Dixie Belle

by Debby Mayne

  “You what?” Now Cissy was really confused.

  “We know the wholesale prices, and I understand that with you being new, everything is probably somewhat of a blur. As you were talking, I followed the numbers in the book and made corrections as we went.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You knew I was pricing stuff too low, but you weren’t going to tell me?” Cissy slumped down in her chair. The folks at Olson must think she was the biggest loser ever.

  “I figured someone at Zippers Plus would let you know.”

  Now Cissy felt as though she had never left Hartselle, where everyone knew what a mess she was but patted her on the head and smiled anyway. “Do you want to redo the order?”

  “Tell you what. When you fax the agreement, include the correct prices, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

  “You will? I mean, are you saying—?”

  “I’m saying that we’re still turning all of our business over to Zippers Plus. We were planning to do that anyway to keep things simple, but you just happened to call at the right time. What happened to Dave anyway? He’s been wanting us to consolidate for months, and after we discussed it at the last meeting, we agreed that we’d be better off with Zippers Plus.”

  Cissy let out a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, he’s here. In fact, he’s been training me. But don’t blame this on him either! It was all my doing.”

  Jenna laughed softly. “I hope he’s not too hard on you. We all make mistakes.”

  “But I think I make more than most people.” Cissy wanted to kick herself in the backside for admitting too much too soon. Even she knew she talked too much, but sometimes she couldn’t help it.

  “Maybe so, but you’ll do just fine as long as you continue being honest and taking responsibility for your mistakes. Not everyone does that, ya know?”

  “Thanks, Jenna. I owe you big time.” After Cissy hung up, she leaned back and stared at her desk. Now Uncle Forest wouldn’t have to take the hit on his bottom line, but she also couldn’t continue taking credit for a sale that was about to happen anyway.

  She lowered her head in prayer, thanked the Lord for saving her from herself, and asked for His guidance in fixing things with her uncle. Finally she opened her eyes to see Dave staring at her. She smiled. He didn’t.

  Hoo boy, this wasn’t going to be easy. Cissy took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and stood up. She took a couple of steps until she stood right next to Dave.

  “So how’d it go?” he asked, clearly trying to hide a smirk.

  She understood his frustration with her, so she couldn’t be too angry about his change in demeanor. “Jenna knew I’d made a mistake.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “So she was going to let us take the hit on the sale?”

  Cissy shook her head. “No, in fact, she said that they were not only going to pay the wholesale prices, but you would have gotten the business anyway, next time she spoke with you. I just happened to call at the right time.”

  A look of confusion washed over Dave’s face. “What are you talking about?”

  “Her relationship with you is what sealed the deal. She said you’re such a good salesman they were already convinced to place all their business with Zippers Plus. It had nothing to do with me.”

  “Oh.” Dave glanced down at his desk, but not before she noticed the flicker of satisfaction on his face.

  “So now I need to go tell Uncle Forest.”

  He looked back up at her and blinked. “Tell him what? That you corrected your mistake?”

  “Yes, and that you are a great salesman who got the whole Olson account.”

  His demeanor instantly changed back to how he’d been when she first met him. “So what are you saying?”

  “I just said it.” He grinned. “I want to hear you say it again.”

  “Okay.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re a great salesman, and I plan to tell Uncle Forest just that.”

  “Thanks, Cissy. I owe you lunch.”

  “No, I’m the one who owes you lunch.” She grinned.

  Dave lifted his hands. “I won’t argue with you. Just name the day and time.”

  “How about tomorrow?”

  “Sounds good.”

  She took a step back. “Say a prayer for—” She cleared her throat as she remembered Dave’s comments about Charlene. “I’ll be back.”

  She’d barely lifted her fist to knock on Uncle Forest’s office door when she heard him bellow, “Come in and close the door behind you.” That was starting to sound like a mantra with them.

