Page 68 of Beautiful Life
“You’ll handle that, too?” he asks, looking at me. “I can’t deal with the press. I’ve got enough internal problems to focus on.”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
“My advice?” Gino starts. “Clean house. Fire your Board of Directors, get a team in place who can advise you. Hire from the outside when replacing Blaton. Make a statement to your employees and clients that McCurdy is taking serious steps to turn things around. Tony will get with the buyer to bring the sale to a halt. The investigation will give you and your family time to decide if you still want to sell or give it another go. But you owe it to your employees to do everything in your power to bring things around.”
“I’ve already decided to replace my Board. I’ll think about replacing my CFO from the outside. I need to make sure this hasn’t trickled down first and Blaton didn’t have anyone else working with him. This will give us time to rethink the sale,” Jason agrees. “Make yourselves at home, I’m going to check in with the investigators and see if they got anything from his house.”
We watch Jason McCurdy stalk out the door and I turn to my dad and uncle. “This is a mess. There goes the sale—not that it was good for the company to begin with.”
“No,” my dad says. “It was rash. It’s good they’ll have time to reevaluate. Old man McCurdy is probably rolling in his grave with what’s happened to his company.”
I look at my watch since I’m later than I said I would be. It’s Saturday night and Joe’s party should be in full swing. I got the call from the FBI agent handling the case that the warrant came through for Blaton’s arrest and it was going down tonight. I had no choice but to kiss Leigh goodbye as she was getting ready, call Jude to pick her up and take her to the party with him and Gabby. That was five hours ago.
“They should be about done here, Tone. You can go, we’ve got this,” Gino says.
I sigh. “I’m good. I need to stay and see what they find.”
“Son, you’ve looked at your watch a hundred times. I’ll call you in the morning with an update,” my dad adds.
I run my hand through my hair. “Yeah, I might go. Leigh’s at the party by herself.”
“She’s hardly by herself, Tony. Gabby’s with her and she’s really taken to Paige lately. Hell, she’s a little quiet but she doesn’t have a problem fitting in,” Gino adds. “She seems to be adjusting, even recovering from everything.”
“She is,” I agree. “I still hate to leave her with everyone, especially at one of Joe’s parties.”
Joe’s parties are infamous. Although she has Gabby and knows most everyone else, I still hated to send her by herself. I know she’s come a long way but it’s only been five months. Just because she’s getting better doesn’t mean she’s one hundred percent.
“Go,” Gino orders. “You’ve gotta go home and change anyway. You really didn’t need to put on a suit for this.”
I huff and turn to grab my jacket lying on the chair next to me. “I’m not changing,” I explain dryly. Shrugging my jacket up my shoulders, I turn back to them and announce what I know I’m going to get shit for, “I’m going as Ronald Reagan.”
Of course, my dad belts out laughing and Gino looks shocked as he asks, “You’re going as The Gipper?”
Shaking my head, I start to move to the door. “I’m out of here.”
“Please tell me Leigh isn’t going as Nancy,” my dad says through his hilarity.
I turn back to them knowing I’m gonna eat shit for this for a really long fucking time. “Madonna.”
This time Gino belts out laughing but it’s my dad I hear yell out as I walk out of the offices, “Hail to the Chief!”
Chapter 17 – Madonna and the President
Leigh
“I’m sorry, Rosa, but I’ve never heard of Miss Ellie.”
“You never heard of Dallas?”
“I’ve been there once.”
“Not the city, you young, crazy girl, the soap opera. It was the best show of the eighties.”
“Ah, the television show,” I say. “I’ve heard of it, but sorry. I’ve never seen it.”
Rosa, Micah and Joe’s elderly neighbor, looks up in grave shock as if me never seeing the show Dallas was akin to me not being privy of the checks and balances system in the democratic process that runs our country.
“Miss Ellie was the matriarch of that show. The queen. Everyone loved Miss Ellie. If I could be anyone from the television, it would be her,” Rosa explains, expressing how she undeniably thinks Miss Ellie is top notch.
