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Oklahoma, Present Day

" No, it&039;s not that I don&039;t &039;get it,&039; it&039;s that I don&039;t understand bow you could have let it happen" Lina spoke slowly and distinctly through clenched teeth

"Ms Santoro, I have already explained that we had no idea until the IRS contacted us yesterday that there had been any error at al "

"Did you not have any checks and balances? The reason I pay you to e the taxes for lanced down at the obscene number typed in neat, nononsense black and white across the bottoovernment form "I understand accidents and e could have escaped your notice" Frank Rayburn cleared his throat before answering Lina had always thought he looked a little like a gangster-wannabe Today his black pinstriped suit and his slippery dee

"Your bakery did very wel last year, Ms Santoro Actu-al y, you more than doubled your inco about a ures, it is easy for mistakes to happen I think that ould be more productive for us now is to focus on how you can pay what you owe the govern blame" Before she could speak he hurried on, "I have drawn up several suggestions" He pul ed out another sheet of paper fil ed with bulleted coluestion number one is to borrow the ht now"

Lina felt her jaw clench She hated the idea of borrowing money, especial y that much money She kneould make her feel exposed and vulnerable until the loan was repaid If the loan could be repaid Yes, she had been doing wel , but a bakery wasn&039;t exactly a necessity to a community, and tiestions?"

"Wel , you could introduce a newer,for the lunch crowd,little circles in the air with one thick forefinger "Baby pizza things"

"Pizette Florentine" She bit the words at hiinated in Florence, and they are not meant to be a meal, they are meant to be a mid-afternoon snack served with cheese and wine"

He shrugged "Whatever Al I&039; lunch crowd"

"You mean like a fried chicken buffet would? Or ers and fries?"

"Now there&039;s an idea," he said, total y estion number three would be to cut your staff"

Lina druers on the top of the conference table "Go on," she said, keeping her voice deceptively pleasant

"Number four would be to consider bankruptcy" He held up a hand to stop her froh she hadn&039;t uttered a sound "I know it sounds drastic, but after those expensive renovations you just completed, you real y don&039;t have any reserves left to fal back on"

"I only commissioned those expensive renovations because you assured me that Pani Del Goddess could afford them" Lina&039;s hands twitched with the desire to wrap themselves around his neck

"Be that as it ly "But bankruptcy is only one option, and not the one I would recommend Actual y, I would reco chain that offered to buy you out a couple o They just want your name and your location Give it to &039;eh money to pay your debt and start over with a new name and place"

"But I&039;ve spent twenty years building up the Pani Del Goddess name, and I have no desire to move" If Frank Rayburn had been the least bit intuitive, he would have recognized the storh it had not yet reached her mouth Frank Rayburn was not intuitive

"Wel , I just tel ya the options" Frank leaned back in the plush chair and crossed his arave Lina what he liked to think of as his stern, fatherly look "You&039;re the boss It&039;s your job to decide fro" Lina&039;s voice was stil caled with steel "You see, I am not your boss anymore You are fired You have proven yourself to be as incompetent with my business as you are with your choice of attire My lail be in contact with you I&039;l make sure that she has several options drawn up for you to consider Maybe one of theood day, Mr Rayburn, and as randule e tuo capra!" Lina stood, smoothed her skirt and snapped shut her leather briefcase "Oh, how rude of rande words: &039;You are a piece of shit Fuck you and your goat!&039; Arrivederci" Lina turned and strode through the professional y decorated office grinning wickedly at the wel rouged receptionist