  As she entered his office, her heart hammered. This would be one of the most difficult things she’d ever done, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

  “I don’t have much time, Cissy.” He looked up at her over his discount store readers. “Sit down.”

  She perched lightly on the edge of the chair. His no-nonsense glare made this even more difficult than she’d imagined.

  “Before you say anything, Uncle Forest, I wanted to explain.”

  He folded his hands on his desk and leaned toward her, his scowl making her sweat. “So explain.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about the Olson account. I made a huge mistake.”

  “Yes, I know what happened. Dave already told me, and we went over the numbers.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, letting his glasses slip off and onto the desk. “You obviously need more training before I let you loose on any more accounts. I can’t afford to take that kind of hit every day.”

  “Um . . . you’re not going to take a hit,” she said.

  He snickered. “Are you saying you want me to take it out of your salary?”

  That thought hadn’t even occurred to her. “No, sir. I just called Jenna and told her I messed up. She said she knew that, and they didn’t plan to hold you to the numbers I gave.”

  His eyebrows practically slammed together as he looked at her in confusion. “What?”

  Cissy explained how she got the numbers confused and what she’d said to Jenna. “She said she was adjusting the numbers before signing the agreement.”

  He leaned back in his chair as a grin slowly spread across his face. “So you are a decent salesperson, after all.”

  “That’s another thing.” Cissy bit her bottom lip. “I’m not the one they bought from. Jenna said they’d planned to turn over all their business to Zippers Plus next time Dave called. They like him . . . and of course Zippers Plus. I just happened to make the call at the right time.”

  Uncle Forest’s smile faded a bit, but he nodded. “Thanks, Cissy. Why don’t you go back to your desk and study the packaging sizes before you make another sales call?”

  She stood up and walked to the door. “Thank you for not firing me.”

  “You know I couldn’t do that. Your mother would be furious, and losing a few bucks is nothing compared to her when she gets mad.”

  Cissy giggled. “Yes, I know.”

  “Send Dave in.”

  The instant Cissy told Dave her uncle wanted to see him, he hopped up and went without a word. As she sat down, the cell phone in her pocket chimed, letting her know she had a text message.

  Do you have time for lunch tomorrow? My treat.

  She paused, wishing she hadn’t offered to treat Dave to lunch. Surely he’d understand. She started to send a message that she’d love to join him, but she stopped. That would be acting like the old Cissy. She tightened her jaw as she typed a reply.

  Sorry, other plans. Business lunch. Some other time?

  He sent back a happy face. What did he mean by that?

  Before she had time to ask him, Dave came waltzing—no, more like floating—out of Uncle Forest’s office, grinning like he’d just discovered Bubba Pyle’s All-You-Can-Eat Catfish House.

  “I take it Uncle Forest is happy with you?”

  He nodded and burst into chatter as he sat back down at his desk. “Thank you so much for coming clean about your sale . . . I mean, telling Mr. Counts that I was the one who .
. . well, you know, established the rapport.” He clamped his mouth shut, but he was still grinning.

  Cissy held up her hands. “I only did what I was supposed to do.” She looked him straight in the eye. “What Jesus would have wanted me to do.”

  “Whatever.” He squirmed in his chair. “He’s letting me have a couple of the bigger accounts to see what I can do with them. If I’m able to increase business again, he’ll promote me to senior salesman.”

  “That’s wonderful.” She remembered lunch. “All the more reason to celebrate at lunch tomorrow.”

  He grimaced. “About lunch . . . Mr. Counts asked me to have lunch with him, and I couldn’t very well—”

  “Say no more. I totally understand.” Cissy grabbed her phone and jumped up from her desk. “I need to run to the powder room. Be right back.”

  The instant she got behind the closed door of the ladies’ room, she punched out a new text to Tom.

  Plans have changed. Can have lunch now.

  Tom didn’t get back right away, so she worried that his plans might have changed as well. As the minutes passed, so did her hope that she’d get to do what she really wanted to do all along.

