“Did you want me to deliver the news to Charlene for you?” Sal asked.
“Don’t think I can handle that?” Seth asked.
Sal grinned. “She can be…a handful. I’ve known her since she was a kid. Spunky and more energy than most people. Tell her she can’t do something and you might as well have pulled on a bucking bronco’s tail.”
“That bad? Really?” He had to be exaggerating. Yes Charlene was strong headed, but the worst she could do was talk someone’s ears off.
“Hey, it’s just a friendly warning. You might want to think about how to phrase it first.”
“I’m her boss. I have every right to make any changes I wish,” Seth stated firmly.
Sal grinned. “You do. Just have ear plugs and a catcher’s mitt ready if you don’t heed my advice.”
Seth wasn’t about to start dancing around how to handle the staff based on their moods. If she couldn’t handle being told what to do, then it once again just proved his point on her not being a fit. “Let me worry about…the staff.” He intentionally didn’t say her name. “How long before you have any answers?”
“Guess that depends on who is messing with the Lawsons. If it’s a simple clerical error or something more. I’ll reach out, once I know.”
Seth got up and left Sal’s office. He didn’t want to suspect his new found cousins, the Hendersons, but they were people he never would’ve associated with in the past. The rest of the family might welcome them with open arms, but for Seth, trust wasn’t given, it was earned. And the Hendersons hadn’t earned his yet.
Seth was positive that Charles would’ve updated Sal on the family connection, even though it wasn’t public knowledge. Hopefully Sal was open minded enough to consider the Hendersons as a potential threat, even if no one else did. But Sal had been exposed to the Hendersons several times since Gareth’s wedding. Heck, it seemed like the Lawsons hardly had a function where the Hendersons didn’t show. Even his mailbox had been overflowing with Christmas cards with family photos of them all inside. Had it all been a smokescreen? Could they be behind this?
God I hope not. Our family can’t take another deceitful blow.
For now, Seth was trying not to make any assumptions. The only other person, not related to him, that he was willing to take off the suspect list, was Charlene. There was a lot he could say about Charlene, but he didn’t think she had an evil bone in her body. But she also was clueless to the severity of this. He hated doing this, but she needed to be kept in the dark as much as possible. Whatever she knew, mostly she’d share with Sofia. That would start a chain reaction and if the Hendersons were involved, they’d pull back and cover their tracks.
“Are you going to just stand in the doorway or come in?” Charlene said from behind her desk.
Seth looked at Charlene. Best way to keep her out of trouble today was to keep her out of her office.
“Actually I was thinking you should grab your coat and let’s head out for lunch. After that, if you want to accompany me, I need to stop and see a client.”
He loved how her eyes widened in surprise. She’d be a horrible poker player. At least she wasn’t questioning as to his motive for the invitation.
As she slipped on her coat and grabbed her purse she asked, “Should I bring a notepad?”
“I’ll be doing the talking, you’ll be…”
“I know, I’ll be quietly just listening.”
Like I believe for a second that’s going to happen.
“I’ll tell you what, you can do all the talking at lunch, and I’ll do the talking with the client,” he said as they made their way down the elevator.
Charlene snickered. “You’ll regret that. I’ve mastered the art of gab.”
“Really. I hadn’t notice,” he teased.
She gave him a light jab in the ribs and said, “If the conversation was up to you, we’d be eating in silence.”
Yes we would.
He chose not to reply. One thing he’d already learned, it was damn hard to get the last word when she was around. God help the man who marries her.