Chapter 33 Losing Business
“Can I see the manager?” Noah asks the first member of staff who pays us any attention.
The factory is packed full of people, all hard at work. If we weren’t in a rush, I’d want to look around. It’s fascinating, seeing them creating the furniture my grandma is so proud of. Her house is full of Clancy’s Comforts furniture.
She always says that if it isn’t good enough for her house, it’s not good enough for her customers’ houses either.
“Wait here,” the staff member says. “I’ll get him for you.”
Looking around, I spot one of the coffee tables a slight distance away. I make my way across the factory floor towards it. I recognise it immediately as the table my grandma has in her conservatory. It’s clearly the same design. The shape and colour are the same but there is something off about it.
“They’re using the wrong wood,” Noah says from just behind me as I run my hand across the leg of the table. “They’ve supplemented it for a cheaper option.”
I’m impressed that he knows that just from looking at it. I might have known something was wrong with the table but I would never have been able to guess what it was.
“Noah?” someone calls from behind us.
Turning towards the voice, we both step towards the manager. He’s an older man in his early sixties.
Noah shakes the man’s hand.
“It’s good to see you,” he says. “It’s been a while.”
Noah nods his head in agreement. “Must have been at least three or four months. This is Eden Winters, my new assistant. Eden, this is Mr Laurence.”
Mr Laurence offers me his hand to shake. He has a happy, engaging smile on his face as he say, “another one? Grisham, what did you do with the last one?”
“She left,” Noah replies awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Clearly,” Mr Laurence replies. He gives me a wink, saying, “Noah here, can’t keep an assistant for anything.”
“He couldn’t even keep the last one for a week,” I tell him, smirking.
“I wish I could say that I’m shocked. You haven’t handed in your resignation yet?”
“Oh, I got close.”
Mr Laurence barks out a laugh, clapping Noah on the back. “What can I do for you? This is a surprise visit.”
“I wanted to ask about the walnut coffee table.”
“What about it?” he asks as they fall into step together, walking in the direction of Mr Laurence’s office.
“The wood has been changed?”
“I still can’t believe you wanted to do it. You were so adamant that we must use that particular wood.”
“Sorry. What did you say?” Noah stops short. “Did you say I wanted to change the wood?”
“That’s what your assistant said,” Mr Laurence told him. “Not this one, the last one.”
“What was her name?”
“Er… Becky, I think. I’d probably have to check to be sure.”
“Would you mind?”
“No problem at all. The information is in the office.”
“Do you remember when you spoke to her?”
“Was it two weeks ago?” Mr Laurence mumbles. “Yeah, I think it was.”
We step into the office and wait for Mr Laurence to search through his records for the information we’re looking for. It feels like it takes forever and Noah is clearly impatient, pacing across the floor.
“Here it is,” he says eventually. “Yeah, Monday, two weeks ago, I got an email from your assistant, Becky.”
“Have you got the email?” Noah asks.
“I can print it off for you, if it helps?”
“Yes, please. Could you also forward it to me?”
“No problem,” the older man says. He goes quiet for a few minutes as he does what Noah has asked and neither Noah or I say anything.
“The company are going to stop production,” Noah tells Mr Laurence. “I never asked for it to be changed and I don’t know who sent this email.”
“What? You didn’t?” His eyes widen in panic. “I even called the number in her signature line to double check. I spoke to her on the phone.”
“I’m not blaming you,” Noah says softly. “Don’t worry.”
“My factory can’t afford to lose it’s work with Clancy’s Comforts.”
Noah simply smiles at him sadly. He doesn’t promise that he’ll be able to fix it. This is awful. I want to promise Mr Lawrence that he won’t lose the company’s business but Eden Winters doesn’t have that sort of power.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