  On her way back to her desk, her phone chimed again. Hey. Sorry it took so long. Had to make a quick call. How’s 11:30 at Porter’s Deli?

  Perfect. She thought for a second. Where is Porter’s Deli?

  Chapter 12

  AS SOON AS Tom got Cissy’s message with her change of plans, he had to call Marianne, who’d left early to pick up her sick teenager from school. She didn’t hesitate to tell him to go to lunch with Cissy. The next morning, Wednesday, she came in with the paisley cooler he’d gotten her for Christmas.

  “How’s Mackenzie?” Tom asked. He’d met Marianne’s daughter a few times and was amazed at how similar she was to her mother. Very astute and no-nonsense, even at age sixteen.

  “Much better. It must have been a twenty-four-hour bug that’s been going around. I hope I don’t get it.” She opened a drawer and dropped her lunch into it. “So where are you taking Cissy?”

  “Porter’s Deli. They have the best corned beef.”

  Marianne raised her eyebrows. “You sure do know how to woo a girl. Corned beef on rye at a stand-up counter. Move over, Casanova.”

  “Hardly.” Tom patted his heart. “I’m just a simple man who has a lot of love to give the right woman.”

  Marianne cracked up. “And you think she might be the right woman?” She finally settled down. “Seriously, I’m glad you’ve finally decided to have a social life. I was starting to worry about you. It’s not healthy to be an all-work-and-no-play kind of guy.”

  “I’m not all work. I have church.”

  Marianne tilted her head forward and gave him one of her maternal looks. “You know what I mean. You need more than paid work and mission work. There are thousands of single women in New York. I’m glad you finally found one that meets your requirements . . . ” She gave him a stern look. “Requirements that seem mighty rigid and unrealistic to me.”

  He laughed. “Thanks for understanding.”

  Marianne smiled at Tom. “No problem. I’d much rather have lunch in the office than watch you mope around all afternoon.” She changed the subject. “By the way, I forgot to tell you yesterday that I got a call from the Olson account. Seems they have decided to move all their business over to Zippers Plus.”

  “I know.” He busied himself with some papers, trying not to meet her eye.

  She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, an expression of amusement playing on her face. “Does a cute little Southern belle have anything to do with this?”

  “Maybe.” He grinned back. “That cute little Southern belle obviously knows how to charm clients.”

  “So you’re not going to follow up with the Olson account?” She looked aghast.

  “Nah. I think we can let that one go.”

  “Miracle of all miracles.”

  “And I’m sure that won’t be the last one.” He glanced away. “I have a feeling Cissy has more surprises in store for me, and I look forward to seeing what they are.”

  “That is, if her uncle doesn’t get in the way.”

  “I’m thinking it’s time to make peace with him. We can be competitors without being adversaries. He’s a smart, honest man who has done amazing things in this industry.”

  He heard her mumbling something about romance making people say and do the strangest things. She was right. If anyone but Cissy Hillwood had been involved, he would have done whatever was needed to save the account. It was small, but he liked having an “in” with every designer, with hopes of expanding. That was how he’d salvaged the company, starting with one or two small items with each account and building as the clients’ confidence grew.

  Marianne shook her head. “And here I thought you were all business.”

  He felt himself grow defensive. “What do you mean?”

  She cleared her throat. “You know how you always say that when you step into the office, it’s all business?”

  He nodded. “Yes, of course, that’s the way it has to be.”

  “Not really.” She gave him an apologetic look. “If you keep seeing this girl, you’re going to have more conflicts with your business, you know.”

  “I’ve already said I think I can work things out with her uncle.”

