Bates groans softly. “You’re not wrong. If he takes a massive hit this season, we’ll be the scapegoats. He’s got to at least break even. Anything less and he’s going to hate us both.”
“But he doesn’thaveto fail,” I point out, already formulating lists in my head from the available data. “He’s upset — understandably — but he has others depending on him, and he needs to make rational decisions. I’ll give him the facts. Pure and simple. What he does with them is up to him, but he won’t be able to say we left him without options.”
I knockon the door of Dad’s office.
I’d been hoping I could sneak in and out, leaving my recommendations before heading for Dawson without having to see him, but the light is shining from under the door, so I know I’m going to have to face him.
“Might as well come in, Lana.”
He’s shoving a photo frame into his desk drawer when I enter, and the room has the sharp tang of alcohol. He clears his throat and gestures at the chair opposite him, but he doesn’t look up. “You packed?”
“I hadn’t unpacked. I think part of me knew where this was headed and saved the energy.”
“So you did plan this, then?”
“No. I just know when I’m not wanted,” I say quietly. “I’ve got a lot of experience with it.”
Dad stops tidying his desk, but he still won’t look up. “There’s never been a moment I didn’t want you, Lana.”
My heart lifts at his adamant tone, and I know I was right to try and spend the season with him. “I wasn’t really talking about you, Dad.”
He looks up and meets my gaze.
His eyes are bloodshot. It’s obvious he hasn’t slept. His eyes narrow at me, then he shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”
“I know. You don’t really know me, but you’re not wholly responsible for that.” I open my planner and take out the two business forecasts I’ve written up, placing them both on his desk side by side. As soon as I’ve done it, I know he’ll pick the wrong one to read first, so I improve my odds by stacking the better of the two on top before pushing them closer to him.
“I’ve drawn up some reports. One holds significant challenges, but the outcomes hold a lot of promise. The other holds entirely different challenges, and I’m not going to lie, the outcomes are grim as hell. I hope you’ll consider both options and give adequate attention to where you can make allowances. I’ve summarized data points on the front sheet, but the working’s all there if you have any doubts.”
Not taking his eyes off mine, Dad reaches for the reports.
His hand hovers over them, then he slides the top one aside and takes the one from the bottom — the bad one.
The one I don’t want to stay long enough to have him read in front of me.
“I’m going to go now.”
I don’t even make it to the door before he bellows at me.
“Lana Florence Hawkins, you sit your fucking ass back down.”
He left out theBakerpart of my name. And even though that unguarded claiming of kinship makes this the closest I’ve felt to him in a while, it’s not enough to make me sit as he’s bid. “I don’t want to.”
“I don’t care. Give me the professional courtesy of telling me what I’m looking at here — because it looks a whole lot like you’re trying to bankrupt me.”
I turn to face him, but I don’t take a seat. “I’m not trying to do anything but show you what your season is going to look like when you send me and Bates away. I did the math. He’s worth more than six men to your operation.”
“He’soneman, Lana. Maybe you think he’s your fucking hero, and the sun shines out of his asshole, but he can’t be in six places at once. He’s replaceable.”
“I don’t think you’ve taken into account the speed with which he works?—”
“Oh, yeah. He works fucking fast, alright. You’ve only known each other a day, and he’s got you talking fuckingbabies.”
“I’ve always wanted babies, actually. Not that you’d know it. And Bates has experience and knowledge that makes him up to three times more efficient than anyone you could hope to replace him with at this point. It’s the start of the season. Everyone who’s worth their salt is already employed.”
“Three times more efficient doesn’t make him six men.”
“You’re neglecting to consider the cost benefits of one of his greatest qualities. Bates brings out the best in those who work with him. He recognizes people’s strengths and supports them to take on roles that suit them best. He also offers a stable and nurturing learning environment for newer team members, bringing them up to standard faster and more efficiently than they could ever hope to without him. According to your own reports, he can get his team dialed in and operating at peak performance in a fraction of the time it would take any ofthe other workers you have on the books. The benefits of a fast and functional startup makes your other guys worth more across the season as a whole, but that initial level of efficient functionality originates from Bates — without even mentioning how hesustainsthat level of production — so he gets the points for the boost in labor force, and that takes his productivity tally to a five-man standard.”
