Luck of the Draw

Chapter 21 -Matters of Taste

Sally let herself in and went straight to the sitting room. "Sorry if I'm late, Teddy is getting to be a handful." She saw the look on his face, and she laughed her way to the bar. "In the demanding sense, Harry, not to worry."

"Did he say anything about me?"

"Why would he?"

"I'm his employer, for Christ's sake. You brought him right under my nose! What if he recognized me at the restaurant?"

"Well he didn't, or he would have blurted something out, so quit worrying. Are you telling me I can't eat at the Oasis with him any more." She drank and sat beside him.

"Wouldn't stop you from coming anyway."

"Harry, I feel insulted."

"That'll be the day." He reached across and took her drink, setting it beside him on the table. "I get jealous every time I think of you with someone else." His hand slid across her waist.

"You must be constantly jealous then, Harry." She kissed his cheek and moved his hand away.

He frowned and leaned back. "So, what's happened so far?"

"We have a site to sell from. He's placed an order for five thousand trees and is supposed to be developing an ad campaign."

"Five thousand! Do you know how much that is?"

"He tells me he's getting them for thirty-seven, fifty."

"That's your money, Sal... plus this site rental. What are you going to do when he tanks?"

"I lose more than that behind car seats. If Teddy fails then I own him outright." She smiled at his expression. "He might not be a salesman, Harry, but he does have other qualities."

Her smile reminded him of the vengeful, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and he pondered his own position.

"You are certain that the product is no good?"

"Yes. NaturGro will be gutted whether he sells trees or not... guaranteed."

"I suppose you'll have to devote all your efforts to becoming a successful restaurant entrepreneur now."

"Well hopefully not all my efforts." He leered. "It was a tough choice, Sal. To be or not to be, to quote another famous quandary. Head honcho of the country's biggest bio firm with all the world at my feet, to a little town restaurateur and a much smaller pond." He sighed dramatically

She ignored his dig and he bristled slightly. "That's quite a shift in economics, Sal."

"It's a case of need versus greed, Harry." She finished her drink and stood to get another. "Want one?"

"Yeah, but not a drink." His voice dripped with exaggeration.

"Some decisions come easy, eh?"

!!!!!

Monday morning and Mickey was practising again walking around his apartment without his cane. He had an appointment at the dreaded clinic to have the leg cast removed, but he wanted to report for work first and explain the additional time off to Mac face to face. Actually, he wanted to beg to keep his job.

Rather than pester Carly again, he ordered a taxi and arrived right on time to catch Mac unlocking the front entrance.

"Hi, Mac. I'm really sorry about the time off but these things happen."

"To you they do. So you're back now... to work?"

"I need to go to the clinic for about an hour to get this off," he tapped the cast with his cane. "And then I'm back here for as long as you need. And I won't press for overtime pay."