Chapter 12
An inconspicuous look at his watch confirmed just how long of a day he'd been enduring. An hour and a half drive, weeks of negotiations, 18 months worth of production on the line—and it all rested on getting the two angry people in the room with him to see eye to eye.
Daryl glared at Michonne from across the table and she glared right back. They'd been nervous about how this meeting would shake out and whether they'd find themselves in a tight spot by the end of it. Dealing with this vendor would take a particular kind of approach or it would all end up messy for everyone. And so far, Michonne was making a mess of everything alright. He'd spent the first part of the meeting laying out a good case for why the two companies could turn a good profit if they teamed up. But they needed to get out the gate with a solid contract, and that didn't look to be happening anytime soon judging by the hostility playing out in front of him.
Daryl caught Charlie McDougal squirming in the seat next to him, uncomfortable with the direct questions Michonne fired at him about the parameters of the contract he proposed. He answered each one with a slight stammer and a nervous glance towards him as if Daryl should somehow be reigning her in. It was a pretty funny turnaround since he'd had trouble with this vendor for months. After Michonne came into the picture, that's when Charlie had started acting right, impressed that they'd sent a lawyer to negotiate. He puffed himself up like a damn rooster on the prowl when he got to deal with someone he saw as on his intellectual level rather than some backwoods redneck goon.
It only took a few meetings and negotiations to find out exactly how formidable Michonne could be when she got in a groove. Charlie hadn't liked that much, especially since Michonne ended up prowling him more often than not.
Sitting idly as the two butted heads, Daryl decided to bide his time before intervening; he'd wait for the best strategic opportunity. The two of them scraped through a few exchanges, Charlie's voice starting to rise and challenge Michonne's steely tempered tone. They shot off figures back and forth until he threw up his arms and deemed her compromises "unreasonable" and "laughable." Michonne wouldn't back down.
At this point, Daryl figured she was doing her very best to undermine him during the meeting, and it was starting to take its toll. He leaned forward aggressively in his chair and put a hand up to cut her off.
"Listen, enough of all this legal mumbo jumbo. Charlie, are ya in or are ya out?" Michonne scowled at him; whether it was over the fact that he'd cut her off with such a dismissive gesture or because he'd referred to her questioning as mumbo jumbo remained unclear.
The vendor turned towards Daryl in relief. "I'm in, I'm in. I've said as much. I just don't know why we need to get into this level of detail right now."
"Because that's how negotiations work. We can't have—"
Daryl turned his body toward the vendor, effectively cutting off Michonne's access and her words. He could feel her fuming across the table. "Why don't we take a breather and then come back to it. Maybe we just need to clear our heads and start thinkin' big picture." He directed a stern reprimand at Michonne across the table and saw that she had crossed her arms in frustration.
The vendor looked between them and then settled his eyes on Daryl. Ignoring Michonne's attitude, Daryl nodded at the man who then visibly relaxed, thinking that Daryl would now get his subordinate under control so they could get back to business.
"Dixon, that sounds like a good idea. I'm going to go grab some coffee and give us all time to cool off." He stood and headed for the exit, not bothering to offer either of them anything.
When the door closed firmly behind him, Michonne stared at Daryl, arms still crossed. "What the hell was that about?"
"Me? What the hell's gotten into you?" We can't be talkin' to our vendors like that and expectin' 'em to want to negotiate. I taught you better than that." It surprised him how genuinely frustrated this whole situation had made him.
Michonne scoffed. "Talking to him like what? Like a professional and not some member of the good ole boys club? I'm not going to stop doing my job just because you feel intimidated by my credentials. You knew what you were getting when you hired me."
Daryl stood and paced across the room, irritation rolling off of him at her accusations. Getting along as well as they did made it easier to hit below the belt. He had a feeling this conversation was about to escalate quickly.
"Well, I didn't hire ya. And I sure as hell didn't put you on my team. Sometimes I think it aint enough compensation in the world to have me puttin' up with your know-it-all bullshit all the damn time." He glanced around and noticed the fancy, high tech equipment in the conference room. It wasn't as if this vendor couldn't afford what they were asking. It's just that he thought it was all part of the game to play hardball, and Michonne was putting a serious crimp into his plans. He turned and directed an exasperated look her way. Michonne narrowed her eyes at him and sighed.
"Right," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "You didn't mind when Rick assigned me to you and I did all the crap work. Now that he's given me some responsibility, you're getting all sore about it. This isn't about you and your sad, country-boy complex. We're supposed to be a team and you're throwing me under the bus, treating me like that in front of a vendor."
"I aint done nothin' but stop you from makin' a bigger fool 'a yourself with all them ten dollar words and lawyer talk. If you're tryin' to get us to take you more seriously, it aint happenin'. We need to close this deal and we can't do it with you throwin' around your fancy skills and thinkin' we're just gonna fall in line. If you got somethin' to prove, do it on your own time and let me handle this."
"You do whatever you like and we'll see what Rick and Hershel have to say about it," she shot back. "And then maybe you won't have to worry about putting up with me on your team anymore because I'll be gone."
