Saturday—Sunday Off.” Someone named Tiffany worked ten to five p.m. Josie suspected Tiffany did not have a Russian accent.
“Olga worked afternoons all this week,” Danessa said, “and she’ll swear that in court. There was no Marina. You were never in my store. You made up that evaluation. I have the proof.”
Josie could be fired for a fraudulent report. She would be blacklisted in her profession. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff while the ground fell away under her.
“You made up this Marina,” Danessa said. “Who paid you to ruin me? Who bribed you?”
“No one,” Josie said. “Don’t you dare say I’ve been bribed. Ever. My reputation is impeccable.”
It was Danessa’s turn to stare. Josie bet she didn’t often hear someone in a WHITE TRASH tube top say “impeccable.”
Josie waited for Harry to say she was a model employee, but he was silent as a side of beef.
The pale PR person pulled at her too-long beige sleeves.
“My report was the truth.” Josie was so frightened and angry, her words came out at half speed. “Your display stands were gray with fingerprints. There was a chunk of chewed bubble gum on one. It was pink, for your information. And your staff was rude. Just like you.
“As for your so-called proof, anyone can create a schedule in a computer. You can deny that Marina exists. You can also bribe Olga to say what you want.”
Danessa pointed an exquisitely painted nail at Josie’s eye. “You listen to me. You retract that report or I’ll sue you so fast you’ll never afford another rhinestone. You got that?”
“Never!” Josie said, like the heroine in a melodrama. “I’ll retract my report over your dead body.”
She shouted her noble words to Danessa’s back. The businesswoman stalked out, the PR person trailing behind her. Josie wondered what kind of positive spin Stephanie could put on this encounter. St. Louis’s sweetheart had a temper like a rabid mud wrestler.
There was an awkward silence, then everyone in the Suttin offices began talking nervously.
Harry cleared his throat and searched his desk for his pork chop. “Well, glad that’s over. You handled it pretty well, Josie, but I think I’d better put you on unpaid leave for your protection.” He began gnawing nervously on the cold pork chop.
All that bacon had turned Harry into a swine, Josie thought. She wasn’t going to let Danessa destroy her reputation and take her job. She was not going on leave, paid or unpaid. Harry was a coward and a bully. Josie knew how to deal with him. She had to bully him right back.
“Listen here, Harry,” Josie said. “I did a proper report. I told you it might be a problem before I turned it in. I warned you Danessa wouldn’t be happy. I have that all on tape. And what did you say? ‘Let ’er rip.’
“Well, it ripped. You put me on unpaid leave now and I’ll sue you for unlawful termination and endangering the welfare of a minor child under Section 131-B of the 1996 Federal Female Employment Code. I’m a single mother, remember. It’s double indemnity.”
Harry gulped, but not because he was chewing on the pork chop.
“Let’s not be hasty, Josie,” he said. Sweat broke out on his low, hairy forehead. He’d been threatened with two lawsuits in two minutes. “I was trying to work out a reasonable solution. I can’t have you shopping at our high-fashion stores until this problem is resolved.”
“Fine,” Josie said. She was happy to forgo pantyhose and toe-pinching shoes for a while. “Send me apartment shopping. I can do discount stores or restaurants. I’m good at restaurants. You’ve never had any complaints on my restaurant work.”
Harry looked relieved. “Well, I guess you can do our Fifty Is Nifty promotion at Pleasin’ Pizza. But you’ll have to front the fifty-dollar reward money. It’s going to cost you two hundred a day minimum, and the Pleasin’ Pizza people are slow to reimburse. You won’t get your
“Olga worked afternoons all this week,” Danessa said, “and she’ll swear that in court. There was no Marina. You were never in my store. You made up that evaluation. I have the proof.”
Josie could be fired for a fraudulent report. She would be blacklisted in her profession. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff while the ground fell away under her.
“You made up this Marina,” Danessa said. “Who paid you to ruin me? Who bribed you?”
“No one,” Josie said. “Don’t you dare say I’ve been bribed. Ever. My reputation is impeccable.”
It was Danessa’s turn to stare. Josie bet she didn’t often hear someone in a WHITE TRASH tube top say “impeccable.”
Josie waited for Harry to say she was a model employee, but he was silent as a side of beef.
The pale PR person pulled at her too-long beige sleeves.
“My report was the truth.” Josie was so frightened and angry, her words came out at half speed. “Your display stands were gray with fingerprints. There was a chunk of chewed bubble gum on one. It was pink, for your information. And your staff was rude. Just like you.
“As for your so-called proof, anyone can create a schedule in a computer. You can deny that Marina exists. You can also bribe Olga to say what you want.”
Danessa pointed an exquisitely painted nail at Josie’s eye. “You listen to me. You retract that report or I’ll sue you so fast you’ll never afford another rhinestone. You got that?”
“Never!” Josie said, like the heroine in a melodrama. “I’ll retract my report over your dead body.”
She shouted her noble words to Danessa’s back. The businesswoman stalked out, the PR person trailing behind her. Josie wondered what kind of positive spin Stephanie could put on this encounter. St. Louis’s sweetheart had a temper like a rabid mud wrestler.
There was an awkward silence, then everyone in the Suttin offices began talking nervously.
Harry cleared his throat and searched his desk for his pork chop. “Well, glad that’s over. You handled it pretty well, Josie, but I think I’d better put you on unpaid leave for your protection.” He began gnawing nervously on the cold pork chop.
All that bacon had turned Harry into a swine, Josie thought. She wasn’t going to let Danessa destroy her reputation and take her job. She was not going on leave, paid or unpaid. Harry was a coward and a bully. Josie knew how to deal with him. She had to bully him right back.
“Listen here, Harry,” Josie said. “I did a proper report. I told you it might be a problem before I turned it in. I warned you Danessa wouldn’t be happy. I have that all on tape. And what did you say? ‘Let ’er rip.’
“Well, it ripped. You put me on unpaid leave now and I’ll sue you for unlawful termination and endangering the welfare of a minor child under Section 131-B of the 1996 Federal Female Employment Code. I’m a single mother, remember. It’s double indemnity.”
Harry gulped, but not because he was chewing on the pork chop.
“Let’s not be hasty, Josie,” he said. Sweat broke out on his low, hairy forehead. He’d been threatened with two lawsuits in two minutes. “I was trying to work out a reasonable solution. I can’t have you shopping at our high-fashion stores until this problem is resolved.”
“Fine,” Josie said. She was happy to forgo pantyhose and toe-pinching shoes for a while. “Send me apartment shopping. I can do discount stores or restaurants. I’m good at restaurants. You’ve never had any complaints on my restaurant work.”
Harry looked relieved. “Well, I guess you can do our Fifty Is Nifty promotion at Pleasin’ Pizza. But you’ll have to front the fifty-dollar reward money. It’s going to cost you two hundred a day minimum, and the Pleasin’ Pizza people are slow to reimburse. You won’t get your
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