“No,” I said carefully. “One of us blundering around out there is enough … or one too many, depending on how you count it. While I still think I should have gone along, Aahz has dealt this hand, so it’s up to him to play it out. It’s up to me to mind the store until he gets back.”
Massha cocked an eyebrow at me.
“That makes sense,” she said, “though I’ll admit I’m a little surprised to hear you say it.”
“I’m a responsible businessman now.” I shrugged. “I can’t afford to go off half-cocked like a rash kid anymore. Besides, I have every confidence in my partner’s ability to handle things.”
Those were brave words, and I meant them. Two days later, however, this particular ‘responsible businessman’ was ready to go off fully cocked. Guido and Nunzio ceased to complain about my sneaking off alone . . . mostly because I didn’t go out at all! In fact, I spent most of my waking hours and all of my sleeping hours (though I’ll admit I didn’t sleep much) in the reception room on the off-chance that I could greet Aahz on his triumphant return.
Unfortunately, my vigil went unrewarded. I did my best to hide my concern, but I needn’t have bothered. As the hours marched on, my staff’s worries grew until most of my time was spent telling them, “No, he isn’t back yet. When he gets here, I’ll let you know.” Even Guido, who never really got along with Aahz, took to stopping by at least once an hour for a no-progress report.
Finally, as a salve for my own nerves, I called everyone into the reception room for a staff meeting.