Page 31 of Texas Made
Since it was Saturday, she and Rachel were the only ones at the office now. The manufacturing site, which was situated behind the offices in a sprawling warehouse, was closed for the weekend as well. If there was a rush order they worked on Saturdays as necessary, but most weekends office and manufacturing were both closed.
They started going over the books—specifically the orders from the now-fired supplier. They had several suppliers, but this was one of the most important as they had supplied some of the most basic ingredients for Divinity’s formulas. As Jaclyn looked over the orders and fulfillment slips for that company going back several months, she realized Rachel was exactly right. Lyon’s had been getting progressively slower and less dependable until the last week, the one that had broken the camel’s back as they say, when they’d been five days late and caused a production holdup. Fortunately, Divinity had had a bit of an emergency supply and had only lost one full day, which Rachel was sure they could compensate for without much problem.
Jaclyn held up one of the ledger sheets. “This is awful, Rachel. What did Rod say when you confronted him?”
“He gave me the runaround but since I called daily, first going through the manager and then him, he had to come up with a different excuse every day. Finally he told me I should be glad he filled our order at all, since it was relatively small and we don’t pay on time.”
What the hell? “We don’t pay on time? This is the first I’ve heard of it. When did that happen?”
“It didn’t. He’s lying through his teeth. Which is only one of the reasons I fired him. And good riddance.”
“I don’t understand. Didn’t he realize you’d know he was lying?”
“You’d think. I guess he thought I was too stupid to figure out he lied. But he’s too damn arrogant to comprehend that a mere woman would stand up to him.”
“What a disaster. I can’t blame you for firing him. But I’m still worried. Who did you say the new supplier is?”
“Nature by Aquarius. Aquarius for short.”
No, definitely not someone she knew of. “How sure are you that the new supplier is going to work out?”
“I can’t be totally sure, of course, though they were great with the smaller orders. But they have a very good reputation and they’re super anxious to work with us. They’re giving us a substantial discount on our first three shipments, with guaranteed delivery times.”
“Guaranteed how?”
“Any shipment that’s more than a day late will be discounted and the cost will only cover their production costs. No shipping fees or profit for them. Not only that, but they’re putting an emergency rush on the first order. I increased the order for the next several shipments so we won’t get caught without a substantial amount to fall back on in case something like this happens again.”
“They sound awfully sure of themselves. I’ve never heard of an offer like that.”
“They want our business. Which I can tell you, is a really nice change from the assholes I’ve been dealing with.” When Jaclyn didn’t speak, she said, “What? You’re still pissed, aren’t you?”
Jaclyn shook her head. “No. I understand why you did it. I just wish you’d been able to talk to me first.”
“But I wasn’t,” Rachel said, somewhat impatiently. “You can’t be here every minute, Jaclyn. You can’t make every single decision. You have to give others some responsibility and allow them to do their jobs.”
“You’re saying I’m a control freak.”
Rachel didn’t answer.
Jaclyn sighed. Irritating as it was to admit it, she couldn’t deny she was at least a little controlling. “Okay. So I’m a bit of a control freak. And a workaholic.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Leaving the control freak question aside, you haven’t been a workaholic lately and it’s been good for you. I swear I’ve never seen you look so rested and relaxed. Obviously, Whiskey River agrees with you.”
“It does, which surprised me a little. It’s funny but I like it even more than I did in college.”
“You’re sleeping with a sexy cowboy. Of course you like it there. Is he as hot as he sounds?”
Jaclyn choked on a laugh. “Hotter.”
“No wonder you don’t want to come back.”
She frowned. “Why do you say that? You know I’ll come back whenever I’m needed.
“Yes, but you’ve been having a good time and you’ve needed to have some fun for a long time now. You work too much.”
“Thank you, Ms. Pot.”
Rachel waved a hand. “Nevertheless, you do. You can’t deny it. And you also can’t deny that you’re happier than you’ve been in a long, long time.”
