Tell Me - Ashe Barker Page 0,7
woman.”
“Think of it as career development for her. She’ll probably be glad of the change, and the challenge if she’s half as good as you say.”
“She’s every bit that good, which is why I need her here. And she has plenty to challenge her running Kershaw Storage, thank you very much. Or if she doesn't, she soon would if I was crazy enough to start loaning out my best staff to the competition.”
“I’m not the competition. You’re in warehousing, I’m in distribution. We complement each other. If I do well, you do well. And I’m family.”
“You’re a bloody nuisance, that’s what you are. I should have smelled a rat when you were so keen to see me. I don't clap eyes on you for months on end, then suddenly you’re in my office, hassling my secretary for an appointment.”
“It’s been a while, true. We’re both busy men. But you owe me a favour, Stephen. Or seven. What about when you had that fire and I let you shift all your undamaged stock into my lorries for three days until you could hire temporary space. Then there was that contract with Linton’s—I introduced you and put in a good word, and they turned out to be your best customer to date. And what about the time your operations manager broke both his legs skiing while you were tied up looking after Diana? Who was it who stepped in and ran your company as well as mine for three months until you got sorted out?” Tony paused in his catalogue of good deeds to let the implications sink in. He leaned forward in his seat. “I only want to borrow her. Six months tops.”
Stephen’s response was an inarticulate grunt.
“How is Diana these days anyway?” Tony knew when and how to press his advantage.
“Good. She’s good. The cancer’s still in remission so we’re hoping it stays that way.”
“Me too. Really. Give her my love.”
“You could give her it yourself if you’d come round once in a while.”
“I will. Soon. So, about Mrs Richmond…?”
“You’ve never even met her. How do you know you’ll get on? She might not be what Dart Logistics needs at all.”
Tony sensed the older man’s resolve softening. He leaned forward, holding Stephen’s gaze as he enumerated the virtues of the renowned Mrs Richmond. “Efficient, forensic eye for detail, meticulous. A degree in law, second degree in business accountancy. Did I miss anything?”
Stephen Kershaw shook his head. “Sounds about right. But she’s sharp too, doesn’t suffer fools. She can be abrasive. Your people won't take to her, at least not at first.”
“I’ll smooth all that over. I’m not looking for someone to win popularity contests, and she won't be in an outward-facing role with my customers. What I need right now is someone in my back room to go through my organisation, top to bottom, unearth all the flaws and sloppy practises, point out what needs fixing, and better still fix it for me. She’d have free rein, and my full support.”
His godfather eyed him, his expression thoughtful. “You must be worried. What is it you suspect?”
“We have issues in HR for certain, but those are probably superficial and easily fixed with a head of department who knows his stuff. I’m uneasy about my accounts and finance section too, though I can't put my finger on just why. The gap between last year’s forecasts and our actual performance was huge, and I’m not sure it can just be explained by unpredictable market forces, or even incompetence at our end. I want someone I can trust crawling all over the figures, someone who can get under the skin of it and tell me what’s really going on.”
“I see. Well I reckon Mrs Richmond could do that, but you’re not having her full time. You can have her for two days a week, if she’s agreeable. I’ll ask her, but it's her choice. If she’s not interested I won’t have you hassling her or me. Six months you say? Maximum?”
“Well that was my estimate if she was with me full time…” A determined creasing of the older man’s forehead convinced Tony he’d pushed him as far as was prudent. “Okay. Six months, part time. And I’ll offer her a bonus, ten percent on top of whatever you’re paying her here.”
“I doubt the money will make any difference. I’ll tell her what you want to discuss and ask her to contact your office, but only if she wants to.”
“That'll do me. Thanks.” Tony sat