She smiled and I realized I said something wrong. “I am the perfect fit. I was great at the job and the firm prospered under me and George. You are turning it upside down. I have to say it’s impressive at how fast you managed to destroy something good. I can just imagine what you’ve done to the other business you purchased. I can’t believe you are the same guy who told me he flipped a laundromat after doing the work with his own two hands. I bet that was bullshit.”
“It was not bullshit,” I said, bristling at the accusation.
“Too bad you weren’t as good as you used to be.”
“I’m better.” I was struggling not to lose my temper. She was out of line. “Just because I’m not fixing rusty washing machines and scrubbing walls, it doesn’t mean I’m not as good as I used to be. I’m better. I’m smarter and I know what works. The changes I made are going to make the business better.”
“Great!” she said and slapped a hand on the table. “You make your changes, and you live with the consequences. I won’t.”
“Just come back,” I said, unable to hide my frustration. “You can have your job and your people. I’ll check in once in a while. I need someone in there that knows the business. I need someone to keep the staff under control. That business can’t run without you.”
She gave a tight smile. “No. You made the mess. You wallow in it.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You made these problems. These are your failures. You don’t know the first thing about what it takes to keep good staff. You want to treat people like crap and demand they jump at your beck and call? Then you deal with the fallout. It’s about time you had to learn to deal with your mistakes. When my son makes a mistake or does something that is wrong, he has to deal with the consequences. That’s your problem. You’ve never had to deal with the consequences. You get to go on your merry way like nothing happened and everyone else picks up the slack. You get to be a jerk, and no one can say anything to you because you are Nash Aarons, billionaire extraordinaire. No, you made your bed. You lie in it.”
I was stunned for about half a second before I got pissed. “You know, I thought because we knew each other a little better than boss and employee, I would extend a courtesy to you. I don’t beg anyone. There are a hundred other people out there that will be willing to fill your shoes. You underestimate my drive to succeed. I will make that firm into something great. You and George were okay, but I’m great. I make money. I know what it takes to be successful.”
“Good luck,” she said as she rose. “I need to go pick up my son. Thanks so much for coming by. Please never come back.”
I got to my feet and stared at her. “You are not the person you used to be,” I said with surprise. “You used to be kind and gentle.”
“Life has a funny way of teaching people to be just a little tougher. I’ll show you out.”
I had underestimated her. I didn’t do that often. I walked to the door and paused on the porch. “Good luck to you too, then.”
“I won’t need it,” she said and closed the door.
I walked to my car and understood the finality of the situation. That was a woman who had been pushed too far. She wasn’t interested in taking any crap from me. It wasn’t something I was used to.
She was right. Most people did end up doing what I asked of them. Mostly because it benefited them in one way or another. It wasn’t like I was asking her to come back and work for free. I even offered her a pay bump.
“Fuck it,” I growled. I was not going to beg anyone to do their damn job.
I drove back to headquarters. I needed to get my HR team on hiring for the tax firm. If she wanted to play hardball, fine. I didn’t get to where I was by being a pushover. I walked into the lobby and almost ran right into Davin.
“Woah, you look like you’ve been sucking on lemons,” he said with a laugh.
“Yes, you caught me, I sucked on lemons.”
He grimaced. “You really are a sourpuss today. What happened now?”