Later that afternoon, they had a meeting with her grandfather to go over David’s recommendations for where they could make some cuts. He had a list of suggestions and most of them made good sense. He’d pointed out areas that they could streamline and improve how they ordered to take advantage of discounts on larger orders. But then he made a recommendation that Paula hadn’t seen coming. It was one that she disagreed with completely. Before she said anything, she glanced at her grandfather, but his face was hard to read. He never gave much away in a business meeting. He’d told her years ago that success in business was like playing cards. You never let them see you sweat, and you keep your cards close to your vest.

Her grandfather nodded at her. “What do you think about those recommendations, Paula?”

“Well, I think there are some great suggestions. Things we can implement right away, like the ordering. But I have to say I don’t like the idea of cutting staff. That seems drastic.”

“It would make us more efficient and more profitable,” David insisted.

“It’s up to Paula,” her grandfather said.

She looked at him in surprise. “What do you think?”

He grinned. “I think you know. Do what you think is right.”

She took a deep breath and looked at David. “No one loses their job. We can make the other suggestions and continue to try to grow profits other ways.”

David didn’t look pleased, but he nodded. “Okay.”

His phone rang and when he glanced at the number, he stood and excused himself.

“I’m sorry, but I need to take this.”

“No problem. We’re all done here,” her grandfather said.

David stepped away and returned a moment later, looking a bit pale.

“I need to take the rest of the afternoon off. My mother fell and my father just called from the hospital.”

“Of course,” her grandfather said.

“I’m so sorry. I hope she’s okay,” Paula added.

“Thanks. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

After he left the room, Paula turned to her grandfather.

“Was that what you would have done? Did I make the right decision?”

“Yes, it’s what I would have done. Profits are important but people are, too. I’ve never had a layoff here and I don’t intend to start now. If we were to cut people, something else would fall short. People are what make The Whitley what it is.”

“Good. That’s what I thought. It’s what you’ve always taught me. And I think it’s what sets us apart, what keeps people coming back.”

“Right. So, fill me in on what’s new. Do we have anyone especially interesting or famous with us this week?”

Paula laughed. Her grandfather loved to be up on all the gossip.

“We do, actually. Cami Carmichael arrived last week. And she’s staying for two months.”