“Might not have to wait too long to find out,” he said.
Sure enough, Danny Jefferies came ambling up the sidewalk, his eyes turned toward the smoking building and a grin stretching across his face. As he reached us, he turned as if he was going to head to his own bar.
“Shame about your bar,” he said, pausing and looking me directly in the eye. “Just a damn shame.”
There was something in that voice that set me off. I was even angrier as he walked away, openly laughing.
“That rat bastard,” Tyler said under his breath. “That no-good rat bastard.”
“Okay,” I said, putting my coffee cup down and getting the attention of both of the brothers.
“Okay, what?” Tyler asked.
“Okay, now I’m suspicious,” I said.
“The son of a bitch,” Matt said. I could see the anger welling up in him, “if he did this…”
“He will go to jail,” I said, cutting off that dangerous train of thought right there. “But we need proof first.”
6
Amanda
The notes Tom gave us for the meeting were complicated. I had been going over them for the last couple of hours making sure I fully understood them, jotting down other notes and highlighting certain parts so I could keep track of the pace.
This was the first time Landon and I would handle a meeting without him. It was a little intimidating, but I knew we could do it. Besides, he was depending on us. With everything he was dealing with back home, it was important he feel confident things were managed here. The last thing he needed was to be there trying to deal with all of that while also worrying about the business.
Landon had been working with Tom since the beginning of the company. He would be able to hold down the fort until Tom was back. I had just finished the notes and was about to go through them one more time when my phone rang.
“Hi, Tom,” I said when I saw his name on the screen. “How is everything?”
“Morning, Amanda. Things are still pretty much the same, but we have something we’re trying to follow up on,” he said. “That’s actually why I called. I just realized I left my laptop there.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
It was surprising to think that he could have had such an oversight. As disorganized as he might have been when it came to his schedule, he always made sure he had what he needed to do his work. Due to the fact that he traveled so frequently, he had gotten packing down to a science and could be ready to go an extremely short notice.
However, this wasn’t usual circumstances. Hearing that the family bar had burned down put him in an emotional state that probably made it far more difficult to make sure he had everything he needed. I got up from my desk and headed for his office.
“I don’t have it,” he said. “I don’t think I left it at the airport.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m going to your office right now to check.”
The office was locked, but I knew the code and put it into the keypad.
“Is it there?” he asked.
“I just got in. Give me a second.”
I flipped on the lights and walked over to his desk. His black laptop bag sat on the floor right next to his seat as if he had started out of the room carrying it, then went back to his chair at the last minute, set it down at his feet, and forgot to pick it back up again when he rushed out.
“It’s here,” I said.
A relieved breath crackled over the line. “Well, good. At least that’s something.”
“Do you want me to overnight it to you?” I asked. “I could probably get it down there in time for you to get it fairly early in the morning.”
“That’s too long,” Tom said. “I can’t wait until tomorrow morning to have it. Can you just bring it to me?”
“Bring it to you?” I asked, stunned by the suggestion and making sure I heard him correctly.
“Yes,” he said. “There’s information on there that I absolutely have to have, and I need to do some research into this situation. I need my computer as soon as possible. Can you fly it to Oregon for me?”
“I mean, yeah,” I said, stammering a little over my words. “If you need me to, I can. I’ll go book a ticket right away. I’ll let you know when the plane lands.”
“There’s no time for that. I have no idea when the next flight up to Astoria is. I’ll send the jet out for you. Just head to the airport, and it’ll be ready. Bring your own laptop and enough clothes for a few days. Maybe we can get some work done so it’ll take my mind off things for a bit.”
“I will,” I said. “Do you think Landon is going to be okay running the meeting by himself?”
“He should be fine,” Tom said. “I need you more than he does right now. Just get your stuff together and head to the airport as soon as possible.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”
I got off the phone feeling a little bit dazed. I’d come into work that morning determined to make sure the office kept running while Tom was in Oregon handling that situation with his family. Now I was suddenly in a race against time to pack my bags and get to the airport so I could be whisked away to him to deliver his forgotten laptop. It sounded like the plot of a spy movie, and I was just waiting for the supervillain to come out of the woodwork.
Closing the office door, I headed quickly to Landon’s office. He looked up at me from behind his desk where several papers were scattered across the surface. It looked like he was doing the same thing I had been, going over the notes and preparing for the meeting.
“Hi,” he said. “I was actually just about to come see you. I thought we could go over these notes and talk about the meeting so that we’re on the same page.”
“Actually, that’s why I came to talk to you. I’m not going to be able to help you with the meeting,” I said.
His face fell. “Why not?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just got a call from Tom that he forgot his laptop in his office, and apparently it’s critical he has it as soon as possible. He wants me to fly to Astoria and bring it to him.”
Landon stared back at me as if he thought I was joking. “He wants you to fly to Oregon to bring him his computer?”
“That’s what he said. I’m actually on my way home to pack my bags, and the company jet is going to be waiting for me at the airport.”
“How long are you going to be gone?” he asked.
“Well, he told me to pack clothes for a few days and to bring my computer,” I said. “I think he expects me to stay there for a little while. At least for a couple of days. He said that it would help if he and I worked there so he could get his mind off of everything that’s going on.”
He nodded. “Well, have a safe flight, and I will see both of you when you get back.”
“Do great at the meeting, and call if you need anything.”
I rushed out of the office and back to my apartment. Unlike Tom, I was not a big traveler, but my organizational skills meant packing wasn’t too much of a challenge. I took out the luggage cubes I’d received for Christmas one year and used them to organize everything so I could bring my clothes, toiletries, and computer all in one suitcase rather than having to haul several bags.