Daryl scrutinized her expression, unsure if she meant gone from his team or gone from AGD entirely after her contract ended. He hated that she'd thrown that uncertainty in his face like some kind of bargaining chip for her to play around with. He opened his mouth to fire off a sharp counter to her threat but thought better of it. Instead, they seethed throughout the lull in their fight as Daryl kicked at the table and turned his back to her.
When they heard footsteps approaching the door, Daryl returned to his seat and Michonne uncrossed her arms, attempting an air of renewed calm even though the both of them were still as agitated as ever, probably more so since they'd taken their break. Charlie walked in, apprehensive but much less red-faced than when he left. He had a mug of coffee in hand and placed it carefully on the table before looking cautiously between the two of them. There was no hiding that something had gone down between them as the tension in the room felt thick and ripe.
No one spoke for a few long moments; then Michonne quite suddenly rose from her seat, as lithe as a wary cat. She gathered up her paperwork into a neat pile and pushed it across the table in Daryl's direction.
"I think I could go for a cup of coffee myself—across the street. You seem to have everything well in hand, Mr. Dixon." She stared him down as she grabbed her bag and left, her heels sliding softly against the hardwood floor outside the conference room.
He would surely pay later for some of that previous exchange, but there were pressing issues left on the table—and sitting next to him—waiting to be addressed.
Charlie appeared as smug as ever. "So, where were we? Now that we've gotten rid of your bulldog, we can talk this over like men."
Daryl pushed down his temper and grabbed the paperwork that Michonne had left so they could get down to business.
After he'd finished with Charlie and signed some of the preliminary agreements for the final contract, he got a message from Michonne saying that she'd caught a cab to the train station so she could head back to the office without him. He rolled his eyes and walked across the parking lot, leaving Charlie in the conference room to gloat over his victories. The whole situation had annoyed him for sure and he and Michonne would have to clear the air at some point. But there was still stuff he needed her to do, and they could have just hashed it out on the drive back to AGD. Now he'd have to wait until they separately made it back.
Daryl unlocked the door to his truck and threw his beat up briefcase onto the empty seat next to him that he stared at for a few beats too long. Thinking on it a bit, he figured her departure was probably for the best. It was only an hour train ride for her and he could use the time to himself as he drove back. She'd probably jump at the chance to call Rick to pick her up so she could fill him in on her version of what went down.
As he rode back, he called her but got her voicemail. He left a message that basically told her that she'd better have her ass in his office when he got back. Then he called Rick and prepared to do some damage control and update him on the rest of the meeting. As he'd suspected, Michonne had gotten to him first, and his boss sounded full of humor about the whole thing, talking about him and Michonne as if they were a couple of misbehaving kids rather than free-thinking adults going to the ends of their sanity on his watch. The more he complained about the trip and how crazy Michonne could make him, the funnier the situation seemed to his boss.
He'd declared himself pretty done with the entire day, and with every person he'd come in contact with during it, by the time he found himself walking down the AGD hall towards his office. He'd finish what he had to and then planned on heading home to spend the evening with a six pack and a baseball game.
But when he strolled into his office, he stopped cold in the doorway: the object of his ire was waiting on him as he'd requested.
There Michonne sat—in his chair with her feet propped up and her computer on her lap. He tried and failed not to stare at her legs, which were extended across the dark, wooden surface of his desk, exposing her silky skin to him from just below her knee on down. Her dress sat modestly tucked underneath her and she'd removed her blazer to expose her bare arms and the full dip at her collar. Normally, he liked it when she wore a bit of color but there something about her understated beige suit that appealed to him.
Daryl shook his head and took a step forward, trying to focus his thoughts away from how good she looked to him and back to addressing the loose ends of their earlier meeting. He was still pretty annoyed with her.
Although he could tell she was aware of his presence—and possibly of the way he'd ogled her—she didn't stop what she was doing. Instead, she finished her email and then closed up her laptop. Daryl stood at the corner of his desk with his arms crossed.
"You gon' move?" he asked.
"Nope," she responded. He leaned into the desk and stared her down. And just as he'd come to expect from her, she didn't back off. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"
Cocking his head to the side, he considered her and her stubborn attitude. "Don't know. Might not wanna hear you mouth again about it." The tension from before had dissipated, of course, but that didn't mean he was going to roll over for her.
"You're gonna have to tell me sometime, the sooner the better because I know you don't want to draw up that contract yourself." She had him there.
Still, he glared at her, remembering their earlier fight at the vendor's office. "Sad country-boy complex? Really, Michonne?"
She shrugged. "You called me a know-it-all. And you gave me the hand. I hate that."
"I know you hate that, it's why I did it." He sighed. "You know how to cut a man down, I'll give you that."
That got a grin out of her. "I'll take that as a compliment. How much did you get out of him?"
He grinned along with her at the question. "Got him down to $5 a case. He thought he was gettin' one over on us but he aint heard about that shortage comin' outta South Carolina. We need this hammered out fast."
His words elicited a full-blown smile and Daryl pushed down that surge of pleasure he felt every time she directed it his way.
