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Grabbing the day’s orders, she fled outside and tried to wipe her mind clean of
anything but how to advise her crews.
78
Adding Heat
* * * * *
“I do love her, you know.”
Con snorted as he eyed the foreman. “You have one shitty way of showing it.”
Larry seemed to shrink inside his leathery skin. “I was desperate. He’d been dead
several years and she still didn’t get it. I’d do anything for her. I did do anything and
everything she asked. I thought I was making progress with her when she kissed me
back the other day.”
Con stood up slowly from where he’d been casually resting a hip against Giselle’s
desk. “You. Kissed. Giselle. Your boss.”
“What of it? She enjoyed it, I know she did. Snugged up to me and put her arms
around me. Should have done it a long time ago.” He closed his eyes, and Con was
hard-pressed not to smack that blissful look right off his face with a fist.
“Then you came along, you with your tight shorts and big smile and hoity-toity
way of talking. You talked yourself right into her bed, didn’t you?” Larry snorted.
“Didn’t take very long, did it? And you not much older than her sons. There’s a name
for guys like you.”
Con consciously waited a beat to get his fury under control. “There’s a name for
guys like you, too, old man. It’s ‘felon’ and that’s what you are. Embezzlement and
forgery are felonies. You could spend the rest of your life in prison. You’ll spend hard
time behind bars if I have anything to say about it.”
Larry’s eyes widened. “She wouldn’t press charges. I meant too much to her
husband. I gave up my life for him, for them. For Giselle. She wouldn’t do that to me.
You heard her. She refused to let you call the police.”
“Maybe not today. Or even tomorrow. But you heard the lady. I’m her professional
advisor and I’m totally inclined to throw the book at you. In fact,” he said nonchalantly,
“I’ll have that handwriting expert in for a consultation just for insurance.”
His hard stare lasered into the older man. “You might want to cover your ass and
make restitution post-haste. It would go over well with any judge prior to your
79
Cris Anson
sentencing. Shall we say double the amount of the shortfall? You know, similar to the
way the IRS assesses penalties?”
Con had the satisfaction of seeing the older man blanch. He turned up the heat.
“And I recommend that you tender your resignation immediately along with your keys.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter. The boss will be calling in a locksmith as soon as you
leave.”
The foreman’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I can’t just leave her in the
lurch like that. We’re in the middle of four jobs.”
Con shrugged. “It won’t be the first time that someone left a job unfinished. As a
business consultant, I see it all the time. She’ll manage. Giselle Sheridan is one savvy
businesswoman. Savvy enough to see that you can’t possibly stay on as an employee.”
Pulaski seemed to deflate in front of Con’s eyes. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Giselle
had to be protected from predators, especially those masquerading as friends.
“One of the euphemisms they use in the biz world to explain an employee’s
departure is ‘Leaving to pursue other interests’. That’s a useful, all-purpose phrase you
might want to consider. It doesn’t accuse, it doesn’t point fingers.”
The door burst open and Giselle rushed in, her gaze bouncing between Con and the
foreman as though searching for bruises or blood.
“They’re all out on jobs,” she said breathlessly. “I didn’t say anything to them, only
that I was handing out the job orders because Larry was working on stuff to discuss
with me.”
“We’re cool,” Con said. “I think Larry has something to say to you.”
It seemed to take a long time for the man to find the nerve to look into Giselle’s
eyes. When he did, he said, “I’m a fool, ’Zelle. I thought I could…”
He choked up and Con was decent enough to say, “I need a cup of coffee” and walk
into the kitchen. Although he’d be damned if he’d go out of their hearing, just in case
the man got obstreperous.
80
Adding Heat
“I’m so sorry, Giselle.” Con heard through the doorway. “I just wanted you to think
of me as more than a foreman. To get dependent on me. But obviously I did it the
wrong way, the stupid way.”
“I’m sorry, too, Larry.” Giselle’s soft voice held worlds of regret. “But obviously
you can’t—”
“I know. I-I— Damn, this is hard. I-I hereby resign from Stonehedge Landscapes.
To pursue, uh, other interests.” Con heard keys jingle then Pulaski said, “Here. This is
my office key. And the key to the garage.”
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