"Five days," I said looking out the back door and wond
ering how we were going to pull this off in five days. "We have to sign the contract agreeing to manufacture twenty turbines in five days or we lose the deal."
"So, we need to make this happen quickly," she said calmly.
"Yes, we do," I nodded. "I'm just not sure how we're going to get to enough people in time. Especially now that your uncle has forbidden everyone from having anything to do with me or your family."
"I have an idea," Verity replied. "Grace is not going to like it, but if it works, then we'll all get what we need. Let me get my bread dough in the oven to rise, and then I'll explain it to you."
For the next hour, I sat at the table as Verity explained her plan. I wasn't certain that it would work, but I was certain that Grace was not going to like it one bit. But by the time the bread had been fully baked and lunch put on the table, I had to admit that if it worked, it would be a major coup for both the family and for me.
After lunch, I called the shop and asked when the Mustang would be ready, and was told that I could pick it up after three the next day. I told Verity and she said she'd hitch up the buggy and take me into town when she went to check on the store. With nothing left to do but wait, I headed out to the barn to see what Danny and Honor had been up to.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Grace
"Heya, kiddo!" Mike said when I walked into his office. "How was the ride back to town?" The ride back to Chicago had been uneventful, but we'd hit traffic as we crossed onto the Skyway and I had arrived later than I'd expected.
"It was all right, a little congested on the south side, but all in all, not bad," I said pulling up a chair and waiting for him to tell me what he wanted done.
"Kid, I need you to go over the financials for Miter and see if there's anything we're missing," he said as he tapped the screen in front of him and brought up a chart that Jess had been working on. "This just doesn't seem right to me. Does it look right to you?"
"I don't know, can you give me a few hours to go over everything with a fine tooth comb and double check," I asked as I stared at the screen and immediately noticed that there was something very wrong with the chart. "Mike, that looks fishy to me. Where's the file?"
"It's on your desk," he said. "Go check it out and report back to me in an hour."
"An hour to do a rundown of all the financials?" I said shaking my head. "Can't be done."
"It has to be done, kiddo," he smiled up at me. "The meeting is at four. I need you there with your findings, but no surprises. Got it?"
"Got it," I said as I grabbed my bag and headed to my office. Once there, Jess stuck her head in and welcomed me back. "What's going on with Miter?"
"I tried to tell him that the company is on the skids and that any kind of merger is bad news for the company that's acquiring them," she shrugged. "He didn't believe me. He said he needed you to look at the paperwork."
"Sorry, Jess," I said as I spread the file out on my desk and powered up my computer.
"Nah, he gave me a big account to work on in the meantime," she smiled. "Dinner at Girl and the Goat with the client tonight."
"Lucky duck!" I said feeling a little envious of her culinary adventure. I'd been wanting to eat at Girl and the Goat since it had opened, but reservations were tough to come by and the cost of dinner was more than a little out of my price range.
By three, I'd identified the problems and had reworked the numbers so that they accurately reflected Miter's financial status. I walked down to Mike's office to break the bad news, and his secretary waved me right in.
"Mike?" I said pushing the door open and peeking inside. He was bent over his desk, head in hands sighing deeply. "Hey, Mike? What's wrong?"
"Kid, this is a shit sandwich of a day," he said standing up and walking over to the window. "Tell me what you've got, and it better be good news."
"Well, I'm not sure how good it is," I said hesitating to tell him what I'd found. I showed him the numbers and explained where that put Miter in terms of liquidity.
"So, if we have to, we can make it work?" he asked.
"Yeah, I suppose we could," I said wondering where this was headed.
"Good, then meet me in the board room at four, and bring your most positive spin," he said smiling as he turned back to the window and looked down at the river. "If we can't make this work, then we're going to be in deep trouble, but let's not ask for it, shall we?"
"Mike, is there something you want to tell me?" I asked wondering if I really wanted to know the answer to my question.
"Nah, it's all good, kid," he said in a sudden burst of energy. He spun around, marched to his desk and punched the intercom button as he yelled, "Betty, make sure you order lots of food and drinks for the meeting!"