"So it worked then. Told you so. Oh, and check your email." He took out his phone and pulled up an email from her that she'd sent when he walked into the room. It was the drafted contract waiting for him to put in the unit price and fax over for a final signature. Damn, she stayed two steps ahead of him at all times it seemed. He tapped out a notation and forwarded the email to his assistant to make the changes and then send to Rick for his final review.
"Yeah, it worked," he confirmed, reluctant to admit just how effective her plan had been. "Don't know if it was worth it gettin' fussed at by you though." He smirked as she re-crossed her long, graceful legs atop his desk. He sat down at the corner and gestured for her to stay put. For his trouble, he'd at least give himself the chance to enjoy this view of her for a while longer.
"I wouldn't have had to lay it on so thick if he'd been just listening in at the door. But when you clued me in to him turning on the teleconference equipment to eavesdrop, I had to make it sound good." She chuckled at the skeptical look he flashed her. "That guy's the easiest mark in the county. He was so annoyed with me that I felt even more sure he'd try to take advantage if he thought we were fighting."
Daryl shook his head. "You bet he was pissed at you. Almost punched him in the face for his shitty attitude. Don't nobody but me get to sass you like that." She poked him in the leg with her heel but did so with humor in her expression. He grabbed at the point of her shoe and jostled her foot playfully.
They sat quietly together, coming down from the intensity of the day. She sighed. "I'm really gonna miss this, Daryl. I'm so proud of you for finally getting your promotion. You're going to be a great assistant director. But it won't be the same without you out there on the road like the old days, ganging up on vendors or hanging out at The Cabin instead of coming back to do our paperwork."
He bit at his lip, at a loss for how to respond. They got along so well partly because she came across just as stoic as him. She didn't talk about her feelings or anything too deep. Even when they'd helped each other grieve, they'd kept things mostly to themselves. Except right now, she was practically gushing. Maybe it was a counter to all the harsh words they'd had to say to each other earlier.
Instead of backing off, he went out on a limb. "You could always stay here and keep me company, you know. You got your own contract waitin' on Hershel's desk for you to sign. Me and you could get into just as much stuff together here as on the road. Keep an eye on things too." He realized she'd never let up on looking for the Governor, even as he accepted that the trail had gone cold. He wouldn't force her to follow suit. She had to do things in her own time, just like with this contract. That didn't mean he wouldn't encourage her to do things as he'd like to see them. At times like this, it felt like he wanted more for her than she wanted for herself and that concerned him.
Offering a brief, sad smile, she retracted her legs from his desk; Daryl missed the sight of them as soon as they disappeared to the floor. "Soon," she assured. But they both knew that that could mean a lot of things. "But today, we did good." She got up and retrieved her laptop so she could return to her office. When she stood next to him, he grabbed her hand, holding it loosely in his.
"I'm gonna miss it too."
She grinned at him, a genuine display of her affection; he held on to her for a few beats, allowing their fingers to intertwine before letting her go. She didn't move away though. She lingered as if she had more to say and he leaned in as if her voice and words were the only thing he wanted to listen to. He watched her lips, focusing on their fullness and the soft creases and smooth contours to the sensitive skin; followed their shape as her mouth opened to say something.
At that moment, Rick walked into the doorway, looking down at a stack of papers in his hand and oblivious to what he'd interrupted. "So this $5 a case is really happening?" he drawled with excitement. "Beth just got this fax back from Charlie. He couldn't sign fast enough. I'm sure he'll be cursing our names come next month."
By the time Rick raised his head up to take in his employees, Daryl had turned on the desk to face their boss with Michonne standing at his shoulder.
Rick smiled at them. "I almost hate to split you two up. But this place needs Daryl more and Michonne you're doing just fine on your own. Contract's still waiting for you though."
Daryl turned and raised his eyebrows at her, bumping her with his shoulder. Michonne crossed her arms good-naturedly and rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, nice job. You should take off early. Go celebrate or something while I finalize this. Take Glenn and Maggie with you. They've been busting their butt all week too."
Daryl hopped off the desk. "Will do, Boss Man." Rick laughed and backed out of the room yelling for Hershel.
Turning to Michonne, he shooed her out the door ahead of him. "You heard the man, let's go. I guess I owe you a drink."
"You bet you do." She waited for him to catch up. "Dinner first?" she asked. "We can grab burgers and a beer at The Tombs and watch the game." The request sounded more tentative than he was used to from her, especially after how they'd gone after each other today, even in subterfuge.
The thought of spending an evening unwinding with her filled him with a sudden and joyful anticipation. Maybe he'd ask Glenn and Maggie to join them later so he could have her to himself for a while, relish their time together before he began to see her a lot less. He felt their hands brush against each other once again as they walked side by side. The electricity between them had subsided leaving the usual repressed longing.
"Sounds good," he replied. He allowed his introspection to recede, replaced by their usual sharp banter. "Your treat though." She smacked him on the arm, then gently grasped him for a moment. He almost sighed at the way she left her fingers slide down and away from him. Her familiar smirk stung his heart but he shrugged it off as they wandered down the hall towards the other side of the building.
Yes, it was time to put this day behind him. It seemed right that he'd do so with her at his side.
TBC ...