Her eyes softened with sympathy. She longed to reach out and take the poor man’s hand, who was obviously hurting over his son. “I’m very sorry. What are you going to do?”
“He checked into rehab. He won’t work for me again, I promise you. I’m asking to give me a pass on this and let me continue with the Newburgh location. My company has a solid reputation and I don’t want to lose La Dolce Maggie as an account.”
Carina skimmed the reports and noted the history with Robin’s Organics. No real problems until a few weeks ago. As the man waited for her decision, she dimly noted what Max and Julietta would do in this situation. They’d be empathetic but professional. Probably ask for a discount for the mistakes. Most definitely make their displeasure known. But she wasn’t either of them, and her gut told her Robin had been put through enough without her busting his balls.
“I’m going to need to guarantee my chef there that he will encounter no more late deliveries. Can you promise me this?”
“Yes. I’ve already hired someone new that I can completely trust. There will be no further mistakes.”
“Understood. I will take care of this, and we’ll start with a clean slate.”
Relief flickered over his face. His eye gave a final twitch as he rose to shake her hand. “Thank you, Carina. I really appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck with your son. I know your heart is probably broken, but I’m sure you’ll do everything possible to make sure he comes out okay. Having family to count on is half the battle.”
He nodded jerkily and left the office.
She sighed, her heart aching for the man. Bringing children into the world was such a risk of love. She gave him credit for his courage and honesty.
Another hour passed as she updated spreadsheets and waited for Max.
He strode into the office, obviously in a temper. Not that his smooth looks betrayed a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his pressed iron-gray suit. His purple tie was perfectly knotted and never askew. But his features were tight with displeasure, and his eyes snapped blue fire as he dumped his briefcase on the desk.
“We have big problems. I need a meeting with Robin’s Organics.”
Uh-oh.
Carina rose from his chair, walked in front of the desk, and leaned against it. She kept her voice smooth and controlled. “Robin already came to see me.”
Max jerked his head up. “What are you talking about? When?”
“He came while you were at the waterfront. He’s been late with his deliveries over the past weeks and he was afraid he’d lose our account. I had a long talk with him and we fixed it. There should be no further issues.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. The musky scent of his aftershave hit her. “I just listened to an endless tirade from our pastry chef who insisted I dump this account. What was his excuse?”
“His son has been giving him problems and they’re short-staffed.”
Max lifted one brow in scorn. “How is that my problem? Did you threaten him? Get us a discounted price for his screwups?”
Temper bit her nerves. “I didn’t feel that was necessary, Max. He’s been working for us for years and we’ve never had previous problems. We all go through personal problems, and relationships in business are the foundation. Giving him a lecture or insisting we get a deal wasn’t the right move this time.”
His fuse was getting shorter. He cursed and raked his fingers through his hair. Carina hated the way the waves just fell back in perfect form. Was he even human? How can such a living, breathing Sex God be created in such form? The memory of his hands lifting her up and slamming her against the wall caused tummy flutters and a throbbing wetness demanding satisfaction. She concentrated on his hard-assed behavior instead.
“Relationships are important, but suppliers respect strength. If you let him get away with this once, he’ll know it can be repeated. Once again, you’re being too soft. You need to man up and take the heat.”
Her fists clenched at his condescending tone. “Man up?” she asked softly. “This has nothing to do with being soft—it has to do with building trust. He trusts us to give him this free pass, and that inspires loyalty and a desire to never let us down again. Business 101, Max. Maybe you need to take a refresher course.”
He took a few steps until they were face-to-face. Her breath came in shallow pants and she tamped down on the swirling array of emotions ready to explode. The hell if she’d lose her temper in front of him in the office. It was time he realized who he was dealing with.
“Maybe you need to tell our chef to forget about the fig tarts for his party tonight. How about that?”