Flirting with Disaster Read Online Free Page A

Flirting with Disaster
Book: Flirting with Disaster Read Online Free
Author: Ava Catori, Olivia Rigal
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me how terrified I was when I was called up here. Mr. Bishop would always try to break the news gently, but I knew. The only reason he called or sent for me was because my mother passed out during operating hours.
    Despite the noise of the machines, two workers raised their heads when the door slammed shut behind me. Two women, slightly older than me. Thankfully no one I recognized. I smiled at them and they eyed me suspiciously. Even if they didn’t know my suit’s price, they could see it was expensive. It was clear I was not here to apply for a job.  
    I passed a few unoccupied machines to reach the foreman's office. His back to the glass partition, Dylan Bishop studied a ledger. Poor man, his entire hierarchy had been let go and he was never   trained for the jobs piled on him. I knocked on the door, and he waved without turning around or raising his head.  
    Even after I'd stepped in and closed the door behind me, he kept looking at his work. I cleared my throat and said, "Mr. Bishop." The sound of my voice startled him and made him turn to look at me.  
    "Mr. Bishop, I'm Barbara Johnson. The New York office must have called you to let you know I would be here today."
    He removed his reading glass and stood, holding out a hand to me. "Ms. Johnson, nice to meet you." He tried to be gracious, but I’m sure it was difficult. He knew my presence meant his universe was going to be rocked.
    Shaking his hand, I hesitated to tell him I'd known him for as long as I could remember, but decided against it. It was not the moment to take a stroll down memory lane.
    "You know why I'm here," I said.
    "You're gonna close us down?" he asked trying to conceal a defeated expression.
    "Well, the final decision has yet to be made but there's a growing concern about the lack of profitability of this entire operation," I stated with a gesture encompassing the entire building. "I won't lie to you, though, I'm not very optimistic about the future of this place."
    "I understand," he said. "But you will have a go at saving it, won't you?"
    "That I will." I meant it, but it would take nothing short of a miracle for me to make sure they wouldn't be closed at the end of summer. "Why don't you show me around and then we can order something to eat and talk about it over lunch."  
    "Fine, let me make a phone call and I'll be right with you."
    I stepped out of his office to give him privacy and waited for him by the door, counting the number of workers on the floor. There were about thirty. That's the number of families that would most likely be cursing my name soon.
    Dylan Bishop came out and walked with me through the floor, explaining the work stations that were unmanned had to be abandoned because the parts to repair the machines no longer existed. They had long ago ran out of retired machines to cannibalize and there was no budget for new equipment.
    We took the stairs to the first floor. The corporate offices had been unoccupied for a decade. A ghost town. I would need to clean one of the cubicles to set up my work station.
    Slowly, we retraced our steps to his office and were standing by the door when he whispered, "Letting go half of the workers wouldn't be enough, right?"
    I tensed, putting my hands on my hips and whispered back, "You're not being fair. I can't tell you anything right now. I need to look at your books first."  
    As he opened the door for me to walk in, I heard a voice call out, "Dad." Ryder came up, handing bags to his father. We looked at each other. My eyes remained on his face while he gave me a full body scan. Even though the expression of his handsome face didn't change, I knew he decided he would not be adding me as a possible candidate to the list of trophies.  
    It hurt more than it should’ve and that surprised me. We lived in two different universes now. I had climbed up in the world while he had stayed here. Why should I care that the heartthrob of Nowheresville dismissed me at first glance?
    Ryder's father
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