Mr. Perfect (Sinister in Savannah #2) - Aimee Nicole Walker Page 0,14
anything to earn her disdain. And she’d never once let her professionalism slip. What had changed? Had Spencer taken his frustration with Felix out on her? Or had he reprimanded her for failing to do her duties?
“Mr. Spencer is waiting for you,” she said, gesturing to the gold double doors at the rear of the space. Was this guy for real? “Can I get you something to drink?” Veronica asked.
“No, thank you,” he replied before crossing the room and opening the doors.
The luxury of the outer room only intensified in Cameron Spencer’s private space. Felix stood silent, hoping he wasn’t gaping at the purple velvet walls with gold trim and accents. He’d never seen anything so tacky in his entire life. One end of the room had a gleaming, black walnut conference table with gold brocade chairs surrounding it. Above it hung a crystal chandelier that you’d expect to find in a formal dining room in a palace. Christ. Felix thought of the money wrapped up in the lighting fixture alone and nearly cringed. How many starving kids could Spencer feed with the money he put into his office décor?
Felix’s eyes landed on Spencer, who sat behind a behemoth desk made of the same black walnut as the conference table. The sucker had to be twice the size of an ordinary desk. Was Spencer compensating for something else being too small?
“Felix,” Spencer said, his jovial voice sounding like he was greeting a long-lost friend. “Come on over. Would you like Veronica to get you something to drink?”
“She already offered, and I declined. Thank you.” Felix sat in a purple leather chair across from Spencer’s desk. “I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll keep this brief.” Felix reached into the file and pulled out the stack of his receipts. Then he grabbed the copy of the service schedule he’d made from the owner’s manual.
Spencer reached for his phone. “Let me get Roni to make copies for us.”
“No need,” Felix said. “I have backup copies. These are for you.”
The Auto King pulled his hand back and rested it on the armrest of his executive chair. “Of course, you have copies,” Spencer said. “An ace reporter such as yourself would have his ducks in a row.”
“First, a computer upgrade wipes out my original records. I’m almost afraid to see what happens next. A hurricane? Fire? So, my backups have backups if you catch my drift.”
“Hard not to,” Spencer said dryly.
Felix pulled out another stack of papers and laid them on top of his receipts. Spencer stared down at them with a puzzled expression on his face. “Those are printouts from consumer sites created for people to share excellent experiences or warn others about horrible ones. If all your promo posters hanging on the service department wall are true, you’ll be upset to discover that Spencer Auto Mall falls into the latter category. I redacted their names or any identifying information, including the website addresses, to protect their privacy.”
Spencer picked up the printout and started reading it. Felix quietly watched as The Auto King flipped page after page. After he finished, Spencer set the documents on his desk. The Auto King ran a finger over the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before lowering his hand. “It seems I have a bigger problem than I realized. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
“You’re welcome,” Felix replied. “I’ll just leave my receipts with you to go over with your service department. I’d like to have a phone call within twenty-four hours. After months of getting the runaround, I don’t think it’s asking too much.”
Spencer rose swiftly from his seat and grabbed the paperwork off his desk. “There’s no need for delay, Mr. Franklin. Come with me.”
Felix followed Spencer through the showroom and out to the service department bays. He nearly groaned out loud when he saw Todd Dartmouth, his nemesis from school, standing behind the desk. The man looked older than the last time Felix had seen him, but not much else had changed. Todd’s thick hair hadn’t thinned, he hadn’t gotten fat, and his broad shoulders weren’t sagging. Too damn bad. Todd’s eyes widened with recognition when they landed on Felix. Then he volleyed his gaze between Spencer and Felix until the two men reached him. He only had eyes for The Auto King at that point.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Spencer,” Todd said, sounding like Wally’s douche bag buddy in Leave it to Beaver.