Katherine abruptly back to the present. Someone had tapped the microphone on the dais. She refocused on the day’s event and Edward’s recognition for his achievements with Winter Enterprises. Now nine years since forming the company, they owned twenty-four restaurants in and around Philadelphia. The business grossed over $58,000,000 annually and employed four hundred people. Katherine’s dividends from the business enabled her to move from the tiny bungalow in Germantown to a new three-bedroom home on five acres on Philadelphia’s Main Line. Edward and his wife, Betsy, owned their own home in Chestnut Hill. Betsy was pregnant and due in less than four weeks. Carrie was still happily single at twenty-nine years of age and running around the world doing God-knows-what for the Army.
Katherine smiled at Betsy, seated to her left, and then turned to the right to smile at Paul Sanders. Paul had bloomed into a dear friend since Frank died and he now handled Edward’s legal affairs.
“Quite a ride, Kat,” Paul said. “Frank would be proud of all of you.”
FRIDAY
JULY 15, 2011
CHAPTER TWO
Edward Winter was still riding an emotional high from the Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday when he arrived for his appointment with Stanley Burns, his account officer and Senior Credit Officer at Broad Street National Bank. He stopped outside the bank entrance and buttoned his suit jacket. He’d worn his banker’s outfit for the appointment today: Blue pinstripe suit, red power tie, and black Ferragamo tasseled loafers. Shifting his black leather briefcase to his left hand, he walked confidently through the entrance to the elevator at the back of the lobby, then rode up one floor to the mezzanine to stop at Burns’ secretary’s desk on the edge of the bank’s executive level. The building dated back to the 1920s and looked like what Edward always thought banks should look like: Marble floors and counters, brass teller cages, and lots of heavy mahogany furniture. He smirked to himself. Considering the amount of interest he paid to the bank on his loans, the least the bank could do was create a plush environment for the customers.
“Hello, Helen. How are you today? Is Mr. Burns treating you well?” This was a standard part of the banter between Edward and Helen. He always told her she could come work for him if she wasn’t being treated well.
“Everything’s fine, Mr. Winter,” the woman said in a monotone, dry voice. “I’ll tell Mr. Burns you’re here.”
Edward was surprised at Helen. She must be having a particularly bad day, he thought. Helen returned a few seconds later.
“You can go in now, Mr. Winter,” she said, an apologetic look on her face.
Edward walked past Helen’s desk into Stanley Burns’ office. Burns stood and greeted him, then ushered him into his usual chair. “Please sit down, Edward,” Burns said, closing the office door and seating himself opposite Edward.
“You look beat, Stan,” Edward said.
Burns shrugged. “The economy’s impacting a lot of our clients.”
Edward passed Burns a financial report his Chief Financial Officer, Nick Scarfatti, had prepared for the second quarter ending June 30. “Thank God our business hasn’t been impacted.” He didn’t want to gloat, especially when so many other businesses were suffering, but Edward was more than pleased with the condition of Winter Enterprises, Inc. “You will see in those reports that our sales are up. We’re requesting an increase in our credit to finance the acquisition of seven new sites and the construction of new restaurant buildings in Pittsburg. We’ve already identified the managers for all seven of those stores. We—”
Burns held up a hand, stopping him. “Before you get too far along with this, I need to tell you there are a lot of changes going on around here. We’re . . . I’m sorry to tell you, we will not be able to finance any more of your sites.”
Edward felt as though he’d been punched in
Katherine smiled at Betsy, seated to her left, and then turned to the right to smile at Paul Sanders. Paul had bloomed into a dear friend since Frank died and he now handled Edward’s legal affairs.
“Quite a ride, Kat,” Paul said. “Frank would be proud of all of you.”
FRIDAY
JULY 15, 2011
CHAPTER TWO
Edward Winter was still riding an emotional high from the Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday when he arrived for his appointment with Stanley Burns, his account officer and Senior Credit Officer at Broad Street National Bank. He stopped outside the bank entrance and buttoned his suit jacket. He’d worn his banker’s outfit for the appointment today: Blue pinstripe suit, red power tie, and black Ferragamo tasseled loafers. Shifting his black leather briefcase to his left hand, he walked confidently through the entrance to the elevator at the back of the lobby, then rode up one floor to the mezzanine to stop at Burns’ secretary’s desk on the edge of the bank’s executive level. The building dated back to the 1920s and looked like what Edward always thought banks should look like: Marble floors and counters, brass teller cages, and lots of heavy mahogany furniture. He smirked to himself. Considering the amount of interest he paid to the bank on his loans, the least the bank could do was create a plush environment for the customers.
“Hello, Helen. How are you today? Is Mr. Burns treating you well?” This was a standard part of the banter between Edward and Helen. He always told her she could come work for him if she wasn’t being treated well.
“Everything’s fine, Mr. Winter,” the woman said in a monotone, dry voice. “I’ll tell Mr. Burns you’re here.”
Edward was surprised at Helen. She must be having a particularly bad day, he thought. Helen returned a few seconds later.
“You can go in now, Mr. Winter,” she said, an apologetic look on her face.
Edward walked past Helen’s desk into Stanley Burns’ office. Burns stood and greeted him, then ushered him into his usual chair. “Please sit down, Edward,” Burns said, closing the office door and seating himself opposite Edward.
“You look beat, Stan,” Edward said.
Burns shrugged. “The economy’s impacting a lot of our clients.”
Edward passed Burns a financial report his Chief Financial Officer, Nick Scarfatti, had prepared for the second quarter ending June 30. “Thank God our business hasn’t been impacted.” He didn’t want to gloat, especially when so many other businesses were suffering, but Edward was more than pleased with the condition of Winter Enterprises, Inc. “You will see in those reports that our sales are up. We’re requesting an increase in our credit to finance the acquisition of seven new sites and the construction of new restaurant buildings in Pittsburg. We’ve already identified the managers for all seven of those stores. We—”
Burns held up a hand, stopping him. “Before you get too far along with this, I need to tell you there are a lot of changes going on around here. We’re . . . I’m sorry to tell you, we will not be able to finance any more of your sites.”
Edward felt as though he’d been punched in
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