-on-hand conversations, not boombox fixes or treasure hunts.
But at Pemberley, the head of accounting was Carlota—a firecracker who called WillEl Tensoand CarolinaLa Bruja. That alone was enough to endear her to Lizzie. Carlota and Lizzie became fast friends, and made Lizzie look forward to coming in every day, even though she was stuck in numbers jail.
Carlota was a bit older than Lizzie, but of similar backgrounds, and the first time she saw Lizzie’s protein bar lunch, she was having none of it. “Niña!” She exclaimed. “That is not food!” From that day on, Carlota insisted on having lunch together, where they talked about the latest plot twists ofOrgullo y Dolores,gossip about people they worked with, or Carlota would spend time describing some distant relation of hers who she thought would be perfect for Lizzie to date.
In the second week, Lizzie came across a situation that made her pause. At first, she thought maybe she was seeing a creative solution where there wasn’t one, due to the long days of penny-pinching. So she brought it up to Carlota for a sanity check.
“So when Pemberley imports, they pay for the goods up front, correct? Then it moves on a steamship for at least a month. Then they sell it, and customers have thirty days to pay?”
“Yeah, that’s how it works.”
“Carlota, that’s a cash cycle of sixty days minimum. That’s insane! How much is that costing Pemberley Pharmaceuticals?”
Carlota shrugged. “Yeah, it’s difficult, but what else can we do?”
“What if they flew the goods in? You could cut the cash cycle in half at least.”
“Yeah, but that costs what? Double?”
“More like three to four times more,” Lizzie confirmed. “But how much is the interest you pay on goods for an extra thirty days? The cost of warehouse space? The time to market?”
“You think you’re going to convinceEl Tensoto pay four times more for shipping forperceivedsavings?”
Lizzie was only half listening, her mind formulating a plot. “Plus, they could position the faster time to market as a value to their customers.”
“You can suggest it, but these people love their money. They’re not going to let you experiment with it.”
Lizzie knew Carlota was right, of course, but she still wanted to show them. “What if I just do it and then show them?”
“Mi amiga, I think it’s a bad idea.” Carlota’s face was serious. “I say you forget about that. Hey, have I told you about my nephew Pepito? But first, how do you feel about hairless cats?” Lizzie laughed and listened to Carlota’s sales pitch for her nephew, but Lizzie couldn’t stop thinking about the cash cycle gamble she was concocting.
An order came up that Friday that fit the bill. It was from a regular supplier, with inventory that turned quickly—a perfectchance to show the cost benefit of spending more on shipping. She knew it was a risk, but Lizzie was convinced it would work.
“Have them ship it air,” she told the procurement team.
She was fairly confident in the decision, but she could feel a knot forming in her stomach. She’d barely heard from the executive team; what if they were suddenly on a stricter budget, or no longer as accepting of her changes? Maybe she should have asked first; she may not need a live example.
Just then, her phone dinged—a message from Lidia.
Officially gone viral ?? ??
Attached was a video her sister had done about attending the opening of some new club; it had over a million views in just over twenty-four hours. The title: “The Risk Paid Off.”
It’s a sign,Lizzie thought. Feeling reassured and proud of her sister, she sent a celebratory emoji and packed up for the week.
The weekend was another blur. Lidia celebrated by spending more time with George, while Lizzie caught up on sleep and prepared for upcoming projects. She wondered if she’d be able to see the benefits of her little gamble, but before she could check on Monday morning, Carlota told Lizzie she’d been summoned to Will’s office.
Worry was written all over Carlota’s face. “Amiga,” she said as they made their way upstairs. “I wish you hadn’t made that choice. I’m worried they’re not going to listen.”
Lizzie was feeling worried too, but she knew she’d been right to do this. Carlota brought her to Will’s office, and then Lizzie’s friend left her with an anxious look. Inside, Will stood behind his desk, a sleek, wood L-shaped piece with two monitors and minimally adorned. Sitting across from Will were Charles and Carolina, with Carolina not even trying to hide her smug smile.
“Good morning, Lizzie,” Will said, then, as if just noticing there was no place for her to sit, added, “I’ll have a chair brought in.”
