Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [65]
“Tell her whatever you want. I couldn’t care less.”
“Wise-ass.”
“Takes one to know one,” Annie shot back before she hung up the phone.
She picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. “This is Annie Clark in sixteen-o-four. Don’t put any calls through until I tell you otherwise. By the way, were there any calls for me today? No? Thank you.”
Parker Grayson rolled over on his side just as the first streaks of dawn crept through the louvered doors. A moment later the phone shrilled on his nightstand. Who the hell was calling him at this hour? He rolled over again to reach for the phone. He barked a greeting that would have intimidated anyone but his youngest sister Kiki.
“Slow down, Kiki. What do you mean where was I all day? I don’t ask you where you go on your days off. You said you could handle things. I believed you. I still believe you. What the hell happened? Slow, Kiki, real slow. Speak in English. I’m listening. Annie Clark is here on the island. You didn’t tell me she was coming. I thought we did business with Tom. She what? And you didn’t call me! What do you mean she yanked her business? We have a contract. Contracts are binding. I never, ever, told you to raise the price, Kiki. That’s a joint decision. Now look what you’ve done. She said what? I didn’t think they were ready for the coffee sale. Tom said they were just in the thinking stages. Let me understand this, Kiki. You just blew ten million dollars a year because you didn’t like what she said and the way she said it! I think you need to tell me what it was you said first. I know this lady. Don’t leave anything out.”
Parker groaned as he listened to his agitated sister. “You said you carved out thirty minutes from your schedule. What the hell schedule are you talking about? Didn’t you send the van for her? For Christ’s sake, you didn’t even give her a lei! We always entertain our customers. I spend the whole day with Tom when he comes over here. Why would the owner of the Daisy Shops be any different? You should have stood on your head for her. What the hell does a Chanel handbag, whatever the hell that is, and a straw hat with a ribbon have to do with anything? Stop crying. You’re supposed to be a businesswoman. No, I am not going to help you. You created this womanly thing, now uncreate it. I never heard of such a piss-ass way of doing business in my life. You were greedy. We do business fairly. I warned you about that in the beginning. We do not cut corners, and we do not cut deals that benefit only us. The customer is our main concern, and the Daisy Shops are half our business. You seem to have forgotten that. Papa must be spinning in his grave over this one. I’m going to hang up now, Kiki, before I really get mad.”
Parker swung his legs over the side of the bed, the headache he’d felt on awakening hammering inside his head. He reached for his address book, which was always within reach, and flipped the pages until he found Tom Clark’s home phone number. His fingers drummed impatiently on the nightstand. “Tom, Parker Grayson. I’m sorry to hear about your appendix. Kiki just told me. The good news is you can live without it. Listen, Tom, my hotheaded, know-it-all sister and your hotheaded sister seem to have a problem. It’s some kind of woman thing neither one of us understands. Kiki kept babbling about a Chanel bag and a hat with a ribbon. Yeah, yeah, I can see how that would tick off Annie. Can’t say that I blame Annie. You know that’s not the way I do business. I was out and about for the past two days wining and dining some old college pals who are here visiting. I gotta tell you, we’re all too old for this crap. We did a hell of a job pretending, though. Look, the deal Annie presented to my sister is okay with me. We can’t cut the price two dollars, but I can go one-fifty. It’s a good deal for both of us, and you know it. Of course it’s roasted. I could use a little manly advice about now. How do I manage to make this right, Tom? Now why did I know you were going to tell me I’m on my own.