  She hesitated. “Besides that. What if Cissy does end up affecting your business, and in a major way? Tom, I know you have faith and integrity in most things, but what if she leaks some information about Zippers Plus or—”

  “I have an appointment, and I can’t afford to be late.” He knew his tone was clipped, but he didn’t need a lecture. As it was, guilt plagued him every time he did something in his business that he suspected wouldn’t please God. But how could his business survive otherwise? Not just his own well-being was at stake; he held the fates of dozens of workers and their families as well. He didn’t want to let them down, but most of them didn’t seem to understand the pressures facing small business owners. Surely the Lord would understand. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, even more guilt weighed heavily on his heart.

  “Tom?”

  He blinked a couple of times before looking directly at Marianne. “What do you need?”

  “If you tell me where their files are, I’ll pull them and stack them on your desk,” Marianne said. “That should save you some time.” Her tone had changed, so he could tell he’d hurt her feelings.

  “What would I do without you?”

  She shrugged and left to pick up the ringing phone. Tom waited a few seconds to make sure it wasn’t for him before leaving the office. He had to stop off at one of the men’s suit designers before meeting Cissy. They needed some custom-designed notions, and he promised to look at their drawings to see if he could find them. Since most of the notions were manufactured offshore, he’d been struggling with quality-control issues. Most notions were made quite well, but he had little recourse when they came in substandard. Sure, he could cancel orders with manufacturers that were consistently bad, but he’d still be stuck with bad merchandise. He wished he had a stateside factory to create the more complex pieces.

  After a long meeting with the designer Tom headed for Porter’s Deli. If he had a lunch meeting with anyone else, he would have canceled to take care of business. He hated putting things off, but since meeting Cissy, she’d jumped to the top of his list of priorities.

  When he rounded the corner near Porter’s Deli, he spotted Cissy waiting for him before she spotted him. Then almost as though someone had tapped her on the shoulder to announce his arrival, she spun around and faced him. The brightness of her smile and obvious delight at seeing him warmed his heart. He could get used to this.

  They went inside, ordered, and carried their food to the closest bench. “I’m glad the weather is holding up,” he said.

  She nodded. “Yeah, can you imagine all those people in the deli fighting for the same fou
r tables?”

  “I’ve seen it happen, and it isn’t a pretty sight.” He paused. “So how is it, now that you’ve had a little more time in New York? Do you like working for your uncle?”

  “It’s okay. Good thing Uncle Forest is my mom’s brother, or I’d probably have to worry about him sending me packing for seeing you. I’ll get in trouble, but I’m pretty sure my job is safe.”

  “I don’t want to cause a problem for you with your family,” Tom said. “If—”

  Her eyes popped open wide in horror. “No!” She looked down and fidgeted with the sandwich wrapper before looking back up at him. “I mean, I’m sure he doesn’t want me hanging out with you, but I’m sure once he gets to know you, that’ll change . . . I mean, that is, if we . . . ” She gave him a look of helplessness.

  Tom nodded. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m not so sure he’ll give me a chance.”

  She gave him a flirty look that warmed his heart even more. “Would you like for him to?”

  Tom placed what remained of his sandwich on the bag and took her free hand in his. “Yes, I would very much like to get to know you and your family.”

  She instantly stilled. After what seemed like forever, she let out a long breath. “Where do you go to church?”

  He recognized the diversion tactic, but he accepted the fact that she wasn’t ready to talk about his meeting her family. “Inner City Outreach Church. Why?”

  She shrugged. “I just wondered. Is it close to your house?”

  Now he understood. “No, actually it’s closer to your apartment than my house. Would you like to go with me this Sunday? Our pastor is a powerful speaker, and we have quite a few members and leaders who have hearts for the Lord. I think you’d like it.”

  She shook her head. “I promised my aunt I’d go to church with her in Long Island.” Her voice was laced with disappointment. “Sorry. My aunt has been so good to me, I can’t let her down.”

  “That’s too bad for me, but I understand. So tell me how you like living in the best city in the world so far.” His teasing expression made her giggle.

  She started out telling him how much more exciting the big city was after living in a small town all her life. She moved on to talking about the apartment that she couldn’t wait to move into.